# New To Brewing



## shmickvl (22/11/05)

hey guys, how are you going??

im a 20 year old who has just bought my forst home brew kit from the local home brew shop. i found this site the other day and have been reading it ever since. some great reading for an apprentice brewer. 

i started my first brew on sunday nite and have a few q's about it. i was given the following ingrediants in the kit:
- pilsner can
- brew body
- brew booster


1. i did no take a reading with the hydrometer before i added the yeast. does this matter??

2. i put the yeast in on sunday nite, and closed her up ready for fermenting. the buubles in the airlock come about once every 5 seconds, is this normal practice?? 

3. i was reading a few sites and they say that the brew should have a really bubbly top to it in the first stage of fermenting. mine did not do this, or could it have done it overnite?

4. my brew is sitting on about 25 degrees. at this rate, when should i add the finnings???

5. at the moment the brew does not look like its doing much, however if i luck at the handles on the side of the fermenter, i see little bubbles on the underside of it. is this normal on the second or third day??

if i have any other q's ill post them up!!! 

thanks for your help in advance guys

cheers


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## DrewCarey82 (22/11/05)

I am 23 and only started a few months ago myself.

Best advice is to keep it simple @ first about the only thing that you should be changing is from sugar to dextrose or a booster pack. - Simple step but improves it greatly and no change in technique required.

Get a few brews under ur belt first, make sure they taste good then worry about some of the far out and highly technical advise that will be thrown @ you here. - They just confuse u @ first.

Also u didnt list the ingredients bro.....


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## shmickvl (22/11/05)

done now


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## normell (22/11/05)

1. i did no take a reading with the hydrometer before i added the yeast. does this matter??
No
4. my brew is sitting on about 25 degrees. at this rate, when should i add the finnings???
Try to get the temp. down a little bit lower


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## apd (22/11/05)

1. Hydrometer reading doesn't matter too much. Just means it's difficult to calculate your alcohol percentage.

2. There's no standard for the bubbles out of the airlock. Don't worry about how many bubbles per second/minute/whatever. Use your hydrometer for checking whether the fermentation has finished.

3. Depends on the type of yeast, conditions, etc. I wouldn't worry about it.

4. 25*C is a bit high, especially for a lager yeast. Try to get it down to 20*C at least, if not more. Not sure about finnings. Never used them myself.

5. Don't worry about how it looks. Rely on your hydrometer readings to tell when fermentation is finished.


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## shmickvl (22/11/05)

so since i put it in the fermenter on sunday nite, should i take a sample and check it say tomorrow nite??? that would be 3 days. or should i leve it till 4 or days??


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## Fingerlickin_B (22/11/05)

I've never been game to use finnings...the thought of fish by-products in my beer isn't one Im very comfortable with h34r: 

PZ.

*EDIT* - Sorry, I missed your last post. 
If you are going to bottle straight from the fermenter (ie, no secondary), leave it in there for *at least* 6 days when fermented at 24 deg...don't rely on what the kit instructions tell you.


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## DrewCarey82 (22/11/05)

shmickvl said:


> 1. i did no take a reading with the hydrometer before i added the yeast. does this matter??
> * No for kits not really necessary, about the only thing it does is give u a gauge of what the alcohol level will be... Mostly it will be between 4-5 percent for kits, I dont bother but its up to you.*
> 
> 2. i put the yeast in on sunday nite, and closed her up ready for fermenting. the buubles in the airlock come about once every 5 seconds, is this normal practice??
> ...


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## shmick (22/11/05)

shmickvl said:


> so since i put it in the fermenter on sunday nite, should i take a sample and check it say tomorrow nite??? that would be 3 days. or should i leve it till 4 or days??
> [post="92376"][/post]​



Leave it at least a week (2 wks preferred) - wont hurt anything

After the main attenuation (2-3 days bubbling quickly) the yeast goes into a conditioning phase where it cleans up some of the initial fermentation by-products and the harder to digest sugars.
It will drop only a few SG points during this time but it makes quite a difference to the taste.

