# New To Home Brew/new To The Forum



## dawesy666 (17/3/10)

hey all. new to the forum and also new to home brew. i tried to make a batch but all but 4 bottles exploded. i opened one and it was like drinking coke, really fizzy :huh: and not real good.

well now im ready for round 2, and thats why i am here. id like any hints or tips you can give me and recommendations on what brands i should go for (im a VB drinker if anyone knows a similar recipe)

where should i start?


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## raven19 (17/3/10)

Welcome to the forums Josh,

Check out the 'New to Brewing' section here: Linky

Sounds like either you bottled your beer too early, or are using too much sugar when you bottle.

Have a read of the links above then come back with any specific Questions. Lots of good reading on this site, the search function is also handy.

Cheers!


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## petesbrew (17/3/10)

Josh Dawes said:


> hey all. new to the forum and also new to home brew. i tried to make a batch but all but 4 bottles exploded. i opened one and it was like drinking coke, really fizzy :huh: and not real good.
> 
> well now im ready for round 2, and thats why i am here. id like any hints or tips you can give me and recommendations on what brands i should go for (im a VB drinker if anyone knows a similar recipe)
> 
> where should i start?


Welcome aboard Josh,
Sorry, just a quick answer right now.
How long did you let it brew for? Did you take hydrometer readings?
How did you carb up those bottles? What size were they, and how much sugar did you add? 

I'd say you either bottled it too early, it was either overcarbed (really fizzy), or infected (not real good).

Can't help out with a VB Recipe, but if you stick to trying the coopers draught/lager/real ale kits, you should be able to make something like it. Step away from the sugar, and at least use those brew enhancer 1&2 packs. 

Cheers
Pete


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## cdbrown (17/3/10)

Hey Josh,

As others have said you might have bottled early or too much priming sugar for the bottle size. Plenty of good info on here especially the ones that say throw away the instructions that come with the kits.

Ferment with a stable temp, let it finish completely and leave it for a few more days to settle. If you can bulk prime then that can help remove the over gassing issue which comes from a bit too much sugar in the scoop going into each bottle. Also means no error in putting too much because the bottle is smaller than you thought. Have a few overcarbed 330ml bottles because I used the scoop designed for 375ml.

Go for a simple Coopers lager with brew enhancer 2, make it to about 20L and you'll have a nice enough drink. Fermented at 18C for about a week. Leave longer if you can and then into the bottle for a month or two. Plenty of good recipes in the K&K section.


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## phinnsfotos (17/3/10)

I would stay away from trying to (closely) replicate commercial beers while you're starting out. It can be surprising difficult.

Coopers have an excellent range that you can pick up from the super market. As mentioned above the Coopers Lager and "Brew Enhancer 2", then only filling to 20 litres would be a pretty good start. Using that same recipe I've enjoyed the Coopers Pale Ale and Coopers Cerveza. 

Longer in the fermenter and longer in the bottle will help just about any brew, don't get too excited to bottle. I usually don't bother checking my beer until it's been in the fermenter for 2 weeks.

For you first few, just relax and get used to the process. And make sure everything gets sanitised !!!!!!!!


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## gava (17/3/10)

Josh Dawes said:


> tried to make a batch but all but 4 bottles exploded.



Maybe get some Coopers PET bottles while you get use to it.. this way you dont get glass everywhere..








good luck!!


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## Pete2501 (17/3/10)

phinnsfotos said:


> Longer in the fermenter and longer in the bottle will help just about any brew, don't get too excited to bottle. I usually don't bother checking my beer until it's been in the fermenter for 2 weeks.



Beer sure does age well in the bottle. But seriously you don't even check your beer is ready for 2 weeks? 

With nice beer on tap I can easily go through 19 litres a week.


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## dawesy666 (17/3/10)

i will have a look through "new to brewing" section. im suprised at how many replys i got in such a short time. thanks guys.

the batch i made i left for just over a week, cant remember what the readings were, and i used old school vb long neck bottles, not sure really of what size they are, but i will find out before the next lot i try. i kind of guessed when it got to the sugar so thats probably where i went wrong. 

does using the PET bottles do anything to the taste of the beer? 

Pay day tomorow so i will go and look at some kits


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## gava (17/3/10)

Josh Dawes said:


> i will have a look through "new to brewing" section. im suprised at how many replys i got in such a short time. thanks guys.
> 
> the batch i made i left for just over a week, cant remember what the readings were, and i used old school vb long neck bottles, not sure really of what size they are, but i will find out before the next lot i try. i kind of guessed when it got to the sugar so thats probably where i went wrong.
> 
> ...




PET are fine but for some reason I think you can't leave beer in there for more than 18months (dont know who would in the first place).. after that i think the plastic goes a bit south..

Correct me if Im wrong guys..


