First Brew, Freaking Out!

[warra48]

OK, I woke up this morning and had a look in at my brew just to make sure my baby was still there and I found something interesting. there has been a small layer of sediment on the bottom and I knew this was normal but this morning I woke up to a 2 - 3 inch layer of cloudy stuff above the sediment.
What could this be ?
Is this normal ?
Is this the reason you guys have told me to leave my brew longer to get a clearer beer ?
This is exciting stuff and I need to know.


I hope to can see it here.

Looks perfectly normal to me.

And learn not to be in a hurry. Fermentation is best left to do it's own thing. I never even look at mine in under 2 weeks (well, apart from dropping dry hops in).
I bottle mine only after 2 to 3 weeks in primary.

I know my fermentations take off, because I use enough yeast for the job (liquid yeast starter), add yeast nutrient at the end of the boil, and ensure I aerate properly before I whack the fermenter into the fridge and dial in the TempMate. I only take a final gravity hydro reading when I'm ready to bottle, and just for record keeping.

 

[Smoop]

I know there is nothing to worry about, I am interested to know what this cloudy layer is and what is causing it. I just like know stuff.

 

[thylacine]

I know there is nothing to worry about, I am interested to know what this cloudy layer is and what is causing it. I just like know stuff.

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...o&showcat=2

 

[adryargument]

The cloudy stuff is just yeast settling on the rounded parts of the fermenter. Not all of it ends up on the very bottom.

 

[Smoop]

The cloudy stuff is just yeast settling on the rounded parts of the fermenter. Not all of it ends up on the very bottom.

Thanks mate, straight answer and to the point. ( My local brew shop owner knew exactly what I was talking about and gave me some finings to put in a few days before bottling to settle it down into the sediment layer.

I also found out what yeast I used with this kit also, it was a Brew Cellar Premium Ale Yeast.

Took a reading today and it is down from my original 1014 down to 1012 (More out of curiosity than for any other reason as I want to let it stay in the brewer for 3 weeks as has been suggested by many people in my thread)
It has been in the brewer for 13 days now and on everyones advice I drank my test sample.
I found it very bitter. Will this bitterness mellow out after its is primed and bottled and stored ?
Is an ale supposed to be very bitter ?
Or is this a good indication of what the final product will taste like ?

Thanks for the help guys

 

[GuyQLD]

Shouldn't be overly bitter, since I'm assuming your first brew has just been a standard kit + kilo (sugar). Could just be a little green and some time in the bottle will do it wonders.

I don't believe that kit is all that bitter and it sounds like you've done everything else right up till this point. I'd get it bottled and see what it's like in a couple of weeks.

 

[Smoop]

Finings ? Mix packet in hot water and pour over the top gently ? Is this it ? Do I stir my brew at all like I seen in this video ?



I cannot seem to find anything that "explains" what to do.

Im guessing the guy in the video is not doing the right thing as he hasnt even mixed the finings with water to dissolve them.

 

[FuzzyDropbear]

I've only investigated the use of Gelatine as it's a little cheaper than using packets of finings but I assume that the principals are the same.

I was going to use the method below when I brewed by first batch of DSGA, but I was in a hurry to bottle (first extract brew so got a bit excited, plust had limited time available thanks to work ).

Mix gelatine in water (boiled and cooled to ~70deg) or beer from fermenter (room temp), stir in gelatine and wait till dissolved, add to fermenter and crash chill for a couple of days (optional) before bottling.

However, it isn't necessary to add a fining agent, I haven't used it as yet and have had crystal clear beers, when they're left for a little while to condition and clear on their own.

 

[Smoop]

your recipe says ----> add to fermenter.

That is all I have been able to find. I know that for the finings to work I have to add them, but the thing that everyone seems to take for granted is that everyone is an expert brewer.

Do I just plop it straight in ?
Do I try and spread it around the top ?
Do I put it in and mix the shit out of my brew ?
Do I not mix it ?
If I mix it will it pull more stuff to the bottom ?
If I don't mix it is it going to just go straight to the bottom and only grab some particles with it ?

 

[tricache]

I have never stirred in my fining but I have stirred in my bulk priming sugars (obviously very very carefully so not to stir up any muck from the bottom)

 

[FuzzyDropbear]

I have never stirred in my fining but I have stirred in my bulk priming sugars (obviously very very carefully so not to stir up any muck from the bottom)

So you just dumped your finings in the fermenter? I would have thought that a gentle stir would've been required to ensure that the agent was distributed throughout the fermenter to pickup as much as it could.

your recipe says ----> add to fermenter.

That is all I have been able to find. I know that for the finings to work I have to add them, but the thing that everyone seems to take for granted is that everyone is an expert brewer.
...