After a week or 2, take a SG sample each day and if it's not dropping over 2 or 3 consecutive days you should be safe to bottle.
The yeast will coninue to act on the brew (condition) for a good month or two after bottling. The main concern is that if you dont get the SG down far enough before bottling it will produce too much CO2 gas as it continues to ferment and will either be overcarbonated or explode  

Try to keep the temps down a bit (20C) else you can end up with some pretty fruity/funky flavours.
You didn't say the kit brand or type of yeast but chances are it's an Ale type yeast and will work best around 20degC give or take 2 or 3 degs.

The hardest lesson to learn is patience - but you have to learn it one way or the other. The more you rush it the worse the result.  


P.S. cool name


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## DrewCarey82 (22/11/05)

Nice advise on here first time I got on here people where throwing terms like racking, final gravity, adding grains ect.


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## shmickvl (22/11/05)

so when takin a sample from the tap at the bottom of the fermenter, it does not affect the brew??? and people do this often to see how it is going??


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## Wortgames (22/11/05)

I wouldn't bother with the finings at all - it's more helpful to keep it all natural as you can see what's going on, especially with things like yeast flocculation (settling) and chill haze. Use it if it's important that your beer is clear (maybe for a party etc) but if you want to understand your brewing it's not helpful.

Assuming your sanitation and ingredients are good, the next most important thing affecting the quality of your beer is fermentation temp. You want to try and keep it consistent, and as others have said probably a little cooler than this one.

It should be ready to bottle between 1 & 2 weeks, if you don't want to take gravity readings then give it 2 weeks before bottling to be on the safe side. Gravity readings will help you understand what's going on, but they also risk infection if everything is not well sanitised.


Good luck, and in the words of Charlie Papazian:

Relax, Don't Worry, Have A Home Brew (RDWHAHB)


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## Wortgames (22/11/05)

The trouble with taking samples from the tap is that you'll get a sticky goo in the tap, which can lead to infecting all your bottles if you use it then. Also, you need to remove the airlock to avoid sucking its contents into the fermenter.

I'd say use the tap for samples OR bottling, not both.


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## OCC (22/11/05)

hey shimickvl i mostly take 4 readings over the time of the brew 1 at the start, 2nd at 5 to 7 days, then 2 readings at 10 to 12 days if the last 2 readings are the same it's time to bottle,easy...
and taking the sample through the tap from the bottom dose not effect the brew cause how else will you get your sample ya deffinatly don't open the top mid brew.... hope this helps occ


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## Fingerlickin_B (22/11/05)

OCC, I think what Wortgames means is this:

Take samples via the tap and syphon to bottles/secondary, hence avoiding any infection risk due to beer left in the "open" end of the tap after taking said samples. 


PZ.


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## shmickvl (22/11/05)

i read somehwere that when u do take samples via the tap u should place some sterilizer in a slad wrap and use a rubber band to wrap around the tap hole. would this affect the brew?


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## bottlerocket (22/11/05)

i spray brewshield from a spray bottle up inside the tap after i take a sample
it really only needs it just before racking/bottling.


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## Fingerlickin_B (22/11/05)

That sounds pretty reasonable VL, but it won't completely remove the risk factor. 

ATM I don't take samples at all...there are reasons for this, but I wouldn't suggest it to you right now. 

What I do if I take samples via the tap is spray a little just-boiled, stinking hot, water up into the end of the closed tap afterwards. 
Never had an infection using this method (and all the other usual sanitising procedures). 

PZ.

*EDIT* - Bottle rocket, you type faster than me :lol:


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## shmick (22/11/05)

Assuming you use a hydrometer for testing SG, make sure you don't get too much sediment/yeast trub in the sample from the tap.
Thers's usually a little bit hiding in there that can effect your reading.
Drain a bit (50ml) first at a fast rate to clear the tap then take your sample. :chug:


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## OCC (22/11/05)

I don't use anything to sterlise my tap and never had any problem with infection .. should i clean the tap every time i take a sample??????


