Starting my first brew today!

[mrs moosey]

Hi there

I'm new! I got a brewing kit for Christmas, and now we've sorted out a cosy cupboard to keep it in, I'm starting it off today :)

Just waiting for the sterilising to finish, then I'll be off. First question (already...!!) - I've got instructions from the shop and the instructions from the kit (Coopers Dark Ale). One says to do the OG before adding the yeast, the other says to do it after adding it. Which is right? Or doesn't it matter? (don't get too technical with me, mind!!).

Hoping to learn lots from you good people and be inspired to make (and drink!) lots of homebrew :)

mrs m

 

[31bb3]

Welcome to the forum
Check your og before before pitching your yeasties not sure if it makes any difference tbh that's the way I do it

 

[Dieseljockey]

+1 with Eddie....I've never give it a thought.... :hmm: but I've always pitch the yeast after taking a reading. :thumb:

 

[mrs moosey]

Great - thanks both. Right - I'd better get going with it, if I'm ever going to drink it!

 

[mrs moosey]

Right it's on. It was all a bit traumatic (I forgot to add the sugar when I was supposed to, but added it later ... I knew I shouldn't have attempted it when I was at home by myself!). Fingers crossed now though... :drink:

 

[alawlor66430]

When did you add the sugar? Did you stir it all in?

 

[Wendy1971]

Hi and welcome :thumb:

 

[mrs moosey]

When did you add the sugar? Did you stir it all in?

The instructions seemed to say to add it right at the start. I'd already poured in the gloop from the tin and 2 jugs of boiling water, then topped up to 20litres before realising. I dissolved it in boiling water, chucked it in and stirred, then topped up to the 23litre mark. I'm hoping it's all mixed in OK ... :pray:

 

[alawlor66430]

It's fine, nothing wrong at all with doing in that order :-)

 

[bunkerbrewer]

Congratulations! Now don't open the fermenter lid for at least a week, and leave the beer in there for 2 weeks before bottling / kegging. The kit instructions don't say this, just trust us on this one :)

 

[mrs moosey]

Cheers alawlor66430 and bunkerbrewer.

Pleased to report it's already fermenting - the froth has already reached the top of the lid (I haven't got an airlock, so just have the lid loosely on top). Exciting stuff

 

[Kyle_T]

Hi and Welcome :

I was like a kid in a sweet shop for my first brew, forgot plenty of things I was mean't to do and put too much water in, still, turned out well enough so much so I drank the 40 pints in less than 2 weeks, the hardest part is resisting the urge to peek!

Good luck.

 

[mrs moosey]

Cheers Kyle - I'm a bit overexcited by it, and can't wait to have a taste! It smells lovely already, but ...


It's escaping!!! Is this normal??

 

[bunkerbrewer]

Now that's an active ferment! Brilliant!

Check your temperature is around 20°C, and it'll be fine.

Maybe drill a hole and fit an airlock for next time? :)

 

[alawlor66430]

Cosy cupboard indeed

 

[mrs moosey]

Hmmm - seems to have calmed down a bit now (hopefully not too much...). We turned the aquarium heater down a tad, but then it was obviously colder overnight with the central heating off and the snowy weather, so I'm hoping it hasn't got too cold now. Think I need to get me one of those stick on LCD thermometer things to keep a better eye on it.

Blimey - I wasn't expecting this, but it feels like I'm looking after a little vulnerable orphaned creature who's survival depends on me, but I've only got the sketchiest of instructions on how to do it!!! :shock:

 

[PD]

yep.....you've got the call....... there's only you that can land the airplane now the pilot has collapsed.

Just try and keep your hands off the brew for a week or ten days, making sure the temps are around 19/20C and the beer will be fine.
after 3-5 days the ferment should calm down and stay inside the bucket....

 

[Kinleycat]

yep.....you've got the call....... there's only you that can land the airplane now the pilot has collapsed.

Just try and keep your hands off the brew for a week or ten days, making sure the temps are around 19/20C and the beer will be fine.
after 3-5 days the ferment should calm down and stay inside the bucket....

This is the best advice to any newbie brewer, but i feel your pain Mrs M!!
You'll be pleased to here your curiosity soon wains and you almost forget about them after a short while :thumb: , the first one though :whistle: !!

 

[mrs moosey]

Well, it calmed down, as predicted. And I got a stick on thermometer. I've just taken a gravity reading, and (after 8 days) it's a 1.004. Though it's flipping difficult reading the teeny tiny scale on the hydrometer!

I'm assuming this is sounding about right now? I don't have time to do anything else with it till Thursday or Friday, so hopefully that might be long enough. BTW, is it possible to leave it too long in the FV??

 

[Kyle_T]

Congrats on completing your first brew!

Don't forget the take into account the curvature of the water against the hydrometer and this usually adds +2 points, turning 1.004 into 1.006 which is bang on.

If you have the original gravity reading there is a calculator in the top left of the website you cause use to work out your ABV.