Lesser Of Two Evils? Opinions Appreciated.

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kario

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Situation:
I have two kits on:
1. Coopers Wheat:
1.5Kg LME
- 8 days in
- OG 1.050
- SG 1.012

2. Coopers Stout:
- 1.5Kg DME
- 250gm Dex (added day 4)
- 8 days in
- OG 1.050
- SG 1.014

Haven't taken a hydro reading prior to tonight.

Both are still bubbly in the hydrometer tube (taste almost fully carbonated)(need to be very carefull pouring a sample as I get quite a head in the test tube)

I feel they both need 2 or 3 more days.

Problem is, I leave tomorrow for an 11 day trip (thought they would have been ready by tonight). (That would make it 19-20 days in the fermenter).

Do I botle tonight? or not?

I feel anxious about leaving them for another 11 days......but I also don't want overcarbonated beer.

:unsure:
What to do????
:unsure:
 
Leave it till you get back. I regularly leave my ales 3 weeks in the fermenter with good effect.
 
Enjoy your trip. You certainly won't end up with overcarbonated beer just because you left them on the fermenter for 11 extra days (a number of other factors come into play for overcarbonated beer).

19 days in the primary fermenter is nothing to worry about IMHO... if you could rack them and CC them then wacky -doo but its no big deal otherwise.
 
It looks to me that your wheat needs another 10 days and your stout about 12 days....all ******* good...

have a nice holiday
 
HAHA!....thanks Yum Beer...you certainly know how to put things into perspective!

I get the drift fellas...thanks...I feel much better now...I'll leave 'em till I get back.

:D
 
How do u get overcarbed beer.from leaving in a fermentor??? ... U cant. I assume u mean something else cause ur beer xant be carbonated before u bottle/keg it.

If u bottle early u get overcarbed beef or bottle bombs. Cool the feremtirs down if u want and make the yeast go.dormant or leave it. So long as its not hot ie over 22C. But 3weeks in a ferementkr is fine. Mine stay in at least 2 weeks
 
How do u get overcarbed beer.from leaving in a fermentor??? ... U cant. I assume u mean something else cause ur beer xant be carbonated before u bottle/keg it.

If u bottle early u get overcarbed beef or bottle bombs. Cool the feremtirs down if u want and make the yeast go.dormant or leave it. So long as its not hot ie over 22C. But 3weeks in a ferementkr is fine. Mine stay in at least 2 weeks

I'm assuming the beer would be overcarbonated if I bottle it early....ie tonight.

I'm afraid that leaving it too long could see it spoil or pick up undesirable flavours.

I Blame the friggin cans! Or the Coopers website...they're the ones that say it should ready to bottle in 4-9 days!
 
I DO feel that all of my beers so far (a whopping 6 kits in total) have been slightly overcarbonated. No head problems or anything like that, just a little too fizzy compared to commercial stuff.
 
How are you priming your bottles?
 
I would leave them till you get back.

Doing anything else would only be guess work ie. Bottling with less sugar.
 
just leave the beers in primary. if anything your beer will end up cleaner with the extra time.
 
How are you priming your bottles?

Bulk Prime...I've been blaming my scales for the over carbonation so far.....they're 5kg scales.....hehe....so 180-190gms isn't quite so easy to measure.

:rolleyes:
 
ahhh, ok...just noticed the drop down menu...cool...thanks!
 
Agree with using a bulk priming calculator, I generally only use 150gm of dextrose.

Woolworths/Safeway have Woolworths brand electronic scales for about $20. They are perfect for measuring small quantities.

Cheers Mark
 
down to 100g - 110g dex for a 23l batch (Ales) and feel that it's perfect for my my tastes...

The coopers instructions and weights given IMO will be overcarbed 8g per 750ml bottle...

pigs arse
 
Simple priming amount, 1 cup Dextrose=140gm...I use this amount or bit more/less depending on style, but great place to start.

180gm def too much, if you look at the calculators most have a option for home brew...180gm is the recommended figure...why, who knows. go off the style you are brewing.
Most styles in a 23l batch...20/21l in bottle you need 130-150gm dex for the right level....

if you want a nice smooth fizz try using LDM instead or bit of both....you need more malt than dex is its less fermentable.
I have a pils I bulk primed with 60gm dex and 80 gm LDM, a lovely light fizz that keeps going to the last mouthfull..an extra 20gm of either would be great.

Any way Kario play with it a little and you will notice a big difference to your carb levels but also the taste and enjoyment of your brews. carb levels do play an important part in
the quality of your finished brew. :icon_cheers:
 
Thanks mate.

How does one get that c-r-e-a-m-y head? (as opposed to the frothy/bubbly head)
 
Thanks mate.

How does one get that c-r-e-a-m-y head? (as opposed to the frothy/bubbly head)

You mean like in Guiness? I believe they used a blend of co2 and Nitrogen when then force carb in the keg, which allows for a much higher serving pressure, contributing to the creaminess of the head. You can't really do this when bottle priming, but I guess you could force carb in a keg then close-chain transfer to the bottle. Not a very useful suggestion for someone lacking a kegging rig.

The choice of ingredients will also contribute to the degree of head retention too, such as wheat, carapils/foam, crystal, flaked barley etc
 

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