newbie question

[kuiper82]

Hi guys/girls,
I have only just started home brewing since the Christmas gone. Undoubtedly love doing it. There's a certain satisfaction in drinking something you made yourself. On my current brew I did a 30min boil with coopers light malt extract and adding galaxy hops in at certain stages. I'm aiming for a stone and wood pacific ale. My question is with dry hopping. How long into the first fermentation process should I add the hops? It's been about 5 days since I put it all together. I'm also aiming to bulk prime with this batch for a more even carbonation. I am unsure how to work it out on the online calculators. Any help is much appreciated.

Cheers

 

[jaypes]

I usually dry hop after the bulk of the fermentation has completed - roughly about 5 days.

I also use the carb calc here - http://webspace.webring.com/people/ms/sirleslie/AlcoholChart/PrimingCalculator.html (refresh the page twice as it re-directs for me on first hit)

Dependant on the style I usually use 140gms of Dextrose for a 23 litre batch - that is how I like it

 

[kuiper82]

Thanks for that. I'll have a look at it when I get home from work tonight. How much carbonation would you get from using 140gms of dextrose. Do you dissolve it in water on the stove first?

 

[kuiper82]

Thanks for that. I'll have a look at it when I get home from work tonight. How much carbonation would you get from using 140gms of dextrose. Do you dissolve it in water on the stove first?

 

[storeboughtcheeseburgers]

I add the hops around 3 days after the air lock has started. Hops are a partial sanitary element of brewing, so there is an added benefit for me to add before fermentation is complete. As for bulk priming, not worth the risk for me. A lot of people report bad batches from this, which when you consider all the effort of putting down the brew and bottling, seems poitnless. Just using a measure for stubbie/tallie from the HBS will be fine with dextrose. if you are using 330ml bottles, remember that the small measure is for 375ml, so be careful not to overload it significantly.. but this is just precautionary, its pretty hard to mess up if you flick it a few times before adding it in.

 

[kuiper82]

Thanks for the info. I'll be using long neck bottles. Mainly glass, but the coopers plastic ones also. I've always used the carbonation drops, but I do find that there is quite a bit of inconsistency with them. One guy that I work with just puts in half a levelled teaspoon of normal sugar in each bottle. Do you think this would work??

 

[CrookedFingers]

Hi kuiper82,
I usually dry hop after 6 days, just gives time to make sure fermentation is done.
Most of the time I would throw them in at 10 to 11 days anyway. I only like to dry hop for a max of 4 days. I usually ferment for 14 days.

Hey storebought, I obviously haven't read about these bulk primed batches that were no good.
I have never had a problem and have bulk primed since starting out.
I like others, tend to boil up my priming solution and rack onto it before bottling.
Never had a prob ! Having said that, I have never used the drops so I have no point of comparison !!

Anyway, kuiper82, read as much as you can !!! Heaps to learn here !

CF


ed; spellink

 

[storeboughtcheeseburgers]

the half a teaspoon of sugar will work, yes.. but you can buy actual measures from any homebrew shop:

http://www.brewshop.co.nz/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/d/o/double-sugar-measure_2.jpg

The advantage of adding dextrose is a more smooth, faster carbonation with limited sediment.. basically because it is a finer sugar - plain sugar will definitely work, but it may result in more sediment and will take longer. Whatever you use, I really would suggest getting a measure, its a small investment which can avoid nasty consequences.. add too much sugar and bottles can explode, add too little and your beer is flat.
You could probably get away with a teaspoon measure set if you have one, I believe (but am not 100%) that a half teaspoon measure is what the small bottles require.. I use the measuring plastic thingo (as linked) to carb my bottles.

 

[GalBrew]

Or you could use an online carbonation tool, or use Beersmith and get the actual weight of sugar/dex per bottle you need for that amount of carbonation you want.