First Brew..recipe Ideas?

[Nick JD]

I did this one a while back, it'll probably make the purists cringe!

2 x 1.5kg Cans of Coopers Light Malt in fermenter
Boil a saaz teabag for 25 min in a pot with 2 liters of water - add to fermenter
Rainwater to 23 liters + teabag of cascade
Safale yeast sachet.

It's just as easy as a K&K and much tastier IMO - not very bitter which I like. I'll be replacing the teabags with pellets when they arrive because they are not economical in the long run.

This one is in the fermenter now and it smells wonderful.

1kg Morgans Chocoate Malt
1kg Morgans Caramel Malt
1kg DDME
Boiled cascade for 20 and threw in another bag with yeast.

YMMV, but I've found the things that make brews tasty are: no sugar (or little dextrose), healthy (and correct for temp) yeast, stable temperature, and of course - cleanliness.

 

[therocko]

That's assuming that the FG gets to where it's going, depends on starting and final gravity.
My experience is that some kits ferment out and some don't, my first Cerveza with a Coopers kit started at 1045 finished after 2 weeks at 1018 giving it 4.1% abv.
However, it is better to put a line in the sand and aim for the % you want.
My understanding is that LDME won't ferment out at the same rate as Dex, i am sure someone will have a calculator for that but i think it's about 80% as efficient as dex.
If that is the case then i suspect 600 dex and 300 ldme would be too little to provide 5%.
As for calculations you would need a SG of 1045 and a FG of 1011.

am going to brew a Coopers masterbrew Pilsener. They recommend 500g of ldm & 300g of dextrose.

 

[Interloper]

am going to brew a Coopers masterbrew Pilsener. They recommend 500g of ldm & 300g of dextrose.

It's a good drop done like that straight up as a baseline brew - but do not let the temp get too high. You could probably just whack some Coopers BE2 in it and get just as good a result as ldm and dex. Once you've done this some saaz hops would be a nice addition to see the diff that makes.

The masterbrew pilz comes with a decent yeast too, better than the Coopers supermarket kits.

 

[floody_lager]

went to the lhbs, he gave me s-04 yeast and a goldings hop bag. he couldnt find anything else i wanted so thats wat i got.
just setting my fridgemate up now so hopefully get the brew going on saturday or sunday.

 

[floody_lager]

Ok so i put the brew down about 2 hours ago. i used coopers euro lager and 1 kg of brew enhancer 2.
I pitched the yeast at 24 deg. its in the fridge now with the temp mate set at 18 but its taking awhile to drop. its at about 21 now.

my prob is, i took the reading with hydrometer when it was about 24deg, and it said the sg was 1060.
from wat ive read, that is pretty high. im not sure if i checked it right but i tried spinning it a few times like the instructions said.

also, no bubbling in the airlock yet. is this normal?

i hope someone can put my mind at ease and tell me its ok. i have a bad feeling but lol

 

[floody_lager]

HELP!!

 

[reformed99]

Don't stress.

Fermentation can take a while to start (even 1 or 2 days). Also, you fermenter might have a leak so you'd get no bubbles in the airlock. Not a problem though.

How did you meaure the SG? If you took a reading from the tap it could be high as all the goop from the tin and sugar settled at the bottom. Test it again in a day or two and it will have dropped significantly.

 

[Gavo]

Don't worry at the temp a little high for the first few hours as it will take some time for the yeast to get started anyway. The fridge will bring it down fairly quickly anyway, I usually set mine at 19 c for the first 12 hours/overnight then bring it down to 18 c just to get it started.
1060 is a little high for what you have said you have added but as reformed has said, if the ingredients were not thoroughly mixed it may be a little concentrated at the bottom giving a false reading.

Happy brewing.
Cheers
Gavo.

Edit if you are using the Coopers Euro Lager the yeast with the kit may be an actual lager yeast and may need a lower fermenting temp see details on temps here. Someone else may have a better idea of this than I do.

 

[buttersd70]

agree that it's likely not mixed fully. And airlocks are Satans handmaidens...never trust them.

1.7kg tin + 1kg BE2 in 23 L = 1039. (give or take a couple of points, depending on how accurate your water addition is). So use that as a starting point, and check in a few more days to see if it has dropped. Don't stress, it will be fine, give it time. If you used the s04, bring it down to 18C as gavo suggested.

