And Away we go!

[WeeDave]

So, Coopers Kit arrived today. :party:

Made up a Coopers Canadian Blonde to 21l, using Brew Enhancer 1 and I also used bottled water (apart from boiled water in kettle). £1.70 for 10 x 2l bottles isn't a bank breaker.

So, sanitised everything and got to work getting everything ready. I played about with the tap to make sure it was all put together and didn't leak. So far so good.

Went to take the sample. Seems the wort came out of everywhere than the fecking tap.

It doesn't leak, but clearly there is going to be an issue come final sample and possibly bottling.

Further, I pitched the yeast at around 25 degrees, but didn't stir it in as my spoon came into contact with something not very clean. INstead of sanitizing it again, I just left the yeast atop the foam generated from my vigorous stirring of the wort (prior to spoon being possibly contaminated.) This should be ok, yeah?

Anyway, sample was 1040. Hoping for 1006-1008, but more importantly I don't want to have to pour the lot away cos of potential tap issues.

Am I being unduly nervous (as a n00b) or could the tap issues ruin my first ever brew?

 

[PD]

if you have tap issues that are worrying you. Get another fermenter ordered and ready Together with a little bottler you can then syphon into the new vessel after fermentation has completed.

Sprinkling the yeast on the surface is ok no problem

 

[WeeDave]

if you have tap issues that are worrying you. Get another fermenter ordered and ready Together with a little bottler you can then syphon into the new vessel after fermentation has completed.

Sprinkling the yeast on the surface is ok no problem

Thanks PD. I am hoping my mate has still got some of his homebrew equipment as can't be arsed going out and buying another lot of equipment (Space, and money, at a premium)

Also, my Coopers kit has a bottle wand with it, will that not fit any tap?

 

[mikeyjay84]

Awesome. Good luck with it. I started my journey with a coopers kit last sunday. All going well so far. Patience is the most difficult bit. I cant wait to start drinking! :drink:

Swmbo has let me measure up an area of the kitchen to create a rack for extra FV's! Result.

It gets addictive :thumb: you'll be buying more kit soon.

 

[jonnymorris]

Sprinkling the yeast on the surface is ok no problem

Sorry PD but I have to disagree. Let me clarify, your beer will probably ferment fine having spinkled your dried yeast on top and not mixed it in (I used to do it all the time). This isn't the issue. The point is you really should be re-hydrating dried yeast. Have a read of this and make up your own mind...

http://www.mashspargeboil.com/why-you-should-bother-and-how-to-rehydrate-dry-yeast/

Certainly worth considering for your next brew. Best of luck.

 

[WeeDave]

Awesome. Good luck with it. I started my journey with a coopers kit last sunday. All going well so far. Patience is the most difficult bit. I cant wait to start drinking! :drink:

It gets addictive :thumb: you'll be buying more kit soon.

Yes mate, I'm really looking forward to mastering this. AS someone on here said before, you learn more from mistakes than your successes! I bought the Coopers Austrailian Lager today to do as my next batch. :whistle:

Sprinkling the yeast on the surface is ok no problem

Sorry PD but I have to disagree. Let me clarify, your beer will probably ferment fine having spinkled your dried yeast on top and not mixed it in (I used to do it all the time). This isn't the issue. The point is you really should be re-hydrating dried yeast. Have a read of this and make up your own mind...

http://www.mashspargeboil.com/why-you-should-bother-and-how-to-rehydrate-dry-yeast/

Certainly worth considering for your next brew. Best of luck.

Cheers mate, that looks easy although too late for this batch! Remember, this is my FIRST ever brew! Certainly worth considering in the future to get the yeast mixed in quicker though. :thumb:

 

[mikeyjay84]

Sprinkling the yeast on the surface is ok no problem

Sorry PD but I have to disagree. Let me clarify, your beer will probably ferment fine having spinkled your dried yeast on top and not mixed it in (I used to do it all the time). This isn't the issue. The point is you really should be re-hydrating dried yeast. Have a read of this and make up your own mind...

http://www.mashspargeboil.com/why-you-should-bother-and-how-to-rehydrate-dry-yeast/

Certainly worth considering for your next brew. Best of luck.

a great read :thumb: . will try this - i guess in the greater scheme of thing, its not that much more effort.

 

[bottler]

Sprinkling the yeast on the surface is ok no problem

Sorry PD but I have to disagree. Let me clarify, your beer will probably ferment fine having spinkled your dried yeast on top and not mixed it in (I used to do it all the time). This isn't the issue. The point is you really should be re-hydrating dried yeast. Have a read of this and make up your own mind...

http://www.mashspargeboil.com/why-you-should-bother-and-how-to-rehydrate-dry-yeast/

Certainly worth considering for your next brew. Best of luck.

