first batch a dud?

[jared23]

I have a quick couple of questions, I am a week and a half into my very first brew.

its a lager, iv been able thanks to Adelaide's freezing winter to keep the brew at 12 - 14 C and the first couple of days I was seeing froth and head at the top but in my anxiousness I removed the top everyday to check the gravity in the actual brew instead of pouring it out of the tap into the measuring flask.
also when I sanitized everything at the start I kept 2 litres of the solution and used that to sanitize the hydrometer before testing it in the brew itself, the sanitizer is a no-rinse type and I don't think I should've keep it and re-used it.

in full my froth/head had disappeared and as I taste test it it doesn't taste all that close to real beer, its not exactly sour but its bitter but not good beer bitter. my airlock is bubbling but maybe once every 15 seconds at a gravity of 1016
im wondering if anyone could point me in the right direction as I don't know if I should ditch the batch and start again or leave it for another week and risk bottling it and sitting for 3 weeks only to realise its a dud.

I hope I have given enough information, thankyou for your time

 

[Canuckdownunder]

Hey Jared!
As a general rule you really really really really REALLY don't wanna measure SG that way... Also why measure the gravity every day? I mean I usually don't bother checking SG until either the bubbling really slows down or after 5-7 days.

Also, the beer isn't really gonna taste like beer until it's been finished and conditioned. I'd still bottle it as it might probably still be fine kind of hard to say (Guess I'm just adventurous like that!). But ya for next time don't crack the lid unless you really have to don't bother measuring sg everyday from the beginning (waste of beer heh) and use the spout to pour when measuring sg

Good luck with your brew!
Canuck

 

[jared23]

Cheers mate, yeah i might just go ahead in bottleing it anyway and see how it goes.
I was measuring it everyday because im pretty green when it comes to this and was just excited to see how things were going, a bit stupid in hindsight but she'll be right.

Was wondering about having the froth ontop, i thought a brew is supposed to have head or froth on top the whole time but at this point i havent read anything that says either way, plus i dont really know anyone to ask that knows this kind of stuff

thanks for all your help buddy. apreciate it

 

[bum]

Yep, you'd want a pretty great reason to be sticking your beak in the fermenter for any reason but cleaning it or putting a new batch in it. Sounds like you know that now though.

The foam (you'll usually see it referred to as "krausen" here) does not need to be around for the whole fermentation period. Some yeasts will hang around the whole time, others will drop quickly. Others still may not really form much of a krausen at all. What you should be concerned about is the gravity of your samples. They're a much better indication of how the batch is going.

No real reason to think about tipping it at this stage, as Canuck rightly mentions. Good luck with it and keep us updated how she goes.

i dont really know anyone to ask that knows this kind of stuff

You do now. Welcome to the board.

 

[Thefatdoghead]

The foam (you'll usually see it referred to as "krausen" here) does not need to be around for the whole fermentation period. Some yeasts will hang around the whole time, others will drop quickly. Others still may not really form much of a krausen at all.

Some yeasts will make there way out the fermentor into the living room and head for the kitchen.....at which point swmbo comes through in the dark to get a drink and slips on yeast nearly breaking her neck :unsure: .
No more 3787 for Gav!

 

[losp]

Different types of yeats behave in different ways. I reckon its kind of cool how different strains of yeast have different fermenting behaviors!
Lager yeasts do not generally ferment as rigorusly as ale yeast and you don't always see a very visible krausen.

The other thing is depending on what yeast and kit you have used it will probably take 2 weeks to complete anyway. You don't really need to check the gravity every day unless you are planning on doing something more advanced which I don't need to go into now. You can still check a few times in a few days to make sure its all been fermented, you just don't need to do it from day 1.
I am a little like you and I check mine pretty regularly. Make sure you sanitise everything that even gets close! Does your fermenter have a tap?? Use that instead of taking the lid off.

Just out of curiosity. What did you brew?

 

[jared23]

awesome, that's helps heaps,
yeah losp I have a tap, im brewing the beer essentials cascade premium style brew that I got with a starter kit that I purchased after something planted a seed in my head that said "why don't I start brewing beer" a simple but genius idea I think, one that every guy here obviously had at one stage.

the yeast im using is saflager s-23 if that helps with anything.

thanks bum, this is the first forum of anykind iv been apart of, good to know im in safe hands

 

[bum]

good to know im in safe hands

I didn't say that - haha!

 

[hellbent]

I never start checking my readings until about 3 days from end of ferment cycle (usually about 14days as a rule) and I just use the spout and the hydrometer tube for readings.
There is some splendid sites around if you wish to look for them that will help you and probably the best one is :-
http://www.howtobrew.com/intro.html
Check it out it's a great source of information on all kinds of beer making and don't be afraid to keep asking questions here and you will learn to really enjoy your home brewing with some good results.
Good luck and welcome

 

[wbosher]

I never start checking my readings until about 3 days from end of ferment cycle (usually about 14days as a rule) and I just use the spout and the hydrometer tube for readings.
There is some splendid sites around if you wish to look for them that will help you and probably the best one is :-
http://www.howtobrew.com/intro.html
Check it out it's a great source of information on all kinds of beer making and don't be afraid to keep asking questions here and you will learn to really enjoy your home brewing with some good results.
Good luck and welcome

Yup, similar here. Usually around day 8 or 9 and again a couple of days later. If all good, chill for a few days and then bottle.

