Help Needed - I Stuffed It!

[jurule]

Well i just started my first brew in 5 yrs...
Problem is when i went to fill the tub, i "thought" as my last one did, it would have a 23l line marked on it.

It didnt, so in a mad panic i guessed. I filled it to the handles or just below. I have been told this is more than 23 l, maybe 25. I am brewing a Cream Ale with a Coopers Sparkling wort,. What effect will the extra couple litres of water have and will it ruin it or will it be okay?

Cheers

 

[Adamt]

It will just dilute things a little. I doubt you'll notice it!

 

[schooey]

Do you have a hydrometer? Do you know what your target OG was? Worst comes to worse it will still ferment ok but won't be as high in abv as what you originally wanted., and maybe a bit thin in body. If you want to bump up the abv, you could always add a little more adjunct (sugar, LDME) to get to your target gravity.

 

[Rurik]

The only thing that is going to happen is that the Original Gravity (OG) is going to be a bit lower, making your beer slightly less alcoholic and a bit thinner in the mouth & maybe a bit watery. There is not much you can do except to add a bit more malt to it, this would improve the body & increase the alcohol levels of it but I personally would not bother (not knowning exactly how much wort you have and what the OG was) just chalk it up as a learning experience.

Any more questions Just ask

Rurik

 

[jurule]

Thanks people im hoping maybe cos it has one of those brew booster packs it might just be a slightly lighter taste in the end which aint a bad thing on a really hot day i guess, as long as its still drinkable.

I will have to get a a measuring jug for next time now i know it doesnt have a line on the barrel!!

God i was screaming :angry:

 

[buttersd70]

I will have to get a a measuring jug for next time now i know it doesnt have a line on the barrel!!

God i was screaming :angry:

Once the brew is done, and it's time to clean the fermenter, measure the water that you add for cleaning, and take the opportunity to mark the levels on the outside with a permanant marker. Personaly, I make one mark per litre betweeen 18-25L.

 

[Bribie G]

If you are aiming for 22.5 L in the bottles, i.e. 30 by 750mls then you probably need to head for nearly 24 litres anyway, especially if you are going to rack to secondary, rack to a spare fermenter for bulk priming whatever as there is wastage at every step. You shouldn't be too far off the mark.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

You will only drop about 5-6 SG point, giving you an Alc % reduction of about 0.6%

Not to much to worry about

 

[clean brewer]

The Coopers fermenters are out by 1 litre, the 23ltr mark on it is actually 24ltrs.. Ive got a Brigalow one aswell and the 23ltr mark is just at the bottom of the handles..

:icon_chickcheers:

 

[jurule]

Well my brew is now up to day 10 and it is still bubbling once about every half hour and has been about this slow the last few days. I would have thought it would have been finished by now. Is this something to worry about?

Cheers peoples

 

[warra48]

Well my brew is now up to day 10 and it is still bubbling once about every half hour and has been about this slow the last few days. I would have thought it would have been finished by now. Is this something to worry about?

Cheers peoples

Don't rely on your airlock or lack of bubbling as evidence of completion of fermentation.
The occasional bubbling is most likely dissolved CO coming out of solution.

Your hydrometer is your friend, and stable readings over 2 or 3 days will indicate you are ready to bottle your brew.

 

[gap]

Take hydrometer readings, that wuil tell you if the fermentation is finished. Check that the readinf=g is the same for 2 days.

The bubbling you are seeing could be CO2 coming out of solution.

Graeme

Edit. Beaten to it - just about word for word.

 

[jurule]

Damn will have to actually buy one, in the past i have just gone on the airlock Thanks for the help

 

[gap]

Damn will have to actually buy one, in the past i have just gone on the airlock Thanks for the help

If you bottle rather than kegging the hydrometer would be one of the most important pieces of equipment you could buy.
Regards

Graeme

 

[buttersd70]

Airlocks are no indication of fermentation....they can fail to bubble when fermentation is going strong, and they can bubble slowly when fermentation has stopped. (pressure, temp fluctuations, co2 escaping from suspension, etc).

Take a hydrometer reading. Then take another tomorrow. If in doubt, take a third the day after....if all are the same (and it's not ridiculously high), it's done. Regardless of what the airlock says.

 

[jurule]

Well i cant get a hydrometer tomorrow so i was thinking about bottling tomorrow, what yas think, it will be 11 days tomoz. Just put finings in then...

 

[flattop]

As for the Fermenter, i don't know which type you have but i have a cheap Bunnings one without a scale on it, i fill it to the bottom of the handles and it works well!
After 11 days it's probably finished but if you are bottling in glass with no FG reading you may want to give it a couple more just to avoid the bottle bombs.

 

[jurule]

Ok, next Q...
I go to a place called brewmaker where they sell the cans and 1kg bag of mixed gear which is where ive started. And they just say to mix and match one with another to get the style ya want..

Now, are these the brew shops where i can actually buy all the ingredients separate to make my own brew such as ones from the recipe list on this site or will i have to go elsewhere?

I didnt get the feeling the guy at the brew shop was into anything more complex than selling his kits...

Where in Adelaide should i go for the best advice/ingredients that is the main question here

 

[buttersd70]

Where in Adelaide should i go for the best advice/ingredients that is the main question here

In Adelaide?

No question, to get grains and hops for steeping, or to move away from kits altogether, Beerbelly. website is here (username on AHB is Domonsura)
Wayne sells some extract, but not kits. He specialises in hops, grains, and yeast. Excellent service (even if he is a kiwi )

If you want kits, booster packs and stuff like that, theres a place on NE road that apparantly is pretty good....but can't for the life of me remember the name of it. Haven't dealt with him myself, but have heard good things from others.

Alternatively, Brad and Phil from stillbrewing here
Online ony, but the guys have their contact details on their site. Hand delivered in adelaide metro, and nice guys, very knowledgable.

 

[razE]

Ok, next Q...
I go to a place called brewmaker where they sell the cans and 1kg bag of mixed gear which is where ive started. And they just say to mix and match one with another to get the style ya want..

Now, are these the brew shops where i can actually buy all the ingredients separate to make my own brew such as ones from the recipe list on this site or will i have to go elsewhere?

I didnt get the feeling the guy at the brew shop was into anything more complex than selling his kits...

Where in Adelaide should i go for the best advice/ingredients that is the main question here

If your currently just using a can of a goo, maltodextrin or dextrose and the yeast on top of the can you could add some light or dark dried malt extract and boil it up with some extra hops and a better quality yeast. Also if you dont already ferment in a tempreture controlled environment and have an old fridge or bar fridge you can squeeze a fermenter into it, it would definately be worth investing in a fridgemate tempreture controller for it. Here is a link for my LHBS that can hook you up with one if you cant find one locally.

Alot of the recipes on this site are for all grain brewers who have the equipment to make beer from cracked grain (mash tun, boil kettle, burner + extras). If your interested in Ag brewing check out you tube, there are some good videos on there! Happy brewing

http://www.craftbrewer.com.au/shop/details.asp?PID=718