 

[Gavo]

went to the lhbs, he gave me s-04 yeast

Whoops missed that. !8c will be the go.

Cheers
Gavo.

 

[flattop]

1060 is definitely an error, check the hydrometer in water, should be around 1.000.
Otherwise wait a day or 2 see if it drops.

 

[buttersd70]

...check the hydrometer in water, should be around 1.000.

whilst it's likely a mixing problem, flattop makes a good point. Hydros should be checked when new, anyway. Check in 20C water, distilled is best, but cooled boiled water will do.

 

[floody_lager]

thanks for the help. i did notice that some of the goo was in the tap when i took the reading so i guess it was just some shit at the bottom.
it is fermenting. i looked tonite and there is the thick foamy head at the top.

hope it turns out well!!!

 

[floody_lager]

i took another reading tonite and its dropped to 1034. it looks and smells great already. i think its fermenting nicely. cant wait to drink it lol.
gotta plan my next one now.

any ideas?

i have 1xcoopers lager, 1x coopers real ale, 1x coopers BE1.

i will buy more but thats just wat i have here

 

[floody_lager]

I think my first batch is nearly done. Checked tonite, its sitting at about 1018. Hopefully should finish this weekend.
Just a quick question.
While i was in big w, i saw a packet of brigalow(i think) finings clearing agent.
Just wanted to know if this would benefit my brew, and if so, do i just throw it in the primary or do i have to rack.
i dont have a 2nd fermenter, so if i have to rack, i wont bother.

also read about crash chilling?? Benefits?

 

[Bribie G]

I think my first batch is nearly done. Checked tonite, its sitting at about 1018. Hopefully should finish this weekend.
Just a quick question.
While i was in big w, i saw a packet of brigalow(i think) finings clearing agent.
Just wanted to know if this would benefit my brew, and if so, do i just throw it in the primary or do i have to rack.
i dont have a 2nd fermenter, so if i have to rack, i wont bother.

also read about crash chilling?? Benefits?

Brigalow finings is just gelatine. Mix it with hot water and stir into brew to clear it over a couple of days. However to get the max benifit from finings, it's a good idea to rack the beer into another fermenter, chill, and then add the finings and bottle after a couple more days. Finings will make the yeast flocculate out quickly from the beer and you can end up with very clear beer in the bottle or keg.

If you decide to keep on using finings then you can get them much cheaper by buying plain old gelatine from the supermarket, in the baking items dept. either in little sachets or get a tub of McKenzies gelatine which will last you for about twenty brews. Use a teaspoon per brew.

 

[flattop]

Floody i don't know when you pitched but your SG is probably still a little too high for bottling. Hold out a few more days until 3 days of SG is stable.
Finings are pitched into either primary or secondary after about the 1st week when the fermentation is slowing, helps drop the yeast out and make the brew visibly clearer.
Doesn't help in taste supposedly (although less yeast in the bottle could stop yeast aftertaste).
When i use finings i usually drop them in the primary around day 6-7. If they are dehydrated then i would mix with a minimal amount of sterile water and mix into the wort gently without disturbing the wort too much or aerating it.
Don't know about crash chilling

 

[floody_lager]

sorry, i pitched last sunday (30th nov) at about 23 degrees. its sat at 18 since then

 

[flattop]

To be honest i wouldn't touch that brew until about next Wednesday, maybe agitate it slightly tonight to stir up any unused yeasts and sugars, add the finings this weekend.
Think about bottling Wednesday at the earliest and think about delaying until Friday if you can. Bottling too early may lead to exploding bottles, yeast flavors and cloudy beer.
It's hard at the start but aim for quality not speed. If it's not worth drinking then you will regret the effort later.
Ohh relax and have a beer in the meantime (you can re use the bottle later so you are still working for the cause)

 

[buttersd70]

Finings should not be added until fermentation is complete, regardless of what is on the instructions of the brigalow finings. Add it prior to finishing, and the yeast will floc....makes it pretty damn hard to finish the ferment if all your yeast has dropped out

edit....1018 is pretty high. Confirm 3 gravity readings are equal before bottling.