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## DrewCarey82 (22/11/05)

Probably should I dont, I'd imagine u'd have to be bloody unlucky to get an infection.


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## Fingerlickin_B (22/11/05)

OCC said:


> should i clean the tap every time i take a sample??????



Yep, I think you should. 

The reason I haven't had an infection due to this is because I do clean the tap. 

A mate's dad who gave me one of my first "real" fermenters couldn't emphasise this more...I always assumed this advice came from a bad experience.

PZ.


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## OCC (22/11/05)

thats another one i owe ya fingerlickin!!!!!!
p.s thanx for the link... B)


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## shmick (22/11/05)

You'd only infect a few bottles until it flushes out.
I get ants, cockies & mould if I don't clean.
Spray bottle of metho does the trick.

I usually only do 3 readings - pre boil, post boil & pre bottle.
I never open the fermenter but I know what to expect and when to worry if it goes wrong. After a few batches it becomes second nature. :chug:


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## normell (22/11/05)

apd said:


> 3. Depends on the type of yeast, conditions, etc. I wouldn't worry about it.
> 
> 4. 25*C is a bit high, especially for a lager yeast. Try to get it down to 20*C at least, if not more. Not sure about finnings. Never used them myself.
> 
> [post="92375"][/post]​



Most kits don't use a lager yeast tho


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## Fingerlickin_B (22/11/05)

OCC said:


> p.s thanx for the link... B)



Link? :huh:


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## OCC (22/11/05)

the scratchin music link....


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## Fingerlickin_B (22/11/05)

Haha, ok...gotta' stop posting when I'm drinking :lol: 

Back to the topic at hand...

PZ.


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## shmickvl (22/11/05)

well at least it smells like beer at the moment


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## Fingerlickin_B (22/11/05)

shmickvl said:


> well at least it smells like beer at the moment



Good...very good.

Does it smell like warm VB poured out of a can onto the lawn? 

Seroiusly, if it does then your doing fine :beer: 

PZ.


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## RobW (22/11/05)

The other way you can go is to collect one sample at the start & do all your readings on that. It will ferment at the same rate as the brew & if you're careful you wont contaminate it. Just leave the lid loose to let CO2 escape.


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## shmickvl (22/11/05)

so has anyone on here or any other site ever made a foolproof guide for beginners?? one thats easy to understand?? or is it easily picked up by the second batch?

does it become second nature after a few??


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## shmickvl (22/11/05)

also, sorry for buggin yas:

does a brew become weaker if you put in too much water, or does it stuff the whole process??


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## normell (22/11/05)

One way of making a light ale


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## OCC (22/11/05)

the beginners guide is called trial and error and yes is dose come easier the more batches you do.. ^_^ ^_^


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## RobW (22/11/05)

shmickvl said:


> so has anyone on here or any other site ever made a foolproof guide for beginners?? one thats easy to understand?? or is it easily picked up by the second batch?
> 
> does it become second nature after a few??
> [post="92454"][/post]​




http://www.howtobrew.com/


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## Dr Gonzo (22/11/05)

I use Pre-injection alcohol swabs. About $6 for a pack of 200 at the chemist. After sampling or prior to racking, clean in and around the tap. Definately take a reading every day. Even if just for the tasting.


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## Wortgames (22/11/05)

VL, there are a dozen different ways to do every step, so people can only tell you what they do, it is up to you to decide which way works best for you based on your own priorities, equipment and conditions. You pick it up pretty quickly.

Regarding the hydrometer readings, another way to take good readings without disturbing the tap is to sanitise the hydrometer and place it directly in the fermenter. After high krausen (the foamy stage) there is usually a nice clean surface on the wort. Just do it carefully and remember there is a blanket of CO2 on top of the wort that you don't want to disturb if you can avoid it.

