Another Go After 8 Years

[Truman42]

8 years ago I lived in Broome Wa and won a Coopers brew kit on a radio competition. You had to brew a batch and it was judged at a local pub. Mine was really bad and the problem I had there was trying to keep it cool that time of year as it was late October and from memory it sat at around 29-32 throughout the entire fermentation process.

Anyway I live in Melbourne now and after having the kit packed away all this time decided to give it another go. Ive just started a Cascades Chocolate Mahogany Porter. I started last night and the temp had got down to 18C this morning. Its climbed now to around 21 C at the moment and Im worried that I now have the opposite problem of needing to keep it warmer.
Is 21C acceptable? If not what can you buy to keep the mix warmer that doesn't cost a fortune? Can you buy warming pads or something similar?

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

It'll be fine. Generally most yeasts are 16-20 degrees at perfect range. There are other yeasts that fall outside this range, but generally, that's the most common denominator range.

So you'll be right in all that.

Learn heaps from this forum, and you'll eventually get to a point where you are making fantastic beers, however you do it.

Goomba

 

[jyo]

Welcome aboard, mate! The ale yeast in this kit is best fermented at around these temps (18-20). The beer you make this time around will be vastly different to the one you made in Broome
Check out some of the links HERE for a good read on some brewing basics.
Cheers.




edit- wrong town

 

[Truman42]

Thanks for the tips. Its going to be 18-19 most of the week here in Melbourne so I picked a good time as it should help keep the temps right. Ive got it sitting on top of the drier in the laundry and have a full glass door that lets some afternoon sun in and warms the laundry up a bit.

One question, whats the best sugar to use when bottling for this brew? (Cascade Chocolate Mahogany Porter) Ive been told raw brown sugar is good?

When I mixed it up I used 500 grams dextrose and one of those round chinese containers full of brown sticky liquid which I think was malt. (Sorry still trying to remember all the terms and lingo used)
The LBS guy said to put it in.

 

[Dribs]

One question, whats the best sugar to use when bottling for this brew? (Cascade Chocolate Mahogany Porter) Ive been told raw brown sugar is good?

The consensus on this forum seems to be that the sugar used for bottling won't effect taste or mouth-feel.
I'd recommend carb drops as they are less messy and less farting around to be done. Or, if you're bottling in 750ml PET bottles, 1 CSR sugar cube is perfect. Not sure if the sugar cube would fit down a glass long neck though.

 

[DU99]

truman which part of melbourne are you living..

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

Search "bulk priming" - it's the quickest and easiest way to prime the bottles for carbonation and allows for multiple sized bottles without extensive calculations.

Goomba

 

[Truman42]

@DU99 I live in Aspendale gardens but work in Hallam.

@dribs Im using some 750ml PET bottles and some glass stubbies Ive saved. I suppose I should give bulk priming a try but Im worried I will stir everything up too much.


Oh yeh one more thing my S.G. was 1060 when I started. How does that compare to whats normal, is it a bit high?

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

<snip>
I suppose I should give bulk priming a try but Im worried I will stir everything up too much.

Go to Bunnings, purchase for $15 a 25L drum, and a tap for another $1 or so more. A bit of food grade pipe from current fermenter to this one (sterilised of course). The priming sugars should already be in fermenter two, stirring done by racking (the technical term for transferring the wort to fermenter two), and you leave the yeast cake in fermenter one.

You can then bottle from fermenter two as normal.

Fermenter one can be washed, or for real cost savings, a new batch of beer can be made and pitched straight onto the yeast cake, which will happily eat away at the new food source.

Goomba

 

[Shed101]

>The priming sugars should already be in fermenter two>

IMO it's very much worth bulk priming, saves you a lot of hassle. But, it's also worth adding hot water to your priming sugars and dissolving them first, then adding to the fermenter (I use a jerry can). ~250 ml water should do it for a 23 litre batch.

I forgot to do this once and had ... erm ... quite unequal levels of carbonation between bottles!

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

IMO it's very much worth bulk priming, saves you a lot of hassle. But, it's also worth adding hot water to your priming sugars and dissolving them first, then adding to the fermenter (I use a jerry can). ~250 ml water should do it for a 23 litre batch.

I forgot to do this once and had ... erm ... quite unequal levels of carbonation between bottles!

