Is this normal

[Flan]

Yeah I sanitised it all before mixing, not opened since then and don't intend on opening till its bottled, prob a good idea to leave it longer seen as its been cold, as I said earlier I thought it had to be no colder than 14 degrees

It can also depend what yeast is used, most lager yeasts like to ferment at around 8-12° with some being more like an ale yeast and will ferment between 18-22° it depends what yeast came with the kit.

 

[Ashman]

It can also depend what yeast is used, most lager yeasts like to ferment at around 8-12° with some being more like an ale yeast and will ferment between 18-22° it depends what yeast came with the kit.

Yeah if lager wasn’t mentioned I would be thinking it’s stalled. My winter ales brews stalled to high ish consequent day gravity reading with strong diacetyl. I had no temp control though. In summer I get fruity Belgian tastes :)

 

[buddsy]

not opened since then and don't intend on opening till its bottled

I feel people get a bit too hooked up and worried about keeping everything sterile but as long as you are sensible its ok. If you are going to use a wine thief just make sure its sanitized. I would definitely be taking readings each day for 3 days if its where it should be on those readings.

Along with your first reading it will tell you how much of your sugars have been converted to alcohol.

With out it you just wont know where you are.

buddsy

 

[Meanbeanz]

Update from yesterday,

I wrapped the fermentar in a nice thick jacket and put a small heater in there overnight, I checked this morning and the temp was at 18 degrees and the airlock had equalled itself back out so hopefully this is all going to be good now,

I will probably leave it all in the fermenter longer than planned just incase it wasn't fermenting properly due to the cold temps before I start testing to bottle

Thanks everyone who has given me help and advice and hopefully one day I might have the knowledge to help other newbies like myself, untill then just keep hoping

 

[AXW123]

Let us know your hydrometer reading when you get to that point. I’m certainly interested. Like others here - I leave all my beers in the fermenter for two weeks as a matter of course. It makes sure the beer has properly finished and has cleaned up after itself. Also gives the beer chance to start clearing so less sludge in the bottle. I’m sure it will be no time at all until you too are giving advice to newbies.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

It looks like you might be back on track and I think the information you need is in this thread but I’ll try to pull it together for you.

I also looked into the lager kit you’re brewing and found a post from Grant Sampson at Morgan confirming the fermentation temperature as “in the 20’s”. Also saw posts from other brewers saying they have brewed this kit at up to 24C. You definitely need to be around 20C by the sound of it. Too low a temperature and fermentation slows or stops altogether, too high and at some point the yeast will die (when this happens depends on the yeast strain). It also makes a difference if you can keep the temperature stable, if the temperature varies a lot it can stress the yeast and produce off-flavours.



The Original Gravity (OG) is a measure of how much sugar is in your wort before you start fermentation. The Final Gravity (FG) is a measure of how much sugar is in your wort after fermentation. The sugar that’s “missing” has been converted to alcohol by the yeast. To calculate the alcohol (Alcohol By Volume - ABV) you need to take the FG reading away from the OG reading and then multiply by 0.13125. If your OG is 1050 and your FG is 1010 the ABV is:

(1050 - 1010) x 0.13125 = 5.25%

The reason people say take specific gravity readings with your hydrometer and wait until you get at least two readings the same a couple of days apart is to check fermentation has finished. You can’t rely on airlock activity because fermentation buckets never seal completely and some of the gas will just leak out rather than bubble through the airlock. The reason it’s important when bottling is that if you bottle your beer before fermentation has completed, fermentation will continue in the bottle and will continue to create CO2 (this is what is bubbling out of your airlock). This CO2 in the bottle could build pressure to the point the bottle bursts (explosively in the worst case scenario).

Good luck!

 

[Meanbeanz]

Just started the testing, temperatures have been at a steady 18/19degrees, unfortunately not able to get the temps any higher that's in a small confined room with a padded jacket around and a small heater.
My first reading at time of mixing was 1.050. Just done the first test before bottling and it's at 1.020 so looking good there at least I know something has been happening inside although the ale is looking a little pale,
So will test again tomorrow and if its the same reading will bottle up

 

[gavp1979]

Be careful 1.020 seems high for bottling, FG is usually around 1.010 - 1.012. If fermentation continues in the bottles they could explode

 

[Meanbeanz]

Be careful 1.020 seems high for bottling, FG is usually around 1.010 - 1.012. If fermentation continues in the bottles they could explode

So pheraps best to leave it longer and see if it drops more

 

[gavp1979]

So pheraps best to leave it longer and see if it drops more

I would

 

[yrhendystu]

Be interested to know how that kit tastes. If you haven't already you can try putting something insulated between the bucket and the floor and perhaps on top of the lid too. I started brewing during lockdown 1.0 and whilst the kit instructions of 1 week allow you to get on with it I'd personally leave it longer as you'll get better results. Someone did answer your question about why you need to take the initial reading but I figured I'd give an ELI5 (explain like I'm 5) as that's what I needed last year. The initial reading is your potential. You can't gauge your final % without first using that reading. You need to know how much sugar your brew had in it before you can work out how much sugar has been used up.

 

[Pirate_Pete]

Just started the testing, temperatures have been at a steady 18/19degrees, unfortunately not able to get the temps any higher that's in a small confined room with a padded jacket around and a small heater.
My first reading at time of mixing was 1.050. Just done the first test before bottling and it's at 1.020 so looking good there at least I know something has been happening inside although the ale is looking a little pale,
So will test again tomorrow and if its the same reading will bottle up

How did this turn out?
I made one of these a few months ago and it came out dark, like an IPA.
I emailed Morgans and someone phoned me about it. They weren't very helpful at all.
I persisted and someone else phoned yesterday. Hopefully I'll have some feedback next week.

For anyone who is wondering. The supplied yeast is an ale yeast.

 

[Meanbeanz]

How did this turn out?
I made one of these a few months ago and it came out dark, like an IPA.
I emailed Morgans and someone phoned me about it. They weren't very helpful at all.
I persisted and someone else phoned yesterday. Hopefully I'll have some feedback next week.

For anyone who is wondering. The supplied yeast is an ale yeast.

Hi Pete, mine didn't turn out brown it came out a nice colour, added the carbonated sweets and bottled, since then I have tried a couple of bottles and it doesn't taste to bad, my only thing with it is for a lager it is flat, it doesn't pour with a head on and gives the taste of a pale ale,

Won't stop me from drinking it tho, thinking of next brewing an ale instead lol

 

[Fireside Ales Homebrewery]

Hi Pete, mine didn't turn out brown it came out a nice colour, added the carbonated sweets and bottled, since then I have tried a couple of bottles and it doesn't taste to bad, my only thing with it is for a lager it is flat, it doesn't pour with a head on and gives the taste of a pale ale,

Won't stop me from drinking it tho, thinking of next brewing an ale instead lol

How quickly are you drinking the beer after bottling? Seems like the beer hasn’t carbonated yet.