Pilsner Brew

[Justin OS]

Hi All

I started a batch on Wednesday as follows

Saaz Pilsner
Malt extract
hop bag
european yeast

the temp was around 20 degrees at time of adding the yeast and after the first couple of days it started to get some bubbles on top and the occassional bubble through the airlock. However now things seem to have slowed down with a small amount of bubbles on top and little movement (if any through the lock) I have checked to ensure the tank is sealed.

took a reading last night and it is at 1020 and I believe I started at 1040 so things seem to still be happening. The temp has been a constant 16 degrees since the start.

i have read that at lower temps it could take up to 9 days (or longer) and that lager yeast tends to work from the bottom. When I took the 1020 reading it was very bubbly and took about five minutes to settle down so I could take a reading.

I was thinking of taking another reading on Saturday (day 10) to see how its going

does this seem ok? will I get down to 1005 at this rate?

advice greatly appreciated, the aircon bill for this month will be horrific

 

[jimmy01]

Hi Justin

Sounds like it is fermenting Ok to me. You probably have an air leak somwehere in the fermenter seal. The hydrometer is the best indicator that fermentation is proceeding as it should. Airlocks can be unreliable when it comes to judging whether the brew is fermenting.

Be worth checking whattempt your yeast prefers.

Cheers
Dave

 

[Hutch]

Hi Justin.

I agree with what Dave said, so nothing constructive to add there - the hydrometer is always the best way to check how things are going (and an excuse to taste its progress ). As for whether it will reach 1005, well that depends predominantly on how much fermentable sugars are in the wort, and the type of yeast you're using.
Don't stress if it stops at say 1010. Just be sure that it has remained at the same reading for a few days before bottling.

Very intrigued to see a home brewer in Singapore brewing pilsners in his apartment!
Good work mate!
So what's the supply of homebrew ingredients like over there?

Hutch.

 

[Justin OS]

Hi Guys

thanks for the feedback

the yeast has a temp range of 12-25 degrees so I am on the money with the temp I suppose

this is only my second brew and the last one I did with a Pilsner but using tap water, no hops and no malt extract oh, and the yeast that came with the can of Pilsner.

it came out ok as far as colour, head fizz and smell but it had a terrible tang that I could not handle so I ditched it, this was fermented at around 26 degrees

this one looks alot better and from the taste of the sample it does not appear to have a bad tang (what would cause this?)

Hutch - thanks for the words of encouragement, I started last year with my first batch that I bought through a local supplier who had just started. Only got back in contact with them last week, it appears that his business has grown and so to has the HB club who meet at a bar called Brewerkz (who make there own beer) on clark quay. I must say they make one of the best Pilsner I have tasted and I am a big fan of Pilsner Urquell and the Pilsner at my old local in Freo WA - Little Creatures.

heres a link to there site, its mainly batch kit brewing but there are a few hardcore enthusiasts in the area

Go the Dockers.........

 

[Justin OS]

whooops

heres the site details

http://www.homebrew.com.sg/what_you_need.htm

 

[tangent]

keep it cool and it should be ok

jeez mate, i wouldn't be leaving the lagers outside in winter there. i've often wondered how home brewers cope without a brewfridge there.
look into a small fridge or wine cooling cabinet that'll handle your fermenter (and airlock).
the wine cabinets let you dial in the temp you want.
good luck to you for brewing in Singers, loved the place (the entire native female population are supermodels - amazing!) but i almost expired on my first day due to the heat. i think it was outside the Fullarton near the river. man that was hot.

 

[tangent]

i wonder if Kym or John will bring this in here:
http://appm4.internet.gov.sg/scripts/custo...c/HBL1_Form.asp

"It is an offence to possess home-brewing equipment without a valid licence."
Keep your airlocks out of that boogieboard bag fellas.

 

[Justin OS]

yeh mate the SPG's (Singapore Party Girls) are pretty hot but the novelty starts to wear off after about a year, miss some curves

its always hot and humid here, temp never drops below 26-27

oh, and you do need a licence as you have pointed out, cheap and quite nice considering the government here are pretty tough on everything and the liquor tax is very high (A$50 for a carton of rubbish beer, A$30 for a bottle of Taylors wine!!!!!!!! yuck)

any thoughts on where the tang taste came from on my last batch?

 

[Hutch]

any thoughts on where the tang taste came from on my last batch?

G'day Justin,

Most likely the tang is a result of the high temperature fermentation - 26 deg you say? That's well and truely at the upper end of Ale yeast, FAR too high for a lager. I remember the beers my grandad used to make when I got into brewing - coopers kit, 1 kg sugar, ferment at 27 deg, done in a few days. Tasted like cheap Champagne & VB mixed together (he happily drank it for 15 years though - can't teach an old dog new tricks).

Also, not too sure what Singapore tap water is like (only ever drunk the bottled variety over there!)
Sounds like you've got your temperatures sorted for this brew - might be an idea to get a simple carbon filter for your brewing water. Would certainly help to remove most of the Chlorine/Flourine plus other mineral impurities.

As Tangent said, get your hands on a wine fridge or cheap second fridge, and then you can drop the temp down to whatever the style of beer requires. True Lager/pilsner yeasts produce their best results from 8-13degC, although they take a few weekes to do so. I noticed your online home brew supplier only has a select range of yeasts to chose from - my advice would be to fork out a little extra cash for a good yeast. This can make a HUGE difference to the quality of beer you produce. For Lagers, the Saflager S-23 is a good start, while the S-04 or the S-56 are a great choice for Ales. Just remember to follow their temperature recommendations, and the results should follow. You'll find a lot of discussion on this forum about different liquid yeasts (pure strains from breweries all over the world), which indeed produce truely outstanding results, although might not be accessible to you.

I can't beleive how expensive those small bags of hops cost you - $3.80 for 12 grams!!!!
If you take this brewing caper more seriously, you'll probably want to move back to Perth!

Cheers,
Hutch.

 

[Justin OS]

Hutch

mate thanks for the info

I thought that this tang may have been caused by high temp and tap water, this time I am bought a couple of twenty litre spring water barrels and used them

will take up your advice regarding the yeast, as for the other items I will have to wait as I am moving to Hong Kong early next year and can't really drag all of this stuff with me

hopefully I will be staying in Honkers for a while so I can sort out a fridge and come home to pick up the goodies every few months

took another reading last night its at 1018 and I must say it has a much better smell than the last one, no funny tangy smell and a good smell of hops, tastes good and the malt has really made a difference, its getting more like a heavier czech pilsner as time goes on, pretty excited

thanks again for all the comments

 

[Ken Man Do]

The tang may well have been from old extract. Any date on any of your ingredients? A date on the yeast, for example?

 

[Justin OS]

The tang may well have been from old extract. Any date on any of your ingredients? A date on the yeast, for example?

Hi Ken

didnt check and have thrown out both the original and the new brew cans, thanks for the tip, will check the date before making