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## petesbrew (17/3/10)

Josh Dawes said:


> i will have a look through "new to brewing" section. im suprised at how many replys i got in such a short time. thanks guys.
> 
> the batch i made i left for just over a week, cant remember what the readings were, and i used old school vb long neck bottles, not sure really of what size they are, but i will find out before the next lot i try. i kind of guessed when it got to the sugar so thats probably where i went wrong.
> 
> ...


Providing you're only using 375ml stubbies and 750ml longnecks, you can't go wrong with the carbonation drops from the supermarket.
1 per stubbie, 2 per longneck. Nice and easy.


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## phinnsfotos (17/3/10)

Pete2501 said:


> Beer sure does age well in the bottle. But seriously you don't even check your beer is ready for 2 weeks?
> 
> With nice beer on tap I can easily go through 19 litres a week.



Multiple fermenters my son. And I probably don't drink near that much, try to keep things to a long neck a night these days.


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## thesunsettree (17/3/10)

Pete2501 said:


> Beer sure does age well in the bottle. But seriously you don't even check your beer is ready for 2 weeks?
> 
> With nice beer on tap I can easily go through 19 litres a week.




me neither,i usually leave in fermenter for 18days, not much point checking before then.. i did however check my frist partial 2day after 11 days just cos i couldnt help myself but under normal circumstances i wont do the first check until i intend to keg ie the 18th day, most times its ready. did have one i had to leave for like 25 days or so but i still didnt gravity it cos it was still obviously fermenting

cheers
matt


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## fcmcg (17/3/10)

thesunsettree said:


> me neither,i usually leave in fermenter for 18days, not much point checking before then.. i did however check my frist partial 2day after 11 days just cos i couldnt help myself but under normal circumstances i wont do the first check until i intend to keg ie the 18th day, most times its ready. did have one i had to leave for like 25 days or so but i still didnt gravity it cos it was still obviously fermenting
> 
> cheers
> matt


Sunset...how do you know it was still fermenting ? Thru the Airlock ???
Mate...don't even go there...IT IS AN AIRLOCK...NOT A BLOODY MY BEER IS/ISN'T FERMENTING INDICATOR.....
Use your hydrometer......
Sorry for the caps...but it really frustrates me....


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## thesunsettree (17/3/10)

fergthebrewer said:


> Sunset...how do you know it was still fermenting ? Thru the Airlock ???
> Mate...don't even go there...IT IS AN AIRLOCK...NOT A BLOODY MY BEER IS/ISN'T FERMENTING INDICATOR.....
> Use your hydrometer......
> Sorry for the caps...but it really frustrates me....




umm, because i knew i had more "sugars" in that particular brew than the others i'd brewed so my theory told me it would take alittle longer. and a few extra days will not affect my brew, and THAT IS HOW I LIKE IT. and over 100 or so brews i have become familiar with how "I" like my brews to ferment. and FERGE i do use my hydrometer, when I'M ready to use it, why the fk would i waste my time and beer hydro testing a beer when a quick rule of thumb tells me it is no where near ready. thanks for the ADVICE mate,but i wasnt asking. 
so mate, i'm TERRIBLY SORRY if my fermenting technique "frustrates" you so, 'dont even go there'

CHEERS
matt

ps. NOT sorry for using capitals


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## absinthe (17/3/10)

thesunsettree said:


> umm, because i knew i had more "sugars" in that particular brew than the others i'd brewed so my theory told me it would take alittle longer. and a few extra days will not affect my brew, and THAT IS HOW I LIKE IT. and over 100 or so brews i have become familiar with how "I" like my brews to ferment. and FERGE i do use my hydrometer, when I'M ready to use it, why the fk would i waste my time and beer hydro testing a beer when a quick rule of thumb tells me it is no where near ready. thanks for the ADVICE mate,but i wasnt asking.
> so mate, i'm TERRIBLY SORRY if my fermenting technique "frustrates" you so, 'dont even go there'
> 
> CHEERS
> ...



calm down guys.. i think he was just saying that the airlock is not a good indicator for fermentation (if thats what you were referring to when you said "it was still obviously fermenting." 




the reasons being A. its not a good indicator for the ferment starting as the seals leak, and B. you will get a lot of dissolved CO2 that will take a long time to leave (via the air lock) making it look like its still fermenting.


if your beer takes 18 days to finish (and its an ale) you need to pitch more yeast, i make a large starter (as mentioned in "designing great beers" home brewers pitch about 1\10th to 1\100th the ratio of yeast to wort the big brewers do) of about 1-2 ltrs that gives me about 10X the original yeast packet my beer takes about 5 days to finish


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## thesunsettree (17/3/10)

absinthe said:


> calm down guys.. i think he was just saying that the airlock is not a good indicator for fermentation (if thats what you were referring to when you said "it was still obviously fermenting."
> 
> 
> 
> ...