The good thing about the sampling tube (other than the obvious reduction in the risk on infection), is you can taste the beer as you go.

 

[Droopy]

I only ever take one FG (final gravity) reading, about two weeks after setting it all running, right before bottling. I know, there's all that talk about taking readings and making sure its stable for 48 hours, but lets face it - all things done right, fermentation finishes about the same time as the airlock runs silent.

When I take the reading, I turn the tap as to let a burst of beer flow into to Hydro flask - just to give the tap/sediment reducer a bit of a flush before bottling.

Haha, when you were taste testing your fermenting beer, you were mainly tasting sugar water... Maybe something like a vodka cruiser?

Other than that, your batch should be fine. Don't worry if it does go bad... It's all a learning experience, - sooner or later, we all have at least one bad batch for one reason or another,

Droopy

 

[carniebrew]

Jared, don't forget to take your airlock out before you take a sample through the tap, otherwise you can suck whatever's in your airlock into your brew. Then put it back in when you're done.

What no rinse sanitiser was it, starsan? You can re-use it many times, I make up a 3 litre bottle of diluted starsan (1.5ml per litre), and that lasts me at least a couple of months.

And don't worry about 'losing' some of your brew to regular gravity checks/taste tests, it's a great way as a new brewer to see how the flavour/aroma develops during the fermentation, it's well worth the <100ml or so you use each time.

 

[jared23]

the sanitiser is the "beer essentials" that I get from brewcraft but it doesn't say anything about re-use, might just go get some starsan, I hear good things about it

yeah I nearly didn't take out the airlock before opening the tap for the first time, I got most of what little I know off the "craigtube" channel on youtube, found he was really good at explaining things for a new homebrewer and interesting aswell

 

[Canuckdownunder]

I love Craigtube!!! Hahahaha he's hilarious and a fellow Canuck :super:

 

[Colo]

don't forget to take your airlock out before you take a sample through the tap, otherwise you can suck whatever's in your airlock into your brew.

I stupidly forgot to do this the other day, and before bottling I poured a little of the beer out of the tap into a glass to have a whee taste, sucked some of the airlocks water into the brew...GAH!! I'm now praying to the beer gods that nothing happens, its already been sitting in primary for 4 weeks and I would hate to have ruined this brew off one silly mistake.

Its all bottled now, but I'm anxious and don't want to leave it bottled for another 3 to 4 weeks only to be presented with something disgusting :unsure:

 

[jared23]

I stupidly forgot to do this the other day, and before bottling I poured a little of the beer out of the tap into a glass to have a whee taste, sucked some of the airlocks water into the brew...GAH!! I'm now praying to the beer gods that nothing happens, its already been sitting in primary for 4 weeks and I would hate to have ruined this brew off one silly mistake.

Its all bottled now, but I'm anxious and don't want to leave it bottled for another 3 to 4 weeks only to be presented with something disgusting :unsure:

nasty, that's just a moment when youv gotta laugh ay(not in a good way though)

just took a gravity reading of this once thought doomed maiden brew and its been on 1014 for 3 days straight now, the airlock is bubbling but only every now and then. lager that's been sitting on 13 C give or take a couple either way, for 2 weeks Friday arvo. (12/7/13)

everything tells me to bottle tomorrow but the reading of 1014 is a bit high isn't it?

 

[bum]

What's in it?

That was always a fairly average FG for a kit and 1kg LDME for me.

 

[jared23]

lager, brew enhancer no. 60 (had hops in it) and the saflager s-23

 

[maxim0200]

Jared 23, im in the same boat as you I just put my first brew on 5 days ago and i have also had the first brew worries.
It took myne 5 days to get a krausen and the airlock hasnt bubbled once.

I think it may have taken so long because its been sitting roughly around 7degs C and when i used the belt and got it up to 12 it started smelling nice and geting a krausen.

From my readings yeast is an extremly hardy little organism and i doubt you have ruined your brew at all, bottle her up once the SG is stable and enjoy!

Note: take what i say with a grain of salt, im extremly green

 

[sp0rk]

Jared 23, im in the same boat as you I just put my first brew on 5 days ago and i have also had the first brew worries.
It took myne 5 days to get a krausen and the airlock hasnt bubbled once.

I think it may have taken so long because its been sitting roughly around 7degs C and when i used the belt and got it up to 12 it started smelling nice and geting a krausen.

From my readings yeast is an extremly hardy little organism and i doubt you have ruined your brew at all, bottle her up once the SG is stable and enjoy!

Note: take what i say with a grain of salt, im extremly green

Always remember to ignore the airlock