Thanks for that detail, I forgot to add it.

I do dissolve with hot water, but I forgot that to a less experienced brewer, it mightn't be common sense as it is to me.

Thanks shed

 

[Dribs]

a new batch of beer can be made and pitched straight onto the yeast cake, which will happily eat away at the new food source.

Goomba

O'RLY? No need to wash the yeast and jars and what not? I may just do that then this weekend then after bottling. Would you add some cold water first as not to 'shock' the yeast with the warm can(s) of goo?

 

[Shed101]

O'RLY? No need to wash the yeast and jars and what not? I may just do that then this weekend then after bottling. Would you add some cold water first as not to 'shock' the yeast with the warm can(s) of goo?

Make sure your wort is at pitching temperature first!

 

[Dribs]

Make sure your wort is at pitching temperature first!

I guess that makes sense. Anyone have an idea of what temp a can of goo would be after been submerged in hot water for 10 mins? I don't have the funds for a digital cooking thermometer.

Sorry for hijacking your thread, Truman

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

Make sure your wort is at pitching temperature first!

+1.

I got this tip from Ross at Craftbrewer, but he knows that I brew all-grain (and that generally, I stick to similar styles of beer for the most part), so my beer will be at pitching temp at any rate.

YMMV

For a goo-brewer, I'd get the tin goo out into another recepticle, fill it up to at least half the volume and make sure it's at pitching temp (that will ensure the liquor is thin enough to get into the fermenter). Then engineering the balance of the water at pitching temp and fill-'er-up.

Given you'll need the yeast back into the liquor somewhat, having to do a good stir to even out the water to liquor distribution will serve a double purpose of even distribution of water in the beer and help with oxygenisation so that the yeast is really happy to hit the ground running.

Goomba

 

[robinson_d]

Brewed a Cascades Chocolate Mahogany Porter about 8 weeks ago (first brew in a long time).
Added 500g coopers enhancer #1 and 12g finishing hops.
The kit yeast didnt take so added a larger Yeast a few days later.
Took 48hrs to get going
Brewed around 18-20˚c
S.G started at 1046 and bottled it 4 weeks later at 1018 (a bit high)
Wasn't sure it would be any good but no bottle bombs and 4weeks later is ok for drinking (if your real thirsty!)
Hoping the cascade pale ive got on the go is a bit better

 

[Truman42]

Brewed a Cascades Chocolate Mahogany Porter about 8 weeks ago (first brew in a long time).
Added 500g coopers enhancer #1 and 12g finishing hops.
The kit yeast didnt take so added a larger Yeast a few days later.
Took 48hrs to get going
Brewed around 18-20˚c
S.G started at 1046 and bottled it 4 weeks later at 1018 (a bit high)
Wasn't sure it would be any good but no bottle bombs and 4weeks later is ok for drinking (if your real thirsty!)
Hoping the cascade pale ive got on the go is a bit better

How can you tell if its started to take? I can certainly smell it near the airlock and the temp seems to have increased to around 20C.
Also is four weeks a longer than expected time? My dad said his is usually ready to bottle in a week. (He lives in Cairns though could the warmth have anything to do with it?)

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

Maybe consider a yeast starter. IF it took four weeks, then maybe the yeast got a little stressed in the initial stage. A good healthy yeast is the key to any good beer - after all it converts sugary malt water into beer.

Goomba

 

[robinson_d]

How can you tell if its started to take? I can certainly smell it near the airlock and the temp seems to have increased to around 20C.
Also is four weeks a longer than expected time? My dad said his is usually ready to bottle in a week. (He lives in Cairns though could the warmth have anything to do with it?)

My other brews start bubbling through the airlock and smell like beer within a day the cascade porter didnt.
4 weeks (27 days to be exact) did seem like a long time.
My cascade pale brewing at the moment around 18˚C is at 17 days and counting s.g. is at 1022 so has a while to go.
I dont know is there a problem with brews going to slow? Doesnt good beer take time??

 

[going down a hill]

Doesnt good beer take time??

It does, but the fermentation should take around a week or less to hit FG. Like others on this thread have said it could be that the yeast is shocked when you add it to your wort, maybe the temp is too high or low so the yeast has to fight just to survive or maybe it's old yeast and not alot of ity is viable. Theres a tonne of variables.