yes, its an ale. i didnt ask ferge about my airlock and how it works. my yeast pitch qty works for me. and my 18 day window works for me as well. not at all dissimilar for those who rack to a secondary

cheers
matt


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## thesunsettree (17/3/10)

especially considering this poor bloke lost all but 4 bottles, maybe a little extra time in the fermenter wont hurt. either that or tone down the carb sugars. 
op, sorry for drifting off. all the best with ur brewing

cheers
matt


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## thesunsettree (17/3/10)

and i have no necessity to be condescended to by someone who has never laid eyes on my brewing technique

cheers
matt


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## bradsbrew (17/3/10)

thesunsettree said:


> umm, because i knew i had more "sugars" in that particular brew than the others i'd brewed so my theory told me it would take alittle longer. and a few extra days will not affect my brew, and THAT IS HOW I LIKE IT. and over 100 or so brews i have become familiar with how "I" like my brews to ferment. and FERGE i do use my hydrometer, when I'M ready to use it, why the fk would i waste my time and beer hydro testing a beer when a quick rule of thumb tells me it is no where near ready. thanks for the ADVICE mate,but i wasnt asking.
> so mate, i'm TERRIBLY SORRY if my fermenting technique "frustrates" you so, 'dont even go there'
> 
> CHEERS
> ...



There is alot to learn from taking regular hydro samples and having a taste at each stage. you will pick up heaps of flavour changes and be able to tell where your brew is at. I also use this method when brewing at different temps or using different yeasts. When using a differant yeast I will generally taste the changes from day 2 to end of ferment. When changing ferment temps I will taste samples on a daily basis and compare from notes taken at different temps for a similar brew. I took this on board from advice learnt on this forum, I listened to good advice tried it and it has helped me develop better brewing techniques but that is me. 

Cheers


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## thesunsettree (17/3/10)

bradsbrew said:


> There is alot to learn from taking regular hydro samples and having a taste at each stage. you will pick up heaps of flavour changes and be able to tell where your brew is at. I also use this method when brewing at different temps or using different yeasts. When using a differant yeast I will generally taste the changes from day 2 to end of ferment. When changing ferment temps I will taste samples on a daily basis and compare from notes taken at different temps for a similar brew. I took this on board from advice learnt on this forum, I listened to good advice tried it and it has helped me develop better brewing techniques but that is me.
> 
> Cheers




i agree, and by doing that i know i am wasting my time, with my brews, pissing around with hydro samples until the brew is roughly at its end. no one will disagree that when u change any variable that the constants will alter. my variables for my regular brews are minimal, and the constants (at least for my regulars are that) constant - generally speaking. this guy in the op is brewing his second batch, overcomplication is not necessary.

again mate(op'er), sorry for meatheads bashing their horns over bull that doesnt affect ur next brew

cheers
matt


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## bradsbrew (17/3/10)

For the OP

Mate the over fizzy thing can point to a few things

1. Bottling too early....this can be solved by using a hydrometer before adding the yeast= Original gravity (OG) or Starting gravity (SG) and after ferment has finished (FG). The FG is the key indicator whether or not its finished BUT this will also be dependant on what type of brewing you are doing and ingredients mash temps etc.
2. The amount of sugar that is added to the bottle at bottling....eg. if you add to much sugar the yeast that is present will use the sugar to caarbonate the beer which builds pressure....too much sugar = too much pressure = bottle bomb
3. Infection .....heaps of info on infections on this forum .luckily I dont have much experience with infections......except for DIACETYL which shits me when it hits because I dont know wether its sanitation or yeast rest <_< 

Cheers Brad


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## thesunsettree (17/3/10)

bradsbrew said:


> There is alot to learn from taking regular hydro samples and having a taste at each stage. you will pick up heaps of flavour changes and be able to tell where your brew is at. I also use this method when brewing at different temps or using different yeasts. When using a differant yeast I will generally taste the changes from day 2 to end of ferment. When changing ferment temps I will taste samples on a daily basis and compare from notes taken at different temps for a similar brew. I took this on board from advice learnt on this forum, I listened to good advice tried it and it has helped me develop better brewing techniques but that is me.
> 
> Cheers




brad,

i have learnt an amazing amount on this forum from the generous ppl who extend their knowledge, again eternally grateful. but there is no need for any poster to be condescending, especially when new brewers are trying to learn something

cheers
matt


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## _HOME_BREW_WALLACE_ (17/3/10)

gava said:


> PET are fine but for some reason I think you can't leave beer in there for more than 18months (dont know who would in the first place).. after that i think the plastic goes a bit south..
> 
> Correct me if Im wrong guys..



2-3 MONTHS MAX is what i have found, beer seems very flat after that time.



phinnsfotos said:


> Multiple fermenters my son. And I probably don't drink near that much, try to keep things to a long neck a night these days.




I Have 4 fermenters on the go now most times 2-3 for my regular recipies, and 1 i use for the "experimental" side of things, when only using 2, the other 2 get used for cold conditioning.


