***help New Brewer Plse***

[cosmo]

Hi guys new brewer here over in nz,got a complete brew kit for birthday and read instructions couple time and cleaned everything so put a brew down on sunday and have been away since monday (has been in hot water cupboard ) but still hasnt seem to take off eg not bubbling thru airlock or anything what can i do plse.
any help appreciated cheers

 

[big78sam]

I'm hurrying off home now but this might help.

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum//ind...?showtopic=9233

(Where's butters when you need him????)

 

[Yob]

Hi guys new brewer here over in nz,got a complete brew kit for birthday and read instructions couple time and cleaned everything so put a brew down on sunday and have been away since monday (has been in hot water cupboard ) but still hasnt seem to take off eg not bubbling thru airlock or anything what can i do plse.
any help appreciated cheers

lov eto help but have a few questions first..

what sort of brew mate?
what temp is it at?
what yeast did you use? what temp was the brew when you put in hte yeast?
what was your og reading? what does it read now?

It may seem like alot of questions man but better responses can be made with a bit more info..

 

[cosmo]

cheers for that big78sam yep have read that main post several times as i say Q is can i do anything to get it to take off or what do i do

 

[daveHQ]

is there consensation under the lid? if so then it could be that the lid isn't on properly

is it a screw on lid? i have trouble sometimes getting my lid to seal

 

[cosmo]

hey iamozzyyob kit was a coopers lager,temp was 24 has dropped to 20 now,used yeast supplied and sprinkled on top as shown on dvd,didnt take the readings and still havent should i try that.
can i put more yeast in now hahahaha save it for me wifeessss started

 

[Yob]

Reading!!! Only way to knowfor sure is a gravity reading mate.. airlock means little if there is not a propper seal and it's easy not to get one
.. I do respect your decision though not to waste a single drop along the way.. commendable

seriously though.. reading?

 

[cdbrown]

Is there any foam forming at the top of the liquid?

Never rely on the airlock as a guide - there are too many ways for the gas to escape than just the airlock. A lot of people, myself included, have ditched the lid and airlock and just have glad wrap over the opening which is held down by the lid's o-ring. Allows you to see inside which is very helpful.

Also when doing brews - the only true way to tell for fermentation is changes in gravity. Always measure the gravity at the start, then again after 4 days (or earlier if you think it's not going) and see if it's changed. When it's constant over a few days at a level you think it should be that's a good indication it's finished. Test the brew before you think about adding new yeast.

If it's constant and high then the yeast has stalled. Picking the fermenter up and gently swirling it trying not to splash can help get the yeast going. Do it as often as you remember. Increasing the temp slightly to 23-25 can also get them going to finish off.

Good luck

 

[Andrew Coleman]

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...?showtopic=8326

what i do if in doubt...

- Make shure fermenter is airtight by tightening lid and checking for the water in the airlock to be at different levels on each bulb,,

- If it's still not bubbling away then give the fermenter a slight shake to wake the yeast up, make shure its fermenting at the right temp (lagers 9C - 15C, ales 15C - 22C)

- Wait two/three days and if no bubbling try the beer, if it tastes dry and beer like it's been fermenting and if it's still sweet it hasn't and i'd add another yeast.

...Wait a further week and then either rack to secondary, keg or simply bottle your beer.

This is fine but the best was is to take a gravity reading and if it reads the same over 3 days and it tastes like beer its good for bottling

 

[manticle]

It's all been said. Disregard the airlock and take a gravity reading. If it's lower than the first (presuming you took one) then it's fermenting.

 

[cosmo]

cheers guys ok tightened the lid up some more after putting another litre of hot water in and now it seems to be working thru the air lock,although when i opened lid there seemed to be a little blue scum on top on top

 

[benno1973]

How hot was the water? If you added boiling water, you may have killed the yeast, and the airlock bubbling may just be steam being vented.

 

[Yob]

cheers guys ok tightened the lid up some more after putting another litre of hot water in and now it seems to be working thru the air lock,although when i opened lid there seemed to be a little blue scum on top on top

PHOTOS!!

 

[cosmo]

will try and get you some,will be hacked off if dosent work after all the effort hahaha cleaned out gutter and set up drum underneath to collect rain water,cleaned that out several times before letting it fill for what i wanted and then got my 25 litres and boiled that all up hahaha

 

[enoch1973]

I'm nervous now that you have mentioned rain water... I hop you boiled it all before using any of it for the beer.

 

[cosmo]

yes i boiled it all and then let it cool before putting it in a bucket and boiling up more

 

[flattop]

Hmm seems like you need to do a little reading Cosmo otherwise you are just going to waste your ingredients and time and end up with a not so great brew.

Try to use water that has been pre-boiled and cooled to room temp or at least tap water that may have less bacteria than stuff off the roof.
Yeast "generally" makes a better brew below 22*c, above that and you may start making and tasting the wrong sorts of alcohol. A range of 14*-20* is probably fine for a newbie.
Never a good idea to drop boiling water into a fermenting brew (or non fermenting).
Airlocks often leak around the grommet, lids often leak around the o ring.
Yeast does not spring to "visible life" in an hour (although occasionally it may happen)
Patience is needed with your brews, some yeast wont seem to fire for 24 hours.

If all else fails do not throw your brew out, the wort may still be good, you may just need fresh yeast, buy a new pack from a home brew store and consider re-hydrating it or making a starter.
Stick with it though and it will all fall into place

 

[jkirky]

will try and get you some,will be hacked off if dosent work after all the effort hahaha cleaned out gutter and set up drum underneath to collect rain water,cleaned that out several times before letting it fill for what i wanted and then got my 25 litres and boiled that all up hahaha

Just a suspicion, but you msy have killed it with kindness...

Brewing beer aint hard. But when your new its all foreign to us...

Just ensure you sanitise well and keep the brew between 18-24 degrees when fermenting and all will be sweet. i brew at 16 but with safale
(non standard) yeast but can yeast keep it over 18. Hot water bottles work a treat.

Try not to "mess" with it or worry bout it. Just let it work.

 

[michaelcocks]

hey iamozzyyob kit was a coopers lager,temp was 24 has dropped to 20 now,used yeast supplied and sprinkled on top as shown on dvd,didnt take the readings and still havent should i try that.
can i put more yeast in now hahahaha save it for me wifeessss started

Yes take a reading and post please ...

 

[Pennywise]

,although when i opened lid there seemed to be a little blue scum on top

This doesn't sound good at all. Photo's, yes please