Personally I think it's easier to sanitise a hydrometer than it is to sanitise a plastic tap, and the taps quickly become unuseable anyway (they all point up on my fermenters!) but to each their own. Remember if you do use the tap you need to remove the airlock or loosen the lid, otherwise draining any wort from the fermenter will suck air and bugs in through the airlock.


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## Darren (22/11/05)

another good reason to take an OG sample at pitching is so you can see in three days time if nothing has happened. Gives you one last chance to pitch some more yeast.
cheers
Darren


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## T.D. (22/11/05)

Dr Gonzo said:


> I use Pre-injection alcohol swabs. About $6 for a pack of 200 at the chemist. After sampling or prior to racking, clean in and around the tap. Definately take a reading every day. Even if just for the tasting.
> [post="92480"][/post]​



Get any funny looks at the chemist??? hehe  But of course, being Dr Gonzo, I guess you don't really need to go the chemist...

Good idea though. I have actually never had any infection probs without sterilising the tap (although I get a bit worried about it each time when it comes to bottling). I make sure it is wiped clean with a tissue. In the future I will either try the alcohol swabs or just splash a bit of iodophor up the tap's nozzle.


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## Fingerlickin_B (22/11/05)

T.D. said:


> Get any funny looks at the chemist??? hehe



Being a father who had to buy syringes (without needle for oral medicine application) and a dude who's had far too many junkie girlfriends (even lost a few mates to the sh*t), asking for crap like that at the chemist doesn't bother me...but I do indeed always get the weird looks (my dodgy tats make it even worse :lol: ). 

I remember when I was a young kid my dad came back from the shop saying he had a similar reaction at the supermarket...he purchased metho to fire the fondue pot and lemonade for the kids to drink...I figured that out a few years later :lol: 

Sorry, that went a bit O/T... :chug: 

PZ.


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## pharmaboy (22/11/05)

shmickvl said:


> also, sorry for buggin yas:
> 
> does a brew become weaker if you put in too much water, or does it stuff the whole process??
> [post="92460"][/post]​



if you want to make a light beer, you can just brew as per normal, bottle half as per usual, and bottle the rest with 200ml of water already in the bottle, half fullstrength, half mid strength - or just try it with a few bottles to see for next time. Could even go one step further and add soda water to a carbonated bottle.

Breweries remove the alcohol, and the technique is a bit beyond home brewing, so i wouldnt expect too much - mids are Ok though.


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## shmickvl (23/11/05)

hey guys,

i have a few q's:

i had to move the brew about 200mm so i could take a sample to test the sg. the brew moved around a little. will this stuff it up??and will it affect the co2 layer??

when i took the sample the airlock bubbled a fair bit. is this bad??? again, will it stuff the brew.

and out of curiosity, i tasted a touch of the smaple. haha. it was a touch watery. is this normal?? or would i have put far too much water in??


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## Screwtop (23/11/05)

What was the SG. Forget moving it around, Yeasties like a move occasionally, just like us.


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## shmickvl (23/11/05)

about 1012. the guys at the homebrew shop where i bought it said it would end up at about 1010 due to the brew booster they gave me.


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## Wortgames (23/11/05)

That bubbling was probably what I was trying to warn you about. Taking liquid out of the tap will cause air to be sucked in through the airlock. Anything you had in there (eg sanitiser, dead flies etc) has now gone into your brew.

I wouldn't worry about having moved it, and the fact that it seemed watery may just be the fact that it is warmer and flatter than you're used to.

It's unlikely that anything you've done has stuffed it up, but the only way you'll know for sure is to bottle it and drink it.


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## Screwtop (23/11/05)

T.D. said:


> Dr Gonzo said:
> 
> 
> > I use Pre-injection alcohol swabs. About $6 for a pack of 200 at the chemist. After sampling or prior to racking, clean in and around the tap. Definately take a reading every day. Even if just for the tasting.
> ...



