Newbie question...

TheDuke

Hi all,

I read that homebrewing was easy and there was little you do could wrong... anyone know the guy that said that so I can strangle him...

I'm on my second batch which I created which included grain, malt, a little sugar, hops and yeast all in the right ratios (really did my home work here).

However, one of my batches went from violent fermentation (It was like looking into a whirlpool) to nothing within 4 days.

I'm just looking for guidance on the problem;
a) my OG was 80 because I boiled off too much water (only realised when it was in the demijohn and I know that was too high)
b) the fermentation was between 22-24c (even though my kitchen was at 19c at times so a lot of heat generated)

Is this ok?? Should I have kept the temperature lower?? Did I use the wrong yeast?? Am I being too paranoid??

I just really want to brew one great beer - I'll wait a day and see if there's any more movement and if not I'll just bottle it and see where that takes me.

This really is hard sience... no joke.

Thanks all,

The Duke

Bogwoppit

Sounds normal, you're probably a bit paranoid.

Do you have a hydrometer to measure the gravity?

finatron

1st stage of fermention is done in 4/5 days if you have another if you have another vessel for fermention then move to that for secondary fermention this is not essential just helps clear out the beer.
You can bottel after 10days of that but this can be longer depending on beer type . What type of beer are you brewing?

oblivious

What you was was the growth phase of the yeast, it still needs time to clean up the beer, a good rulenof thumb is to give it two weeks in the primary. Then keg or bottle

TheDuke

Thanks guys, I will leave it sit for another few days and then bottle it.

I'm making 5l currently till I get the hang of it:
Light LME - 700g
Brewing Sugar - 50g
Crystal & Pils Malt - 100g/50g
Hops 5% added at 60/15/5 - 10g
Irish Moss - 1/4 spoon
Bohemian Larger Yeast
OG - 50ish (first batch was only 3l at the end so it was at 80)

I'm not sure what I'm making here but was hoping to push it into a Bohemian Pils type direction - currently I'll just be happy if it's drinkable.

Thanks all,

The Duke

TheDuke

Thanks all for your support... slowly building up my skills here and everyone's feedback helps me keep trying...

For now I've patiently brought down each batch by cooling it in water and ice... but it takes long. So I do want to try the chilled water idea but will that impact the flavour of the beer or is that even a good idea??

If it's not a good idea I saw chillers but they seemed really expensive?

Thanks all,

The Duke

MrGee

The more you do it the more simple it becomes. Trial and error. I fly through a brewing session now without thinking less then a year after i started brewing. Ive done kits, extract and small batch all grain. Its that simple.

jonziepoo

Hi there, are you talking about bringing down the temperature of the boiled wort? If so, I get good results with 20 lt batches by putting the pot in a bath tub with lots of cold water. If you swirl the wort by gently moving the pot it will cool down a lot more quickly. I get it down to 25C in 15 minutes which is very acceptable.
I'm not a big fan of the chilled water idea, you still need quite a big volume of it and doesn't lower the temperature as much as you might think, so it helps to get down those few last degrees but you still need to cool the wort in some another way. Best option at that point is a copper coil, but it seems way to complicated for a 5 lt batch (I don't have one myself).

loyatemu

I've used ice for my first 2 extract brews - doing 12L batches so aiming for a post-boil volume of between 7 and 8L and topping up with ice, but it's been a PITA. First time used 7 bags of ice cubes but this only brought it down to about 50C, 2nd time I froze 1L blocks of ice in freezer bags but they were a nightmare to get out of the bags (should have taken them out of the freezer when I put the pot on, to give them time to loosen up). Not sure buying a wort chiller is worth it for smaller batches and I don't really have the space to store one (& they're a serious waste of water).

Topping up with nearly-frozen water might be a better plan - stick a few 2L bottles in the freezer a few hours before starting the brew.

EDIT - OK, according to this calculator, chilled water is not a runner on its own, might have to look at other options...

TheDuke

Thanks all. I tried the chilled water idea too but that didn't do much. I'll stick with how I do it now... I think half the problem is that look at it for the 30 mins or so it takes to chill and poke it with the thermometer ever minute or so... Will just schedule in a brief run to the shop for milk for a distraction...

John_C

In this weather you can just put the lid on your pot and leave it in the shed. Come back in a few hours and pitch the yeast.

I'm sure your beer will be fine but one point to keep an eye on is that you used lager yeast which likes a colder temperature, maybe 10 to 15 degrees. Each yeast has a recommended temperature range so you might pick one matching the expected temperature. US05 is a popular yeast that works well around 22 degrees.

TheDuke

Thanks re the yeast... I will keep that in mind though my kitchen will always bring it to 21+/- so I might need to consider the yeast I use.

TheDuke

I opened the first bottle
> there was a small but of yeast sediment showing in the bottom (presume that's ok)
> with a very clear pfffffft sound (nice)
> and small bubles appeared (extra nice)
> I then poured it with a gorgous looking head though not great retention (still nice)
> the first sip had a really rich flavour (my OG was 80 as I boiled off too much water) but then within second there is a bitter/soury/yeasty after taste - I can't quite put my finger on it but I'm sure you know what I mean

Is this why it is advise to do a two stage fermentation? Or does it need more time in the bottle. Is this not all yeast having settled out of it?

Thanks for help - if it wasn't for the 'twang' this would have been a great tasting beer... although there is a nice buzz from it so not all ist lost... ;-)

The Duke

Ronan|Raven

Time is a great healer. The twang is normal enough to experience with extract.
Give it a few weeks if possible to condition and you will find it is a totally different drink usually..

However the patience to give it those few weeks is the problem and something I think every new brewer has to deal with. You have done all the hard work and now you want to taste the rewards but then wtf this doesn't taste so good?! Did I get an infection, did I do something wrong..

99% of the time no.. Just drinking your beer too early!

TheDuke

Thanks... will wait and check again in a while

TheDuke

just stored away the box lableled 7th Dec... I can see how you need to get a rota kicked off... this thing clearly doesn't like to be rushed... in a way it's quite theraputic... until the 7th of course... then I hope it's intoxicating! LOL

Carawaystick

2 points about your brew, lager yeast likes to ferment at a lower temperature, 10-16 degrees is a good target, then it needs to cold condition ( the word lager is German for store) about 10 degrees colder a fridge is about 4-6 deg

So 2 weeks fermenting, 2 lagering and another fortnight bottle conditioning for lagers at least

TheDuke

Thanks, never knew the link re Lager. Interesting.

Ive found a much better place to ferment, in the utility, where I can keep it at 16. Kitchen was too hot and in my direct line of sight so was always at it...

Thanks all, I think I've finally now got it now...