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## bradsbrew (17/3/10)

thesunsettree said:


> brad,
> 
> i have learnt an amazing amount on this forum from the generous ppl who extend their knowledge, again eternally grateful. but there is no need for any poster to be condescending, especially when new brewers are trying to learn something
> 
> ...




Matt, 
I hope what I was saying did not come across as condescending as I was only trying to project advice that has worked and help me.

Josh,
Have a good look through the link that was posted earlier this is great advice and technique in that link. temperature control during ferment IS a big issue.


When will Butters be back he helped so many new brewers! and that was just in his Sig.


Cheers Brad


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## thesunsettree (17/3/10)

bradsbrew said:


> Matt,
> I hope what I was saying did not come across as condescending as I was only trying to project advice that has worked and help me.
> 
> Josh,
> ...



brad,
u certainly werent being condescending, it was someone else :angry: . in fact ur response to the op was quite informative, instead of saying "search forum" which some will do. u informed the basics and directed him were to find more info. much the same as is extended to me, from forum users, when i have a new question (new to me, anyway)

cheers
matt


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## thesunsettree (17/3/10)

thesunsettree said:


> brad,
> u certainly werent being condescending, it was someone else :angry: . in fact ur response to the op was quite informative, instead of saying "search forum" which some will do. u informed the basics and directed him were to find more info. much the same as is extended to me, from forum users, when i have a new question (new to me, anyway)
> 
> cheers
> matt




:icon_offtopic: tell me of this butters, pls someone tell  

cheers
matt


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## manticle (17/3/10)

Old poster who was very informative and very knowledgeable. Works for one of the retailers, no longer posts here.

You can find his legacy in some of the articles.


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## thesunsettree (17/3/10)

manticle said:


> Old poster who was very informative and very knowledgeable. Works for one of the retailers, no longer posts here.
> 
> You can find his legacy in some of the articles.




lol, yeah i see his name a lot but i guess he's b4 my time. mental note - search for butters

matt


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## Hatchy (18/3/10)

manticle said:


> Old poster who was very informative and very knowledgeable. Works for one of the retailers, no longer posts here.
> 
> You can find his legacy in some of the articles.



Manticle is also a super informative & knowledgable brewer who is happy to give advice to noobs (like me).

Josh, if you want to drink vb then keep buying vb. If you want better beer then my suggestions (in order) would be: sanitation. You can't be too careful with sanitation, no rinse sanitiser may not be the best invention ever but it's high on my list. Ingredients; buy some "proper" yeast & stick the yeast from the can in the fridge for a rainy day (that you may not see). Temperature control. The coopers cans say that fermenting at 28 degrees is ok. You will make beer at 28 but it won't be the best beer you'll brew. If you can keep yr fermenter(s) at a constant temp then you'll be brewing something better than vb in no time. I'd also recommend some hops to go with the kits. A small amount of hoppy goodness can be the diference between a drinkable beer & a good beer.


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## Cronessa (19/3/10)

Josh-

Some great advice here so far (as always) make sure you read the links provided carefully.

I'd just add that if you're going to have another go soon, make sure you follow the instructions on the kit _exactly_.

As you will no doubt learn around here, the kit instructions are not necessarily going to produce the best beer, but at least they will prevent absolute disasters. You will find that some things in the brewing process can be tweaked and changed, and others really need to remain constant (like the amount of priming sugar you use), until you know what can and can't be tweaked it's better to just follow the instructions as precisely as possible.


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## peas_and_corn (19/3/10)

Cronessa said:


> Josh-
> 
> Some great advice here so far (as always) make sure you read the links provided carefully.
> 
> ...



Are you being sarcastic? The kit instructions tell you to ferment at 27C :icon_vomit:


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## Cronessa (19/3/10)

peas_and_corn said:


> Are you being sarcastic? The kit instructions tell you to ferment at 27C :icon_vomit:



That's why I said "the kit instructions are not necessarily going to produce the best beer, but at least they will prevent absolute disasters."

Fermenting at 27C is obviously not ideal, but it's still a lot better than blowing up the majority of your batch, no?


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## brettprevans (19/3/10)

Welcome to AHB Josh. Happy brewing





Cronessa said:


> You must have missed the part of my post where I said "the kit instructions are not necessarily going to produce the best beer, but at least they will prevent absolute disasters."
> 
> Fermenting at 27C is obviously not ideal, but it's still a lot better than blowing up the majority of your batch, no?


ummmm no. even fermenting an ale at 16C wont blow your batch. 
and i would say that fermenting some beer at 27C will be a disaster. sorry but IMO your wrong on both counts.


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## Cronessa (19/3/10)

citymorgue2 said:


> ummmm no. even fermenting an ale at 16C wont blow your batch.
> and i would say that fermenting some beer at 27C will be a disaster. sorry but IMO your wrong on both counts.