I rack to #3 fermenter for bulk priming. Has all been sanitised (tap, tap O ring, Lid seal, all with the bottles, bottling stem, funnel etc) so no need to worry about the tap for bottling.


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## Trough Lolly (25/11/05)

pharmaboy said:


> shmickvl said:
> 
> 
> > also, sorry for buggin yas:
> ...



I wouldn't be adding fermented beer to a bottle with water already in it. If you want to dilute the wort, do it before fermentation starts - ie, add more water before you pitch the yeast on the wort and make sure that you mix the water through the wort well. It's quite ok to stir vigorously, in fact, I'd recommend it so you can introduce air into the chilled wort before you pitch the yeast.

Air before fermentation is good - Air after fermentation is bad.

Based on this maxim, adding fermented wort to a bottle with 200ml of (oxygenated) water risks oxidation of the beer, IMHO - especially if you give the bottle a good shake after you cap it, to mix the water with the beer. Keep it simple and add water before you seal the fermenter. I used to toss the sterilised hydrometer into the fermenter, as I added the water, and watched the gravity fall until I either reached target Original Gravity (OG) or I had sufficient volume of wort in the fermenter.

Cheers,
TL


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## shmickvl (25/11/05)

if a brew tastes a bit watery before it gets bottled, will it improve?? or will the complete brew be watery?????

i think i may have added a touch too much water.

will my brew be alright?


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## nonicman (25/11/05)

If it is a little watery, the carbonation will make it appear better than it is flat.

RDWHAHB :beer:


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## shmickvl (26/11/05)

is there any way to add more body to the brew after its finished fermentation??


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## Wortgames (26/11/05)

shmickvl, seriously - you need to stop stressing about this brew, just bottle and serve it. That's the only way to learn and refine your technique.

It sounds like you might have put a couple of extra litres of water in the fermenter - don't panic, it just means it'll be a bit weaker than planned. I wouldn't worry about body, most of the beers you've ever drunk have had zero body anyway.

If anything, you could add some extra fermentables to bring the alcohol back up - but you'll bugger the whole profile of the beer, and without some hard core calculations (and an OG reading) you'll be working blind anyway and will probably do more harm than good. The more you screw with it the worse it will get and the less you'll learn from it.

Relax, Don't Worry, Have A Home Brew (soon).


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## Screwtop (26/11/05)

Wait for it to carb up a bit and just tip it in ya head. Next brew, on on.


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## shmickvl (26/11/05)

cheers for the advise mate 

im havin fun learning anyways !!!


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## delboy (26/11/05)

i have made a few watery beers and i still do they are great for summer easy to drink and a little lower in alcohol .so you can consume a bit more .

do play around with it .dose it taste good ? is it carbonated nicely .
well there you go .
most kits are watery so dont stress .
delboy


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## mistylane (27/11/05)

Talk about risk - my first ever brew was with an inverted carboy (the shit they sell a tthe MCG has made me swear no plastic will ever touch my beer). 

I shit myself - counting bubbles, verifying steps over and over, treating everything like a damn hospital - I even used spring water 'cause I was scared of chlorine "imparting flavours" (????)

Well that brew turned out damn good - and now I hate myself for drinking the lot and not keeping a few bottles. Since then my rules have been quality ingredients, sanitation, rinse thouroughly, constant brew temp - can't go wrong! 

My latest "panic" was a wheat beer - smelt very different and I was convienced it had gone bad - what did I do wrong.... NOTHING! It turned out damn fine!

The only way you can really screw up a brew is carelessness or lazyness. And using white suagr (eeewwwww - CUB stuff)


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## peas_and_corn (27/11/05)

nonicman said:


> RDWHAHB :beer:
> [post="93317"][/post]​



What??


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## barfridge (28/11/05)

relaxdontworryhaveahomebrew


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## Martin (28/11/05)

Syphoning would be a hassle, and it would be easy to "unsanitise" the hose in the process.

It sounds to me like it would be a good idea to have a barrel with two taps at the bottom. Would this be an easy modification to do?

