# Newbie Questions



## spicks (3/1/05)

Thanks to anybody who replies to my questions - I'm guessing most have been asked many times before.

I was given a Tooheys Homebrewing Kit for christmas and the hydrometer in it was broken. Because the instructions given with the kit stated you didn't need a hydrometer for another couple of days, I began to brew my first batch (the supplied 'Tooheys Special Draught' tin). Since then, two friends told me that they never use the hydrometer, and its only use is to check the alcohol content of the beer. So I simply waited till the airlock had stopped bubbling for a few days, and proceeded to bottle my beer.

Q1) Is the hydrometer necessary in brewing good beer?

I was seriously low on non twist top bottles - I had two. The capping tool supplied with the kit requires them (it's the type of capper that has two levers). But what I did have was four old 500ml Grolsch bottles which you probably know have that cap with the rubber stop which I'm assuming compeletely reseal the beer. And I had a 1.5l Grolsch bottle with the same cap but bigger. So I drank six non twist top commercial beers and saved the bottles, then got some 1.25l soft drink bottles, and sealed those with Coopers plastic PET bottle caps after I filled them with my brew.

Q2) Will Grolsch bottles seal correctly for secondary fermentation? And will plastic work? I've never seen a commecial beer sold in plastic bottles in my life. I always thought there was a reason for that.

In the end I still had way too much beer left in the carboy which I just tipped out into the sink. I felt it was a great waste but I really had nothing left to store the stuff in. In my mind, this first batch is just a test to make sure that I can make something that closely resembles beer. My final question is:

Q3) Are these store bought kits, where you brew 23 or so litres of liquid then perform secondary fermentation in the bottle, capable of brewing good beer? I think (although I find the posts hard to read due to not knowing the lingo) most posters brew in a different manner.

Thanks in advance for any replies,

Spicks


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## Plastic Man (3/1/05)

Spicks

The web site below is a great place to start. Has a good chapter discussing kit beers.

www.howtobrew.com

And it's free!!!

You can buy the book at most good home brew shops as well if you think you need a hard copy.

Good luck!!


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## taflex (3/1/05)

Yep, How to Brew is an excellent book and has been extremely helpful to a fellow noob like myself. You just know it's gonna be a literary masterpiece as soon as you read the opening line "Welcome to How to Brew!" (It was the exclamation mark that got me.)

I just lent it to a friend the other day and am already missing it. I haven't really looked at the online edition, but check it out and if you still feel seriously about brewing after reading a bit then I definitely reccomend picking up a hard copy.


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## JasonY (3/1/05)

Hey Spicks, if you poke around here I am sure you will start making good beer. But my answers to your questions:

Q1 - Well I like to use the hydrometer, taking a starting gravity measure (OG) before you chuck in the yeast lets you know where you are starting from and then before you bottle you can take a final gravity(FG) measure to see where your at. From this you can work out the alcohol content if you like. What I think it provides is some experience in what the yeast is capable of and wether you have any problems with the yeast not fermenting out the beer as it should. Not essential but a good practice to get into.

Q2 - Grilsh bottles are fine and are sought out by many homebrewers 

Q3 - Down to taste, if you like em as they are then they are as cheap as you will get. If you are after something a bit more then you can add to them with hops, more malt extract & liquid yeasts. If you read to much of this site you may decide to start mashing ... the howtobrew link above is an excellent read. 

I hope the kit gets you statred on making some excellent beers


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## Backlane Brewery (3/1/05)

> But what I did have was four old 500ml Grolsch bottles which you probably know have that cap with the rubber stop which I'm assuming compeletely reseal the beer. And I had a 1.5l Grolsch bottle with the same cap but bigger



jeez, Spicks, if you have that much Grolsch lying arounD WHY HOMEBREW?  

Hydrometers are great, get another one soon.


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## Weizguy (3/1/05)

* Hydrometers are good mmmm'kay.
* Grolsch bottles are sacred. Amen. ...and handy, both empty or full.
*If you're into this to save money, listen here. If you're into this for flavourful beer, you can save money by brewing with hops and malt extract. In the long run though, you will be obsessed with hops and specific malts and yeasts, and will spend all your spare cash trying to perfect the ultimate beer. We will be your support group.
Welcome aboard!
Uncle Sethule


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## pint of lager (3/1/05)

Get another hydrometer.

Some people drive a car with no fuel gauge. Some people cook in an oven with no temperature gauge. Some people brew beer without a hydrometer.

The hydrometer is a brewing tool. Treat it gently, it is fragile. Do not pour boiling water on it. 

To judge whether a beer is ready to bottle or not, take two readings, about a day apart. If the readings are the same, your beer is ready to bottle, but will improve if you leave it sitting quietly somewhere cool for another few days before bottling.

The John Palmer site is excellent. This AHB site is also excellent, use the search feature, you will be amazed at the information out there. The brewiki site expands daily, and is very worthwhile reading.


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## spicks (3/1/05)

Thanks heaps for all of the replies - How To Brew is great, I've just started to read it.

One thing which may be important. He says:

"The fermentation will proceed like this for two to four days, depending on the conditions of your fermentation. The activity will decrease as most of the malt sugars are consumed by the yeast, though the yeast will continue to ferment the beer long after the bubbling diminishes. Leave the beer in the fermentor for a total of two weeks."

My beer stopped bubbling about yesterday, maybe the day before. Now I've got it sitting in bottles. I'm not too concerned about the subtlies of taste because this is my frist go, but is my beer going to explode?


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## Weizguy (3/1/05)

Grab a hydrometer from one of your friends. They don't use them...

Soon, you'll be in the recipe section with all sorts of concerns over 1.076 SG (hydrometer reading) and attenuation (% malt consumed by the yeast).
The entire web is your beer encyclopaedia. When you find a good article on sour mashing, send me the URL.
Seth out


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## Backlane Brewery (3/1/05)

> My beer stopped bubbling about yesterday, maybe the day before. Now I've got it sitting in bottles. I'm not too concerned about the subtlies of taste because this is my frist go, but is my beer going to explode?



sorry, but are you saying you left it to brew for for, like, a couple of days, then bottled it?  

how long was it in the fermenter? & if less then a week, did you prime the bottles? :blink:


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## Backlane Brewery (3/1/05)

Spicks, when you answer the above we may be able to give you a better indication about the explosive potential....


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## sosman (4/1/05)

> I was given a Tooheys Homebrewing Kit for christmas and the hydrometer in it was broken.



That was thoughtful of them, I had to break mine myself.

I reckon a poll on "how many hydrometers have you busted" is coming on.


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## spicks (4/1/05)

My beer was in the fermenter for 5 days - the airlock had stopped bubbling about two days before I bottled it. I'm not quite sure what priming means but I put sugar in the bottom of the bottles and then filled the bottles with beer up to 4cm from the top of the bottle.

Will I be hearing any bangs?


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## sosman (4/1/05)

spicks said:


> My beer was in the fermenter for 5 days - the airlock had stopped bubbling about two days before I bottled it. I'm not quite sure what priming means but I put sugar in the bottom of the bottles and then filled the bottles with beer up to 4cm from the top of the bottle.
> 
> Will I be hearing any bangs?


 You primed them. The bottom line is, can't say for sure. It would have been nearing the end of fermentation. About the only reliable measure is SG readings bottoming out over 2 or 3 days.


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## new2kegbrew (19/11/05)

I've only broken the one hydrometer (mainly because I never replaced it!!) but I think the poll whould not only how many have you broken, but how did you break it?

I accidentally bit the top off mine!!


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## Fingerlickin_B (19/11/05)

Funny that.

Speaking of hydrometers, I have had the very same one since a mate's dad gave it to me about 7? years ago. 

