First post Ritchies simply pale ale

[huwb]

Hey guys im new to the forum sorry i havent got round to posting an introduction post yet.

Ive literally this week (tuesday) put my first brew on, its a ritchies simply pale ale kit. I added a kilo of ritchies brew enhancer. I followed the instructions to the letter, and got sg of 1.040 and ive been keeping an eye on the temps its been consistantly between 20-23 degrees.

Wednesday and thursday it was bubbling away like crazy but now it doesnt seem to be bubbling at all ? Does the fermentation slow down as the days go on ?

Cheers for any help in advance.
Huw

 

[cheapbrew]

Welcome :hat:

Fermentation can be vigourous or almost non existent, it's dependent on several factors, like temp and type of yeast used, style of beer/lager it's usually vigorous at first then slows down and stops the only way to really tell what is happening though is to take hydrometer readings.

 

[huwb]

Thanks for the swift response, that agrees with what ive read during the research i did beforehand. I guess i wanted some reassurance, i think ill leave alone till its been a week or so then start taking some gravity readings to see where its at. :-)

 

[terrym]

Welcome.
When you mean bubbling do you mean through the airlock or the brew itself?
If you are relying on an airlock my advice is don't! The seal between the FV and it's lid often leak and the CO2 therefore bypasses the airlock, and this is most evident later in the fermentation.
Nevertheless you are doing the right thing in leaving it alone in the FV for a few days more . As you have probably gathered if you have looked on the forum the usual advice for normal strength beers is two weeks in the FV, two week carbonating in the warm, followed by two weeks conditioning in the coldest place you have, or 2+2+2.
There is a review thread for this kit
http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=21664
so when you get to the important bit (drinking it!) perhaps you could let us know what you thought about it.

 

[cheshirehomebrew]

23 is right up at the higher end of temp range to brew so it could be that at some point it went over. if you can keep it around 20/21 for 2 weeks you should be allright

 

[huwb]

Welcome.
When you mean bubbling do you mean through the airlock or the brew itself?
If you are relying on an airlock my advice is don't! The seal between the FV and it's lid often leak and the CO2 therefore bypasses the airlock, and this is most evident later in the fermentation.
Nevertheless you are doing the right thing in leaving it alone in the FV for a few days more . As you have probably gathered if you have looked on the forum the usual advice for normal strength beers is two weeks in the FV, two week carbonating in the warm, followed by two weeks conditioning in the coldest place you have, or 2+2+2.
There is a review thread for this kit
http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=21664
so when you get to the important bit (drinking it!) perhaps you could let us know what you thought about it.

I have read through that thread several times and yes i was reffering to the airlock. So i think i will deffo leave well alone. Thanks for the input ill deffo post up and let you guys know how it tastes when i get to that point.

Ive drank homebrew in the past where it hasnt been left very long at all to condition and not being impressed, so i plan on keeping this brew for my bday celebrations in may at least.

 

[huwb]

23 is right up at the higher end of temp range to brew so it could be that at some point it went over. if you can keep it around 20/21 for 2 weeks you should be allright

Thanks for the advice. I will try and keep the temps a little under 23 so i dont risk it going over.

 

[Frogbrew]

I've done a few of the Simply pale ale kits and they're one of the best one can kits out there IMO. In fact I've got a Simply lager in my FV now ready for bottling, been in FV for two weeks but was down to 1010 after only 5 days so they do ferment out quickly if kept at a constant temperature. I turned heater off 4 days ago as its in conservatory and real cold, yeast has settled out nicely so will bottle this weekend:) I think 18-20deg is ideal, I use the water bath method with an aquarium heater. Fermentation is still taking place in the later stages so just be patient even if there seems to be nothing happening, 2 weeks in fv then hydrometer check works for me:smile:

 

[huwb]

I've done a few of the Simply pale ale kits and they're one of the best one can kits out there IMO. In fact I've got a Simply lager in my FV now ready for bottling, been in FV for two weeks but was down to 1010 after only 5 days so they do ferment out quickly if kept at a constant temperature. I turned heater off 4 days ago as its in conservatory and real cold, yeast has settled out nicely so will bottle this weekend:) I think 18-20deg is ideal, I use the water bath method with an aquarium heater. Fermentation is still taking place in the later stages so just be patient even if there seems to be nothing happening, 2 weeks in fv then hydrometer check works for me:smile:

Thanks for your input frogbrew funny you should mention it i was literally looking in to a water bath set up, wilkos have plastic tubs for 4 quid and im sure i can get my hands on a heater for gratis, so for my next kit i think ill try it to keep it a bit lower than the 23 mark it has been upto.

Do u know anywhere that sells patience lol ? I do have a free fermenter so am considering doing another kit shortly already.

 

[Klemay83]

I used the Pale Ale kit as a base for my recipe. Mine has been fermenting at about 17-19 degrees. It's been in the FV a week and apart from the krausen forming there has been no visible fermentation signs, but it is obviously doing its thing according to my hydrometer readings. Dry hopping it today then bottling on Thursday.

 

[terrym]

i was literally looking in to a water bath set up, wilkos have plastic tubs for 4 quid and im sure i can get my hands on a heater for gratis, so for my next kit i think ill try it to keep it a bit lower than the 23 mark it has been upto.

I use the Wilko trug thingy with a 50w aquarium heater and it works fine. If you do go that route I suggest you set up the heater thermostat to control at your required temp using water in the FV not your first brew i.e. don't rely on the 'stat settings. I've got mine set up for a water bath of around 19*C. I have covered the trug outside with bubble wrap and chuck a couple of old towels over the set up when in use to keep it cosy.