Just Made My First Brew

[Steve]

Do you think that by racking it today there will be any adverse effects?

No way - it'll be fine. Cant believe you've got anything left after all those readings :lol:

 

[mwd]

Don't forget that ale yeasts are generally 'top fermenters'. They float on the top when they are working then fall to the bottom when they have done.

That is why you do not have a thick carpet on the bottom of your primary.

Racking should not have any bad effects it should just continue to FG in the secondary.
You will need an airlock or gladwrap on your secondary though or you may come home to a giant bottle bomb.

 

[loikar]

No way - it'll be fine. Cant believe you've got anything left after all those readings :lol:

Wicked, Time for a beer then!

Yeah, since it's my first brew, I have been tasting it along the way to see how it changes in the fermenter.
I started off with 21.5 Litres....I'm down to 20

 

[loikar]

Don't forget that ale yeasts are generally 'top fermenters'. They float on the top when they are working then fall to the bottom when they have done.

That is why you do not have a thick carpet on the bottom of your primary.

Cool, cheers alls good then.

Racking should not have any bad effects it should just continue to FG in the secondary.
You will need an airlock or gladwrap on your secondary though or you may come home to a giant bottle bomb.

Yeah, drilled a hole in the lid and fitted an airlock, SHMBO will be looking after it in my absence.....god love her!

 

[buttersd70]

All is good, BF. You beer will be better for having racked it...it will have a proper secondary ferment, so it should atteuate out fully....by the time you get back, it'll probably be the ducks wotsits.
Once the fg has fully stabalised, just crash chill the beggar for a few days, and then should be good to go.

 

[smollocks]

Won't the finings that have been added retard the amount of secondary fermentation that can take place?

 

[buttersd70]

possibly. it might make the yeast floc out early, but at fermentation temps (instead of cold), there should still be ample in suspension anyway. And secondary fermentation is meant to be at a slower rate than primary fermentation. (although, having said that, I wouldn't have added the finings untill fg was reached...but it should be OK).

 

[loikar]

possibly. it might make the yeast floc out early, but at fermentation temps (instead of cold), there should still be ample in suspension anyway. And secondary fermentation is meant to be at a slower rate than primary fermentation. (although, having said that, I wouldn't have added the finings untill fg was reached...but it should be OK).

Butters.......fkn legend!

 

[buttersd70]

Butters.......fkn legend!

Of course I am.... :lol:

Point is , don't stress it. It's not f*n rocket science. If its off a bit, it's not the end of the world.....I was brewing today....missed my strike temp. Buggered up my sparge as a result....efficiency was down...but, what me worry? (insert Alfred E Neuman grin here.)....no, of course not. I know that the beer I've made today won't be exactly what I was planning on.....but it will be a nice beer, nonetheless. And that's the whole point. Just as an FYI.....traditional secondary (from an English perspective).....when 3 to 4 points over projected FG, the beer is racked, then crash chilled to 8C to drop some (but not all) of the yeast. Temp is then risen back to just under primary ferment temp. Less yeast + slightly cooler = slow finish to FG, which smooths the beer. (no point realy in doing this as written with a k&k, you won't notice the quality lift EDIT....not trying to denegate kit beers, but just stating a fact. No flaming from Extract aplogiststs, please. B) ). A;so bear in mind that this type of beer is meant to be drank within 21 days of primary finishing, which can't be done either in the bottle, or with a kit.
But it's something to aspire to...........

BF, check out the SA K&K swap....

 

[loikar]

Point is , don't stress it. It's not f*n rocket science.

Cheers mate, I hear ya.

It's more of me getting an understanding of the process, the changes that occur within the fermenter and basically the reasons why its better to do "X" rather than "Y" to get a better beer (that's where you come in ).
I can read info and watch videos until the cows come home and bugger off again, but as with most things, it's not until you're doing it that you actually get a grasp of what's going on or the fundamentals behind it.

Mate, don't tell the Mrs, but I plan on traveling the road to from K&K to AG, but when I get there, I want to be able to know the ins and outs as well as be able to make great beer.

So if drongo up the road reckons he farts into the airlock before filling it to get rid of any oxygen and he churns out good beer, I wanna know why and how, or if at all, maybe he's just full of S*it....pardon the pun

BF, check out the SA K&K swap....

yeah mate, I reckon I'll do one more K&K and a ginger beer for the boy (get him off my back), then I'll be moving onto extract. But I still might go check it out.

Cheers for all your thorough info mate, it's nice to know the science behind "X" and "Y".