I haven't used it for a good few months now either, whilst brewing and drinking the whole time...I don't expect it to see the light of day again, unless I dabble with honey again  

PZ.


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## OCC (19/11/05)

ah yes broken hydrometers,only broke one so far and did'nt i pay the price for it,after breaking the bloody thing i throw it staight in a plastic bag in the shed then when it came to bin night the shed bag was the last to go into the bin but then the bin lid would'nt close so i pushed the bag down by hand, the broken end shot through the bag and straight through my hand,a long wait at the medical centre and afew stiches later ,thats my story of the broken hydrometer.... ^_^ ^_^


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## Fingerlickin_B (19/11/05)

Ouch :blink: 

Yet another reason to steer clear of those things!

PZ.


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## adamj_008 (23/11/05)

I've never broken one before, But my friend attepted to use one as a tool to get the rubber grommet into the hole of the lid for the airlock. I think you can guess what the result was. Those hydrometers are very fragile.


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## brewmonkey (23/11/05)

If you leave the beer in secondary for about a week this might get you by. this will allow to ferment some more, or use plastic bottles.


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## Charlie (23/11/05)

Spicks,

Start trying your beer about two weeks after you bottled them - they probably won't be too frothy either way in that amount of time (although this will depend on where you store them !). When I was doing kits (not that long ago), about a week was about right for fermentation ...

Drink the crown seals first - with the PET bottles youcan always 'de-gas' them by slightly openning them then quickly sealing them again before the froth reaches the lid ... and if the beer lasts longer than a month - OPEN THEM OVER YOUR SINK

... and maybe wear a rain coat  

Charlie

oh and welcome to a hobby that will consume your life and soul :beer:


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## Boozy the clown (23/11/05)

and possibly your liver!


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## mika (25/11/05)

I've only broken the one hydrometer, first brew though...doh !
Came in a little plastic tube, had the cap off one end, just kinda dropped it in and it pushed the cap out of the other end of the tube and proceeded to the floor in a great hurry. Then I had to call for the girl to clear the glass coz I was in the kitchen in bare feet 
Got another one now though, useful little tool.


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## Trent (25/11/05)

Spicks
Without trying to sound patronising or anything, how much sugar did you put in the bottles? To this day, I still have people ask me if my RIS is nearly 10% becuase I put so much sugar in the bottle. Some people seem to think the more sugar you put in your bottles, the more alcohol, when it really means more chance of a bottle bomb. Stubbies should have about 1/2 a teaspoon of sugar, a heaped teaspoon for alongneck, and I guess 2 heaped (not overly, just 6g per spoon) teaspoons for the 1.5L grolsch. If you put in this amount of sygar, or less, then you should be fine, assuming the fermentation had completed. If you put in more than this, then maybe you should leave them somewhere you are not walking past all the time! I actually had my first bottle explodae last week, about 2 mins after I had been putting more beers on my shelf. It musta been a weak bottle, as it was a lowly carbonated porter, but it still sent glass to every corner of the room (and because it was on my top shelf, it sent beer to every level of my damn beer storage!)
All the best


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## tangent (25/11/05)

Porters seem to like exploding.
another reason why i went over to sparkling wine bottles


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## mistylane (3/12/05)

I brought my first kit from a brew shop - everything went fine. 

A few rules were sanitation, use quality ingredients, NEVER use white sugar unless you want the desired effect, get a decent bench capper and read, read, read!

I think many newbies get a supermarket kit and are less than impressed with the results - I think I got a head start and did it right the first time!


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## mistylane (3/12/05)

PS. there is nothing like a stupid question..... I held off asking a brew shop a "stupid question" such as "should I use hops in a kit brew" and my first hopped brew it tasting great even pre secondary!


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## Jebus (9/12/05)

Hey guys, I'm brand new to home brewing as well so figured this was a good thread to add a couple of queries.

1. The mix has been in there for almost a week now and I'm pretty sure it's almost finished fermenting, the problem being that the wossname on top doesn't bubble which the book said meant a loose seal but I've checked that seal and it looks completely ok around it and around the whole lid (one of those kit jobbies from the HB shop). Will it still be OK? The smell has been fading from the laundry over the last few days so it _smells_ like it is almost done.

2. I thought I'd do some test capping last night with some Carlton Draught & Cold stubbies using the lever-type capper that came with the kit. I tried with all my might to get those caps on, and they look like they are on, but then they come off with barely a fraction of the move of a finger - am I better off drinking Grolsch for the next few weeks and just re-using those bottles? Or am I just capping wrong bottle types? Is it worth a trip to the HB shop in Coburg to grab some long necks instead?

3. Will me brew be drinkable by NYE if I bottle it in the next 2 or 3 days? :unsure: 

I think that's about it for now, when I'm more confident with the basics of HBing then I'll definitely be searching through this great resource for tips and tricks.

Cheers guys.


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## Stuster (9/12/05)

Jebus

It shouldn't be a problem that the airlock hasn't been bubbling. It may be as you say that there is a loose seal. Is it a lid that you screw on or just push on? If it is the screw on lid, a little silicon grease or something like that will fix it up next time.

In terms of it being done, just check the readings with your hydrometer. If they are the same for two days in a row, you have a done beer.

The first time I did a brew, all of 10 months ago  , I stuffed up the caps completely so I think I know what you mean. If you move the capper arm up and down to the right level for the bottles you have then you should be able to cap the bottles without any trouble. Any bottles will work, crown or twist top, stubbies or long neck, so don't worry about getting more (for now at least  )

Your brew should be ready in a couple of weeks from when you bottle it so your NYE should be fun.  

Feel free to PM me if any of this is unclear.

Stuart


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## PistolPatch (9/12/05)

G'day Jeebus.

As regards the loose seal, once you've thrown your kit in and put on the fermenter lid and airlock, just slightly squeeze the sides of the fermenter. The water in the airlock should move. If it doesn't, you've definitely got a leak.

I reckon the fermenters with the screw down lid and large O-ring are better than the push-down lid types. Also reckon the two piece airlocks are better than the single piece ones (easier to clean too).

Cheers!


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## mika (12/12/05)

I generally grease the o-ring seal with vegie oil, you can tell if the seals good, you can see full black all the way round the lip, then you know it's sitting right. And note where the air lock is in relation to the tap, then you know where you need to be for next time.
Set the capper so the bell is fractionally lower than the top of the bottle so you have to place the bottle in at an angle. You should feel the lever go over centre when the cap seats.
I was worried about the capper first time I tried a dry run, but that reassuring "schhh" of the first brew opening eliminated all doubt 

*edit: fixed the spellign*


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## Jebus (12/12/05)

I'll try squeezing it tonight and see what happens, it's one of the screw down lids with the o-ring.

Still had problems with the capper though, I could get the cap on nice and tight but then the whole bottle would get stuck in the capper! The only way to get the bottle off was to jerk it down really hard which stuffed up the capping. I'll figure it out eventually I suppose  In the meantime I've used the Coopers PET bottles for the first batch.


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## Boozy the clown (12/12/05)

Bottle stuck? Pull the bottom of it towards you, should come out without too much fuss, my normal sized caps need some encouragement to come out.

You dont want to jerk it too hard or youll knock the top off it and have to explain the froth. :blink:


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## delboy (12/12/05)

Ok 

fermenter test 

when empty turn upside down on a flat surface "not the floor the table"
if it is rocking around better than a rocking horse you have a very nice bucket for you grain.  

if it has a slight rock in it then it will leak if the lid is not tight enough.  

i tend to do this test before buying from the HBS and i dont get dud fermentor any more .  

its to do with the moulds when they make them so be carfull when you buy .

delboy


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## hughyg (21/12/05)

Hi guys
Im also new to home brewing. I also have the tooheys homebrew kit and the hydrometer came broken. Damn! I descided to go straight into the deep end and bought a black rock whispering wheat, a brewcraft dry wheat malt, and Safwheat-ale yeast. 
I then followed all of the instructions to make a Hoegaarden brew in the little fermenter. It has now been 2 days and there is no bubbles in the airlock. Should I be worried?? I pitched the yeast in dry and didn't rehydrate it..... Temp is currently 18-20C

If it is OK, should i leave the brew in the fermenter after it has finished primary (if so how long), or should i proceed with priming and bottling asap?

