A Few Questions From A First Time Brewer.

[cal]

Hi there,
I just bought a brewcraft brew kit and am about to attampt my first brew. However I have read conflicting info on some things and would appreciate some help from some of you experienced brewers out there. I'll try to be brief, 1. How often should i take hydrometer readings? 2. The fermenter is plastic and not very clear, how do i tell if my brew has "cleared". 3. I have some used 750ml twist tops, i have practised capping one & it seals well but will my beer go flat if I store it for a while? And finally some instructions say to stir the yeast through, while others say just to sprinkle it on top and then close the lid, Any suggestions? I know these are simple questions but I would love some clarification on them.
Cheers, cal

 

[sah]

1. How often should i take hydrometer readings?

[post="117026"][/post]​

Some people get a little crazy in this department and measure their SG as often as they can. It isn't really necessary to take any readings, however it is nice to know your starting and finishing gravities so you can work out your alcohol content and how your yeast performed. I suggest measuring before pitching the yeast, then after you've noticed your airlock has stopped bubbling and then at bottling time.

If you notice something is drastically wrong on the second reading, such as the gravity is still very high you can take some action to remedy.

2. The fermenter is plastic and not very clear, how do i tell if my brew has "cleared".

[post="117026"][/post]​

Opinions vary as to how long your should ferment in primary and whether racking to a secondary is beneficial (or worth it) for an ale. I often leave my ale for 14 days in the primary. If you really want crystal clear beer you can use finings, the best way is to rack from your primary onto finings you've dissolved into a secondary.

3. I have some used 750ml twist tops, i have practised capping one & it seals well but will my beer go flat if I store it for a while?

[post="117026"][/post]​

PET is permeable to air but only to a very small degree. I understand that the beer will be staled from other reactions long before loss of carbonation is a problem.

And finally some instructions say to stir the yeast through, while others say just to sprinkle it on top and then close the lid, Any suggestions?

[post="117026"][/post]​

It doesn't really matter, however it is important to aerate / oxygenate the wort as much as possible prior to or after pitching the yeast. Put the lid on, cover the airlock hole and shake like hell for a few minutes.

Good luck.
Scott

 

[pint of lager]

Welcome to the forum.

Here is a link that will cover alot of ground for the new brewer. It is not finished yet, but is 90% there. FAQ for the New Brewer.

 

[mika]

Cal.

Hydrometer reading.. interesting question. Ideally before adding the yeas (when first brewing) as Sah mentions for Alcohol content, but this can give an indication of the final gravity (being very general here). Once the airlock has finished bubbling wait a little longer, some beers are still fermenting, just the amount of CO2 I think slips thru the airlock without bubbling as the gas is produced so slowly.
I've seen the hydrometer reading drop without any more bubbles....once.
Then make sure the reading is stable over two days before bottling.

Clear brew....yes well. I once bottled a corona that looked like mud in the bottle, but eventually became crystal clear. In spite of my fear on copping flack on this subject... I'm going to say ignore it. Once it's in the bottle yes it needs to be clear.
Which is why I always do a couple of bottles in clear glass (generally a no-no).

PTE bottles will slowly lose gas... probably take better than 6 months to become apparent though, others would know better, I've never used them.
As long as the bottles were sanitised and all the proper precautions taken the beer will last a long time. I have a couple of bottles more than a year old now and most people will suggest you keep some that long just to see what happens... though maybe not with PTE bottles.

Personally I stir in the yeast, to make sure it get's into the brew quickly. Also I'm sure it doesn't do it much good when it's sitting on top of the foam exposed to air.
But this is not a vigurous "splashing" stir. Splash the wort plenty before adding the yeast, aeration as Sah mentioned, but after the yeast is added, Air is the enemy.

Sorry it's so long, but we should see some interesting discussion now :huh:

 

[delboy]

welcome firstly.

just take your time getting ready and clean everything first plan your brewday

1.clean and rinse your fermenter with the supplied cleaning agent.
never ever use a scourer in your fermenter.

befor pitching my yeast i allways airate the wort buy turning on the tap and letting pour into a sterialized S/S saucepan from a small height i do this several times and it works quite well i was shown this at a brewday in the barossa .at a brewing club GMK on this site showed me this meathod and told me it was quite ok .no problems yet.

simple but effective.just remember keep it clean and sterile.

look on the forum for rehydrating dry yeasts as well this is a good practice i belive.

DELBOY :beer:

 

[peas_and_corn]

Delboy- I think that method is only really needed if you're boiling the whole wort

Cal- Since you are doing kits, this is what I normally do for kit/extract brews to aerate. Essentially, when you add the water to your ingredients, just splash the water like crazy while you are pouring it. Also, when stirring, splash it rould more- form a whirlpool then start stirring in the opposite direction, which causes splashing. Gets heaps of oxygen in the wort for me!

 

[Uncle Fester]

While we are talking about aerating a wort.....


I use a food whisk to stir the kit, fermentables and the original couple of litres if hot water. Whips it up a treat.

Then I add cold water to whatever level I am aiming at, pitch yeast and let it go hell for leather.


FWIW, I bought a plastic whisk, which has all of the tines joined together. That way I don't have any issues keeping it clean. The wire whisks would be harder to steralise between the wires.


M

 

[cal]

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to clear some of these things up, much appreciated :beer:

1. How often should i take hydrometer readings?

[post="117026"][/post]​

Some people get a little crazy in this department and measure their SG as often as they can. It isn't really necessary to take any readings, however it is nice to know your starting and finishing gravities so you can work out your alcohol content and how your yeast performed. I suggest measuring before pitching the yeast, then after you've noticed your airlock has stopped bubbling and then at bottling time.

If you notice something is drastically wrong on the second reading, such as the gravity is still very high you can take some action to remedy.

2. The fermenter is plastic and not very clear, how do i tell if my brew has "cleared".

[post="117026"][/post]​

Opinions vary as to how long your should ferment in primary and whether racking to a secondary is beneficial (or worth it) for an ale. I often leave my ale for 14 days in the primary. If you really want crystal clear beer you can use finings, the best way is to rack from your primary onto finings you've dissolved into a secondary.

3. I have some used 750ml twist tops, i have practised capping one & it seals well but will my beer go flat if I store it for a while?

[post="117026"][/post]​

PET is permeable to air but only to a very small degree. I understand that the beer will be staled from other reactions long before loss of carbonation is a problem.

And finally some instructions say to stir the yeast through, while others say just to sprinkle it on top and then close the lid, Any suggestions?

[post="117026"][/post]​

It doesn't really matter, however it is important to aerate / oxygenate the wort as much as possible prior to or after pitching the yeast. Put the lid on, cover the airlock hole and shake like hell for a few minutes.

Good luck.
Scott

[post="117030"][/post]​