first brew on the go

[porter]

Finally got around to getting my first brew on (1st for approx 20 yrs ). I opted for a Coopers Dark ale kit.After having a quick nosy on this forum i decided to not just make a standard batch.
I know i can hear lots of tutting for not sticking to standard as a base to compare to later but sorry i couldnt resist.
I subbed the standard sugar for a packet of youngs brew enhancer (which i think is 50/50 sugar and DME ?). Then while i was on a roll i put in 2 tbs of black treacle .I thought this couldnt hurt as most people seem to be adding 1/2 to 1 full tin of the stuff to stouts etc.
I made the kit at 16:00 tues and had a little peek into the cupboard (keeps at a nice 20-22'C ) at 05:00 today and was shocked to see no activity.Got home today at 15:00 and relieved to see a healthy head of froth on it.
I'm still to decide whether to get a keg or bottle it?
I'd just like to say what a pleasure it's been to look on this forum the last few days,i feel like i've picked up loads of useful info and tips already.
I'm not ashamed to admit i'm a complete novice compared to most of the posters on here and i freely admit to being quite giddy in anticipation of the brew to come. :drink:

 

[grandelf]

I too messed about with the sugar/brew enhancer on my 1st brew
Coopers Lager and IPA

It is been in the FV for 2 weeks on Saturday, going t start to test the thing measurements tomorrow and Friday.

Aim to bottle this weekend and may get to enjoy a few over the easter weekend.

Good luck with the brewing!

 

[porter]

Cheers,i just need to show superhuman restraint and try not to lift the lid for at least a week.I intend to just peek into the cupboard daily to see if the froth bubbles over.
After looking on here i opted to snap the lid on the fv shut and just loosen a bit of the rim.To be honest i filled the fv to the 23lts mark and it doesnt leave much room for the froth to expand so im a little anxious about that.

 

[Redsnapper]

Welcome, I'm a newbie too just bottled my second batch.My first was a coopers IPA and I used 1kg of beer enhancer and dropped in some hop pellets for the last few days in the F.V. It is still a bit green but is improving with every tester bottle.hic!!
I would keep the F.V. Tight shut to preserve your CO2 layer rather than keep peeking.You can use a sanitised turkey baster to fill a sample tube for testing F.G. Once activity has died down.
Otherwise you may risk infection or oxidation of your beer.

Then the hard bit waiting for it to be drinkable!! It is very satisfying drinking your own beer,but you have to be patient.
Good luck and enjoy your brewing. :thumb:

 

[grandelf]

I did the same, snapped the top shut and opened about 1/3 of the rim.

Gonna turkey baste the samples tomorrow and see how its going.

I hope its all sorted and I can bottle on Sunday.


I did get a bit of bubbling up, but I added a bit too short water, so only have 21 ish ltrs. Didn't get anywhere near bubbling over so don't worry too much about that.

 

[porter]

Thanks for the tips fellas.I did snap the lid firmly shut last night on my youngs fv and when i checked it before going to bed the lid seemed to be domed out slightly.I left it and was woken up a few hours later by a loud whoomph!( i know it sounds daft but kinda hard to explain in words).
After initialy thinking we had nocturnal visitors i rushed to the brewing cupboard and could see the lid was now level and slighty open ( or not fully snapped shut ) in one place.I guess the gas found its way out eventually so ive settled for leaving it like that.I havent lost any of the froth yet though and its still sat at a nice 20-22'C.Happy days so far ,now its a waiting game i suppose.

 

[grandelf]

Now I can picture the response to the WHOOP in my house....

I foresee at least one black eye...

 

[porter]

Good tip on the turkey baster.I picked up a cheapo one today.Mustn't forget to sterilise it first though eh?
What do most folk do with the liquid in the test tube (that too will get sterilised)after testing?
Do you pour it back in the FV or will it pay to drink it to check for any off or sour taste?

 

[Berk]

I tend to drink the trial jar, but that's because I don't bother sterilising it, I just take care not to touch it with the turkey baster. If nothing else it's an excuse to try your brew out before it's properly ready.

 

[porter]

Sounds like a fair idea,two or three test tubes worth of the brew wont make much of a dent in 20 or 23 lts will it?

 

[grandelf]

if you take it out the tub, dont return it...


works for most things in life.

 

[Berk]

Sounds like a fair idea,two or three test tubes worth of the brew wont make much of a dent in 20 or 23 lts will it?

Pretty much, I think my trial jar holds 100ml, so that's just over half a pint if you take one reading at the start and your first two readings at the end match each other first time.

 

[Redsnapper]

Good idea is to get a hole drilled in the lid of your fermenting vessel and pop in a bung and an airlock.Really cheap and let's the CO2 out but won't let air in to damage your brew.Most local home brew shops can do this for you.Then you don't have to open your F.V. Until Turkey Baster time.
Plus airlock activity can be monitored easily, but always trust your hydrometer!!! :thumb:

 

[porter]

Good idea on the airlock.
I had thought about this but was worried the lively froth in the first few days might force its way out via the airlock and displace the water in it?
I like to think i could manage to drill the hole in the lid but i'm not sure if my home brew shop does rubber grommets or what size the hole needs to be.