Cheers
Hughyg


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## barfridge (21/12/05)

Don't stress hughy, it could be lots of things:
- the fermenter isnt sealing properly. Squeeze the sides of the fermenter, and if the water level falls straight back to equal height on either side of the u-bend, then it isnt sealing.
- is there any foam on top of the beer? Don't bother opening the fermenter, you should be able to see this through the lid.
- when you pitch a dry yeast without rehydrating, you can sometimes end up with a long lag time before the yeast becomes fully active. 2 days is nothing to worry about.

With regards to leaving in primary, go out and get another hydrometer (you should be able to ask for a replacement from the shop where you got the brew kit). When you get the same hydrometer reading 3 days in a row, the brew is done. From there you can rack to secondary, rack to a cube for cold conditioning, or bottle the brew.
For your first attempt, bottling is fine, but do a bit of reading about the benefits of racking your brews.

Good luck with it


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## Jebus (21/12/05)

I tried (a lot of) my first brew last night. I (and my housemates) are seriously hung over. Steak will cure that...

There were no bubbles though


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## Martin (21/12/05)

No bubbles.. you mean the beer was flat? Did you add 5g sugar to each longneck when bottling? Were the caps on tight?


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## Jebus (21/12/05)

Yes, yes and yes.


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## pint of lager (21/12/05)

What sanitiser did you use and was there any left in the bottles?

Are they twist tops, crown seals or PET bottles?

How long between when you capped them and when you drank them?

What temperature were they at during this time?


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## hughyg (21/12/05)

barfridge 

Thanks for the advice. I think it is just the seal on the fermenter, as the brew is foaming and has sediment at bottom. what did you mean by rack to cube for cold stab? What is a cube? And also if i go ahead and rack for a secondary should i add anything or just let it brew by itself? And how long should I weight prior to bottling?

Another question- Should I use PET bottles or try and get my hands on 30 longnecks? What are peoples thought on PET?

Cheers
Hughyg


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## Screwtop (21/12/05)

Racking to secondary assists with producing a clearer beer and reduces the risk of off flavours from being left to long on the yeast cake. A cube is the generic name for a food grade plastic container, cheaper option than another fermenter. These come in cubic shape or jerry can shape. People use what suits their storage space or fementation fridge. No need to airlock as active fermentation has ceased, cap can be released every couple of days if need be. These are harder to clean than open top fermenters. Simply sanitize a container (another fermenter or cube) and a length of plastic hose. Connect the hose to the fermenter tap making sure that the transfer hose reaches the bottom of the secondary container and transfer the brew with as little airation as possible. 

Rack when SG reads the same on two consecutive readings. Don't add anything, just pop back into the fridge for 7 days before bottling. Use the same method to rack to another container to bulk prime for bottling.

PET bottles are fine, they are usually cheaper in bulk from your LHBS, where I live Woolies had the 15 pack on special last week. 

Cheers and Hoppy Brewing


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## peas_and_corn (22/12/05)

I'd say go longneck, purely because I don't like the feel of plastic on my lips (which prepares me to taste something sweet, mostly coke) and tasting beer (this is subconscious, but it still has an effect)


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## hughyg (23/12/05)

How fastly should a brew ferment? Been brewing my Hoegaarden style since Sunday and just checked the SG (should have checked it earlier but bloody hydrometer was broken and had to buy a new one). This SG was only 1030 :blink: . With the brew at 21C how many SG drop per day?
Hughyg


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## dreamboat (23/12/05)

How much yeast did you pitch, and from what source?
What was the pitching temperature?
How big is your batch?
What was you OG?
What is on the brew, what was the mash temp/rest temp?

That will give us something to work from anyhow.....
But you are still unlikely to get an answer like 5 points/day, but you may get an indication as to whether it is "sluggish" or ok



dreamboat


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## hughyg (24/12/05)

ok here goes
I used a brewcraft kit of
Black Rock Whispering Wheat
1 kg brewcraft dry wheat malt
safwheat-ale yeast pack
coriander and oange peel

The brew was 23 litres and hte starting temp was 18 C

Cheers

HG

by the way are the brewcraft kits im using much good? Or should I head up to grumpys for the next batch? Sorry bout all the questions but im from a wine background where we just let the fruit and yeast do all the work!!


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## Screwtop (24/12/05)

hughyg said:


> ok here goes
> I used a brewcraft kit of
> Black Rock Whispering Wheat
> 1 kg brewcraft dry wheat malt
> ...



Made a similar one recently. 30 Min Boil: Can of Blackrock WW, 250g Dex, 250gDME, 300g Honey. (5 Min Boil: 15g Tettnung, 1 Teaspoon of Corriander Seed ground using mortar and pestle and 50g orange peel). A 2L starter using the beer wort and a sub of Wyeast 3638 Bavarian Wheat. 10 days in Prim @ 20deg then 8 in secondary @ 20deg, attenuated beautifully from OG1042 to FG1005. Now only 2 weeks in the bottle, beautiful clarity, rich red colour and tastes great, would change the peel to the dried chinese type for next batch and leave out the honey. For me Orange needs suppression and no noticable flavour or aroma from honey. Find honey provides better effect when used as carbonation primer. The improvement from week to week has been amazing, at bottling you would not have given it a chance. Will taste next at 4 and then 8 weeks.

What was your FG using the Saf Wheat ?

Edit: add ferm temps


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## dreamboat (24/12/05)

I would say that your ferment is sluggish, far slower than i would expect, but maybe your yeast has been abused before you got it.... I am sure that most homebrew stores could easily kill three quarters of your yeast and not know about it.
At least it is on the right track. I didn't see your OG there, and without pulling out promash, I would punt you had around the 1045 mark, so you are getting there. If you do not already, I would recommend that you aerate your brew before pitching, and again around 12 hrs after pitching to get your yeast to multiply, and save you from any not-quite-right yeast. Too late to aerate this one though... do not even think about it!



dreamboat


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## hughyg (25/12/05)

Yeah I thought it might be a bit sluggish! Its gravity is down to 1028. It is only lossing about 2 a day is that too slow?
BTW Screwtop what is FG?? 
Cheers
Hugh


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## rhydz (4/1/06)

hey guys i also have a newb question about capping.

i bought those el cheapo wooden cappers things. exactly like this:







problem is when i am capping screwtops (all i have at the moment) with crown seals, they come off with barely any movement when twisting them.

trying to pull them off is impossible but.

will this cause problems?


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## DrewCarey82 (5/1/06)

G'day all.

Last night I put down a batch of beer makers ginger beer around 7pm.......

1kg of dextrose, + a big chunk of ginger peeled and boiled for about 40 minutes.

Poured the dextrose in then 2 litres of boiling water stirred it, then 2 litres of cold water added kit and stirred more, kept on adding water to 20 litres stirring the entire time.

I added yeast and nutrient dumbly enough even though it said to add to a cup of warm water for 15 mins before adding - did I stuff up?

This morning @ 5:30am it still hadnt started bubbling so I gave it a swirl, I know that ginger beer brews slowly could that be why it isnt bubblin yet"?


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## Ross (5/1/06)

DrewCarey82 said:


> G'day all.
> 
> Last night I put down a batch of beer makers ginger beer around 7pm.......
> 
> ...