Sorry, but where exactly did I say that the temperature of fermentation had anything to do with bottle bombs?

Perhaps I should clarify my point. If the OP doesn't do any further reading, or tries another batch before before doing any reading, then the OP could do worse (and has done worse) than following the kit instructions. At least the OP will sanitise everything correctly and use the correct amount of priming sugar.

I'm not advocating the use of kit instructions, but if that's all you bother to use then you should at least follow them. At the very least the OP will end up with some beer (even if its not good) and will want to learn how to make it better rather than blowing up the bottles (or getting a nasty infection) and never wanting to brew again.


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## brettprevans (19/3/10)

Cronessa said:


> Sorry, but where exactly did I say that the temperature of fermentation had anything to do with bottle bombs?



you said it here


Cronessa said:


> *Fermenting at 27C* is obviously not ideal, but it's still a lot better than *blowing up the majority of your batch*, no?



not sure how many ways there are of interpriting 'blowing up your batch. if u meant something differant, fine.




Cronessa said:


> Perhaps I should clarify my point. If the OP doesn't do any further reading, or tries another batch before before doing any reading, then the OP could do worse (and has done worse) than following the kit instructions. At least the OP will sanitise everything correctly and use the correct amount of priming sugar.
> 
> I'm not advocating the use of kit instructions, but if that's all you bother to use then you should at least follow them. At the very least the OP will end up with some beer (even if its not good) and will want to learn how to make it better rather than blowing up the bottles (or getting a nasty infection) and never wanting to brew again.


that's fair enough. you should have said that instead of 




Cronessa said:


> make sure you follow the instructions on the kit _exactly_.



you may think its being pedantic but i err on the causious side with new brewers as they can take advice verbatem and think its gospel.


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## manticle (19/3/10)

Hatchy said:


> Manticle is also a super informative & knowledgable brewer who is happy to give advice to noobs (like me).



Nice to be appreciated but I'm still a learner too.

Very happy to give advice because I've received so much from brewers way more knowledgeable than me which has helped amazingly. I would still consider myself a noob in so many ways. There are so many people who have both experience and knowledge that goes way beyond mine. Some of them are kind enough to answer my silly questions but unfortunately a lot of them post less or not at all. Sometimes some of them may forget that they were once noobs and the same questions do tend to get asked a bit. I'm relatively young, enthusiastic and use a computer a lot for various things (no I don't work in IT).

If you ever get advice from screwtop, even if he seems grumpy telling you, perk up your ears.

Reading as much as you can (both on and offline) is the best way to learn (and obviously putting what you read into practice and critically assessing the results). Working out where a brew went wrong instead of just writing it off is gold. Even when you get a brew you think is great, think about why it's great, how you can repeat it and if necessary, how you could improve or tweak it.

Generally speaking brewers are a helpful bunch, especially to people who make an effort to help themselves.

Cheers


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## Screwtop (19/3/10)

Is thesunsettree attending Chappos brewday tomorrow????? :lol:

Screwy


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## Cronessa (19/3/10)

citymorgue2 said:


> not sure how many ways there are of interpriting 'blowing up your batch. if u meant something differant, fine.



What I meant was, if the OP follows the kit instructions exactly he may well ferment at 27C (although kits generally say ferment at between 21 - 27C), but at least he will use the right amount of sugar (or other fermentable) to carbonate.



citymorgue2 said:


> you may think its being pedantic but i err on the causious side with new brewers as they can take advice verbatem and think its gospel.



By all means. I could suggest to the OP that he buy a temperature controller for a spare fridge and ferment at 18C, that he substitute sugar for light dry malt extract, that he substitute the kit yeast for a liquid yeast or more specific dry yeast, that he activate the yeast before pitching, that he add extra hops, that he steep some specialty grains etc etc. But first, the OP (with all respect) should be getting the basics right and following the instructions he has.

Anyway, that's enough from me. I've just had a couple of my stouts and its made the World a better place


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## thesunsettree (19/3/10)

Screwtop said:


> Is thesunsettree attending Chappos brewday tomorrow????? :lol:
> 
> Screwy




no i'm not, cant make it tho i'd like to. why do u ask screwy??

matt


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## thesunsettree (19/3/10)

no i'm not, cant make it tho i'd like to. why do u ask screwy??

matt


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## thesunsettree (19/3/10)

Screwtop said:


> Is thesunsettree attending Chappos brewday tomorrow????? :lol:
> 
> Screwy




why screwy, do you want me to???????? :lol: 

matt


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## Screwtop (19/3/10)

thesunsettree said:


> why screwy, do you want me to???????? :lol:
> 
> matt




No, just wondered, lots of experienced brewers attending.

Screwy


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## bum (19/3/10)

_WALLACE_ said:


> 2-3 MONTHS MAX is what i have found, beer seems very flat after that time.


