Hydrometer Help Please

[paddys]

Hey guys hope your all well, i took my first reading today, the hydrometer that i got in the brewcraft beginners kit was reading 10.20 on the green strip that stats Beer ????? i could not help my self i had a taste was crap like wine have i destroyed my brew by it getting to hot?, i also have orange floaty things on top of the beer is that normal? your help is needed and i thanks you in advance,
thanks Guys

Patrick

 

[geoffi]

Orange floating things sounds better than brown floating things, but not much.

How long has your brew been in the fermenter? If it's only been in there a few days or even a week, I'd leave it a while longer and see what happens.

High temperatures are a brewer's enemy generally, and can lead to weird flavours and also infections. How high did the temp get?

Anything you can do to keep fermentation temps down to low 20s at the most, and preferably high teens (assuming you're brewing an ale) will help.

What did you use for sanitising your fermenter? The sodium metabisulphate usually provided with these kits is not really up to the job. If you don't have any already, get yourself something like Iodophor or Starsan. These really take the lead pipe and the blowtorch to the nasties that want to hijack your brew. Thorough cleaning and drying of all equipment after use, plus thorough sanitising before use = happiness. Cutting corners and general slackness = misery.

 

[paddys]

thanks Geoff, i believe the most it got up to was 25 degress, it has been in the fermenter for about 8 days, i hope to make and i use the word hope to make munich larger, i also used boiling water to disinfect my fermenter, thought that would kill any nastys, the orange things are the same colour as the krausen ring at the top of the fermenter,
cheers patrick

 

[chappo1970]

Welcome Paddy

Ok need to know to help ya:
What you are brewing?
What you used, ingredients wise?
Yeast used?
Temperature fermented at?
If you took a SG (Starting Gravity)?
How long in the fermenter?

1020 would indicate you have fermention. Orange thing sounds funky gotta camera take a photo and post it up

 

[mika]

....the orange things are the same colour as the krausen ring at the top of the fermenter....

Sounds like you're looking at suspended yeast then, which would fit with the 1020 reading, you've still got a little way to go. BTW.. fermenting at 25 .... not good.

 

[seemax]

please tell me you're fermentor has a transparent lid and you're not opening it up to take your SG reading?

if you want munich lager, you'll need a lager yeast and temp controlled fridge (10C ideally)

spend a few hours reading the guides and forums, worth every second!

 

[Verbyla]

Ok well i'm assuming that your using a store bought brew kit.
The organge floating things are probably just clumps of yeast(common with store bought brewkits), so i wouldn't worry about that.
I'm guessing you used a brew kit from the store and it's usually okay to let the temperature get up to but no more than about 28 degrees as stated in the brew kit instructions.
If its your first time brewing with the fermenter then you most likely don't have an infection but next time I'd used a proper sanitizer and not just boiling water.
As for the taste. I find the my brews usually taste pretty bad after I've left them in the fermenter for around 2 weeks. The taste usually turns around after 3-4 weeks from when they were bottled. Even then it could be longer until they taste half decent

My advice could be wrong so don't take my word for it as i've never brewed a munich larger.

 

[Fourstar]

Ok,

-Brewcraft starter kit comes with a 'munich lager' kit. dont ask me how i know that h34r:
- The yeast in the lager is not lager yeast so its fermenting at ale temps, all good. the floaties are just top cropping ale yeasties munching your Mnchen Lagerbier!
- if you made the recipe up to the specs it should start around 1.045 - 1.050, if you are at 1.020, you are fermenting away, it should finish around 1.008~
- 25deg will throw off some solvent alc characteristics but wont kill your beer. If anything it may taste 'hot alc' vodkaish in the month due to the high ferment temps.

 

[paddys]

Many thnaks guys for all your input and tech knowledge, i know what i need to do now, at the brew shop they said at 22 degrees to 24 is ok, So i thought i was doing the right thing but any way i hope my beer is drinkable, thanks again guys
patrick

 

[technocat]

To the best of my knowledge most kit yeasts are ALE yeasts so a Munich Lager would be a bit of a misnomer <_<

 

[Screwtop]

Many thnaks guys for all your input and tech knowledge, i know what i need to do now, at the brew shop they said at 22 degrees to 24 is ok, So i thought i was doing the right thing but any way i hope my beer is drinkable, thanks again guys
patrick

This forum exists due to this sort of blanket approach advice from LHBS. Just ponder for a while the reasoning behind AHB now having some 9000+ members.

Screwy

 

[manticle]

To be fair the simplistic approach (and you can brew beer at 25+ degrees simply - it just tastes bad) probably gets more people into homebrewing. Those who want to improve will find a way.
I did.
I still will.

As a beginner, if a home brew shop gives you too much information, you almost want to throw your hands up in the air and shout "bugger it, I'll just buy a slab of toohey's red".






Almost

 

[Online Brewing Supplies]

This forum exists due to this sort of blanket approach advice from LHBS. Just ponder for a while the reasoning behind AHB now having some 9000+ members.

Screwy

LHBS do have a problem due to education but you quoting your LHBS reasons for this forum are wrong, 9000 + members,Yeh and they all post , not ! There about 30-50 regular posters only.Number of members are impressive but thats not telling the true story. Have a look at who posts the most , bet you its a retailer. :lol: Or Chappo
GB

 

[Online Brewing Supplies]

LHBS do have a problem due to education but you quoting your LHBS reasons for this forum are wrong, 9000 + members,Yeh and they all post , not ! There about 30-50 regular posters only.Number of members are impressive but thats not telling the true story. Have a look at who posts the most , bet you its a retailer. :lol: Or Chappo
GB

:excl:

 

[technocat]

We need Amanda from the LHBS Hobart on this forum. When it comes to homebrewing she is quite a formidable lady, or maybe she just might be and not letting on <_<