HELP! I think my first batch may be dodgy!

[PattyT]

Hi guys,

I put my first batch down on Saturday (5 days ago) in a sterile and airtight fermenter (My mate with several years experience helped me get setup and showed me the ropes). I have had very minimal activity from the hydro lock since putting it down and today decided to take a hydrometer reading in a sample tube.I spun the hydrometer like you're supposed to and It is showing quite a low sg. The fermented smells extremely sharp and acidy which is very different to what I've experienced with brewing with my dad and mates.
I have a scum ring and slight foaming on the top of the wash in the fermenter so it looks like its brewing but I feel like the sg should surely be higher after 5 days than just over 1.0 and whilst it should smell like a brewery it shouldn't smell like acid.... please correct me if I'm wrong, I'm here to learn!

It was a mangrove Jack's golden lager kit.

Any advice would be great!

 

[stewy]

Hi mate. Firstly, you have a Krausen ring which means fermentation is occurring.

Many variables to consider. I will start with asking what temperature did you ferment at? Do you have temp control?

 

[droid]

Hi mate,

Welcome along.

If your bud is close by then get him to have a look. It doesn't sound abnormal. There's an absolute shitload of questions that you will need to ask, over time - don't be afraid to ask, I'm always asking shit.

 

[SergeMarx]

The smell of young beer is always different to the finished matured product... but 1.000 does seem a bit low, and the acidic note is also an alarm bell. Have a taste and see if it's sour and acidic. If so, is it nice? Welcome to your first sour beer, if not, give it more time to clean up.

 

[PattyT]

It's been sitting between 18℃ (overnight) and 26℃ (day time) according to the thermometer on my fermenter.
I'm brewing basic and old school
Just jam it in the corner of the garage and leave it alone was the plan. The lack of vapour was what drew my attention originally which led to my (possible excessive) curiosity and the hydrometer check.
I'm using the hydrometer that came with the Morgan's brewing kit from my local brew shop with a testing tube I bought there too.

The note about the yeast makes alot of sense! I'll look at keeping the correct cultures for the kind of beer I brew to drink myself.

The wash just seems to smell very acidic which is very different to what I've experienced with my mate's and dad's brews just before bottling.

I was thinking that the acidic smell could indicate an infection but would that not normally stop the fermentation process?

Thanks for the help so far. I'll try and get my mate over asap but he's away this weekend being Easter and all.

 

[manticle]

Infection just means a micro organism other than the yeast you added is fermenting the beer.

Co2 gas en masse can be quite sharp so if you just took the lid off the fermenter as opposed to smelling and tasting a small sample, that might be it.

Very low sg can be indicative of infection - if it tastes sour or acidic then it's definitely gone tits up.

Try and keep your next closer to a constant 18-20. Water baths, wet towels and fans are lo fi methods of doing that.

 

[damoninja]

CO2 will burn your nostrils

Actually it's not the CO2 it's H2CO3 (carbonic acid) which comes in weak concentration when you dissolve CO2 in water. Same reason burping it burns your nose and tingles your tongue, it's just in higher concentration. And it smells acidic because, well, it's an acid.

It'll be distinctly different from an acidic taste as the guys mentioned.

Million dollar question, how's it taste?

 

[PattyT]

Just tasted it and it's not too bad. Still weak as hell! Not really sour but more like soda water mixed with the dregs of a glass of beer.....

 

[damoninja]

Just tasted it and it's not too bad. Still weak as hell! Not really sour but more like soda water mixed with the dregs of a glass of beer.....

1.000 will do that. Going to guess it's a light kit and 1kg dextrose?

 

[PattyT]

Wasn't supposed to be a light kit was supposed to be mid strength with 0.5 kg dex then 2 bottle drops per bottle for second stage

 

[manticle]

Light as in colour, not gravity.
Pale.

 

[PattyT]

It's not a pale ale kit if that's what is being referred to.
Yes it would be light in colour given its a lager kit I wouldn't expect a blackened colour from a "golden lager" kit I don't think. Unless something has gone hire boy wrong lol.

It looks the colour it should be, it's just light in SG sitting barely over 1 but was been gradually increasing the last 2 days it's now sitting a fraction higher in SG but still not where I'd like it. I'm gonna leave it until monday to bottle so it has an extra 2 days to ferment. See how we go

 

[droid]

probably not a bad time to get into the nuts and bolts of it a bit, while you wait...

when you say 1 are you reading it as 1.010?
or 1 as in 1.000

Can you list the ingredients?
The Total Volume in the fermenter
Original Gravity
Temp you put the yeast in at

as you move along...or down the slippery slope it will be more and more important to be able to look back over your brew stats, so keep a book of your vitals if you're not. Better still use a spreadsheet or software making it easier to plan, review etc

 

[manticle]

Ok. I think you're reading the hydrometer wrong. Gravity should drop as fermentation continues.

So a mix of a kit and a kilo of sugar might give 1.040 (often written as 1040). Add yeast and it should drop towards 1.010 or lower.

Pure water at about 20 deg C should read 1.000.

 

[PattyT]

It's sitting round 1020-1025 depending on the sample

 

[PattyT]

It was a kit so not really many ingredients to list.
Just the kit and .5 kg dex
It's been sitting at 22℃ since I put it in a cooler spot was at 24℃Max before that. Original SG was 1035

I'm just gonna bottle it tomorrow and see how it goes in a couple of weeks in the bottles. Knowing me it'll turn out fine and I'm worrying about nothing. Had an experienced mate come look and he said leave it the extra 2 days (to bottle tomorrow) and it'll be fine "probably"

 

[damoninja]

In the ingredients you left out water, given the other ingredients and it's 1.035 assume it's 20 litres.

So to get this straight, it's been 8 days and your gravity has dropped from 1.035 to ~1.020? Should be further along after 8 days

 

[manticle]

Don't bottle at 1.025 please.

 

[manticle]

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/articles/article130.html

 

[manticle]

Apologies for the use of two exclamation marks in that article. Not sure what was going through my head.