# How Do You Think My First Brews Are Going? (pics)



## frenzix (9/9/04)

Howdy people, 

my first post and first brews. I have put down coopers stout and coopers lager in these two fermenters i picked up. They sit at a nice 24-26 in the hot water system cabinet. They both smell great, but as i said this is my first brew and am not sure if they are going fine... do they look "normal" in the photos? Should i see bubbles in the airlocks? cause i'm not maybe it's like that toaster theorie? Anyway thanks for the help in advance.

~frenzix


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## Corey (9/9/04)

The condensation on the lid and bubles on the surface are a good sign. No bubles in the airlock could be a result of a poor seal on your lid.

24-26C is probably a tad high, but should still be OK - 20-22C would be ideal.


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## Gough (9/9/04)

G'day Frenzix, welcome to the board...

Need a bit more info on the beers to really comment. How long have they been down? Don't sweat the lack of bubbles, you may just have a slight fermenter leak somewhere. Especially at 24+ degrees if they have been down for more than 8 hours with the Coopers yeasts I would have thought you would have had a stronger krausen (foamy layer on top of brew) by now. Still, the best way is to use your hydrometer (if you have one) to check the gravity. 2 readingsthe same in 24-48 hours and it has probably finished fermenting. Where it will finish depends on a lot of factors, but around 1010 is pretty common - higher if you've used lots of unfermentables, lower if you've used the kilo of sugar Coopers suggests.

Everything is probably OK. Post some more info and we'll try and give you some more help.

Good luck,

Shawn.


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## dreamboat (9/9/04)

I forgot how clean new gear, even fermenters, can look.


dreamboat


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## frenzix (9/9/04)

wow thanks fellas, this board is quick at replying. 

Ok here the story goes... I used 1 KG of dextrose in each, and the standard dry coopers yeast. They have been down for coming up to three days tonight. I checked the OG before i ut the yeast in and all was sweet. (i have one of those that say beer "start" and "finish", lazy mans choice) I think the foam has died down a bit now??? for say a day ago. Damn those instructions in the can, they aren't clear enough about things hey? Both fermenters are brand new, so possible the seals are a bit tougher than older ones to press down hey? Should i just open them up again and stick in the hydrometer, and steralise it for both batches?

Ta! 

frenzix


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## Corey (9/9/04)

Yep - sterlise the hydrometer and take readings of both brews. At those temps fermentation is probably close to finished.

Good luck with it.

These articles are particularly useful for new brewers who want to make better beer.

http://www.oz.craftbrewer.org/Library/Meth.../ShortKit.shtml

http://www.oz.craftbrewer.org/Library/Meth...itImprove.shtml

http://www.oz.craftbrewer.org/Library/Meth...artingout.shtml


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## frenzix (9/9/04)

great, thanks corey. So does it matter much if they have been ready to bottle a while back? Now to find my bottling tools hmmmm.... .


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## Gough (9/9/04)

All sounds pretty good then frenzix. Don't 'rush' to bottle too early though. Make sure it has fully fermented out or you'll end up with exploding bottles/overcarbonated beer. Giving the yeasties a few extra days to tidy up after themselves never hurts either. 3 days is in my opinion too soon to be bottling, but it is up to you. As someone has already said, for your next brew, try and keep the temps down a bit. Don't panic too much, but you'll notice an improvement in flavour if you can get it below about 22 for most of your ales. 24 is not the end of the world though, especially for your first go.

Another good site to add to those suggested is www.howtobrew.com which has helped lots of us on this forum - especially me!

Good luck,

Shawn.


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## Corey (9/9/04)

You won't have any problems after 3 days. At 24-26C I wouldn't leave the beer on the yeast cake for more than 7 days. 

If you left the beer in the primary fermenter for 2 or more weeks at 24-26C then you might get autolysis (basically yeast eating yeast). This results in a vegemite flavour (I've never tasted it though).

A lot of the guys on this site (including myself) transfer to a secondary fermenter for a further period of time when fermentation is close to complete. Have a read up on racking and cold conditioning when you get a chance.


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## Corey (9/9/04)

Sorry - I meant that there would be nothing wrong with your beer after only 3 days. I agree with Gough, 3 days is too early to bottle. Leave it until the weekend at least.


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## frenzix (9/9/04)

thanks again, just settles my mind hehe. I just took readings and they seem to need a little more in there. they are just below the green line on the hydrometer. Can't see the reading as the light is very crap in that room. It's just above the "10" mark.











Sorry bout all the photos, but i like to document stuff. 