 The above is in regards to the use of PET. I'm not big on correcting newer posters/brewers with any sort of venom but I feel I've gotta make an exception here. Wallace, that is absolute _bullshit_. If this is your genuine experience then you need to make a thread explaining the exact circumstances of your problem because this is not normal (unless you're using Bribie's ALDI goonies). You've got a problem somewhere and you shouldn't be blaming these bottles which I've had nine month old beers in that are tight as a nun's nasty. 

And I'm pretty surprised you haven't been pulled up on this already. 

[EDIT: by no means having a go at Bribie or his bottles, just suggesting that if Wallace isn't talking about PETs made for beer than he shouldn't saying anything about their lack of usefulness for storing beer]



manticle said:


> If you ever get advice from screwtop, even if he seems grumpy telling you, perk up your ears.


 Shit yeah. Speaking as someone who has been on the recieving end of Screwy's grumpdom a couple times I have to say that if you have shoulders broad enough to take the heat there is wisdom in his vitriol (should you be foolish enough to raise it). He also makes a lot of pleasantly worded posts that are utterly useful (but not nearly as funny to read when direct at others).


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## dawesy666 (22/3/10)

well i went shopping and got my stuff to try another batch. i got:

tooheys special larger brewing mix (its was cheapest and i was on a budget)
coopers brew enhancer 2
coopers carbonations drops
and some brigalow 100% sodium metabislphite (sterilizer)

since its my day off today im guna set it all up and start round 2


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## Pennywise (22/3/10)

While the Sod Met may be a perfectly good sanitiser be careful not to breath in the fumes, quite nasty. Good luck with your brew day :icon_cheers:


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## dawesy666 (23/3/10)

well yesterday after making sure everything was very very clean (the tap was very dirty and i don't think i clean it last time which could have been one of my problems with my brew not going to plan) i put in my second brew. i used brew enhancer 2 rather then sugar but other then that i followed the instructions on the can. put the yeast in at 28 degrees, and this morning it was about 24 degrees in the keg, and the air lock was bubbling. i will leave for about four days and check it (as the instructions said it will take 4 - 7 days) but i don't think i would have time to bottle until the weekend. which i don't see hurting the batch from what i have read. 

i have made myself an excel spread sheet so i can right notes about each batch i make so for future reference i can remember what i done/used. thinks for you help guys. ur have been a great help, and i will let ya know how its going along the way


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## Hatchy (23/3/10)

I'd suggest that 4 days is more likely to make bottle bombs than good beer. I leave mine 2 weeks now but I've got 3 fermenters.


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## Siborg (23/3/10)

Josh Dawes said:


> well yesterday after making sure everything was very very clean (the tap was very dirty and i don't think i clean it last time which could have been one of my problems with my brew not going to plan) i put in my second brew. i used brew enhancer 2 rather then sugar but other then that i followed the instructions on the can. put the yeast in at 28 degrees, and this morning it was about 24 degrees in the keg, and the air lock was bubbling. i will leave for about four days and check it (as the instructions said it will take 4 - 7 days) but i don't think i would have time to bottle until the weekend. which i don't see hurting the batch from what i have read.
> 
> i have made myself an excel spread sheet so i can right notes about each batch i make so for future reference i can remember what i done/used. thinks for you help guys. ur have been a great help, and i will let ya know how its going along the way


Good stuff there. Excel spreadsheets are great for keeping notes of any readings you take. Try making a note of your temps on the sheet too. Speaking of temps, one thing I've recently learnt is not to follow the instructions too closely. This may sound hard for an inexperienced brewer (it was for me) but sometimes they are just plain wrong. One kit I bought from a home brew shop actually said to put my grains for steeping into BOILING water. Being inexperienced, I did as I was told and the beer was CRAP. I also fermented too hot at around 24-26 degrees. At these temps you get more esters produced by the yeast. Try and get the temp down as close to 20 as you can get. You'll find it will take a bit longer, but will result in a cleaner tasting beer. Ale yeast is good to about 15 degrees, so don't worry if it gets to 18. Let it sit for a while after its done, as more of the yeast will settle to the bottom. If you can... after its done, drop the temp as low as you possibly can get to 0 degrees. This is called cold crashing, which I just did and has resulted in awesome beer (by my standards anyway).
Good to see more people taking up home brewing.


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## dawesy666 (3/4/10)

ive been pretty busy since i have put my batch in the fermenter so i have only today got around to checking it. i put the hydrometer in and the readings are at (hope yas can understand this coz i dont really know how to read it)

1.000
10
HERE 20 probably about 18
30

or on other side of the hydrometer


26
39
52 HERE just above it on the stick
65
78


is this ready to bottle?


