How Do You Think My First Brews Are Going? (pics)

[frenzix]

Howdy people,

my first post and first brews. I have put down coopers stout and coopers lager in these two fermenters i picked up. They sit at a nice 24-26 in the hot water system cabinet. They both smell great, but as i said this is my first brew and am not sure if they are going fine... do they look "normal" in the photos? Should i see bubbles in the airlocks? cause i'm not maybe it's like that toaster theorie? Anyway thanks for the help in advance.

~frenzix

 

[Corey]

The condensation on the lid and bubles on the surface are a good sign. No bubles in the airlock could be a result of a poor seal on your lid.

24-26C is probably a tad high, but should still be OK - 20-22C would be ideal.

 

[Gough]

G'day Frenzix, welcome to the board...

Need a bit more info on the beers to really comment. How long have they been down? Don't sweat the lack of bubbles, you may just have a slight fermenter leak somewhere. Especially at 24+ degrees if they have been down for more than 8 hours with the Coopers yeasts I would have thought you would have had a stronger krausen (foamy layer on top of brew) by now. Still, the best way is to use your hydrometer (if you have one) to check the gravity. 2 readingsthe same in 24-48 hours and it has probably finished fermenting. Where it will finish depends on a lot of factors, but around 1010 is pretty common - higher if you've used lots of unfermentables, lower if you've used the kilo of sugar Coopers suggests.

Everything is probably OK. Post some more info and we'll try and give you some more help.

Good luck,

Shawn.

 

[dreamboat]

I forgot how clean new gear, even fermenters, can look.


dreamboat

 

[frenzix]

wow thanks fellas, this board is quick at replying.

Ok here the story goes... I used 1 KG of dextrose in each, and the standard dry coopers yeast. They have been down for coming up to three days tonight. I checked the OG before i ut the yeast in and all was sweet. (i have one of those that say beer "start" and "finish", lazy mans choice) I think the foam has died down a bit now??? for say a day ago. Damn those instructions in the can, they aren't clear enough about things hey? Both fermenters are brand new, so possible the seals are a bit tougher than older ones to press down hey? Should i just open them up again and stick in the hydrometer, and steralise it for both batches?

Ta!

frenzix

 

[Corey]

Yep - sterlise the hydrometer and take readings of both brews. At those temps fermentation is probably close to finished.

Good luck with it.

These articles are particularly useful for new brewers who want to make better beer.

http://www.oz.craftbrewer.org/Library/Meth.../ShortKit.shtml

http://www.oz.craftbrewer.org/Library/Meth...itImprove.shtml

http://www.oz.craftbrewer.org/Library/Meth...artingout.shtml

 

[frenzix]

great, thanks corey. So does it matter much if they have been ready to bottle a while back? Now to find my bottling tools hmmmm.... .

 

[Gough]

All sounds pretty good then frenzix. Don't 'rush' to bottle too early though. Make sure it has fully fermented out or you'll end up with exploding bottles/overcarbonated beer. Giving the yeasties a few extra days to tidy up after themselves never hurts either. 3 days is in my opinion too soon to be bottling, but it is up to you. As someone has already said, for your next brew, try and keep the temps down a bit. Don't panic too much, but you'll notice an improvement in flavour if you can get it below about 22 for most of your ales. 24 is not the end of the world though, especially for your first go.

Another good site to add to those suggested is www.howtobrew.com which has helped lots of us on this forum - especially me!

Good luck,

Shawn.

 

[Corey]

You won't have any problems after 3 days. At 24-26C I wouldn't leave the beer on the yeast cake for more than 7 days.

If you left the beer in the primary fermenter for 2 or more weeks at 24-26C then you might get autolysis (basically yeast eating yeast). This results in a vegemite flavour (I've never tasted it though).

A lot of the guys on this site (including myself) transfer to a secondary fermenter for a further period of time when fermentation is close to complete. Have a read up on racking and cold conditioning when you get a chance.

 

[Corey]

Sorry - I meant that there would be nothing wrong with your beer after only 3 days. I agree with Gough, 3 days is too early to bottle. Leave it until the weekend at least.

