First Brew, a few worries/questions

[paulkg94]

Hello all,
I am completely new to the world of home brewing and this forum!
I have read up on it a fair bit in the past couple of months and got my first kit for christmas (http://www.wilko.com/cider+beer-brewing/wilko-hop+cheer-ipa-15kg/invt/0440627)

I began fermenting the beer last night and it left a temperature of 21-22 degreees and had a starting gravity reading of 1041/2 on my hydrometer.

I have stored the fermenting bin in our livingroom which is typically at a steady level with the central heating at just over 20 degrees, there is also a thermometer on the radio which is reading 20 degrees for much of the time.

However when I came home from work today, the adhesive thermometer strip on the bin read 17 degrees, despite the room temperature still at 20, the bin lid was also really pushed outwards, and a gravity measurement still read 1041,

My friend who has brewed before suggested I place a bin bag over the bin, but I have a few questions, sorry if I sound like a bit of a newbie.


1) Is it common to place a bin bag over the fermenting bin? (In an attempt to stabilise temperature and block out light).

2) Do I have anything to worry about with the bin lid really pushing outwards, and the gravity reading still the same from yesterday?

3) There was a thick layer of froth on part of the brew, is this normal?


Thanks again, I look forward to posting up and reading many stories on my home brew journey!

 

[Tanzanite]

Just follow this method you wont go wrong ,i use an aquarium thermostat heater to keep the temp constant , but most kits will turn out fine fermented in a warm house even if the temp varies. ferment all brews for two weeks , rack into secondary leave for two week, bottle , leave warm two weeks , put in cold garage shed ten weeks to condition. Then you should be drinking decent beer, stouts and lagers take longer to condition , kits like the woodfords wherry are very drinkable after ten weeks conditioning, and Ciderworks cider (the best cider kit around) is superb after ten weeks. Dont keep poking into it leave it alone and follow the above.

 

[ravey]

When you say the bin lid is pushing out, do you mean it's a completely sealed lid with no airlock fitted? If it's sealed the co2 will continue to build up until the lid becomes airborne. All you need to do is close it loosely/partially clipped down but not completely snapped sealed, maybe drape a towel over it; you just need to ensure nothing gets in which may spoil it.

Also if it was sealed then the co2 may have kept it at a lower temperature (I believe it absorbs heat), so try it without the fv being sealed and see if it....I forget the word, been trying to think of it for 5 minutes.....levels out at room temperature.

And specifically:

1) Is it common to place a bin bag over the fermenting bin? (In an attempt to stabilise temperature and block out light).
Don't see a problem but shouldn't need to do so to get it to...what that word is....to room temperature.

2) Do I have anything to worry about with the bin lid really pushing outwards, and the gravity reading still the same from yesterday?
The yeast is just getting going, it wont have had time to do much so don't worry.

3) There was a thick layer of froth on part of the brew, is this normal?
Yes, that's good, that's known as krausen.

 

[IainM]

Sounds like it is going well. 17C is fine. A bulging lid isn't a problem, but if it looks like it might blow it is probably worth cracking the lid ever so slightly so that the CO2 can escape. As ravey said, the foam is exactly what you want to be seeing - it is a sign it is fermenting. I've never heard of putting a bin liner over the brew. I know patience doesn't come easy with the first brew, but try to leave it alone until it has finished!

 

[paulkg94]

Thanks a lot for the responses soo far, have helped calm me down haha, just so eager to see the final product, but I guess the fun is in the process!

Yes the lid is just completely sealed with no airlock? Is the airlock strongly recommended? If this continue to happens I will just leave it partially closed (not full snap) and as you say perhaps drape a towel over it,

thanks again

 

[IainM]

Thanks a lot for the responses soo far, have helped calm me down haha, just so eager to see the final product, but I guess the fun is in the process!

Yes the lid is just completely sealed with no airlock? Is the airlock strongly recommended? If this continue to happens I will just leave it partially closed (not full snap) and as you say perhaps drape a towel over it,

thanks again

My main fv is like yours, no airlock, so I just crack the lid otherwise it does bulge and distort. I've never had a problem with doing it this way. My other fv has an airlock but it never bubbles, as the gas managed to escape around the lid.

 

[paulkg94]

Hi all, temperature has went slightly up again to 18/19 so I'm happy, lid looked like it was going to pop again so I have replaced it so it is not at full snap (all but 1/2 parts)

Also I have attached a picture with the froth today, it seems to have changed slightly in colour an consistency.

