Advice/reassurance on 1st kit homebrew please

SmartinMartin

Hi folks, I'm just beginning my sojourn into the homebrew world and I decided to start off with a bruforia ipa kit.
I brewed on 18/1, had no airlock action for 30 hours so I put 3 hotwater bottles around the fermentor overnight and the following morning (20/1) the brew was in full swing. It bubbled away nicely for 4 days, and for the last 2 days it has gradually eased up to today, when it looks like all action has stopped. As far as I know this is all normal and good. The instructions tell me to leave it alone for 10 days, then add the hop teabags, leave for a further 4 days, then bottle. However reading up on it I get the feeling that's not long enough, so my intended timetable is:
Brew on 20/1
Add hops on 30/1
Rack to secondary on 3/2
Bottle on 17/2
Leave in a warm place for 2 weeks, then into shed for 6 weeks.

Is this schedule ok? Any opinions to the contrary? All comments most welcome, thanks.

Also, I took a hydrometer reading at the start at 1050, when is the best stage to take the next couple of readings?

mayto

I would check the gravity on about day 8 and then again when you add the hops on day 10 to see if fermentation is about done. The hop t-bags should contain the hops pellets, so the beer should remain pretty clear a few days after they were added. I do not think there is a need to extend the secondary conditioning by much. I would bottle the beer a few days after the pellets were added as long as the beer is pretty clear and reached a proper final gravity reading.

Padraig Mor

I wouldn't leave the hops in any longer than five days TBH, and probably only 3 - 4. Add them once fermentation has stopped, which you will now by stable gravity readings over 48 hours. If you brewed on 18/1, might as well take a gravity sample now!

SmartinMartin

Thanks all. Right, day 8 and a reading of .1011, and even though its a bit rough there's a lovely flavour coming through already.
Patience grasshopper, patience.

Carawaystick

I wouldn't bother racking to secondary.
I'd leave the brew in primary fermentation for 3 weeks, add the hops 2-3 days before the end of 3 weeks and bottle.
A warm place for bottle conditioning is anywhere in a house you live in.

Richie71

Two weeks in the shed would be plenty before you start drinking. My timeline is usually 2 weeks fermenting, 2 weeks warm conditioning, 2 weeks cold conditioning. Ive heard others use a 3, 2, 1 timeline as a general rule of thumb.

Hingo

What I'd try myself:

Brew on 20/1
Rack to secondary on 3/2 (optional - there's pros & cons that will spark a 12 page debate here :P )
Add hops 12/2
Bottle on 17/2
Leave in a warm place for 2 weeks, then into shed for 6 weeks.

If you wanted you could put the fermenter (be it primary or in a secondary) out in the shed on 3/2 and let the cold crash for a couple of weeks until bottling. Dry hopping at colder temps is good too, but like using a secondary - it's optional. you may need to allow more time in the bottle at room temp as while there'll be enough yeast to carbonate the beer after cold crashing, it'll be lees than there would be if you didn't cold crash.

Now, in saying all this, my other advice would be to keep it simple for your first brew so maybe just worry about dry hopping in the primary 5 days before bottling. then your next brews you can play around with the above.

SmartinMartin

Thanks folks. I think you may be right. Having examined the sample last night it seemed very clear, so I may not bother with secondary and just leave it as is for a while longer (lets me start a second brew too). I'll go with your timescale Hingo, cheers.

SmartinMartin

I jut had a thought. If I want to batch prime the brew, do I not have to rack so as not to stir up the sediment?

BeerNut

SmartinMartin wrote: »

I jut had a thought. If I want to batch prime the brew, do I not have to rack so as not to stir up the sediment?

Yeah, you do really, to get the sugar mixed properly.

SmartinMartin

Grand thanks, hingo's time frame is perfect for me so.