 

[frenzix]

thanks again, just settles my mind hehe. I just took readings and they seem to need a little more in there. they are just below the green line on the hydrometer. Can't see the reading as the light is very crap in that room. It's just above the "10" mark.

Sorry bout all the photos, but i like to document stuff.

Cheers ! Tim

 

[dreamboat]

Looking at the tide mark inside your fermenters (High-Krausen line), it would look like your beer is pretty much fermented out. the hydrometer reading down towards 1.010 would also back this up.
Definately leave it to sit for another couple of days, by then, if there is any sugar left it would have been consumed, so will not contribute to bottle bombs.


dreamboat

 

[frenzix]

great, thanks again people. I am reading up on the howtobrew site, but just needed some quick pointers as i was getting a little worried. Will be bottling them on Saturday me thinks. I'll post some pictures of myself naked bottling.

that was a joke.

Cheers, Tim

 

[Tallgum]

great, thanks again people. I am reading up on the howtobrew site, but just needed some quick pointers as i was getting a little worried. Will be bottling them on Saturday me thinks. I'll post some pictures of myself naked bottling.

that was a joke.

Cheers, Tim

Yeah Tim, if youre taking pictures of yourself bottling while naked just dont cock it up.

 

[frenzix]

bwahaha

 

[big d]

great pix frenzix
next time just take your og/fg samples via the tap and leave the lid on.less chance of infection.otherwise looking the goods.
and welcome to the site.

cheers
big d

 

[Trough Lolly]

Welcome to the group Frenzix,
Your beers are looking ok - as the guys have pointed out, your krausen has left a ring on the fermenter walls and dropped back into the fermenter so the bulk of the fermentation is probably done. If you have a look in the bottom of the fermenter (after you empty it) you'll see a cake of mud in the bottom - it's spent yeast and trub from the brew.
Don't worry about how long your beer is in primary for - I have a Dunkelweizen that will be 3 weeks old in primary this Saturday (which is when I plan to bottle it!). I want to keep the yeast notes in this style of beer so I won't rack to secondary, which as Corey pointed out, is something that a lot of us do to help clarify and bulk condition the brew. It's not unusual for a Lager to take at least 2 weeks in primary when you ferment at low temps.
Anyway, all the best and enjoy your own beer!
Cheers,
TL

 

[frenzix]

great thanks again guys. I will take my readings out side of the fermenter next time, just been reading how its just another chance for the bad guys to get in. The Hydrometer i got has a plastic case that looks like you could fill with the beer and do the reading in?? i'll check that. I just didnt want to waste any of the precious liquid. I think I'll have to try that secondry fermenter thing too.

frenzix

 

[Snow]

Yeah Tim, just watch out what you're capping! Welcome to the forum and congratulations on putting your first brews down!

If you can get the fermenters out of the heater closet and get the temps down to 18-20C, I would suggest you leave them be for another week before bottling. Your beer will condition faster when it's in bulk and it will clear a little better before you bottle.

For your next batches, you should get yourself another fermenter and rack (transfer) the beer to the secondary fermenter after the first week. This gets the beer off the dead yeast, rouses the live yeast and lets you condition your beer for longer without risk of yeast autolysis.

Also check out www.howtobrew.com if you haven't already. This is the brewers bible and your skills and knowledge will skyrocket after reading even the first couple of chapters.

Good luck and enjoy this addictive hobby!

Cheers - Snow.

 

[devilsaltarboy]

great pix frenzix
next time just take your og/fg samples via the tap and leave the lid on.less chance of infection.otherwise looking the goods.
and welcome to the site.

cheers
big d

Sorry to jump in here but I would suggest against people taking samples from the tap, I have had a case from a friend who had the head of the tap became infected due to residual beer and we had to do some surgery to ensure it didnt spread to rest of the beer. I only use tap when im emptying whole fermenter to another fermenter or am bottling. I use a 100mL pipette to take samples for gravity measurements through the airlock hole. I know Im being perdantic here and yes taking samples from tap is much better than opening the lid but if you do clean the head of the tap using boiling water, paper towels and sanitising agent.
Cheers
peter