Cheers ! Tim


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## dreamboat (9/9/04)

Looking at the tide mark inside your fermenters (High-Krausen line), it would look like your beer is pretty much fermented out. the hydrometer reading down towards 1.010 would also back this up.
Definately leave it to sit for another couple of days, by then, if there is any sugar left it would have been consumed, so will not contribute to bottle bombs.


dreamboat


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## frenzix (9/9/04)

great, thanks again people. I am reading up on the howtobrew site, but just needed some quick pointers as i was getting a little worried. Will be bottling them on Saturday me thinks. I'll post some pictures of myself naked bottling.

that was a joke.

Cheers, Tim


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## Tallgum (9/9/04)

frenzix said:


> great, thanks again people. I am reading up on the howtobrew site, but just needed some quick pointers as i was getting a little worried. Will be bottling them on Saturday me thinks. I'll post some pictures of myself naked bottling.
> 
> that was a joke.
> 
> Cheers, Tim


Yeah Tim, if youre taking pictures of yourself bottling while naked just dont cock it up.


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## frenzix (9/9/04)

bwahaha


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## big d (9/9/04)

great pix frenzix
next time just take your og/fg samples via the tap and leave the lid on.less chance of infection.otherwise looking the goods.
and welcome to the site.

cheers
big d


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## Trough Lolly (9/9/04)

Welcome to the group Frenzix,
Your beers are looking ok - as the guys have pointed out, your krausen has left a ring on the fermenter walls and dropped back into the fermenter so the bulk of the fermentation is probably done. If you have a look in the bottom of the fermenter (after you empty it) you'll see a cake of mud in the bottom - it's spent yeast and trub from the brew. 
Don't worry about how long your beer is in primary for - I have a Dunkelweizen that will be 3 weeks old in primary this Saturday (which is when I plan to bottle it!). I want to keep the yeast notes in this style of beer so I won't rack to secondary, which as Corey pointed out, is something that a lot of us do to help clarify and bulk condition the brew. It's not unusual for a Lager to take at least 2 weeks in primary when you ferment at low temps.
Anyway, all the best and enjoy your own beer!
Cheers,
TL


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## frenzix (10/9/04)

great thanks again guys. I will take my readings out side of the fermenter next time, just been reading how its just another chance for the bad guys to get in. The Hydrometer i got has a plastic case that looks like you could fill with the beer and do the reading in?? i'll check that. I just didnt want to waste any of the precious liquid. I think I'll have to try that secondry fermenter thing too. 

frenzix


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## Snow (10/9/04)

Yeah Tim, just watch out what you're capping! Welcome to the forum and congratulations on putting your first brews down!

If you can get the fermenters out of the heater closet and get the temps down to 18-20C, I would suggest you leave them be for another week before bottling. Your beer will condition faster when it's in bulk and it will clear a little better before you bottle.

For your next batches, you should get yourself another fermenter and rack (transfer) the beer to the secondary fermenter after the first week. This gets the beer off the dead yeast, rouses the live yeast and lets you condition your beer for longer without risk of yeast autolysis. 

Also check out www.howtobrew.com if you haven't already. This is the brewers bible and your skills and knowledge will skyrocket after reading even the first couple of chapters.

Good luck and enjoy this addictive hobby!

Cheers - Snow.


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## devilsaltarboy (10/9/04)

big d said:


> great pix frenzix
> next time just take your og/fg samples via the tap and leave the lid on.less chance of infection.otherwise looking the goods.
> and welcome to the site.
> 
> ...


 Sorry to jump in here but I would suggest against people taking samples from the tap, I have had a case from a friend who had the head of the tap became infected due to residual beer and we had to do some surgery to ensure it didnt spread to rest of the beer. I only use tap when im emptying whole fermenter to another fermenter or am bottling. I use a 100mL pipette to take samples for gravity measurements through the airlock hole. I know Im being perdantic here and yes taking samples from tap is much better than opening the lid but if you do clean the head of the tap using boiling water, paper towels and sanitising agent.
Cheers
peter


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## Jethro (10/9/04)

devilsaltarboy said:


> [yes taking samples from tap is much better than opening the lid but if you do clean the head of the tap using boiling water, paper towels and sanitising agent.


I purchased a cheap 500 ml garden sprayer to clean my fermenter tap after sampling(water after use and steriliser pre racking) seems to do the job. (a bit messy inside but) Cheers Jethro B)


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## big d (10/9/04)

each to there own devilsalterboy.
however the tap method is far less a risk of infection than opening the lid.ive never had an infection yet this way and if in doubt give the area a spray with orthphosporic acid (comes under various names).
for what its worth i regularly sample(taste) the progress of my beer this way during the secondary and have never ever had an infection.

cheers
big d

ps
samples through the airlock is a new one for me


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## frenzix (11/9/04)

Hi again, thanks for the extra advice everyone. I have posted a couple of useless pics of us bottling (how exciting) I tasted both and i must say that the stout tasted fantastic. The Lager was a little weak, but thats to be expected i think. I just used castor sugar for the bottles. I'll let you know how they taste in a couple of weeks. 