 

[porter]

Foget that last bit about the grommet,just been on the old fleabay and seen packs of three for a quid.They require a 12.5mm hole or 1/2 in old money.

 

[porter]

Evening all.I've been keeping an anxious eye on my first brew.I just couldn't wait the full seven days(it's been 6)and grabbed the turkey baster.
I must admit i seem to be struggling to get to grips with the hydrometer for some reason(my eyes must 'av got worse)
I had to wait a while for the bubbles to die down.the trial jar looked as if it had a very slight head on it.The stuff(can i call it beer now?)is a nice dark nutty colour and obviously a bit cloudy.
I think the reading is showing 1012,just under the black band on my hydrometer.Am i right in thinking i need it to get to 1010 or maybe less?
At the minute i think it works out at 4.7%,please feel free to correct me at http://www.newbie/confused.com
When i'm sure it's reached the right reading and stayed stable for 2 days I've got myself another FV and fitted a tap to it but not sure if i ought to rack it into this and leave a few days to clear as opinions seem to differ on this?
BTW after taking advice from here i drank the contents of the trial jar.Not sure what to expect really and i'm no Oz Clarke but here goes,obviously i knew it wouldn't be anywhere near what i hope the finished article will be.It wasn't revolting at all,it definitely tasted of HB but the sweetness had gone so there must be some alcohol in there.It isn't as watery as i thought it might be,it appears to have a bit of body.Not an unpleasant taste by any means.
Anyhow none of this means owt unless it gets to the required gravity and survives to the bottling/kegging stage then hopefully gets a minimum of two weeks to the first proper sample pint and a further 2 till i can tuck in proper.I will stash/hide a couple of bottles for longer maturation.
Sorry i know it's a bit of a ramble but thanks for putting up with me.

 

[Redsnapper]

Sounds good.
I would be tempted to rack it to your second F.V.once its ready.Give it a couple of days in there before bottling.You may be surprised how much more yeast drops out, making your beer clearer.Don't worry about this there is still plenty of yeast left.
Also the tap you mentioned if fitted with a little bottler will make bottling a breeze, no frothing or bubbles in your bottles and consistent levels in each one.Definetley worth investing a fiver.
I have only done two so far and these are the things I learnt and will do with each new batch.

Then leave it alone,my first brew was a Coopers IPA and after two weeks carbonating in the warm it has had nearly three weeks cold conditioning.In the last week or so it has really turned a corner and is a nice pint.After another month I reckon it will be lovely.

Patience is the key.

Cheers

 

[porter]

Sounds good.
I would be tempted to rack it to your second F.V.once its ready.Give it a couple of days in there before bottling.You may be surprised how much more yeast drops out, making your beer clearer.Don't worry about this there is still plenty of yeast left.
Also the tap you mentioned if fitted with a little bottler will make bottling a breeze, no frothing or bubbles in your bottles and consistent levels in each one.Definetley worth investing a fiver.
I have only done two so far and these are the things I learnt and will do with each new batch.

Then leave it alone,my first brew was a Coopers IPA and after two weeks carbonating in the warm it has had nearly three weeks cold conditioning.In the last week or so it has really turned a corner and is a nice pint.After another month I reckon it will be lovely.

Patience is the key.

Cheers

Good idea on the bottler gadget.I picked one up t'other day.It seems every time i call in at my lhbs i end up buying a little trinket or two.My pile of bits-n-bobs is outgrowing the little placcy box
I checked it today, on day nine, and it's still very slowly coming down so will give it another two or three days till it levels out.
I've decided on putting it into a king keg and will bottle 4 or 6 500ml bottles to squirrel away for a while to mature and compare.As soon as i get chance i'll put a coopers stout on the go and will bottle all of that so the little bottler will probably earn it's keep then.

 

[porter]

Just a quickie on the hydrometer.
I've been practising with it in plain water and getting used to trying to read it accurately.
If it reaches the black or yellow band (not sure if it ever will) do i just keg it?
If i left it say another week would it just stop fermenting by itself or keep going and possibly becoming too dry?
Apologies if this sounds like another daft question.

 

[Berk]

I wouldn't worry about the bands of colours, they change from hydrometer to hydrometer it seems. A good place to see this is in the WoW sticky in the wines and ciders "How To" section.

You need to focus on the numbers, as these should be the same between hydrometers. You're probably aiming for something about 1.008, but check what your kit instructions say.

When you read the hydrometer, you're not looking at where the meniscus creeps up the tube, but at the actual water level, so you need to read through that little bit of liquid that seems to be climbing up the side of your hydrometer.

I think the best way to see whether it has finished fermenting is to take two readings, three days apart, if they are exactly the same, then it has finished. If they're different, wait three more days and take a new reading, which will hopefully match the reading you took before it. Remember, you're waiting for two readings that are identical. You also need to make sure the temperature of your liquid is consistent, as I believe that can affect the hydrometers accuracy, but that's not something I really check myself, although I should.

I've got a kit cider going that should have finished a week ago according to the instructions, my first reading was 1.008, my second was 1.007, so I'll check again tomorrow and hope for another 1.007.