Heineken Kit 23l Instead Of 21l And Other Stuff

[Eddicat]

Um, just mixed by first brew and just wondering what will be the likely difference if I've made it to 23L instead of 21L. It's a Heineken lager kit and I made it up to the instructions except I got ahead of myself and filled the fermenter to 21L before I had added the kit converter. I then followed the kit converter instructions which added another 2L to the mix. I realise now, after re-reading the FAQ sticky here, that I could have probably added all the dry ingredients rather than going to the trouble of making a separate mix for the converter. Anyhow would be interested in any tips or thoughts on the best method as well as how my brew will be affected with the extra 2L.

Also, forgot to take a hydrometer reading last night after I mixed. Should I take one now? If so there's a slight problem in that I forgot to unscrew the grommet and screw the tap in. Should I tip the fermenter on it's side now to screw it in or wait another few days or a week until it's fermented?

...... and you can all stop laughing now!

 

[andy081969]

you should be just fine - the brew may not have as much body as what you wish with the extra 2l of water in the fermenter.
you do not need to take a reading at the moment unless you want to know the specific alcohol content of your brew.
You will need to use your hydrometer to ensure that you have finished fermentation
I would change over the gromet /tap now if you can as when fermenting the co2 produced should purge any air that you let in the brew

If anyone else has any ideas that contradict mine go right ahead as I have never forgot the tap

 

[altone]

Um, just mixed by first brew and just wondering what will be the likely difference if I've made it to 23L instead of 21L. It's a Heineken lager kit and I made it up to the instructions except I got ahead of myself and filled the fermenter to 21L before I had added the kit converter. I then followed the kit converter instructions which added another 2L to the mix. I realise now, after re-reading the FAQ sticky here, that I could have probably added all the dry ingredients rather than going to the trouble of making a separate mix for the converter. Anyhow would be interested in any tips or thoughts on the best method as well as how my brew will be affected with the extra 2L.

Also, forgot to take a hydrometer reading last night after I mixed. Should I take one now? If so there's a slight problem in that I forgot to unscrew the grommet and screw the tap in. Should I tip the fermenter on it's side now to screw it in or wait another few days or a week until it's fermented?

...... and you can all stop laughing now!

Well, the main issue will be the finished result will be a bit watery, I would have tried adding 200g or so extra LME to compensate a bit when you'd realised you put in too much water.

You could always make a second batch if you have a spare fermentor and only make up to 19l total - then mix them before bottling.

As for the tap, you're gonna have to do it sooner or later, so I'd do it now if the yeast is actively fermenting.

GL with the brew.

 

[Bugglz]

You beer will be fine, the extra 2lt will just dilute it a little bit, if you have already added the yeast and it's bubbling then there is not much point in taking a hydro sample but you can still do it anyway.

As for your tap, I did the same thing when I put my first beer on,you can just let it finish fermenting and siphon it into bottles, or do what I did and take the airlock out, cover the hole with something and quickly swap the bung for the tap.

 

[manticle]

Kind of repeating what's been said but:

The brew will be a bit weaker and a bit thinner. 2L isn't the end of the world so you may be able to live with it. Otherwise try boiling up 300g of Light Dried Malt Extract in 1 L water, cooling it and adding it in. You will get 24 L of approximately the appropriate strength beer.

You can tip the fermenter on tha side but you'll need to be careful of the airlock bung. Make sure you take the time to stabilise it (bench surface, rolled up towels on each side or something) to avert annoyance as it rolls away, breaks and spalshes everywhere. I would do that now as when it's finished fermenting you want all the sediment to settle.

Otherwise as suggested above, you can wait till the end of ferment and get a siphon to rack to a new vessel (WITH a tap this time) or straight into bottles.

No laughter here - the number of retarded things I've done while brewing would write the book "How Not to Brew".

Hydro sample is more important at the end to ensure ferment is done - stable over 3 days and within a reasonable range of expected FG. If you have an OG you can compare it to the FG and work out the ABV (original gravity = first hydro sample, FG = final gravity - hydro after first ferment, abv = alcohol % by volume) but basic kit/kilo should be easy enough to work out as long as ferment goes according to plan.

Also when you do more complicated grain based brews, OG is good to see if targets have been met etc.

 

[altone]

You beer will be fine, the extra 2lt will just dilute it a little bit, if you have already added the yeast and it's bubbling then there is not much point in taking a hydro sample but you can still do it anyway.

As for your tap, I did the same thing when I put my first beer on,you can just let it finish fermenting and siphon it into bottles, or do what I did and take the airlock out, cover the hole with something and quickly swap the bung for the tap.

Yep , that'll work too - but how did you take your hydro readings to ensure fermemtaion was complete?
Or did you just leave it a few days after end of bubbling to be safe.

Every honest body here has stuffed up in some way, don't worry too much, the results are usually drinkable.

You've just got to remember the next attempt will taste 10% better. :icon_cheers:

 

[Eddicat]

Thanks for the suggestions guys, I feel less stupid now! I put the tap in soon after your replies, tiny bit of spillage out of the air lock hole even though we thought we had it covered. I went out for the arvo and just got back and there are no bubbles yet - it's been just on 24 hours, is that a worry? Also, I didn't have any LME but would like to try adding some so will it be OK to add tomorrow or the next day?