I'm the guy with big bones, the fella with the dreds is my brother in law.


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## big d (11/9/04)

great pics frenzix good to see your enjoying your brewing endeavours.
hope you enjoy the fruits of your labour. :chug: :chug: :chug: 

cheers
big d

ps. ya bro in law carries a mean head of hair


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## frenzix (12/9/04)

hehe i think he has the strongest neck muscles in the southern hemisphere. Yeah thanks mate, and thanks everyone for the help !


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## frenzix (23/9/04)

hey again, thought i'd give you an update, gave the stout and lager taste tests, they both tasted great, and as some of you said, i might try the secondry fermentation to get that sediment taste out. They both were a nice drop though! thanks guys. I have a draught, bitter and apple cider down now

CHEERS!!!


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## Trough Lolly (24/9/04)

Sounds like you're getting into the swing of things Frenzix! 

You might want to lash out and next time you carbonate your beers, use dextrose or malt extract rather than castor sugar - its only a little thing but it does help the brew in the long run.

Cheers,
TL


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## frenzix (25/9/04)

Yes i was thinking of that also, might pop down to the brew shop today


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## sosman (25/9/04)

I take my SG samples from the tap all the time. Never had an infection. My biggest concern with it is that if you don't clean the tap, there is the potential of nasties at bottling time. As others have said, one squirt with 2% phos acid works magic.

As for advice re racking to secondary, by all means give it a try and make up your own mind. Keep in mind that it is not without risk (admittedly low):
Some people have attributed stuck fermentations to racking at the wrong time.
Each transfer increases exposure of beer to oxidation, microbes.
I'm lazy and don't like the extra cleanup.


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## frenzix (25/9/04)

me lazy too, but will give it a go!


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## sluggerdog (17/10/04)

frenzix said:


> thanks again, just settles my mind hehe. I just took readings and they seem to need a little more in there. they are just below the green line on the hydrometer. Can't see the reading as the light is very crap in that room. It's just above the "10" mark.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 So is it ok to open the lid of the fermenter as shown in the photos here, I ask because I need to text my beer too with the hydrometer soon but I have the fermenter sitting on the floor so I cannot get to the tap without disturbing the airlock on top?

Or coudld I take the lid off, move the fermenter to higher ground then put the lid on, is this ok? I thought air was no good in the fermenter?

Thanx


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## jgriffin (17/10/04)

The air in the fermenter will have been pushed out by the heavier CO2 by now.
Opening the fermenter unnecessarily is not a good idea though, as you raise the risk of infection.

What i'd do i remove the airlock, pick the fermenter up and sit it on something, and take measurement from the tap. Move it back and replace the airlock.

Make sure you remove the airlock as the act of picking it up, or opening the tap can cause the liquid to get sucked in.


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## sluggerdog (17/10/04)

jgriffin said:


> The air in the fermenter will have been pushed out by the heavier CO2 by now.
> Opening the fermenter unnecessarily is not a good idea though, as you raise the risk of infection.
> 
> What i'd do i remove the airlock, pick the fermenter up and sit it on something, and take measurement from the tap. Move it back and replace the airlock.
> ...


 awesome, thanks jgriffin, that's just what I thought I would have to do, next time I'll get a table to do it on for the whole time.
CHEERS


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## Hoops (17/10/04)

jgriffin said:


> Make sure you remove the airlock as the act of picking it up, or opening the tap can cause the liquid to get sucked in.


  that's the whole idea of the airlock isn't it? When you remove the airock air is sucked straight into the fermentor including any dust and particles. With the airlock in place the air is sucked through the liquid removing particles and if the liquid is a sanitizer it should reduce the chance of bugs being introduced.


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## Bobby (17/10/04)

the liquid acts a a barrier. it doesnt filter out anything.


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## jgriffin (17/10/04)

Bubbling air through liquid sucks as a filter. (no pun intended)
Ask you local bong smoker to put a tissue over their mouthpiece and look at it afterwards for a demonstration.

Plus my brewing area may be different, but i find all kinds of things in the airlock like flies, spiders etc. No way i'm sucking them back into my beer.


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## devilsaltarboy (17/10/04)

Ive always thought using the tap at the bottom to be slightly dodgy although not as bad as putting hydrometer in brew.
Get hold of something to suck the brew through the airlock hole. I use a 50mL pipette. I say this because opening the tap leaves residue on the tap and needs to be cleaned straight after. I also cant be stuffed lifting my fermenter either and this approach removes this requirement.
Cheer
Peter


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