Drew,

Been a lot of talk lately about "proofing' yeast - it's beneficial if you do, but it's certainly not essential, it'll be fine - patience  ...

cheers Ross


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## DrewCarey82 (5/1/06)

Thanks mate.


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## BeerIsGood (5/1/06)

rhydz said:


> hey guys i also have a newb question about capping.
> 
> i bought those el cheapo wooden cappers things. exactly like this:
> 
> ...



Those things make great landfill. Seriously, they are pretty useless on screw-tops, as you've discovered. I've heard they can cause the tops of screwtops to break apart. Buy a bench capper if you're going to stick with bottling for a while. Good $50 investment.


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## DrewCarey82 (5/1/06)

Picked one up for $45 @ big W brigalow and never ever broken a bottle or had a loose cap!


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## pint of lager (5/1/06)

Make sure you get a bench capper with a single lever, like a superautomatica. It will cap twist tops all day long.

The cheaper versions with two handles that squeeze down will crack twist tops.

Get rid of the wooden handcapper, I have spoken to a fellow who sports very nasty scars on one hand from using one of them.


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## Martin (6/1/06)

DrewCarey82 said:


> G'day all.
> 
> Last night I put down a batch of beer makers ginger beer around 7pm......
> 
> ...


I made a ginger beer kit with added real ginger just before Christmas. Like you, I just chucked the yeast in. It took a couple of days to start bubbling, but then it bubbled really well for at least a week before gradually slowing down. So don't worry, it'll probably start soon. My final gravity was only 0.999, the lowest I've had from a kit yet!


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## DrewCarey82 (6/1/06)

It was bubbling very slowly last night, so its probably kicked off today so I'd say when I head home today it will have a pretty good rythym going.

Cant wait to drink some of it, smells u beaut.


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## DrewCarey82 (9/1/06)

DrewCarey82 said:


> It was bubbling very slowly last night, so its probably kicked off today so I'd say when I head home today it will have a pretty good rythym going.
> 
> Cant wait to drink some of it, smells u beaut.
> [post="101268"][/post]​



Guys my GB has stopped bubbling altogether opened up and had a geeze and had black stuff around the top like scum you'd see on the top of a pond.

If it was bubbling @ one stage then that means the seals good doesnt it? 

What could this black stuff be? I only put it down on the 4/1 I was under the impression that should bubble for 10 days and this only bubbled for like 12 hours with the sydney temps it should be around 20 degrees.

Should I pitch more yeast? - Or try to warm the fermentor? Cheers.

Have tried swirling daily but no avail.

Cheers.


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## pint of lager (9/1/06)

Do not trust your airlock as a guide to fermentation. Use your hydrometer. 

No idea what your black floaties stuff is.


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## DrewCarey82 (9/1/06)

Damn I was hoping that it was common place.....

Any idea what the reading should be after 4 days as I never take readings using it I have to admit.


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## Ross (9/1/06)

Drew,

what's your hydrometer reading? - is it steady over a few days? - Why on earth are you opening up your fermenter & allowing exposure to air? - Leave the lid well alone until the brew is finished...  

cheers Ross


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## DrewCarey82 (9/1/06)

Thats my point Rosso, being a kit only brewer I have brillant sanatation, temp control and good technique so normally after primary for 7 days and racking for 7-10 I've never seen a reason to use 1....

And opening it? Cause I am an idiot  - I might add there was no foam of any sort. - Smelt very gingery though.

I will get a reading tonight.


----------



## Ross (9/1/06)

Sounds like it may well have brewed out. I wouldn't be too worried about the bits round the edge, I'm guessing just the usual debris that collects as the krausen dies back (never brewed a ginger beer mind, can't stand the stuff).
I'd be sticking to your usual regime & not panicing - but time you got used to taking hydrometer readings; just as important in kits as any other brew  

cheers Ross


----------



## DrewCarey82 (9/1/06)

brewed out as in finished?


----------



## Screwtop (9/1/06)

Last GB went for 10 days in QLD temps 26 - 34. Never bother using ferm fridge for GB or yeast nutrient. Black stuff is puzzling.


----------



## Ross (9/1/06)

DrewCarey82 said:


> brewed out as in finished?
> [post="101626"][/post]​



yep


----------



## DrewCarey82 (9/1/06)

Just wish I new what this fricken black stuff was, I mean I dont want to bottle then have it come out shithouse. 

I actually boiled some ginger root and threw in the liquid from that after straining, could this have reacted with something and caused the black cest?


----------



## Darren (9/1/06)

DrewCarey82 said:


> Just wish I new what this fricken black stuff was, I mean I dont want to bottle then have it come out shithouse.
> 
> I actually boiled some ginger root and threw in the liquid from that after straining, could this have reacted with something and caused the black cest?
> [post="101635"][/post]​




That would be my guess. Take a sample from the tap is the best way to see if it is palatable.
cheers
Darren


----------



## DrewCarey82 (9/1/06)

I wonder if finings would sink this stuff to the bottom?


----------



## Ross (9/1/06)

DrewCarey82 said:


> I wonder if finings would sink this stuff to the bottom?
> [post="101647"][/post]​



Drew,

Any bits will cling to the sides when you transfer from the fermenter - don't worry about them...


----------



## dreamboat (9/1/06)

That black stuff is probably Knob-rot.

Hopefully not Galloping Knob-rot or you are in all sorts of trouble!

Or it could be lumps of ginger which have oxidised.



dreamboat


----------



## DrewCarey82 (9/1/06)

This wont stuff it will it?


----------



## dreamboat (9/1/06)

I would try not to bottle it, but you should be okay. Always worth a try to (when priming or transferring to secondary) to get a piece for a sniff and a taste to see what you might be in for.


dreamboat


----------



## podge (9/1/06)

Hey all.

being a newb both to the board and HB in general, thought I'd post my little prob/question here.

I'm currently brewing up a ginger beer but the SG seems a bit low.

My initial reading had it at 1.019 and a few days later at 1.006. 
what does this mean, if anything?

Details wise, It was straight from the can, except I boiled it up and used dextrose instead of sugar.


----------



## podge (9/1/06)

cool thanks.

I was actually wondering though if this was a bit lowish?
1.7% doesn't seem like much compared to the amount of dextrose in there (which sposedly ferments out well).
could the yeast be a bit timid?


----------



## Martin (10/1/06)

And how much water did you use? Some cans are designed to be made up to 23 litres, some a lot less (e.g. only 15 litres). Check the instructions on the can to see if you diluted it too much.


----------



## pint of lager (12/1/06)

Lemonade posts have been moved to ahb lemonade topic.


----------



## recharge (12/1/06)

Moved post to lemonade as well


----------



## DrewCarey82 (13/1/06)

When priming ginger beer do I need to prime it any differently to normal beer or just do it the same way?

Cheers.


----------



## DrewCarey82 (13/1/06)

Something anything please!


