New To Home Brew/new To The Forum

[thesunsettree]

Is thesunsettree attending Chappos brewday tomorrow????? :lol:

Screwy

why screwy, do you want me to???????? :lol:

matt

 

[Screwtop]

why screwy, do you want me to???????? :lol:

matt

No, just wondered, lots of experienced brewers attending.

Screwy

 

[bum]

2-3 MONTHS MAX is what i have found, beer seems very flat after that time.

The above is in regards to the use of PET. I'm not big on correcting newer posters/brewers with any sort of venom but I feel I've gotta make an exception here. Wallace, that is absolute bullshit. If this is your genuine experience then you need to make a thread explaining the exact circumstances of your problem because this is not normal (unless you're using Bribie's ALDI goonies). You've got a problem somewhere and you shouldn't be blaming these bottles which I've had nine month old beers in that are tight as a nun's nasty.

And I'm pretty surprised you haven't been pulled up on this already.

[EDIT: by no means having a go at Bribie or his bottles, just suggesting that if Wallace isn't talking about PETs made for beer than he shouldn't saying anything about their lack of usefulness for storing beer]

If you ever get advice from screwtop, even if he seems grumpy telling you, perk up your ears.

Shit yeah. Speaking as someone who has been on the recieving end of Screwy's grumpdom a couple times I have to say that if you have shoulders broad enough to take the heat there is wisdom in his vitriol (should you be foolish enough to raise it). He also makes a lot of pleasantly worded posts that are utterly useful (but not nearly as funny to read when direct at others).

 

[dawesy666]

well i went shopping and got my stuff to try another batch. i got:

tooheys special larger brewing mix (its was cheapest and i was on a budget)
coopers brew enhancer 2
coopers carbonations drops
and some brigalow 100% sodium metabislphite (sterilizer)

since its my day off today im guna set it all up and start round 2

 

[Pennywise]

While the Sod Met may be a perfectly good sanitiser be careful not to breath in the fumes, quite nasty. Good luck with your brew day :icon_cheers:

 

[dawesy666]

well yesterday after making sure everything was very very clean (the tap was very dirty and i don't think i clean it last time which could have been one of my problems with my brew not going to plan) i put in my second brew. i used brew enhancer 2 rather then sugar but other then that i followed the instructions on the can. put the yeast in at 28 degrees, and this morning it was about 24 degrees in the keg, and the air lock was bubbling. i will leave for about four days and check it (as the instructions said it will take 4 - 7 days) but i don't think i would have time to bottle until the weekend. which i don't see hurting the batch from what i have read.

i have made myself an excel spread sheet so i can right notes about each batch i make so for future reference i can remember what i done/used. thinks for you help guys. ur have been a great help, and i will let ya know how its going along the way

 

[Hatchy]

I'd suggest that 4 days is more likely to make bottle bombs than good beer. I leave mine 2 weeks now but I've got 3 fermenters.

 

[Siborg]

well yesterday after making sure everything was very very clean (the tap was very dirty and i don't think i clean it last time which could have been one of my problems with my brew not going to plan) i put in my second brew. i used brew enhancer 2 rather then sugar but other then that i followed the instructions on the can. put the yeast in at 28 degrees, and this morning it was about 24 degrees in the keg, and the air lock was bubbling. i will leave for about four days and check it (as the instructions said it will take 4 - 7 days) but i don't think i would have time to bottle until the weekend. which i don't see hurting the batch from what i have read.

i have made myself an excel spread sheet so i can right notes about each batch i make so for future reference i can remember what i done/used. thinks for you help guys. ur have been a great help, and i will let ya know how its going along the way

Good stuff there. Excel spreadsheets are great for keeping notes of any readings you take. Try making a note of your temps on the sheet too. Speaking of temps, one thing I've recently learnt is not to follow the instructions too closely. This may sound hard for an inexperienced brewer (it was for me) but sometimes they are just plain wrong. One kit I bought from a home brew shop actually said to put my grains for steeping into BOILING water. Being inexperienced, I did as I was told and the beer was CRAP. I also fermented too hot at around 24-26 degrees. At these temps you get more esters produced by the yeast. Try and get the temp down as close to 20 as you can get. You'll find it will take a bit longer, but will result in a cleaner tasting beer. Ale yeast is good to about 15 degrees, so don't worry if it gets to 18. Let it sit for a while after its done, as more of the yeast will settle to the bottom. If you can... after its done, drop the temp as low as you possibly can get to 0 degrees. This is called cold crashing, which I just did and has resulted in awesome beer (by my standards anyway).
Good to see more people taking up home brewing.

 

[dawesy666]

ive been pretty busy since i have put my batch in the fermenter so i have only today got around to checking it. i put the hydrometer in and the readings are at (hope yas can understand this coz i dont really know how to read it)

1.000
10
HERE 20 probably about 18
30

or on other side of the hydrometer


26
39
52 HERE just above it on the stick
65
78


is this ready to bottle?