Also the gravity has dropped to around 1032 (was hard to read as there was a head in the hydrometer tube)

 

[ravey]

I know you're worried about the progress and want to check how it's doing but you'd be better off if you stop checking on it. You're giving wild yeast and mould spores a chance to get in.

Sent from my HT7 using Tapatalk

 

[Hoppyland]

I know you're worried about the progress and want to check how it's doing but you'd be better off if you stop checking on it. You're giving wild yeast and mould spores a chance to get in.

Agreed! From your photo, all is going very well - you just need to keep the temperature reasonable and the nice yeasties will do the rest! :)
For me, any temperature between 17-21C will likely be fine - and don't get too paranoid even outside of this range!
For your first brew, of course you'll want to keep checking! But I'd follow Tanzanite's advice: put the lid on & leave it for two weeks. At the moment it's obviously fermenting well, and this produces a blanket of CO2 over the beer that helps to protect from spoilage. After 2 weeks in the FV, you can check the SG to see if fermentation seems to be complete. What you do after that depends upon how you're going to condition & package the beer.

 

[terrym]

Hello all,
I am completely new to the world of home brewing and this forum!

Welcome, and you might find this useful if you are just starting out....
Basic beginners guide to brewing your own beer from a kit - The HomeBrew Forum

 

[yeastinfection]

leave it alone,, stop taking the lid off..you risk infection, i know its exciting but like the others say,it sounds like its going great, let it do what it needs to do and only take the lid off after 2 weeks to check fg,
:thumb:

 

[Brewmarc]

Hi & welcome
Some good advice from the others.
Don't worry everything will be fine yeast is suprisingly robust & will be fine in a wider temp range than is usually stated.
For your next brew it might me worth drilling a hole in your bucket lid & fitting a rubber grommet of the right sise for an airlock.
As for covering with a bin bag to keep light out this is not necessary but don't leave your FV in a position where it can get direct sunlight nothing to do with temp fluctuations but can cause off flavours.

 

[paulkg94]

Ok I was just doing it more so to check gravity levels, but I will leave that for another ten days or so,

thanks for all your help

 

[Rico1973]

Hi, paulkg94 I am also new started my Cooper's British Ale on 02nd Jan using a Coopers brew kit (new style) so for the lid think the others have it covered that. Temperature I have mine in the kitchen next to the radiator with an old coat over the side away from the radiator and temp is between 18 and 20.
Spoke to a professional brewer who said will go up & down.
With the coopers, I can see the magic :) Can not wait lol but will have to for least 6 weeks
:whistle:

 

[dad_of_jon]

Ok I was just doing it more so to check gravity levels, but I will leave that for another ten days or so,

thanks for all your help

if you have that krausen then fermentation is good and no need to check gravity for 10-14 days as long as your temps are at least 17 deg + and you gave your wort a good whisk it's not likely to stall.

 

[Ale]

The foam is called a krausen in case you didnt know. The only issue with temperature is you dont want it to get too high. once you hit around 25°C the yeast will start to produce fusel alcohols that you dont want and I believe can cause headaches.

 

[Bigcol49]

Hi!
The brewer's most important tool is patience. Wait until it's been in the FV for two weeks; kit instructions are not the best way to gauge fermentation times. Yeast needs time to "clean up" after itself - 2 weeks is a good time to leave it.

 

[Brewmarc]

Hi!
The brewer's most important tool is patience. Wait until it's been in the FV for two weeks; kit instructions are not the best way to gauge fermentation times. Yeast needs time to "clean up" after itself - 2 weeks is a good time to leave it.

:thumb::thumb::thumb:
Spot on especially yeast cleaning up,.

 

[BREWERS DROOP]

When I do a kit,I always drop the hydrometer in the bucket after pitching the yeast,then leave it 2 week,this way your not taking samples to test,just a little lift of the lid after 10 days to take a reading,then another 2 days later,if readings are the same just leave it a couple more days.Then I chuck the bucket outside in the cold in a plastic bin bag so nowt gets inside,leave it 2 days,this makes the yeast more solid and crashes better giving a clearer beer.Once it's done gently siphon off to a second bucket,(don't splash it around) with your added priming sugar in the bottom,which has been dissolved in hot water and cooled first.Then bottle or barrel it,put in a warm room for 2 weeks,then store in the cold for longer the better.Use 1 plastic bottle to test when the bottle is hard,its priming well,beware of bottle bombs,put bottles in a cardboard box taped up with packaging tape,this reduces the risk.Hope you enjoy it!!!