----------



## barls (13/1/06)

the same as is what i do


----------



## Ross (13/1/06)

DrewCarey82 said:


> When priming ginger beer do I need to prime it any differently to normal beer or just do it the same way?
> 
> Cheers.
> [post="102316"][/post]​



DC,

Depends on whether you want it carbonated to the same level as your normal beer - If so, yes - If not, adjust up or down accordingly...  

cheers Ross


----------



## davewalk (15/1/06)

Gday all. This is my first post and I hope I'm in the right area to ask questions.
I recently bought a Coopers kit after tasting a homebrew from a local bloke who's small farm I sold and have bottled 2 brews using the PET bottles provided which seem like a good method, however I would prefer to use stubbies from now on
( it's great to tell the wife how urgent it is to have to buy more boxes of beer and drink em quick so that I have a supply of bottles for the next brew).
My question is can the twist tops be washed, sterilized and re-used on the stubbies they came off?
Also, the local brew supply store bloke has talked me into doing a Ginger beer brew for my boys ( rather slick salesman, should employ him) and I thought I'd collect and use regular soft drink PET bottles but as these come in various sizes I was wondering if there is a formula for calculating the amount of sugar for each bottle ie grams per mililitre.
I can see how this hobby can become an obsession as I find myself going downstairs many times times a day to check on the brew and sit mesmerised by the gas escaping through the airlock and worrying about the temperature being right. My boys who are 8 & 10 are heavily involved, helping with the whole process and tasting the beer after we check the sg, they've become instant taste critics. I've had one doing the bottling whilst the other does the capping and we're all loking forward to next Thursday when we sample our first bottle. Trust good old beer to enhance family unity! B)


----------



## dirk (15/1/06)

davewalk i havnt heard of reusing the twist top caps anyway they are cheap enough to buy from hb shops. stubbies and longnecks are the way to go. as for the soft drink bottles never done them myself but belive they work. dont know the formula for the sugar but i am shure someone else will know that one.

cheers 
dirk


----------



## Stuster (15/1/06)

If you have lots of different sized bottles, the best thing may be to try bulk priming. It is another step, (I hope you are not reading this PoL) but I think it'll make your life easier. Have a look at Doc's excellent Frequently Requested Links/Topics thread, and check out the first Bulk Priming Link. It's really not that hard and, for me at least, saves heaps of time.

Glad to hear the obsession is taking hold. There's no looking back now.

It's not a habit, it's cool,....

Cheers
Stuart


----------



## Prof. Pils (15/1/06)

Depends on how long U want to condition yr bottles Davewalk. For 18lt I bulk prime with 60g dextrose if the're going to be more than 3 mths, more up to 100g if U want to drink sooner.The longer U leave it , the more bubbles.No matter what yr 1st brew tastes like, each successive one will be better. Good luck.
Cheers Glenn.


----------



## davewalk (15/1/06)

dirk said:


> davewalk i havnt heard of reusing the twist top caps anyway they are cheap enough to buy from hb shops. stubbies and longnecks are the way to go. as for the soft drink bottles never done them myself but belive they work. dont know the formula for the sugar but i am shure someone else will know that one.
> 
> cheers
> dirk
> [post="102703"][/post]​


 

Thanks Dirk,

just thought I'd try the original tops to see if friends noticed a difference when unknowingly drinking hb.
Cheers
Dave


----------



## davewalk (15/1/06)

Stuster said:


> If you have lots of different sized bottles, the best thing may be to try bulk priming. It is another step, (I hope you are not reading this PoL) but I think it'll make your life easier. Have a look at Doc's excellent Frequently Requested Links/Topics thread, and check out the first Bulk Priming Link. It's really not that hard and, for me at least, saves heaps of time.
> 
> Glad to hear the obsession is taking hold. There's no looking back now.
> 
> ...



Thanks Stu, will check it out.
Dave


----------



## mika (15/1/06)

Twist tops can be had from ~$3 per 100, you could probably re-use them but the risk of infection is really high compared to the price.
If you can't get to the HBS too often, you can bulk buy something like 10,000 for $120 

Search the forum for "carbonation" there was a thread running somewhere for the grams per litre rate of most brews, not sure about Ginger Beer though.

Welcome to the Hobby and the forum !


----------



## davewalk (15/1/06)

Prof. Pils said:


> Depends on how long U want to condition yr bottles Davewalk. For 18lt I bulk prime with 60g dextrose if the're going to be more than 3 mths, more up to 100g if U want to drink sooner.The longer U leave it , the more bubbles.No matter what yr 1st brew tastes like, each successive one will be better. Good luck.
> Cheers Glenn.
> [post="102707"][/post]​




Thanks Glenn, as it's Ginger beer for the kids they'll not be wanting to wait too long to drink it so maybe I'll try around 120g for 23 litres. How's that sound?


Cheers
Dave


----------



## bradmcm (15/1/06)

> Thanks Glenn, as it's Ginger beer for the kids they'll not be wanting to wait too long to drink it so maybe I'll try around 120g for 23 litres. How's that sound?
> 
> Cheers
> Dave
> [post="102713"][/post]​



That's quite a light carbonation, around 5g/L. Which is great
if you want it to be fairly flat. 
If you want it at a high fizz level go for around 8g/L.


----------



## PistolPatch (15/1/06)

Hey there Dave!

Wrote a response to you about an hour ago but must have pressed a wrong button!

I did a search for you and you could have a look at this...

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...=bulk%20priming

Also you could try searching (top right corner) for "priming bottles", "bulk priming", etc.

Anyway. my last post had more info!!!! I am only new to this site but it is great, so read as much as you can. I have so far brewed 125 litres of really bad beer which all could have been avoided if I'd known about this site!

If you have any questions you think are too basic to ask, message me and if i don't know the answer, I'll ask for you!

Cheers!


----------



## Uncle Fester (16/1/06)

I just used the "benchmark" of a teaspoon of sugar for a longneck to mean half a teaspoon for a stubby or a Grolsh bottle.

Also equates to 8 teaspoons for a 6 litre Tap a Draft bottle, and hence 2 teaspoons for a 1.5 litre PET etc....

If I ever am unsusre about a measure, I go conservative (eg for a 1.25 litre bottle I would use 1.5 teaspoons, and not 2). never had anything blow up yet h34r: 


Otherwise, as everyone else has mentioned, Bulk Priming seems to be the way to go.


M


----------



## davewalk (16/1/06)

mika_lika said:


> Twist tops can be had from ~$3 per 100, you could probably re-use them but the risk of infection is really high compared to the price.
> If you can't get to the HBS too often, you can bulk buy something like 10,000 for $120
> 
> Search the forum for "carbonation" there was a thread running somewhere for the grams per litre rate of most brews, not sure about Ginger Beer though.
> ...




Thanks everyone for your help, I think I'll go the way of bulk priming and coincidentally I've had a friend drop off his old brewing kit today so I can use that
fermenter for this.

God, all this writing is making me thirsty..... B)


----------



## DrewCarey82 (20/1/06)

Guys,

Off Ebay I've brought some hop pellets cascade to be exact, do I just dissolve them in a teacup and throw them in with my kits n bits when making my wort?

And how much should I use in a 20 litre mix.

Cheers.


----------



## Samwise Gamgee (20/1/06)

Depends what effects you want from hops.

Do you want flavour? bittering? aroma?

In regards to amount, what purpose are you using it for? Then it will depend on how much of that effect you want (eg if you want a strong aroma you'll use more etc)

need more details


----------



## Ross (20/1/06)

DrewCarey82 said:


> Guys,
> 
> Off Ebay I've brought some hop pellets cascade to be exact, do I just dissolve them in a teacup and throw them in with my kits n bits when making my wort?
> 
> ...




Drew,

I'd be dry hopping to secondary - IE do not dissolve in water - just add loose, direct to your cube/fermenter after racking to secondary. I would suggest a hopping rate of 1gm/Litre to start (I use at least double this in APA's) & leave for minimum 3 days, ideally 7...

Cheers Ross...


----------



## DrewCarey82 (20/1/06)

Yeah aroma and flavour not bittering.

Will do and thanks for the advice Ross.


----------



## Samwise Gamgee (20/1/06)

the dry hop will sort you out for aroma.

you could boil up some for about 15 mins in about a 500ml water then add to fermenter with your kit and sugars etc.

I've never done it but would assume it would do the job.


----------



## DrewCarey82 (17/2/06)

Guys @ about 24 degrees - For a kit beer, just the kit yeast.

I have 2 beers in primary have been there for about 6 days now and 2 in secondary for about 7 days.