 

[bozzy]

It's not f*n rocket science. If its off a bit, it's not the end of the world

its lucky for me that that's true (cause id have a snowflakes chance in hell in making something drinkable)

I can read info and watch videos until the cows come home and bugger off again, but as with most things, it's not until you're doing it that you actually get a grasp of what's going on or the fundamentals behind it.

Mate, don't tell the Mrs, but I plan on traveling the road to from K&K to AG, but when I get there, I want to be able to know the ins and outs as well as be able to make great beer.

Cheers for all your thorough info mate, it's nice to know the science behind "X" and "Y".

+1 I'm exactly the same. although i think ill continue to ignore the drunken locals around here.

 

[loikar]

NOT HAPPY!!

Got back from Sydney last night and took a gravity reading.....1015!! from 1017 on Saturday.

Spoke to SHMBO today about it and she said she saw our 13yo boy squeezing the fermentor to make the airlock bubble...
Spoke to the boy and he's confirmed this...he also said he's been topping the airlock up with the water that the fermenter is sitting in (which also has sinitiser in it)...so, it appears as though sanitiser has been sucked into wort.

So, now that I have removed my foot from his arse and cooled down a bit......do you reckon he's stuffed my beer?

Cheers lads,

P.S. Resches....FARK!....do you NSW'ers brew that shit with Salt Water???

 

[buttersd70]

Gawd.
I wouldn't worry too much about it, whats done is done.
Give the fermenter a gentle swirl to resuspend the yeast (without splashing), then raise the temp up to 20 (if it's not already there), and give it a few more days, then check it again. Sometimes they can be a wee bit slow at the end, it looks like this is one of those times.....it is still dropping, though, so thats a good thing. Check it again on, say, friday pm.

 

[loikar]

Just got done bottling!
Exactly 2 1/2 cartons!

Bottled at about 10C after 24hrs cold chilling and then racking onto my dextrose.
Tasted Great!!, if anything a little watery. I reckon a could have nailed a sixer today!

Cant wait for sample day in 2 weeks and then blotto day in 4

Hey Butters!, thanks for all your help mate! :beer:
Looks like my first brew is going to be a treat!!

I'll let you know in 2 and 4 weeks

 

[mckenry]

Cant wait for sample day in 2 weeks and then blotto day in 4

I'll let you know in 2 and 4 weeks

Better get brewing again :super:

 

[buttersd70]

Hey Butters!, thanks for all your help mate! :beer:
Looks like my first brew is going to be a treat!!

A pleasure....you spawned one of the funniest threads on here in ages, gave me a great idea for updating my sig, got me off my arse to finaly write an article about priming, and made the mistake of offering me a beer (given that we live in the same city, and I drink like a f*kin fish....offering me a drink gets the same results as pouring your whole batch on the garden. :lol: ). All in all, a good result.

btw, what part of town are you in?

Better get brewing again

100% agree.....nothing worse than running out.

 

[loikar]

A pleasure....you spawned one of the funniest threads on here in ages, gave me a great idea for updating my sig, got me off my arse to finaly write an article about priming, and made the mistake of offering me a beer (given that we live in the same city, and I drink like a f*kin fish....offering me a drink gets the same results as pouring your whole batch on the garden. :lol: ). All in all, a good result.

btw, what part of town are you in?

There ya go mate, win-win!
Mate, drink as much as you like, but if you DO tip it on the garden, you better bring some of your own 'cos fish 'aint got sh*t on me

Down south mate, About a 10min walk from the Onka river mouth.

 

[buttersd70]

There ya go mate, win-win!
Mate, drink as much as you like, but if you DO tip it on the garden, you better bring some of your own 'cos fish 'aint got sh*t on me

Down south mate, About a 10min walk from the Onka river mouth.

What I meant was, I'll drink you dry.....Muckey is an expert at having Butters over, then mysteriously running out of beer! :lol:

opposite end of town, though...

 

[Gavo]

What I meant was, I'll drink you dry.....Muckey is an expert at having Butters over, then mysteriously running out of beer! :lol:

Yeah, what I understand is that it takes butters at least half a keg to brew a keg.

Cheers
Gavo.

Edit: and watch out for your fridge if he has a marker on hand.

 

[loikar]

What I meant was, I'll drink you dry.....Muckey is an expert at having Butters over, then mysteriously running out of beer! :lol:

opposite end of town, though...

Yeah I got that after re-reading your post, after i already posted my reply......must be the 6-pack i had for lunch. :blink:

Yeah, funny that....from what i can tell, I'm the only South rAdelaide Brewer on AHB. :super:
So cheers to that.....time for afternoon tea (AKA - Beer)