Personally I haven't had problems with infections from the tap yet. Has anyone actually experienced this problem, or is it rare enough to ignore?


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## shmickvl (6/12/05)

hi guys

i bought a brewkit from brewcraft and ive put off brewing it for a week or so. is it best to keep it in the fridge??


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## Fingerlickin_B (6/12/05)

Martin said:


> It sounds to me like it would be a good idea to have a barrel with two taps at the bottom. Would this be an easy modification to do?


No, but still very possible. Just depends on how "handy" you are. 




Martin said:


> Personally I haven't had problems with infections from the tap yet. Has anyone actually experienced this problem, or is it rare enough to ignore?


Remove, dismantle and clean the tap every time you clean your fermenter...it's super-rare then. 

PZ.


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## Fingerlickin_B (6/12/05)

shmickvl said:


> i bought a brewkit from brewcraft and ive put off brewing it for a week or so. is it best to keep it in the fridge??



Considering what is has been through during its trip from the point of manufacture to your shopping bag, I'd say it hardly matters...just pop it in the cupboard until the time comes to use it. 

PZ.


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## OCC (6/12/05)

it's cool, did you get it outta the fridge at the hb shop ?????
put the yeast in the fridge if it is liquid !


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## petesbrew (8/3/07)

Righto, here's another dumb arsed question from me re: hydrometers

There's an engineer in my office who's relatively new to the HB scene. Been talking to him lately, only cos I heard him talking about starting... other than that, well, you know what engineers are like!  

I mean, I'm only a kit brewer, brewing for only 2 years, and I still reckon I know sweet FA about it all.
He, as all engineers, comes across like he knows it all. Asked him how his latest Malt Shovel Oatmeal stout came out, and what the percentage was. His reply was "Na, i'm not interested in using the hydrometer."
WTF!?!?!

Yeah, he just takes it off at 7 days. But what if it hasn't finished? "Well it just goes into the secondary fermentation stage in the bottle, and I'm only using plastic. And I like the lower percentage beers".

I'm sorry but what an absolute knob.


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## tarlox (8/3/07)

petesbrew said:


> Righto, here's another dumb arsed question from me re: hydrometers
> 
> There's an engineer in my office who's relatively new to the HB scene. Been talking to him lately, only cos I heard him talking about starting... other than that, well, you know what engineers are like!
> 
> ...



I tend to use a hydrometer, but not always. However, my father and both brothers in law don't use them at all and I don't think they are knobs  . In fact, they make some great beers. :beerbang:


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## blackbock (8/3/07)

petesbrew said:


> Righto, here's another dumb arsed question from me re: hydrometers
> 
> There's an engineer in my office who's relatively new to the HB scene. Been talking to him lately, only cos I heard him talking about starting... other than that, well, you know what engineers are like!
> ...
> ...



Maybe he should move down here to the south coast - I regularly meet old farts who have been "brewing for years" who insist that there is nothing better than Coopers Lager and 1kg cane sugar. Some of them even ask the LHBS for out of date cans for "half price" because there's "nothing wrong with it". Yeah Right. Each to their own I suppose... :lol:


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## Brooksy (8/3/07)

Wouldn't worry too much about it Pete.
A mate of mine has been brewing the same kits for years and no longer uses a hydrometer. His environment is pretty well controlled - more by accident than design. Same kit, same dextrose, same time, same charge, same bottles. No detonations, ever.

Almost the same as Blackbock's, but his is Coopers Lager + 1kg Dextrose in 25 litres.

When your injunear has blown a few bottles he'll either give brewing away or use a hydrometer.


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## petesbrew (10/3/07)

KegDrainer said:


> Wouldn't worry too much about it Pete.
> A mate of mine has been brewing the same kits for years and no longer uses a hydrometer. His environment is pretty well controlled - more by accident than design. Same kit, same dextrose, same time, same charge, same bottles. No detonations, ever.
> 
> Almost the same as Blackbock's, but his is Coopers Lager + 1kg Dextrose in 25 litres.
> ...