How long can I leave these before I get paranoid about infection.

Have been a lazy, lazy fella and havent bottled as I normally do last night as I had a offer to go to Paddy's to good to turn down.


----------



## Samwise Gamgee (17/2/06)

I've had brews sitting up to 4-5 weeks in secondary with no ill effects.

Prob wouldn't want to do this in primary though.

As long as nothing can get in to cause an infection there shouldn't be a problem, but brews sitting too long on the yeast cake can start to get some funky flavours.


----------



## DrewCarey82 (17/2/06)

I'll probably have it racked by Sunday so hopefully it should be sweet just been feeling like a lazy bastard lately!


----------



## elevhein (21/2/06)

Hi all!
I'm super new to this caper, and haven't got any equipment yet. I read a few people have got 'Tooheys' home brew kits. Are these quite common? Are they the best thing for a newbie?
I was introduced to home brew on the weekend, and want to get my own equipment and get brewing. I'm in Melbourne, so if anyone can point me in the direction of where to get started, that'd be awesome.

BEER!


----------



## DrewCarey82 (21/2/06)

Go the Coopers home brew kit, everything you need including plastic bottles(good for starting as you dont have to worry about bottle bombs) plus a video detailing the basic steps.

Best kit on the market by far for the simple reason of the vid.


----------



## Screwtop (21/2/06)

Not only because of the vid elevhein. Coopers kits get my vote for best results from kits. Tip: Don't try Lagers first up. Stay away from using sugar with kits, gives a cidery flavour, use an improver (various blends of Dextrose, Dried Malt Extract, Maltodextrin) or read the back label on a Coopers can for info re additions to make a true to style beer. Buy an additional fermenter for racking to for clear beer and use some form of cooling to keep your fermentation temps low. Search the site for tons of info covering all of this.

Go make beer!


----------



## DrewCarey82 (21/2/06)

Screwtop its his first brew, let the lad get the basics right I used the brewing sugar provided and it tasted fine.

Do a few brews then worry about additions.

But for next kit go a coopers brew enhancer 2 with your kit. - Use this for all your kit beers works great.


----------



## elevhein (21/2/06)

Thanks all!
I sussed out the tooheys kit, but I'll look for the coopers as well (I do love their pale ale after all!).
Say, is there a collective noun for people whom home brew other than 'brewers' (such as gaggle of geese)?
I'm super keen to get started, I saw all the equipment when on holidays on the weekend. The only advice they gave me when I was quizzing them about the process, was that I need to keep it warm when fermenting, and to brew, settle for one week, bottle and leave in the bottle for another. True, they had been drinking when giving this advice, so I think I'll read a link that I found on this site for some more 'authoritative' advice.





elevhein


----------



## lucas (21/2/06)

elevhein said:


> Thanks all!
> I sussed out the tooheys kit, but I'll look for the coopers as well (I do love their pale ale after all!).
> Say, is there a collective noun for people whom home brew other than 'brewers' (such as gaggle of geese)?
> I'm super keen to get started, I saw all the equipment when on holidays on the weekend. The only advice they gave me when I was quizzing them about the process, was that I need to keep it warm when fermenting, and to brew, settle for one week, bottle and leave in the bottle for another. True, they had been drinking when giving this advice, so I think I'll read a link that I found on this site for some more 'authoritative' advice.
> ...



unless you live somewhere REALLY cold, ignore the advice they gave you. i got that idea in my head from reading the information provided with the kit, did my first brew at 28 degrees, tasted like fruity crap. second brew was ginger beer at 22-24 degrees which turned out great. most recent was an ale brewed at 16-22 degrees (average 18), its not done yet but from tasting the hydrometer samples its the best yet. from my little experience and a lot of reading forums it seems that yeast like to be at the bottom end of them temperature range, nowhere near the temps recommended by a lot of folk


----------



## Screwtop (21/2/06)

DrewCarey82 said:


> Screwtop its his first brew, let the lad get the basics right I used the brewing sugar provided and it tasted fine.
> 
> Do a few brews then worry about additions.
> 
> ...




Fairnuf DC. Still, I gave up on home brewing twice in the past because it tasted like crap. Lots of peoples attitudes toward home brew came from, an early trial using kit and sugar and high ferm temps. With the kits and extras and yeasts available today it's easy to brew better beer at home than the pissy stuff turned out by mega breweries. And easy enough using wet towels etc to keep temps low enough for good fermentation results. Nothin too difficult for a newb, specially with all of the help available here.


----------



## Mr Bond (21/2/06)

lucas said:


> most recent was an ale brewed at 16-22 degrees (average 18), its not done yet but from tasting the hydrometer samples its the best yet. from my little experience and a lot of reading forums it seems that yeast like to be at the bottom end of them temperature range, nowhere near the temps recommended by a lot of folk
> [post="110218"][/post]​



Temp is one of the key factors in your beer tasting good.
I always keep my ales in between 15/18 c and never over 20c(except for weizen strains).


----------



## DrewCarey82 (22/2/06)

[/quote]


Fairnuf DC. Still, I gave up on home brewing twice in the past because it tasted like crap. Lots of peoples attitudes toward home brew came from, an early trial using kit and sugar and high ferm temps. With the kits and extras and yeasts available today it's easy to brew better beer at home than the pissy stuff turned out by mega breweries. And easy enough using wet towels etc to keep temps low enough for good fermentation results. Nothin too difficult for a newb, specially with all of the help available here.
[post="110251"][/post]​[/quote]

Very true all but all but the most silly first time brewers dont expect much from their first brew though and are pleasantly suprised if they follow the instructions @ how good it is!

For the next brew racking is an option but even using a coopers brew enhancer will make the beer much more presentable and tastier.


----------



## DrewCarey82 (22/2/06)

Morgans golden sheaf wheat beer, Coopers brew enhancer 2, + hop bag of hallertau hops.

Rack or not? And if I do rack should I use finings.

Cheers.


----------



## Trough Lolly (22/2/06)

Hmmm, wheat beer kit and "enhancer"...

What are you going to rack the beer from? There's bugger all grains in that mix so it's not going to have much break material there - and the hops are in a bag so I wouldn't get in a cold sweat about racking the beer, presumably for secondary conditioning unless you have a low flocc yeast and want to brighten the beer before kegging/bottling...

Are you using the kit yeast?

TL


----------



## DrewCarey82 (23/2/06)

Yep 

Normally I do it to make a clearer beer but being a wheat do I want it to be clearer as cloudiness is one of its features and I reckon I might loose some of the flavour.


----------



## sluggerdog (23/2/06)

Brauluver said:


> Temp is one of the key factors in your beer tasting good.
> 
> [post="110270"][/post]​



I agree, nothing is more important then temperature while fermenting.

My brews improved 200% once I got that secondhand fridge with a thermostat.

And equally important is cleaning...


----------



## PistolPatch (23/2/06)

Hi there Lucas!

As the blokes/girls mentioned above, sanitation and temperature are the real keys to your first home brew. The sanitation you have to do anyway, there's no way around that but it's easy. See here for all the info you need on that for now.

One further note re sanitation, buy a 60 litre square tub from Bunnings at $16 and fill it with the bleach ratio mentioned in the above link. This will handle all your big equip. Also get a smaller container, mayber 10 litre for the betadine. Above thread will explain all that.

Temperature! I totally agree with Screwtop. I brewed several crap beers about 15 years ago simply through following kit suggestions. If someone had told me then, brew your kit beers at a stable temp of 18-20 degrees, I would have never looked back! But, I gave up after 2 brews. Any beer in the bottle or on tap was 100 times better! The same thing happened about 8 years later! Thanks to this site though, things have changed.

