Rookie Needs Guidance

[Hitman]

G'day,

I fully realise that these questions have probably been answered in the past, but with so much info on these forums it is hard to pinpoint the answers i need.

1. My fridge on its warmest setting sits between 9 and 12 degrees. Is this too low for fermenting most brews (k & k). Everywhere else in my house, i.e cupboards, pantry, etc at this time of year sits at a pretty constant 24 degrees.

2. If transferring to kegs, how to you go about brewing 23L normally but then using 19L corny kegs? Do people that use these sacrifice a litre or two when they transfer, accounting for the fact there is sediment in the fermenter but not 4L's worth.

Any feedback would be great.

 

[Goofinder]

1. My fridge on its warmest setting sits between 9 and 12 degrees. Is this too low for fermenting most brews (k & k). Everywhere else in my house, i.e cupboards, pantry, etc at this time of year sits at a pretty constant 24 degrees.

9-12C is too cold for ales, but pretty much perfect if you want to brew with a real lager yeast (e.g. S-189). 24C should be ok for ales if you can wrap the fermenter in a wet towel to get the fermenter to sit around 20-22C which is what I do.

2. If transferring to kegs, how to you go about brewing 23L normally but then using 19L corny kegs? Do people that use these sacrifice a litre or two when they transfer, accounting for the fact there is sediment in the fermenter but not 4L's worth.

I brew to 22L and bottle the leftovers that don't fit into the keg. If you don't want to bottle anything, there's nothing stopping you from brewing to 19 (or more realistically 20) litres. Back when I was doing kits I think I did most of them to 21L anyway.

 

[boingk]

Hi there, welcome to the forums. Trying to pinpoint stuff is hard sometimes, but there are some 'airlocked' threads around on how to perform accurate searches - quite helpful, definitely worth a read.

9 to 12 degrees is perfect for a proper lager. A packet of S-23 [Saflager] dried yeast would work a treat in those conditions. 24'C is a bit high for ales, but a tub of water to sit the fermenter in and a singlet/towel draped over the top and let to wick the water from the tub helps a lot. Something like that will probably have the fermenter sitting around 18 to 20 degrees.

Kegging isn't my game, but I'd assume you would bottle a few litres so you could transport it a bit more easily.

Cheers - boingk

 

[Steve]

but with so much info on these forums it is hard to pinpoint the answers i need.

funny that :lol:

As the other guys have said, your fridge temps at the moment are better for lager yeasts (there are two types of yeast. lager yeast and ale yeasts). Most kits come with ale yeasts even though the can says its a lager, pilsner etc. What kit are you brewing at the moment and did you use the yeast under the lid?
Cheers
Steve

Edit: You can bottle the stuff that you dont keg. Or if you have a spare keg, stick the left overs in that from every brew and then you have a mongrel keg. Its sometimes quite interesting how they turn out.

 

[loikar]

1. My fridge on its warmest setting sits between 9 and 12 degrees. Is this too low for fermenting most brews (k & k). Everywhere else in my house, i.e cupboards, pantry, etc at this time of year sits at a pretty constant 24 degrees.

I have mine sitting in a 50L esky with about 10L of water in it, wrapped in an old shirt.
Sits at about 20-22. If it starts getting a bit warmer I'll throw a 2L block of ice in from an old ice cream container.

Works a treat, been pretty consistent for 7 days

 

[zabond]

re extra litres I bottle then when keg gets down enough I just burp keg then tip in bottles/seal and reconect gas
Russ

 

[buttersd70]

Normally, Ikeg, and bottle any extra.....but someone made a suggestion (can't remember who, maybe Kook?) that you keg your beer, and bottle (without prime, and refredgerate) any excess.....then, after you've pulled a few (pints that is, get your mind out of the gutter), you purge the keg, and add the remainder.....
Tried this for the first time the other day......works a f*n treat.