New to brewing!

[damoninja]

Hello everybody

I kicked off my first brew on the weekend, thought I'd come in for some tips/tricks etc.

 

[Yob]

Noice.. first one is always the best to have behind you.. what was it out of curiosity?

smooth sailing from here on in :lol:

:drinks:

 

[damoninja]

It's a stout - I used an "advanced kit" so it was easy to follow but not too boring.

My waterlock has stopped bubbling and presenting a hydrometre reading of approx 1.021. My original gravity was something off my scale, about 1.045 I estimated, my scale only goes to 1.040.
The foam has subsided and bubbling stopped, leaving a few flecks of floaties.

I'm gonna wait until next weekend giving it 2 weeks in the fermenter.

 

[wbosher]

The word you're looking for is airlock, not waterlock, but leaving for two weeks is a good idea. I've found that that is usually enough time for kit beers.

Having said that, rely on your hydrometer, not the airlock or time when deciding to bottle/keg.

 

[damoninja]

The word you're looking for is airlock, not waterlock, but leaving for two weeks is a good idea. I've found that that is usually enough time for kit beers.

Having said that, rely on your hydrometer, not the airlock or time when deciding to bottle/keg.

Derp, I knew it was airlock don't know why I wrote that.

Never doing things in halves, I did my research and have taken some great tips away from the community here all concluding that the airlock is nothing more than a means of letting CO2 out while keeping nasty bacterias and other microbes out.

I'm priming with mix of dextrose and sucrose, calculators that I've used reckon the amount required for a stout is just under 4 grams per 750mL bottles.

I've got one of those measured priming spoons, I don't have a super precise set of scales but it turns out to be approx 5g.

 

[benno1973]

Good to see that you've done some reading beforehand on the site. Personally I think that stout is the best kit to start on, as it has some big bold flavours that can hide many imperfections in technique.

You'll need a better hydrometer than the one you have, preferably something that goes to around 1.090 or 1.100. Mids/milds start at around 1.035-1.040, but most fullstrength beers are 1.050+. Belgians more still, and then there's imperial anythings and barleywines.

1.021 still seems pretty high, considering your starting gravity, leave it for a bit and test again. Good work though, welcome to an addictive hobby.

 

[damoninja]

I'll certainly be getting a better hydrometre, I knew I ought to be getting a better one the moment I dropped it in.

My estimate starting gravity was probably completely wrong due to the fact that the bulb part of the hydro was starting to peek up above the surface of the water.

 

[benno1973]

Just to clarify - what did you drop it into? Only asking, because it should come with its own separate measuring cylinder, so you take a sample of the beer in the cylinder and use that for measuring the gravity reading. Firstly it makes the reading easier to see, and secondly it prevents you infecting the beer. And thirdly, you get to drink the contents of the measuring cylinder afterwards, which a great education in what is going well/wrong with your beer. Sorry if that's obvious, but I have seen people drop the hydrometer directly into the fermenter before, so just checking.

I can't picture the bulb part of the hydro being above the water. Starting grav generally makes the hydro sink lower, but perhaps I'm missed something in the translation.

BTW - If you want to test your hydro, measure a cylinder of water and it should read 1.000.

 

[damoninja]

Actually I did drop it into the fermenter - it didn't come with a flask it was on its own in a small box. I sterilised it 3 times with 2 different cleaning fluids and almost boiling water.

I was skeptical of this method but other sources and the bloke in the store i got it from said this is fine as long as you sterilise adequately and don't have air blowing about making dust and crap get into the fermenter or disturb the CO2.

The flask is also less stuffing about...


I tested the hydro before I used it, it did indeed level out to 1.000.

Thanks for the hot tips.

 

[benno1973]

No worries, glad you sterilised, but yes, get a plastic flask with your next one.Saves having to take the lid off the fermenter each time.