In my opinion, unless you live in a perfect climate or have a house where there is a room that is stable at 18-20 degrees for at least 4 days, you are not going to brew a reasonable beer using just a Coopers or Tooheys Homebrew Kit.

So, I would suggest, before even your first brew, you buy a 100 Can Cooler (post #8 of this thread will show you a picture. You can get them at KMart for $20 or $30.

You will also need, depending on your climate, say 8 x 1.25 litre soft drink bottles filled with frozen salty water. It's really hot where I am so I have 12 x 750ml freezer blocks.

If you can invest that $20 or $30 you will be well-rewarded. At the moment, I think that and sanitation are the only things you need to worry about. Stick with the Coopers for the moment as they are the most forgiving and quickest to drink!

Sometimes reading on this site can get a little confusing so after you have the above right, maybe learn a little about hops.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that you will need to use the blow-off tube method of air-locking if you have the 100 Can Cooler as an air lock is too high. Anyway, don't worry too much about that now though you may need more soft drink bottles. If you do a search for blow off tubes thouvh you'll get the info!

Cheers Lucas :beer:

Edit: Forgot to say, that if you follow the above, you will find the Coopers/Tooheys great! Then, with time things will get even better!


----------



## lucas (23/2/06)

while a few people seem to have jumped in telling me how important temperature is, few seem to have noticed that i was pointing that very fact out to elevhein, who has been misinformed that brew needs to be kept warm. thanks anyway though


----------



## DrewCarey82 (24/2/06)

For most kit beers note the temp range that they tell you is not rubbish as long as you get under the 30 degree's its all good.

However aim for 24-26 degrees as this is the ideal temp for kit beers and their yeasts, during winter when you can get temps regularly @ 18-22 degrees then try for your different yeasts such as the saf range.

But 99% of my beers have been brewed @ around 26 degrees and people absolutely love them and swear they are better then what they get on tap down @ the pub.

Cheers.


----------



## Bobby (24/2/06)

sorry gotta disagree :blink: . 26 is too warm.


----------



## DrewCarey82 (24/2/06)

I've never tasted any off flavours.

Please provide examples, or is this just an assumption?


----------



## Steve (24/2/06)

Drew - Bobby wasnt having a go. Its just the general consensus in the brewing world that 18 is the best temp for any ale yeast whether it be any brand of dry or liquid  
Cheers
Steve


----------



## tangent (24/2/06)

u really want to stay under 22 if you can

can someone confirm my assumption that Brix=Plato?


----------



## Uncle Fester (24/2/06)

DrewCarey82 said:


> I've never tasted any off flavours.
> 
> Please provide examples, or is this just an assumption?
> [post="110714"][/post]​




Would a quick read of the Gospel according to John Palmer suffice?


How-to-brew web link

M

BTW, remember we all brew for ourselves. If 26+ degrees works for you, then fill your boots. I just reckon that @ 26 degrees, you will end up with pina-Colada Lager.


[Edit - Added some more stuff, and removed typos]


----------



## Stuster (24/2/06)

Try this link Tangent. It seems they are the same for our purposes. Brix is used by winemakers, Plato by brewers.  

Sorry for going off at a tangent.


----------



## Trough Lolly (24/2/06)

tangent said:


> u really want to stay under 22 if you can
> 
> can someone confirm my assumption that Brix=Plato?
> [post="110720"][/post]​




Degrees Brix, Plato and Balling are similar measures of the percentage of sucrose in solution by weight. Most non-tech brewers like to use Specific Gravity which is a ratio of the density of the wort/beer, compared to the density of water (SG 1.000).

As an approximate measure, you can convert SG to Plato or Brix by dividing the gravity by 4. Eg, 1.040 is 40/4 or roughly 10 degrees Plato.

Hope this helps - now I'll get back to you re the fermentation temp, but I strongly recommend ales at 20C and lagers at around 10, with variations due to strain types....facts to follow.  

Cheers,
TL


----------



## tangent (24/2/06)

my refractometer is in Brix and i'm using the doctors orders conversion chart but my software wants Plato or SG

"If you do want to use the refractometer, *use it on wort only* and then you will be fine."http://byo.com/mrwizard/730.html

So no urine tests? Does he mean non-innoculated wort only? Zero alcohol samples only?


----------



## DrewCarey82 (24/2/06)

Ah well 24-26 degrees works great for me so I guess thats what matters, though thats going by the stick on thermometre which I hear can be highly inaccurate.


----------



## Trough Lolly (24/2/06)

You can brew at 24 to 26 degrees, hell, you can brew beer at 30C plus if you want to! The higher the temp, the quicker the ferment - but that doesn't mean you'll have a good beer...Will a lager brewed at 30C taste good? That's up to the drinker, but when it's all said and done, you will find the yeast will ferment cleaner, ie, have less higher alcohols, as opposed to higher alcohol levels, at a lower temp.

Higher temps generally result in increased fusel / higher alcohol production which can leave a solvent or nail polish like flavour to the beer - and unless you have a particular desire to brew Belgian Ales, they should'nt be present in a well fermented beer. If you want to compare the difference the fusels make to beer compared to less aggressive tasting ethanol alcohols, try drinking a strong belgian ale (eg Delirium Tremens) and follow it up with a Carlton Cold! 

At warm fermentation temps, the alcohol in the beer (actually the Ethanol to be more correct) will esterify into ethyl acetate which is detected as a fruity but solventy flavour. You can also have ethyl hexanoate (apple flavour) and isoamyl acetate (banana and bubblegum) flavours, which as I mentioned before, are quite desireable in some beers, but not all types...

It's also worth noting that esters typically appear late in fermentation, when acetyl levels rise and the yeast cells are ready to esterify the alcohols - fusel and ethanol. This tends to explain why some brewers have a short warm fermentation and don't detect high levels of solvent notes in their beer - but this risk drops away substantially if they simply fermented their beer at lower temps to begin with. Some mega brewers ferment at highter temps to speed up the fermentation process so they can shove their beer out the door and on to an unsuspecting public as quick as possible...

There's plenty out on the web, covering warm fermentation, but to get a much better beer, you should try to use fresh yeast (preferably from a liquid smack pack or tube) and give the wort a bit of aeration prior to pitching. An ale brewed between 18 to 20C or a lager at around 10C will give you the best chance at producing a fine beer at home.

Cheers,
TL


----------



## Samwise Gamgee (24/2/06)

> I've never tasted any off flavours.
> 
> Please provide examples, or is this just an assumption?



Back in my early K&K day's (which was only about a year ago) i did a kit along the lines of:

1.7kg Wal's Lager
1kg brew booster of some sort
kit yeast
22L brew

fermented warm at around 26-27ish

came out quite fruity, over time turned cidery. I blame this on the high fermenting temp but what I might call an off flavour or a beer that tastes like shite, you might think tastes brilliant.

why don't you try and ferment lower (under 20C) and do a comparison with an earlier brew, brewed over 25C.


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## DrewCarey82 (24/2/06)

Will do, I am only getting my stocks up for footy season over winter when its freezing I'll be going burko


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## Steve (24/2/06)

Drew - grab a 100 can cooler bag....$30 from Kmart...chuck in the fermenter....chuck in some frozen coke bottles....bobs yer uncle 18-20 perfick! :beer: 
Cheers
Steve


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## DrewCarey82 (24/2/06)

Funds are limited in extreme jewish mode, got some legbreakers after me and they've threatened to kidnap my kids if I dont give them my wage so I am little tight.


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## Samwise Gamgee (24/2/06)

less mouths to feed = more beer can be brewed :beer:


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## DrewCarey82 (24/2/06)

Havent seen my missus in 3 months cause I couldnt maintain the interest I'd hate too loose the kids as well.