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## bum (3/4/10)

Okay, the numbers you're interested in are the ones on the 1.000 side. So it looks like your gravity is 1.018 (often expressed as 1018). That seems much too high for your recipe. Any chance it might have gotten a bit too cold one night or something? Nothing to worry about, your yeasties can be woken again by making sure the fermenter is at the right temp and swirling it to bring some yeast back into solution. Another idea might be to rack to a second fermenter if you have one - this can get your beer going again too. I'd stick with the swirling as the first port of call. For that recipe you'd be looking at a minimum of 1014-ish before you should be thinking of bottling, IMO (allowing for sub-optimal wort aeration and same quality yeast) - closer to 1010 seems most likely with ideal conditions.


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## DKS (3/4/10)

i put the hydrometer in and the readings are at (hope yas can understand this coz i dont really know how to read it)


Josh,
Are you using a sample tube? 
Take a clear sample then drop in hydo. Not good practice to put it in the fermenter. :icon_cheers: 
Daz


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## andrewl (3/4/10)

First off, welcome to the forums and brewing! I was in your shoes not all that long ago and basically just wanted to make Tooheys Extra Dry but about twice the strength. But since joining the forums and a homebrew club, my tastes and brewing has changed for the definate better! 

The best advice I could probably give you is that once you've got the general brewing practice down, have a crack at doing another style of beer, and make some changes to it. Thats how we learn and get better at it!

Also, what no one has brought up, is that your trying to get the same reading 2 or 3 times around about the 1.010 mark (for this type of beer, over a couple days). This generally means that the beer has finished fermenting and is time to bottle.

Cheers,
Andrew


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## dawesy666 (7/4/10)

bum said:


> Okay, the numbers you're interested in are the ones on the 1.000 side. So it looks like your gravity is 1.018 (often expressed as 1018). That seems much too high for your recipe. Any chance it might have gotten a bit too cold one night or something? Nothing to worry about, your yeasties can be woken again by making sure the fermenter is at the right temp and swirling it to bring some yeast back into solution. Another idea might be to rack to a second fermenter if you have one - this can get your beer going again too. I'd stick with the swirling as the first port of call. For that recipe you'd be looking at a minimum of 1014-ish before you should be thinking of bottling, IMO (allowing for sub-optimal wort aeration and same quality yeast) - closer to 1010 seems most likely with ideal conditions.




It has been pretty cold at night actually. so that could be my problem. i will try stiring it up tonight when i get home if its not miserable weather still. wats a good temp for "waking up" the yeast?

i didnt use the sample tube i just put the hydrometre straight in the fermenter. but i did actualy think at the time that it looks like a good way to infect the batch.


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## manticle (7/4/10)

Good way to infect the batch or drop broken glass and lead balls in a brew. Yes I've done it.


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## bum (7/4/10)

Josh Dawes said:


> It has been pretty cold at night actually. so that could be my problem. i will try stiring it up tonight when i get home if its not miserable weather still. wats a good temp for "waking up" the yeast?
> 
> i didnt use the sample tube i just put the hydrometre straight in the fermenter. but i did actualy think at the time that it looks like a good way to infect the batch.


 
Yeah, always use the sample tube, Josh. There's a good chance you'll get away with it but if you always do it you will get bitten on the arse at some point. Plus it is much easier to read in the tube anyway. Also tasting is important - it won't taste the same as the finished beer but as time goes on it'll help you to work out how a beer develops. 

A good temp to rouse the yeast would be somewhere in between 18 to 20. This late in the game, using kit yeast, I'd even go up as far as 22 or 23 to really make sure she was done.


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## Wreck (7/4/10)

Josh, 

My best piece of advice is to question every piece advice. 

Unless the reason for something is understood, you could just continue making the mistakes of others (despite their best intentions). Also, you will gain more knowledge about the whole brewing process, rather than just learn a method that works for some people for their particular needs.

Having said that, there is plenty of good information on here (some dubious, but mostly good). 

Good luck!


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## jiesu (7/4/10)

Wreck said:


> My best piece of advice is to question every piece advice.



If I were you I would question Wreck's advice. 


So sad to hear that you are trying to re-create VB I guess when you start from the bottom the only way to go is up! Its funny what brewing will do to your palate in as little as a month.
I used to be perfectly happy to drink pure blondes all night, Now I avoid a pub unless it has a microbrewery on tap, The megaswill doesn't take long to drop to the bottom of the food chain
when you start looking at beers critically. 

Welcome to the forum and welcome to brewing. 

A good starting point or newbies is to check out John Palmer's How to brew He has a copy online that I am going to put as a link in my Sig.


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## Hatchy (7/4/10)

Good call DT. I was a dedicated coopers drinker for years, opened one on Saturday night & struggled through it so I could get back on the home brews. I'm not saying that coopers is bad beer, it's just that there's not enough hops in there for me these days.