Excellent post jonny, i will start doing that myself :thumb:

 

[WeeDave]

So, Coopers Kit arrived today. :party:

Made up a Coopers Canadian Blonde to 21l, using Brew Enhancer 1 and I also used bottled water (apart from boiled water in kettle). £1.70 for 10 x 2l bottles isn't a bank breaker.

So, sanitised everything and got to work getting everything ready. I played about with the tap to make sure it was all put together and didn't leak. So far so good.

Went to take the sample. Seems the wort came out of everywhere than the fecking tap.

It doesn't leak, but clearly there is going to be an issue come final sample and possibly bottling.

Further, I pitched the yeast at around 25 degrees, but didn't stir it in as my spoon came into contact with something not very clean. INstead of sanitizing it again, I just left the yeast atop the foam generated from my vigorous stirring of the wort (prior to spoon being possibly contaminated.) This should be ok, yeah?

Anyway, sample was 1040. Hoping for 1006-1008, but more importantly I don't want to have to pour the lot away cos of potential tap issues.

Am I being unduly nervous (as a n00b) or could the tap issues ruin my first ever brew?

Update:

Was away over the weekend there, so just came back and removed my Krausen Collar, which had a nice bit of yeast on it, so clearly my brew is fermenting! :thumb:

Temp seems to be holding steady at 20 degrees. Also took the time to give it a wee stir (no splashing, just a wee tickle really!) and took a reading from the tap: NO LEAKAGE! :party: Been messing around with the tap, wee jiggle this way and that, and seems to have sorted out my initial probs (which, no doubt, were exacerbated by n00b nerves :) )

Smelt like beer but cloudy as a Glasgow Fair weekend. Expect that to change over the next few days though

Reading was 1018. Hopefully get to sub 1010 by end of t'week. Going to leave it until Thurs to do another reading and then another (hopefully bottling too) on Friday. :pray:

 

[redhousebrewing]

Glad to hear its going well as the nerves settle!
Being a newb myself just 5 kit brews in you learn so much in the first few brews that things get better and easier very quickly!
Good luck and be patient :thumb:

Stuart

 

[WeeDave]

Thursday update.

Another sample taken. 1012. Leaving it til Monday and going to bottle it on Tuesday, hopefully get down to 1010 or below. :pray:

Tasted the sample: tasted nice actually. Still very cloudy, but no "off" smells or tastes. :party:

It's not going to win any prizes, but once it's bottled and carbonated, I reckon this'll go down very easily :drink: :drunk:

 

[PD]

I still say if brewing 5 gallons or more of beer, re hydrating your yeast will not make any difference to the brew.

But its such a small thing ( said the actress to the Bishop) that if you want to do it then do it.
I would suggest that if you do,only do it in water not wort or DME.

 

[WeeDave]

Got it bottled today. Got 37 bottles out of 21 litres. Many samples, initial tap issues, quite a lot of crud at the bottom and my coopers bottling wand constant dripping lost me about 2 bottles. Not fussed though, just interested in it tasting good :

1012 two days running. 4% abv. That'll do me for my first brew.

I reckon a wee taster in two weeks may be required. For scientific purposes, of course :whistle:

Then get stuck in about it mid-July :drink: :party: :drunk:

 

[mikeyjay84]

Did mine last night. It was stuck at 1.011 for a few days. 40 bottles. :thumb: :

 

[WeeDave]

In the interests of science, I chilled one of my Canadian Blondes down and opened it for a taste test.

Nice tssss on opening and poured really well, with a nice head, although that quickly dissipated.

Good carbonation going on though, seems 1.5 carbo drops are ideal for this brew.

Taste wise, it's not going to win awards. Reminds me of draught Budweiser I've drunk copious amounts of when I lived in the US. No real body to it. Currently it's just drinkable IMO.

No off tastes, but it is still got a wee bit to go. I reckon in another 5/6 weeks time, this will be decent. :pray:

As a first attempt, I'm happy with this. :thumb:

 

[WeeDave]

6wks in and strong perfume smell from bottle number 2

What could that be? :wha:

Tastewise, it was ok. I reckon I've fecked this and I'm now convinced this ain't going to get any better.

Oh, well, onto bottle number 3..... :whistle: :drink:

 

[Algernon]

Any more perfume from #3?

 

[WeeDave]

Any more perfume from #3?

No :party:

I will chill more down and update next week! :

 

[Algernon]

That's good. Maybe it was a little bit of soap residue or something?

 

i love the coopers kits but be warned if you do a coopers stout they go off like a rocket ...

you will need to keep an eye on it ...
and may be put a tube in where the air lock goes...

but you having the coopers fv with the krausen ring...
might be a whole different ball game but still keep a eye on it ...

good luck with your brew ...
it sounds like its going great ... :thumb: .

regards mick... :hat: .