 

[manticle]

You can add it any time in primary although earlier is better.

Don't rely on a bubbling airlock to tell you if fermentation has started. Signs like the formation of foam (krausen), condensation on the lid, formation of yeast cake and most of all - gravity points dropping are all better indicators.

 

[Ivan Other One]

This brew should be ok as is mate.
I did a Canadian Blonde brew recently to 24L and it turned out all right (See thread Canadian Blonde Woops).
Was racked and then kegged, crystal clear beer that was easy to slam down.
We all learn from our own,,,,,, and others,,,,, mistakes.
Cheers

 

[Eddicat]

OK, this has been fermenting for two weeks now. After the first week the sg was 1.016 and now it's 1.013. Still bubbling so I'm afraid to bottle. The temp in my garage is on average about 14C during the day and I have a heat pad on from midnight until 7am. I'm thinking maybe the yeast was too old and that's why it's taking so long? Had the Heineken kit for probably 6-8 months before using. Should I bottle? Tastes good but I don't want exploding bottles!

 

[Spartan 117]

OK, this has been fermenting for two weeks now. After the first week the sg was 1.016 and now it's 1.013. Still bubbling so I'm afraid to bottle. The temp in my garage is on average about 14C during the day and I have a heat pad on from midnight until 7am. I'm thinking maybe the yeast was too old and that's why it's taking so long? Had the Heineken kit for probably 6-8 months before using. Should I bottle? Tastes good but I don't want exploding bottles!

Take SG readings over the course of 3 days and if you get the same result each day then it should be readdy to bottle. Not an expert on yeast but as far as I'm aware so long as the packet wasn't exposed to excesive heat then it should be fine.

What bottles are you going to use plastic (PET) or glass and how will you prime?

GL

Aaron

 

[Eddicat]

OK thanks, I'll be using glass bottles and carbonation drops, hence the trepidation.

 

[manticle]

Airlock bubbling could just be carbon dioxide coming out of solution. 1013 is not so bad but measure it over a few days to make sure it's stable. If it's still dropping it's still fermenting.

Points often drop very slowly towards the end of ferment and it's better not to be in a rush. Colder weather can also make it harder. Was it an ale yeast that came with the kit?

 

[Eddicat]

Saflager S-23. It's been pretty cold here - close to zero some morns, that's why I've had the heat pad.

 

[manticle]

If it's lager yeast and you're fermenting at lager temps (between 7 and 12 degrees) it will take longer anyway.

It's worth it for the clean profile. Will you be cold conditioning/lagering?

 

[Eddicat]

I don't have a secondary fermenter, as this is my very first batch and actually I just had to look up "lagering" to understand your question! I would be happy to give it a try if you can give me some pointers. I gather I am to transfer to a secondary fermenter and store at 10C less than primary stage temp for a few weeks?

 

[manticle]

Yes. You can transfer to secondary to allow fermentation to finish and the beer to mature. Technically it should spend a couple of days at higher temperature during this time (about 18 deg) to allow a compund called diacetyl to dissipate/be cleaned up by the yeast. Diacetyl leads to buttery flavours in beer. Allow temp to slowly drop again and when fermentation is complete, place fermenter in fridge at about 2 deg and let sit for as long as you think you can. A few days will make a difference but as you invest more time in your brews you may be willing to leave it weeks or months.

If you want to keep it simple though - even placing your primary container in the fridge for a week after fermentation is finished will make a huge difference. I'd recommend doing this for your first attempt. When you notice how much of a difference it can make (nice, clean, clear beer) you can look at fooling around with more complicated methods. The objective is to make beer which you have done. The next objective is to make better beer but don't stress about the processes too much. Drink, learn, improve etc.

Hopefully my interpretation of this http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter10.html and this http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter8-2-3.html is correct as I'd hate to lead you astray. I have made what I consider tasty, clean extract and partial lagers before following the above method but I'm not necessarily expert enough to pick out subtle flaws.

 

[altone]

Manticle is putting you on the right path as he usually does.

One little reminder from me, don't skip the diacetyl rest - it'll help get rid of any nasty flavours that have built up in
primary esp. if you happened to ferment a bit high on the temp range.

I do a 48 hr rest ( letting temp gradually rise) as a matter of course.

Regardless, it'll taste better than the bulk swill most folks drink. :icon_cheers:

 

[Eddicat]

Thanks once again guys for babysitting me through this. I feel much more confident of getting a half decent result now after reading your advice. I'm not particularly in a hurry so may try the diacetyl rest but then again I might just plonk it in the fridge as Manticle suggests. I'll sleep on it and decide after I check the sg tomorrow. The sg today was about the same as yesterday, maybe .001 lower. Tasted pleasant enough and the wife even said it was OK!

 

[Yeastie Beastie]

Saflager S-23. It's been pretty cold here - close to zero some morns, that's why I've had the heat pad.

I face the same issue with zeros, found THIS thread on AHB and found it quite informative.
Hope it helps.

Kev.