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## SirDrinkalot (7/4/10)

My Dad wont use the Hyrometer!!
I keep telling him but he wont listen!
2 weeks and then keg... 
I am have just put down my first brew which I will keg... I live in an aprtment close to the city so no garage...
It has been sitting in my room on 28 degrees for the past 2 days... Dad says its fine..
But due to guys on this sitesaying it's to high and due to the fact it's hard to sleep I moved it and the chair it was sitting on to the bathroom which seems to be between 24-26. Temperature is starting to drop to 26.
I hope its going to be allright.
I will be using the Hydrometer
This one is Coopers Standard Lager


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## manticle (7/4/10)

If he kegs it's not such a big drama. Big issue with bottles as unfinished in a keg may lead to slightly sweet beer but in bottles it can lead to exploding glass.


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## Siborg (7/4/10)

SirDrinkalot said:


> My Dad wont use the Hyrometer!!
> I keep telling him but he wont listen!
> 2 weeks and then keg...
> I am have just put down my first brew which I will keg... I live in an aprtment close to the city so no garage...
> ...


 When your Dad gets exploding bottles due to a not finished fermentation, maybe he'll listen. But by the sounds of it, he may just keep em over warm, in which case its not gonna taste that great anyways. 

If this one doesn't taste that great, don't be put off. I did exactly the same as you on my first batch and was put off for about 6 months due to how average it was. In my opinion anyway, and other things could have played a factor. Since then, I've made some half decent beers, 1 shit one that I tipped (thanks brewcraft) and hopefully (fingers crossed) one awesome one which I just bottled earlier this evening. It tastes amazing as is, I just hope it doesn't cop an infection from fermenter to bottles.

p.s. Use your test tube for your hydrometer, give it a swirl and let it level itself out. Maybe give it another swirl (and push it down) it will eventually level out to the right reading. Take a few readings to make sure that you don't have too high or low a freak reading.

p.p.s. use something (tape, glue, anything) to secure the bottom part of the hydrometer test tube. It may seem secured, but unless its one piece like some, it WILL fall out when you drop your hydrometer into the empty tube after cleaning it... it happened to me.

edit: just read, your Dad kegs... still NEVER do that with bottles, or you will harm someone with shards of exploded glass.


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## dawesy666 (12/4/10)

well i got the batch warmer (to 20 degrees) and left it for a few days and it hasnt budged on the hydrometer. i put it in the sun today and got it up to 22 degrees and gave it another stir. i have moved it back inside again (still at about 18-20 degrees) but the air lock isnt bubbling so im not sure if its fermenting again. it has been really cold here at night. so if i put a electric blanket around it would i have better luck of the yeast kicking back in? or could i try bottling in PET bottles to be sure i dnt get exploding bottle. or could it be possible it has finished and is ready for bottles?


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## Hatchy (12/4/10)

If you've had a stable reading for a few days yr probably ready to bottle. What is the reading?


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## dawesy666 (13/4/10)

its still at about 1.018 (which the kit said to bottle at about 1.006 from memory)


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## bum (13/4/10)

How certain are you that temps aren't dropping at night? If you're sure you're maintaining that 18-20C it should realistically be done in the 3 weeks since you put it down. 

I'd be looking at your hydrometer at this point. Check it in 20C water (could be 15C but it should say somewhere on the hydrometer itself) if it doesn't read 1000 you need to apply the difference to your current gravity - i.e. if it reads 4 points high in water you need to subtract 4 points from all readings.

At the end of the day though, if you bottle in PET and don't let the batch sit around in high temps or for a long time you should be safe enough but it isn't ideal.


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## petesbrew (13/4/10)

Josh Dawes said:


> well i got the batch warmer (to 20 degrees) and left it for a few days and it hasnt budged on the hydrometer. i put it in the sun today and got it up to 22 degrees and gave it another stir. i have moved it back inside again (still at about 18-20 degrees) but the air lock isnt bubbling so im not sure if its fermenting again. it has been really cold here at night. so if i put a electric blanket around it would i have better luck of the yeast kicking back in? or could i try bottling in PET bottles to be sure i dnt get exploding bottle. or could it be possible it has finished and is ready for bottles?


1. Keep it out of the sun. UV rays don't help.
Not sure why it's stopped at 1018. Did you fill it to 23L?
The last kit I made stopped way short, no matter how long I left it. 1020 instead of 1010, but the ingredients were different to the suggested recipe. 
Just to be safe I've deliberately undercarbed this batch. I'd rather flat beer than a bottle bomb.


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## dawesy666 (21/4/10)

well i finally bottled my beer  . i got another hydrometer (i was borrowing my mates one) and the reading was 1010. i dont know if it was the hydrometer out or if i managed to kick start the yeast again. but i was cheering that it has finaly come down from 1018  . all in bottles now out in the shed. im praying i dont have any explosions. especially not the hole batch again. cant wait to be able to have a taste of my "fine" drop


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## ChefDave (8/5/10)

So how'd the second batch go Josh?


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