 

[bum]

Okay, the numbers you're interested in are the ones on the 1.000 side. So it looks like your gravity is 1.018 (often expressed as 1018). That seems much too high for your recipe. Any chance it might have gotten a bit too cold one night or something? Nothing to worry about, your yeasties can be woken again by making sure the fermenter is at the right temp and swirling it to bring some yeast back into solution. Another idea might be to rack to a second fermenter if you have one - this can get your beer going again too. I'd stick with the swirling as the first port of call. For that recipe you'd be looking at a minimum of 1014-ish before you should be thinking of bottling, IMO (allowing for sub-optimal wort aeration and same quality yeast) - closer to 1010 seems most likely with ideal conditions.

 

[DKS]

i put the hydrometer in and the readings are at (hope yas can understand this coz i dont really know how to read it)


Josh,
Are you using a sample tube?
Take a clear sample then drop in hydo. Not good practice to put it in the fermenter. :icon_cheers:
Daz

 

[andrewl]

First off, welcome to the forums and brewing! I was in your shoes not all that long ago and basically just wanted to make Tooheys Extra Dry but about twice the strength. But since joining the forums and a homebrew club, my tastes and brewing has changed for the definate better!

The best advice I could probably give you is that once you've got the general brewing practice down, have a crack at doing another style of beer, and make some changes to it. Thats how we learn and get better at it!

Also, what no one has brought up, is that your trying to get the same reading 2 or 3 times around about the 1.010 mark (for this type of beer, over a couple days). This generally means that the beer has finished fermenting and is time to bottle.

Cheers,
Andrew

 

[dawesy666]

Okay, the numbers you're interested in are the ones on the 1.000 side. So it looks like your gravity is 1.018 (often expressed as 1018). That seems much too high for your recipe. Any chance it might have gotten a bit too cold one night or something? Nothing to worry about, your yeasties can be woken again by making sure the fermenter is at the right temp and swirling it to bring some yeast back into solution. Another idea might be to rack to a second fermenter if you have one - this can get your beer going again too. I'd stick with the swirling as the first port of call. For that recipe you'd be looking at a minimum of 1014-ish before you should be thinking of bottling, IMO (allowing for sub-optimal wort aeration and same quality yeast) - closer to 1010 seems most likely with ideal conditions.

It has been pretty cold at night actually. so that could be my problem. i will try stiring it up tonight when i get home if its not miserable weather still. wats a good temp for "waking up" the yeast?

i didnt use the sample tube i just put the hydrometre straight in the fermenter. but i did actualy think at the time that it looks like a good way to infect the batch.

 

[manticle]

Good way to infect the batch or drop broken glass and lead balls in a brew. Yes I've done it.

 

[bum]

It has been pretty cold at night actually. so that could be my problem. i will try stiring it up tonight when i get home if its not miserable weather still. wats a good temp for "waking up" the yeast?

i didnt use the sample tube i just put the hydrometre straight in the fermenter. but i did actualy think at the time that it looks like a good way to infect the batch.

Yeah, always use the sample tube, Josh. There's a good chance you'll get away with it but if you always do it you will get bitten on the arse at some point. Plus it is much easier to read in the tube anyway. Also tasting is important - it won't taste the same as the finished beer but as time goes on it'll help you to work out how a beer develops.

A good temp to rouse the yeast would be somewhere in between 18 to 20. This late in the game, using kit yeast, I'd even go up as far as 22 or 23 to really make sure she was done.

 

[Wreck]

Josh,

My best piece of advice is to question every piece advice.

Unless the reason for something is understood, you could just continue making the mistakes of others (despite their best intentions). Also, you will gain more knowledge about the whole brewing process, rather than just learn a method that works for some people for their particular needs.

Having said that, there is plenty of good information on here (some dubious, but mostly good).

Good luck!

 

[jiesu]

My best piece of advice is to question every piece advice.

If I were you I would question Wreck's advice.


So sad to hear that you are trying to re-create VB I guess when you start from the bottom the only way to go is up! Its funny what brewing will do to your palate in as little as a month.
I used to be perfectly happy to drink pure blondes all night, Now I avoid a pub unless it has a microbrewery on tap, The megaswill doesn't take long to drop to the bottom of the food chain
when you start looking at beers critically.

Welcome to the forum and welcome to brewing.

A good starting point or newbies is to check out John Palmer's How to brew He has a copy online that I am going to put as a link in my Sig.

 

[Hatchy]

Good call DT. I was a dedicated coopers drinker for years, opened one on Saturday night & struggled through it so I could get back on the home brews. I'm not saying that coopers is bad beer, it's just that there's not enough hops in there for me these days.

 

[SirDrinkalot]

My Dad wont use the Hyrometer!!
I keep telling him but he wont listen!
2 weeks and then keg...
I am have just put down my first brew which I will keg... I live in an aprtment close to the city so no garage...
It has been sitting in my room on 28 degrees for the past 2 days... Dad says its fine..
But due to guys on this sitesaying it's to high and due to the fact it's hard to sleep I moved it and the chair it was sitting on to the bathroom which seems to be between 24-26. Temperature is starting to drop to 26.
I hope its going to be allright.
I will be using the Hydrometer
This one is Coopers Standard Lager

 

[manticle]

If he kegs it's not such a big drama. Big issue with bottles as unfinished in a keg may lead to slightly sweet beer but in bottles it can lead to exploding glass.