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First brew advice-Low OG

  • 17-01-2011 10:42am
    #1
    ManwitaPlan
    Registered Users Posts: 183 ✭✭


    Started my first brew on Saturday and have a few Q's.

    Its a coopers brewmaster wheatbeer kit and I brewed it using 500g light spraymalt and 300g of Dextrose.

    Now I measured the OG using the hydrometer and it seemed to be about 1.30 which seems very low? Now two possible explanations I can think of is I didnt use enough sugar or I measured incorrectly. Most places seem to recommend 1kg of sugar but the recipe in the pack stated 500g and 300g. The other thing is I thought I mixed thoroughly but I took the sample from the top of the bin so maybe the wort had not fully mixed in and the liquid was less dense up top? Is this something I should worry about?

    Second q is how much activity should there be in the airlock? I started saturday evening and it seemed to be bubbling every 20 secs or so...woke up Sunday and it was still bubbling every 15-20 secs (albeit a bit more vigorously). Now was away from home yesterday but apparently it has foamed up and a bit of it is coming up the airlock. Does this sound like Im on the right track?

    Third q is how should I take hydrometer readings? I though it was bad to open the lid of the bin but Im going to need to to take a sample. Would I be better just waiting until all activity in airlock ceases? Also how long should this take? Ive seen some suggestions of two weeks but instructions in pack states about 6 days?

    Fourth q....I have a thermometer resting on top of the bin measuring room temp...it is pretty constant between 18-20 degrees. Is this ok or should I be directly measuring the temp of the beer? Again if so is it ok to open lid and check?

    Final q. Whats the best type of sugar to prime bottles with? Spraymal/dextrose/brown sugar or does it make a difference?

    Thanks fellas.


Comments

  • #2
    ManwitaPlan
    Registered Users Posts: 183 ✭✭ManwitaPlan


    Update: Went home last night to check it. Its foaming nicely, theres a good ring of crud and its bubbling every few seconds. A bit of the liquid seems to have seeped out of the bucket though and the airlock looks pretty dirty (looks like some of the beer has got in).

    My Q is should I remove and clean the airlock or should I leave as is...I can still see it bubbling.


  • #3
    mayto
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 852 ✭✭✭mayto


    The c02 pushing the foam out through the airlock will keep the nasties out of your beer. You could leave it until the fermentation starts to slow then clean the airlock or clean it now if you want. Just make sure to sanitise the airlock and lid too if you remove that before replacing. Another option instead of the airlock is some siphon tubing going from the bung with the other end submerged in a cup of water. It works well with very foamy ferments like you are dealing with. The airlock activity generally slows down after a few days as fermentation starts to slow down. How much beer is in your fermenter now as gravity of 1030 seems a bit low for what you added to the kit.


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