Newbie in North QLD

[BoofheadNQ]

Well, just put down my first ever home brew...
Just the Coopers Lager which came with the starter kit but hey, it'll do to begin with!

Coopers Lager 1.7kg
Coopers BE1 1KG
Coopers LDM 1kg
23L
Kit yeast pitched at 24°C
OG 1052 at pitching (does this seem right?)

No temp control just yet but fermenter will be within the 18°-24° range (monitored temps in the storage location for 3 days prior)... Temp control will be sorted relatively soon.

Fingers and toes crossed it's palatable!

 

[Ghostie]

I would be interested to know what got you into homebrewing. The OG of 1052 sounds ok......if it comes down to final gravity (FG) of 1012 then you are looking at alcohol of 5-5.2%.

 

[BoofheadNQ]

G'day Ghostie, been playing with the idea of home brewing for a while...
I'm just one of those "DIY/make my own" people I guess... Grow my own veg and herbs, bake my own bread, make my own pasta, sauces, food in general... big low'n'slow BBQ guy too... home brewing my own beer just seemed like another interesting and rewarding part-time to keep me out of trouble!

I would be interested to know what got you into homebrewing. The OG of 1052 sounds ok......if it comes down to final gravity (FG) of 1012 then you are looking at alcohol of 5-5.2%.

 

[Ghostie]

I started home brewing up again last year. I did do kit beers in the early 1990's and the quality of the kit beers and brewing products have increased substantially since then. I am also assuming you are using the Coopers home brew kit which came with the Coopers fermenter. I don't have one but I really want one because they are cool and the lid comes off easy which is perfect for dry hopping.

 

[sirosis]

Well, just put down my first ever home brew...
Just the Coopers Lager which came with the starter kit but hey, it'll do to begin with!

Coopers Lager 1.7kg
Coopers BE1 1KG
Coopers LDM 1kg
23L
Kit yeast pitched at 24°C
OG 1052 at pitching (does this seem right?)

No temp control just yet but fermenter will be within the 18°-24° range (monitored temps in the storage location for 3 days prior)... Temp control will be sorted relatively soon.

Fingers and toes crossed it's palatable!

To make a better beer temp control is essential in Townsville, cheap fridges can be found on Townsville buy swap and sell for around $100 pair it with an inkbird temp controller and you wil then be able to use better yeasts. I usually brew lagers at 12deg. and ales at 18deg. I would also suggest trying a couple of fresh wort kits also to give you sample of beer quality you can make at home if you decide to go all grain at a later stage.

 

[BoofheadNQ]

Yep, planning on grabbing a cheap fridge and turning it into a fermenting chamber, definitely before I attempt my next brew.

Current brew has been in the FV for 4 days now; started off nice, decent krausen and you could see the activity in the FV (tiny bubbles, liquid movement)...
It seems to have all but stopped now though...?
Krausen has collapsed and there is no visible activity... I've been told that I may have under shot the yeast?
Advice from here...? Can I pitch more yeast? Just leave it?

 

[Ghostie]

Hmmm. I'm no expert and fermenting beer is an extremely complex subject however for what you are brewing 4 days of noticeable activity sounds right. And even though it looks like nothing is happening the yeast are still doing their thing.

The basic check that you can do is to take a gravity reading. If this reading is around 1.010 to 1.013 then it looks likely the fermenting part is over. Leave the beer in for another 3 days or so and check the reading again. If it hasn't changed then its ready to bottle.

 

[draakken]

No temp control just yet but fermenter will be within the 18°-24° range (monitored temps in the storage location for 3 days prior)... Temp control will be sorted relatively soon.

depending on your situation (fermenter type, volume, air movement etc..), the actual inside the fermenter temp will be 2-4 degrees warmer than ambient. So you really are on the higher edge of desirable for most ale strains.

 

[Paddy Melon]

Hi Boof,
welcome back to brewing. the guys are right the temp control is key and while the yeast are active the temp inside the fermenter is warmer still as draakken has said. I also brew with KK"s but experiment with them and have now been consistently getting beers that perfect for my (and my neighbours) taste. Just a couple of things In my opinion you shouldn't need both the BE1 and LDM for the lager unless you are looking for a high alcohol content and a malty flavour. If you want malty try a pale ale. Second thing, I had a fridge to begin with for my temperature control but had to bypass/disconnect the thermostat because it wouldn't cold crash below 3 degrees. So now I have an upright freezer which doesn't need any bypass, just a thought. The Kits they are producing today are great the one you have can be improved but is very drinkable. I have found that a quarter of a can of additional extract and an additional cup of dextrose enhances that kit. Hope that helps. P.S. Saflager s-189 yeast will also improve on the kit yeast