First Brew

[Gwenie]

Well last night i decided to finally have a go at making home brew with my coopers kit i got for farthers day (lager brew). Now i followed all the instructions and put the fermenter into an old fridge that I'm using for fermenting with ice bottles and i have no bubbles forming in the airlock it has been about 14hrs now is this normal.

I took a reading before i put the yeast in and it was 1040 which is the nor by what i read. Also the temp of the wort was about 28 when i put the yeast in and is now down to about 22 in the fridge.

There is some foam formed on top and some condensation on the lid so is everything going good?

 

[brendo]

yep.... that is sounding good. The condensation and foam indicate fermentation (the foam is called Krausen) - so it looks like your yeasties are doing the job.

Don't worry about the airlock, unless you have a good seal on it, the CO2 will just find another way out.

Just keep up the temp control - 22 is good, 18-20 is better. Give it at least a week - I usually give mine about 2 weeks (gives it some conditioning time) and make sure you have stable gravity readings across three days to ensure that the fermentation has finished.

Next time, try and cool the beer down a bit more and pitch closer to fermentation temps - but otherwise I think you are all good.

Now you just need to plan your next one.

cheers,

Brendo

PS - welcome to the boards...

 

[fergi]

welcome to the home brew obsession gwenie, yes looks like every thing is going ok, your airtight fermenter may not be quite airtight enough so the airlock probably wont bubble,try just tightening the lid a bit more , the foam and condensation is showing that your first brew is going ok and has started fermenting.try and keep the temp to around 18 deg if you can,20 is okay.
cheers
fergi

 

[jonocarroll]

There is some foam formed on top and some condensation on the lid so is everything going good?

Yup. The foam is called krausen, and is a sign of fermentation. If you have a look through the forums you'll find a lot of people saying "don't trust the airlock" - they lie.

Good on ya for getting the brew going. Have a look through the articles section and you'll find a wealth of knowledge to continually improve your beers.

Cheers. :icon_cheers:

 

[fergi]

gwenie, also forgot to add, dont be dishartened by this first brew, i assume you followed the kit directions and just added a kilo of sugar and used the kit yeast, read through all the articles you can and next time use an after market yeast with a brew enhancer from your LHBS and try and ferment at 18/20 deg , this will improve over your first brew by 100%. also sanitation , be sure to sanitise everything that comes into contact with the brew.
cheers
fergi

 

[raven19]

Welcome aboard indeed, and +1 to what all others have said.

Ideally ales 18 - 20 degrees. Your fridge with ice blocks is a great way to do it, I must get that 3rd fridge one day..... <_<

 

[cozmocracker]

+1 to all the above.

also remember to take airlock out when you use tap to get sample for FG reading (dont want nasty water getting sucked into brew) , and use sanitizer in the airlock.

 

[buttersd70]

If you have a look through the forums you'll find a lot of people saying "don't trust the airlock" - they lie.

I think you mean;

If you have a look through the forums you'll find a lot of people saying "don't trust the airlock - they lie".
:lol:

 

[Supra-Jim]

I think you mean;

If you have a look through the forums you'll find a lot of people saying "don't trust the airlock - they lie".
:lol:

Shhhhh... it's a secret

:icon_cheers: SJ

 

[jonocarroll]

I think you mean;

If you have a look through the forums you'll find a lot of people saying "don't trust the airlock - they lie".
:lol:

Stupid language. Although both statements can be equivalent, yes - my emphasis was that the airlocks lie, not the people on the forums. Not saying that they (the people) don't lie, but... ah, you get my point.

Sometimes I really hate English - Exhibit A;

That that is is that that is not is not is that it it is is an English word sequence demonstrating lexical ambiguity.

Where's that guy that hates people who post without full stops? I could choke him with this one.