Kit brewing advice

[Gunnera]

Hi, new to the forum so if I'm asking in the wrong place just tell me where to go :-).
Just about to start my 3rd attempt at brewing from a kit, i would like to move away from kits eventually but think it's best i get a few good kits under my belt before moving on. first 2 kits ok but not great, due to me rather than the kit.
So my last kit was a Woodforde Wherry, and I'm going to try the same again, but this time I have some questions...
1. Getting the extract out of the tins, can I use boiling water, or should i just use hot water?
2. Once topped up to 20lt with cold water ( treated with Campden to remove Chlorine) what temperature should I aim for, before aerating with a wine whip on my drill and sprinkling in the yeast?
3. Should i create yeast starter or will that make no difference with kit dried yeast?
4. Once fermentation complete SG 1012 ish should i leave it for few days unheated before bottling, or try to rapid chill it? It's in a sealed bin with air lock.

Any advice welcome.
Cheers.

 

[The Baron]

1. Put the can in hot/warm water for 20 mins to soften the extract before opening. Once you have poured in the extract put some hot water in the can and stir to dissolve the remaining extract.
Ps when you pick this up wrap a tea towel around the tin or use oven gloves as it can be very hot to handle and take care.
2. when you have added the cold water you should be very close to pitching temp. You can aerate with a drill but I have always just poured the cold water in from a little higher than the FV to aerate the wort and a good stir to mix fully is a good idea.
3. No starter required just sprinkle on the dry yeast but do not let it clump if possible so a good sprinkle helps.
4. once fermentation has finished and as a newbie I would leave it at least a week to 10 days which allows the yeast to clean up any nasties that happen within the fermentation. Then cold crash the beer for 2-4 days so that it has had a total of 14 days then you are in a position to bottle.
Then prime the bottles and leave in a temp similar to the fermentation temp for 2 weeks.
You can then sample but another 2 weeks will let the beer mature and clear better

 

[Gunnera]

Brill, thanks for reply, just to be clear on step 4...
I'm fermenting in a bin with lid & air lock, it has a tap and I wrap it in bubble wrap & blankets with a fish tank heater set at about 20 deg C.
So once I think fermentation has finished, leave the heater on for another 7-10 days, then cold crash the beer.
Cold crash - I assume reduce temperature quickly, what temp am I aiming for? If i just turn off heater and add couple of bags of ice, replacing bags of ice every 12 hours would that do it?

 

[Caramel Ox]

What was wrong with your wherry the first time? It seems that I stopped making notes about my wherry kit quite early but I remember not being happy with it until the batch was almost all drunk sometime later.

 

[Gunnera]

What was wrong with your wherry the first time? It seems that I stopped making notes about my wherry kit quite early but I remember not being happy with it until the batch was almost all drunk sometime later.

I'd read that i needed to avoid contact with air so was very careful not to stir or aerate the beer during the whole process, I now know it does need aerating before adding yeast.
I bottled it as soon as SG was about 1013/14, I didn't leave it to let the yeast clean up.
I also thought I'd be clever & use spray malt rather than sugar to prime bottles, turns out it's so fine it doesn't dissolve very well if you put it in the bottle before the beer, especially if you make a point of not shaking the bottles. I've also since found out it takes longer than using sugar so the week in the warm to prime wasn't enough, ended up with quite a flat malty beer. After returning the bottles to a warm room for couple of weeks it has now improved.

 

[The Baron]

Brill, thanks for reply, just to be clear on step 4...
I'm fermenting in a bin with lid & air lock, it has a tap and I wrap it in bubble wrap & blankets with a fish tank heater set at about 20 deg C.
So once I think fermentation has finished, leave the heater on for another 7-10 days, then cold crash the beer.
Cold crash - I assume reduce temperature quickly, what temp am I aiming for? If i just turn off heater and add couple of bags of ice, replacing bags of ice every 12 hours would that do it?

No the 7 to 10 days is total from making the kit so that time includes the fermentation.
So make up the kit and leave it for 10 days is my advise then remove the heater and cold crash.
If you have not got the facilities to cold crash fully(in a brewing fridge ideally) then just put the FV in the coldest place you have like a garage with a cold concrete floor this will help the yeast and trub to drop down to the bottom.
When it has cold crashed move it carefully to where you are going to bottle and leave it overnight to settle back down then bottle

 

[The Baron]

I'd read that i needed to avoid contact with air so was very careful not to stir or aerate the beer during the whole process, I now know it does need aerating before adding yeast.
I bottled it as soon as SG was about 1013/14, I didn't leave it to let the yeast clean up.
I also thought I'd be clever & use spray malt rather than sugar to prime bottles, turns out it's so fine it doesn't dissolve very well if you put it in the bottle before the beer, especially if you make a point of not shaking the bottles. I've also since found out it takes longer than using sugar so the week in the warm to prime wasn't enough, ended up with quite a flat malty beer. After returning the bottles to a warm room for couple of weeks it has now improved.

Yes do not stir or splash once it is beer as it can get oxidised which can affect the flavour so gently does it.
Simple sugar is ok until you get more experience and is cheaper also do not shake the bottles as you have said again this can cause oxidisation

 

[The Baron]

Also get a hydrometer and test jar if have not already got one as some brews do need checking as they can get stuck @1.020 approx and at least you know where you are.
It is good practice to take a OG and the finishing gravity(FG) which I am sure you have read up on before