Nope, I'm not an expert brewer so why would I expect anyone else to be? Sorry if my last post came out that way, I'm only a noob who's only done 10 batches or so.
You don't want to stir the stuffing out of your brew now, doing so could oxidise your beer and cause funky flavours to come through. If you stir, just do it gently. The way I was intending to do it, was just to stir the very top of the fermenter slowly, just enough to get some movement.
As with everything regarding brewing, there's 101 ways to do anything. I just did a quick search and some people say just dump it in, others say stir gently.

 

[tricache]

I pour it in slowly in a circular motion (if that makes sense)

 

[FuzzyDropbear]

Yep perfect sense, thanks mate. I'll give that a whirl next extract brew I do (my kit brews don't seem to need it). Cheers.

 

[Smoop]

FuzzyDropbear - I was not directing it at you but in the information I found on the internet

Thanks for the info guys. What I have gathered is either, pour it in a circular motion or/and pour it in and slowly stir it not enough to not upset the bottom.



Poured in a circular motion it is.

 

[Smoop]

OK 20 days in the brewer, close enough to 3 weeks

So I will be bottling tommorrow and understand I have to clean and sanitise my bottles and have some buckets ready for this.

I have carbonations drops instead of sugar for priming.

Do I put the drops in the bottle before filling or after ?
Do I have to keep the beers steady when capped or shake em up , tip them up once ?

A full run down on bottling would be good if anyone has the time. I have already read about sanitising my caps while bottling, it is just the transfer and priming I would like info if you could thank you

 

[DU99]

i tend add drop's in before bottling,once all the bottles have been filled then i cap..i only give mix a small shake is when i use sugar.

 

[warra48]

Which sanitiser are you using?

No matter, I can't see the need for buckets to sanitise your bottles. My bottles are always cleaned immediately after I empty them, and stored in a clean dustfree dedicated cupboard. So, all they need is the quick sanitising process.

All I do is to mix up a litre or two of StarSan, and pour a little into each bottle. Give each bottle a shake to distribute the sanitiser over the entire inner surface, and leave for a couple of minutes. Empty the bottles of sanitiser. Wait another couple of minutes and empty out any remaining sanitiser. What then stays behind is fine, because StarSan is a no-rinse sanitiser. It is then good to reuse.
Then I prime (I use caster sugar). Carbonation drops will work OK. Put them in before bottling.

Fill the bottles, and place a cap loosely on each bottle as it's filled. I only use the capper once they are all filled. I actually notice there is some dissolved CO coming out of solution filling the headspace of the bottles, as the caps bubble up and down a bit between filling the bottles and using the capper.

If you are using carbonation drops, there is no point in shaking or inverting your bottles. The drops will dissolve over time, and the yeast will find the sugar to do its carbonation work without further help from you.

 

[fletcher]

very keen to hear how your first brew turns out mate...i'm new myself from about 3 days ago and literally everything you'd thought about and asked are all going through my head too! haha

keep us updated if you can mate, i'll learn alongside you

i'm fletcher, a newbie also. this forum looks amazing for new people. i've already got a few little tips for my second batch now before i've started.

 

[Smoop]

very keen to hear how your first brew turns out mate...i'm new myself from about 3 days ago and literally everything you'd thought about and asked are all going through my head too! haha

keep us updated if you can mate, i'll learn alongside you

i'm fletcher, a newbie also. this forum looks amazing for new people. i've already got a few little tips for my second batch now before i've started.

haha, No worries Fletcher. I am about to bottle my brew today or tommorrow and have just started watching some you tube videos on how to bottle and even how to cap, even though capping is as easy as pulling a lever, finding out when its too late that you did something that simple wrong would crush me haha.

So far so good, I took a sample yesterday and the overly powerful bitter taste I said was there has now all but gone. And the beer tastes good. If bottling and storing go well I think I might have nailed my first brew. Anyways Will keep you all posted.

And thankyou again for everyone who gave me all the helpful tips.

Paul.

 

[FuzzyDropbear]

Hey Paul, you can't really go wrong with bottling, as long as you've washed and sanitised your bottles. Capping is pretty straight forward, if you're using one of the bench top cappers the only thing you have to set is the height of the capper, as long as it crimps the cap on she'll be all good.

Not sure if this is what others do, but after I sanitise the caps, I rinse (I'm still yet to move to a no rinse sanitiser) and leave them in hot water, it makes the rubber a bit softer and should create a better seal. Again, not sure if it actually does anything, but it sounds good to me

I use sugar instead of carbonation drops, I used them for my first brew, but the carbonation turned out a bit variable because the drops were different sizes (due to breaking up in transport I suppose). But it was still a good brew.

If it tastes good now and especially when it's warm, it's going to taste great once it's got a few weeks on it in the bottle and it's cold!!