Fair enough then. Apologies to all non-hydrometer users if any offence was caused. :beer: 
Just this bloke is a knob


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## Adamt (10/3/07)

What a complete and utter disgrace to engineers everywhere. Being a new brewer and not using a hydrometer is asking to get warm smelly beer splattered everywhere courtesy of bottle bombs.

I hope for the engineer's sake he was just being smart; he may have a refractometer.


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## Brooksy (10/3/07)

petesbrew said:


> Fair enough then. Apologies to all non-hydrometer users if any offence was caused. :beer:
> Just this bloke is a knob



No offence taken Pete. 

Yeah ol' mate used a hydrometer for about 3 or 4 months then saw it as a complete waste of perfectly good beer. The seals on his fermenters (2) really don't hold enough pressure to make the airlock bubble, but enough to hold a differenial level in it. Everything is wrong (as some might see it), but old mate can tell by smell and looking down the A/L at the brew surface just when it is time to bottle. Every brew is the same, boring, but the same. That's his bag, lives right out of town and is drinking good cheap beer. Will not drink anything under 5 months in the bottle, normally 6 months minimum.

He's got a great view from his front verandah - South side of a hill looking South down the Pages River Valley as it heads towards the Hunter River. Sitting there knocking down a jug or 2. :chug: 

Geeze life's a worry.......   


I.B.
P.S. My total brewing exp. is about 5 or 6 years breaks excluded. He's been doing it about 25 - 30 years continuous.


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## simpletotoro (10/3/07)

Wortgames said:


> The trouble with taking samples from the tap is that you'll get a sticky goo in the tap, which can lead to infecting all your bottles if you use it then. Also, you need to remove the airlock to avoid sucking its contents into the fermenter.
> 
> I'd say use the tap for samples OR bottling, not both.


i've often wondered about this as well...i reckon they should make taps with 2 heads on the single thread can't be that bloody hard ...maybe they already do..
cheers simple


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## petesbrew (10/3/07)

Adamt said:


> What a complete and utter disgrace to engineers everywhere. Being a new brewer and not using a hydrometer is asking to get warm smelly beer splattered everywhere courtesy of bottle bombs.
> 
> I hope for the engineer's sake he was just being smart; he may have a refractometer.



Yeah, I mean it comes with the Coopers kit.. why not use it? Helps you to understand a bit about brewing.

I'd say he doesn't have a refractometer.... he's the kinda bloke to say "well, IIII have a refractometer, aren't I gooooood?!?!"
There's one in every office.


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## sudsmcduff (10/7/09)

im new to brewin my self and yes there are nobs everywhere im a shearer my self and know plenty


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## Woggy_g (25/1/16)

Hi All,

I see in some places the LME is boiled and in some they are just dumped into the fermenter with hot water. I am so confused - as a newby that has not brewed yet and about to start a brew i'm lost.

what does the boiling give over the mixing with hot water ?


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## boybrewer (25/1/16)

When I first started brewing all I did was tip everything into a sanitsed fermenter screw the lid on take a hydrometer reading ( so I know what the alcohol % will be in the end ) chuck in the yeast and keep the ALE under 20* C so it won't taste like shit , take a few hydro readings after a week or two , so I would KNOW it was finished fermenting and bottle straight from the tap no issues and no bottle bombs cause I knew IT HAD FINISHED FERMENTING . It would sit in the fridge for a week or two or three or four once I get motivated to bottle it . This was to let the yeast settle and the beer to clear give the tap a clean with some sanitiser and bottle . RDWHAHB . Yes you go through the phase of did I do anything wrong cause it's not bubbling no it was just the lid was not sealed properly and the Co2 was leaking out the side .Now I just the rubber O ring from under the lid as a giant rubber band and glad wrap no airlocks to worry about and I can see what is going on . Just read and read some more watch some U - Tube videos and after the 3rd or 4th brew you will relax and won't worry about it until it has done its thing .

