Craft Lager Kit - no added sugar

Ger Roe

Hi,

I am trying a craft lager kit for the first time and it uses a malt pouch with no sugar added at the first fermentation stage (only adds sugar for keg/bottle prime).

The fermentation bucket has an airlock that has stopped gulping after about two days - is this normal for a craft kit with malt? Temp is constant at about 21 degrees.

Previous kits had required sugar added and they bubbled for at least a week. A sugar added cider kit, started at the same time, is also gulping away at this stage.

Any advice appreciated.

Thanks.

poitinstill

check that the lid is on tight.. if it blew loose due to vigourous early fermentation then the c02 will slip out the rim in stead of out the airlock... does it have a foamy head ?

s3rtvdbwfj81ch

No bubbles != no fermentation

Also, no added sugar is ok if you've been supplied with a "malt pouch", this is fermentable malt extract, and I would assume that the kit manufacturers know what they are at with the included ingredients (!).

That said, have you got a hydrometer? Can you check the gravity over a number of days? You've probably been provided with some kind of standard ale yeast (despite the name, this is not really a lager, not if you are being instructed to ferment at temps like 21 degrees), so I'd expect it to finish somewhere in the 1.012-18 range, and at a temperature like 21 it could very well be fermented out in a couple or three days, you still need to leave it on the yeast for at least another week though.

rubadub

Have you a link to the kit. Did you do anything odd? was it stirred up well?

nimrod86

rubadub wrote: »

Have you a link to the kit. Did you do anything odd? was it stirred up well?

I'm the op's son and am doing this with him. The kit is Craft Range Blonde Lager.

http://www.homebrewwest.ie/the-craft-range-blonde-lager-kit-30-kg---discounted-basic-packaging-until-new-boxes-arrive-3697-p.asp

I followed the instructions exactly, don't think I did anything odd. That being said, my only experience prior to this has been cider kits, and recently meads.

keppler

Am i the only one who is thinking that 21 degrees is a bit high. Mine would only sit at that temp during the height of summer. At any rate i wouldnt worry about it. I highly doubt fermentation has stopped. Try pressing the lid closed again, its also possible that fermentation has just slowed down a bit and when that happens if you have too much water in the airlock the gas will just escape slowly through a gap in the lid or the airlock bung contact surface. Try twisting the airlock to make sure its forming a good seal.
I wouldnt bother opening it to take readings with the hydrometer either as you risk infection. My first kit was a coopers kit which doesnt even come with an airlock. You just put the wort in the bucket add the yeast and hope for the best. From a fermentation point of view everything always worked out fine. Different yeasts work at different paces so it could be that but for now my money is on a small leak either in the airlock/bung seal or the lid seal, fermentation has slowed down a bit and so has CO2 production, thus not requiring the airlock's path to escape.
Btw strictly speaking you have an ale not a lager. They market it as a lager but they give you a packet of ale yeast. This is because lager yeast would require proper temperature control at a low temp to produce a clean flavour profile.

Ger Roe

Thanks for the feedback guys.

My reading of the temp was wrong - We are using a two zone digital thermometer and the correct liquid temp reading is 19c.

I am going to assume that all is OK for now and we will carry on according to instruction. We will let you know how it works out.

I am looking forward to finding out myself

nimrod86

Another quick question! When it comes to bottling, the kit came with carbonation drops, but these specify one per 375ml or two per 750ml bottle. A bit of googling found that some people think that one drop isn't enough for a nice fizz in a 500ml bottle. What are peoples thoughts on this?

Should we use one or two drops per bottle? Or just batch prime it before bottling?

stecleary

nimrod86 wrote: »

Another quick question! When it comes to bottling, the kit came with carbonation drops, but these specify one per 375ml or two per 750ml bottle. A bit of googling found that some people think that one drop isn't enough for a nice fizz in a 500ml bottle. What are peoples thoughts on this?

Should we use one or two drops per bottle? Or just batch prime it before bottling?

Batch prime, Boil sugar in about a pint of water for about 10 min.
https://www.brewersfriend.com/beer-priming-calculator/

Carawaystick

I use an equal weight water/sugar boiled mix for batch priming.

I've only ever heard bad things from lads worried about drops/tabs for priming.


Check for leaks at the bung if you're worried about bubbling, but just give it time, especialy for lager.