Almost finishing work now got some hot tips for the horses and they have a new pokie machine @ paddy's


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## Uncle Fester (24/2/06)

DrewCarey82 said:


> Will do, I am only getting my stocks up for footy season over winter when its freezing I'll be going burko
> [post="110761"][/post]​




Heres the solution!

Brew darks and ales in summer when it is warm, and off flavours can be hidden by stronger tastes, for consumption in winter.

Brew lagers and pilsners in winter when it is "bloody cold" for consumption in summer.


As always, there is an exception to the rule - wheat beer. Tends to like the warmer brewing, especially if you like the clove flavours...

M


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## Mr Bond (24/2/06)

lucas said:


> while a few people seem to have jumped in telling me how important temperature is, few seem to have noticed that i was pointing that very fact out to elevhein, who has been misinformed that brew needs to be kept warm. thanks anyway though
> [post="110658"][/post]​



Dude sorry if you were a little put out.

I was using your post quotated to reiterate and back up your excellent advice.As for the others post i think they may be a little under the influence of amber fluids when posting :chug: and addressing the wrong member


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## Uncle Fester (24/2/06)

Brauluver said:


> lucas said:
> 
> 
> > while a few people seem to have jumped in telling me how important temperature is, few seem to have noticed that i was pointing that very fact out to elevhein, who has been misinformed that brew needs to be kept warm. thanks anyway though
> ...




Surely no-one here "forums under the influence" ??? h34r:


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## Boozy the clown (2/3/06)

> Higher temps generally result in increased fusel / higher alcohol production which can leave a solvent or nail polish like flavour to the beer - and unless you have a particular desire to brew Belgian Ales, they should'nt be present in a well fermented beer. If you want to compare the difference the fusels make to beer compared to less aggressive tasting ethanol alcohols, try drinking a strong belgian ale (eg Delirium Tremens) and follow it up with a Carlton Cold!



Trough Lolly, do you know if belgians use highish temps or if they just have extneded brew times? So would fusel alcs develop in a Tremens without the higher temps? Im confused.


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## PistolPatch (2/3/06)

Trough Lolly: Great info above! Good of you to take the time to post all that info.

Mandraker and Brauluver: That was probably me foruming under the influence! I thought we were all meant to but now I know better! There are so many names and quotes in this post it's hard to keep track though and I think I actually did write that post sober! Hopefully what I wrote will be of some use to someone! I love the expression though, 'foruming under the influence!' Excellent.

Re Blow Off Tube in 100 Can Cooler...

As to what I wrote in that post re the blow off tube (Post #119 of this thread), forget that! I ended up having a lot of problems with the blow-off tube kinking or not sealing. I have since just cut a straight slit about 5cm long in the centre of the top of the cooler through which my airlock now goes. This has been a much better solution and there is no additional cooling loss that I am aware of.

Cheers
PP (This post written at B.A.V. of 0.06!)


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## Mr Bond (2/3/06)

PistolPatch said:


> and I think I actually did write that post sober.
> 
> 
> 
> [post="112102"][/post]​



there is your problem...... :lol: Drink more and post responsibly


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## DrewCarey82 (21/8/06)

Tacking this onto the end of an older thread.

This weekend made a partial Blenheim Pilsener.

Off the top of my head.
3.5kg Joe White Pilsener Malt.
500g Joe White Light Munich Malt.
100g Weyerman Carapilse
900g light malt(needed 100g for my yeast starter.)
15g Simco @ 60 mins, 25g Saaz @ 20mins, 10g Saaz @ 5 mins. (I actually had to cut the boil 12 mins short as had to leave to meet missus @ work and would have got shot if I had of been late.

Also I think that I may have mashed too low it was around 61-63 degrees for most of it.

Actually had a OG of 1.041 when I was aiming for 1.046, which of these factors would have stuffed me?

Cheers.


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## DJR (21/8/06)

DrewCarey82 said:


> Tacking this onto the end of an older thread.
> 
> This weekend made a partial Blenheim Pilsener.
> 
> ...


 
62degrees should be fine, just a little dry if anything, shouldn't effect the OG at all. What is your lautering/sparging setup?


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## DrewCarey82 (21/8/06)

9 litres of boiling water leave for 20 mins and strain into wort. (giving a good stir when it initally goes in there)


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## pint of lager (21/8/06)

Drew, as you start mashing more grain for your brews and decreasing your quantity of malt extract, it becomes more important to mash at the correct temperature. 

Most of the conversion of starch to fermentables by enzymes happens in the first 30 minutes.

If the mash temp is around 65-67, you end up with the right balance of fermentables.

If the mash temp is around 60-64, you end up with a more fermentable brew, which in turn gives a dry beer.

If the mash temp is 68-70, you end up with a not very fermentable brew, which in turn means a higher fg and a sweeter beer.

If the mash temp is over 70, you end up destroying the enzymes that convert the starches, the wort is starchy with low fermentables and the beer will be hazy and sweet.

When doing small partial mashes, the malt extract provides most of the fermentables for the brew. When doing large partials like this recipe, most of the fermentables are coming from the grain.

It is easy to work out your system and strike temps on small partial mashes, take notes about what the strike water temp is and the mash temperature, then build up the quantity of grain, always aiming for 65-66.

When sparging, using boiling water will probably increase your mash to around 80, which is too high. You risk extracting tannins from the husks into your wort. You want your sparging mix to be 72-75. Once again, take temperature measurements so that for the next brew, you can hit the right temps.

Great to see you doing larger partials. Being able to mash 4kg of grain means you could do an all grain of a mild.


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## DrewCarey82 (21/8/06)

True, I've actually managed to get 1.052 and 1.048 in my first two respectively(Another pilsner & Porter)

Which is what I was aiming for to get around 5-5.5% alcohol.

But last one before this I stuffed up and forget to add the malt had to do it as a late addition, by boiling it(ended up with 24.5 litres after that and an OG of 1.035)

And this one @ 1.041, @ 22 litres, while the other 2 original ones were 23litres.

Got plenty of ingredients left for this one, so am going to chuck it on again this weekend.

I normally boil for 75 mins, did the fact that I boiled for around 45-50 mins effect my OG @ all do you reckon?

Also would a 100g missing of my light dried malt effect the OG much?

Thanks for the detailed answers DJR and POL, will come in handy in the future!


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## DrewCarey82 (21/8/06)

Bump b4 she disappears.


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## DJR (21/8/06)

DrewCarey82 said:


> I normally boil for 75 mins, did the fact that I boiled for around 45-50 mins effect my OG @ all do you reckon?
> 
> Also would a 100g missing of my light dried malt effect the OG much?


 
Boiling longer won't affect the total OG that much, just the concentration. That is, the OG will be higher with less volume but you won't gain/lose any sugars in the boil. Last beer i did a 45min boil only, but still got good efficiency, as it doesn't affect effienciency. I'd say the weak link at the moment is lautering in your system, the old colander/strainer trick gets a bit tricky. Considering you're now mashing 4kg a grain in a go, you might as well go AG but i've already spoken to you about this 

100g of LDME wouldn't do much , only about 1 point of OG (i.e. 1.001).


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## DrewCarey82 (21/8/06)

With my facilities, 4kg is struggling anymore particularly with the temp of the water is going to be pushing safety standards! - For partials I brought a 15 litre esky - rectangular.

In the next month or so particularly after your AG demo I'd daresay that I'll be investing in the necessary equipment to go AG.

And the esky will be retired to picnicing purposes and the pot for soup!

And yeah mate you've succesfully guessed my straining system! - I actually use a potato masher on the grain to get out as much juice as possible.

So you guys are saying that my temp and boil didnt affect my OG @ all is this correct?

And that I need to sparge at about 75 degrees - So make water around 82 degrees, when I do my sparge.

Thanks guys.


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