Now I have moved on to All Grain and built a series of brew stands and won a few prizes for my beers all I do now is RDHAHB and sanitise which is MOST important and keep the ale under 20*C and the lagers under 12*C.


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## Coodgee (25/1/16)

Woggy_g said:


> Hi All,
> 
> I see in some places the LME is boiled and in some they are just dumped into the fermenter with hot water. I am so confused - as a newby that has not brewed yet and about to start a brew i'm lost.
> 
> what does the boiling give over the mixing with hot water ?


Depends what you are doing. With extract brewing, boiling serves two purposes; to sanitise the malt extract to eliminate organisms that could cause infection in your finished product and secondly to cause chemical compounds in the hops (alpha acids) to change (isomerise) which adds bitter flavour to the beer. 


If by LME you mean Liquid Malt Extract, and it's coming out of a sealed can then it will already be sanitised so you won't need to boil it for that purpose. If you are talking about powdered LME then you need to should probably boil it for at least 15 minutes to kill any bugs. You might get away with not boiling it but it's probably best to be on the safe side. Also if you have liquid malt extract that has been dispensed from a big tub of it at a home brew shop and exposed to the air then you also need to should probably sanitise it through boiling. But if your recipe calls for un-hopped LME then you will need to add some LME, water and hops and boil it according to your recipe. If you just add hops to the fermenter with un-hopped LME then you won't get any bitterness in your beer. 

Also happy 11th birthday to this thread.


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## Woggy_g (25/1/16)

Coodgee said:


> Depends what you are doing. With extract brewing, boiling serves two purposes; to sanitise the malt extract to eliminate organisms that could cause infection in your finished product and secondly to cause chemical compounds in the hops (alpha acids) to change (isomerise) which adds bitter flavour to the beer.
> 
> 
> If by LME you mean Liquid Malt Extract, and it's coming out of a sealed can then it will already be sanitised so you won't need to boil it for that purpose. If you are talking about powdered LME then you need to should probably boil it for at least 15 minutes to kill any bugs. You might get away with not boiling it but it's probably best to be on the safe side. Also if you have liquid malt extract that has been dispensed from a big tub of it at a home brew shop and exposed to the air then you also need to should probably sanitise it through boiling. But if your recipe calls for un-hopped LME then you will need to add some LME, water and hops and boil it according to your recipe. If you just add hops to the fermenter with un-hopped LME then you won't get any bitterness in your beer.
> ...



Yes- i should have specified.. It is a can of Coopers australian pale ale liquid malt extract. I have a kg of dextrose / light malt that will be added.
20g of mosaic hops to be added as well.

it looks like the boil is the way to go .


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## Woggy_g (26/1/16)

first brew went in now. made it per instructions. lets see how she goes.


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## boybrewer (26/1/16)

Try and keep the ferment under 20*C it will make a far better beer . Do you have any temperature control or is it just sitting somewhere out of the light ?


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## Rocker1986 (26/1/16)

Some interesting comments on the first page of this thread. "Don't take SG samples and bottle from the same tap because the samples will leave residue in the tap which could cause infection." Obviously never heard of spraying out the tap with Starsan or whatever after taking the sample.  I've always done it that way and never had any infections in bottles at all. :icon_cheers:


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## Woggy_g (27/1/16)

it is bubbling away at 22C - no temperature control yet. it is on the list.


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## Roosterboy (27/1/16)

There is a lot to learn and it is a science, but the more you read and watch (some youtube posts are really good), the more 
it will make sense. The kits instructions can lead you astray, to start with the yeast probably aren't what they say they are.
They will flog their sanitizer, just get starsan ( it's a 2 acid mix). Lots of great ideas on this forum and we've all been there and 
stuffed things up so don't give up.


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## Woggy_g (29/1/16)

got the phosphoric acid based sanitiser from LHBS. brought temp down to 20C.


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