Bin Or Bottle?

[Stixor]

Just need to know if I should bottle my brew of coopers apa or throw it out?

Made it last Friday and had a malt clumping prob which I tried to sccoop out as much as possible. Today I took a hydrometer reading andnoticed a couple of white specs in the hydrometer.
Is my brew ruined?

The initial reading was 1070 and now it's about 1020.

Thanks.

 

[scrumpy]

did you sample the wort? if so any infections should be obvious in the taste.

 

[manticle]

Just need to know if I should bottle my brew of coopers apa or throw it out?

Made it last Friday and had a malt clumping prob which I tried to sccoop out as much as possible. Today I took a hydrometer reading andnoticed a couple of white specs in the hydrometer.
Is my brew ruined?

The initial reading was 1070 and now it's about 1020.

Thanks.

Tell us what the recipe was. 1070 sounds ridiculously high for a kit unless it was a toucan or you added loads of other malt/sugar. You may have misread the OG (sometimes loads of malt or sugar comes out the tap in first hit).

Malt clumping is absolutely no issue though. I wouldn't dump it on account of that. Does it taste like unfizzy, young beer or does it taste like vinegar? Are the lumps clumped malt or do they look like mould? Is it mould (unlikely but possible)?

1020 is too high to bottle a kit. You should be looking between 1005 and 1012 and gravity being stable over several days. Best thing to do now is leave it, wait 3 or 4 days, test gravity, drink the sample and judge if it's on the right path. Even when it hits final gravity, there's no harm leaving it a few more days to develop before bottling. If you have a spare fridge/room whack it in the fridge for a week (AFTER hitting final gravity) and let the yeast and any lumps settle.

It doesn't sound worrisome - just a couple of maltesers.

Only ever dump if you know it's irredeemable or complete poison.

 

[muckey]

give it a bit longer and a few more hydr samples. Be sure to taste and smell them and you'll know of its ruined (as scrumpy said)

malt clumps or /maltesers' as their colloquially known wont affect your brew, next time just leave them in there.

I'd say that at 1020 it's got a few point to go so just have a bit of patience because your brew is probably OK

EDIT: manticle is quicker than butters!! <_<

 

[Steve]

Only ever dump if you know it's irredeemable or complete poison.

What he said. Leave it a few more days and take another reading and taste it. I reckon it'll be right.
Cheers
Steve

 

[petesbrew]

My hydrometer has bits in it all the time. It adds hair on your chest.
As already stated, the truth is in the tasting, if it tastes like beer, bottle it... but it's only been a week. Give it a few more days. What's your recipe?

 

[bowie in space]

Try to stir and dissolve your malt extract in cold/tap water before heating. This should help with clumping, however your post doesn't specify your ingredients. BTW, 1070 is way too high for kits. What did you use?

Bowie

 

[Gavo]

Probably just bits of yeast. As already said, wait for it to finish and taste it. If its bad/infected you will know.

Gavo.

 

[brettprevans]

+ 1 for it being yeast. gotta remember your yeast cake/trub basicly settles right near (if not on top) of the tap.

 

[Stixor]

Recipe used was Coopers Australian pale ale, premium ale yeast, goldings tea bag yeast put in boiling water for 10 mins, brew enhancer 2 and light dry malt which most was scooped out when it clumped.

 

[mash head]

Whats the volume in the fermenter 1070 is too high.
Greg

 

[manticle]

Recipe used was Coopers Australian pale ale, premium ale yeast, goldings tea bag yeast put in boiling water for 10 mins, brew enhancer 2 and light dry malt which most was scooped out when it clumped.

Amounts of each plus total volume please.

Should give us a better idea of how your brew is going and how it should be.

Doesn't sound like an issue yet though.

 

[Stixor]

1kg of brew enhancer 2, 500g of ldme but scooped most out, and with the kit the lavel was filled to 23L

Seems to taste all right.

 

[manticle]

Seems to taste all right.

There's your answer.

Scooping out the LDME may mean your final product is a little thinner and less alcoholic than initially intended but only slightly and you probably won't notice. Definitely not worth turfing.

 

[KGB]

As a few people have said, clumping malt won't hurt the brew - the yeast will get through it eventually. It will affect your initial gravity reading though and make it lower than it should be since the malt isn't all dissolved. Your initial gravity of 1070 seems way to high for that brew.

Just wait for a few days of stable gravity readings and bottle away. I always chill my fermenter for at least 24hrs to help it clear as well (but I keg).

 

[Feral Shane]

Wait a few more days, keep checking gravity, I'm sure the beer will be drinkable. I haven't made one yet that wasn't drinkable. I have been known to drink some crap beer though.

 

[glaab]

I made exactly the same mix and OG was 1062 and FG was 1010,
but I didn't throw out any malt. It fermented at about 18C-20C and bottled day 10.
Maybe your hydrometer is on the fritz.

 

[masculator002]

light dry malt will clump and float etc. leave it alone the yeast will eat it.