Sediment In Fermenter's Tap

[fletcher]

hey guys,

fletcher here (newbie!). just doing my first batch and it's been a few days now but i'm starting to test my brew to see where the gravity's at and it still seems to be a little high. was just wondering whether the sediment in the tap has any bearing on that? i've included a pic to show you (highlighted part is what i'm referring to). i assume it's just sediment/yeast/whatever as it's the same colour as the stuff on the bottom of the fermenter.

my reading when starting was:

18/08/12 - OG - 1037

26/08/12 - 1014

28/08/12 - 1013/4 (hard to tell)

and i understand this is still a little high?

i'm using the coopers fermenter and the lager kit and yeast that comes with it (supposedly an ale yeast) and she's been quietly and happily fermenting between 20-22 degrees since the 18th. any suggestions or help welcome! just don't want to bottle it if it's way too early in everyone's books.

thanks!

 

[syl]

Welcome aboard!

You're all good mate, 1014 is perfectly fine, especially for kits or extract.

Give it at least 2 weeks in the primary fermenter. I normally go 2 weeks, then dry hop in the primary for 1 more week then bottle/keg.

2 weeks minimum unless you're REALLY pushed for time

 

[warra48]

No wuckas.

The white layer in the tap is actually yeast!
Next time you take a sample, take a small one first, toss it out, which will clear your tap.
Then take your real one. That way you will actually test your beer.

And yes, 1.014 for a kit beer is pretty good.
Do what syl said, leave it for a couple of weeks all up, and you'll be good to go.

 

[fletcher]

thanks guys!

i'll wait it out, no worries there, and i figured as much. thanks for the heads up and tricks - pretty sure i did the throw the first one out, test the second but i could be wrong!

i tasted it also, and i have to say it was bitter and tasting preeeeetty ordinary. hopefully it'll get better before bottling, and then during.

 

[yum beer]

thanks guys!

i'll wait it out, no worries there, and i figured as much. thanks for the heads up and tricks - pretty sure i did the throw the first one out, test the second but i could be wrong!

i tasted it also, and i have to say it was bitter and tasting preeeeetty ordinary. hopefully it'll get better before bottling, and then during.

Theres a reason they dont sell beer straight from the fermenter....it needs time to mellow and carbing changes taste.
You will learn what tastes right and what doesnt. It is normal for late ferment tasting to be fairly bitter.

 

[fletcher]

Theres a reason they dont sell beer straight from the fermenter....it needs time to mellow and carbing changes taste.
You will learn what tastes right and what doesnt. It is normal for late ferment tasting to be fairly bitter.

haha yeah amen to that!

should be right on schedule then by the sounds of it

 

[Armstrong]

You're all good mate, 1014 is perfectly fine, especially for kits or extract.

Rubbish!

Your final gravity will depend on the ingredients used ... in particular the brewing sugar and whether it includes ingredients such as powdered malts or maltodextrin which will result in a higher final gravity. Most good sugars will include an approximate expected final gravity on the label.

Total volume can also vary your final reading ... if you have make a brew up to 18L, you will end up with a higher final reading compared to one made up to 23L.

Some of the "Dry" kits which use an added enzyme may end up as low as 1.000sg.

Basically, depending of what you brew and the associated brewing sugars or malts, you can expect a varying range of final gravity readings.

As the weather warms up, depending on your temperature control (if any), you may find a brew could be finished within a week ... having it sit dormant for at least 2 weeks regardless will not do it any favors. In this case, you have recorded pretty much 2 identical readings over a 48 hr period and on that basis I would assume your brew is finished and safe to bottle or keg.

cheers

 

[JakeSm]

Rubbish!

Your final gravity will depend on the ingredients used ... in particular the brewing sugar and whether it includes ingredients such as powdered malts or maltodextrin which will result in a higher final gravity. Most good sugars will include an approximate expected final gravity on the label.

Total volume can also vary your final reading ... if you have make a brew up to 18L, you will end up with a higher final reading compared to one made up to 23L.

Some of the "Dry" kits which use an added enzyme may end up as low as 1.000sg.

Basically, depending of what you brew and the associated brewing sugars or malts, you can expect a varying range of final gravity readings.

As the weather warms up, depending on your temperature control (if any), you may find a brew could be finished within a week ... having it sit dormant for at least 2 weeks regardless will not do it any favors. In this case, you have recorded pretty much 2 identical readings over a 48 hr period and on that basis I would assume your brew is finished and safe to bottle or keg.

cheers

i agree with letting the ferment progress slowly (2 weeks) in the colder weather, but as ARMSTRONG mentioned, unless you have temperature control ( temp controlled fridge ), in summer your beers will ferment withing a week and taste pretty ordinary, and if you left it for a week or 2 dormant at those temperatures it would produce some pretty nasty flavours. the longer it ferments the better flavours are developed.

When you have a final gravity of 1014 in a kit beer and has been recorded the same for 2-3 days then it would be perfectly fine to bottle. try not to take too many readings untill you notice the ferment has slowed down to almost finished, otherwise you will lose alot of volume in you fermenter due to just taking Gravity Readings.

cheers jake.

 

[QldKev]

He is using a Coopers kit with dex. 1014 is fine. Rubbish to you, my good sir.

Armstrong posted a very good point about ensuring you know the exact ingredients that are in it. We only know the OP posted "I'm using the lager kit that came with it". Now assuming he used the BE1 that comes in the kit and the given OG 1.037 I would expect a minimum attenuation of 75%, resulting in a 1.010 FG. Looking here on the Coopers site for the same recipe they say a 1.008 is the expected FG. I don't think recommending someone to bottle at the moment is such a good idea.


QldKev

 

[fletcher]

Armstrong posted a very good point about ensuring you know the exact ingredients that are in it. We only know the OP posted "I'm using the lager kit that came with it". Now assuming he used the BE1 that comes in the kit and the given OG 1.037 I would expect a minimum attenuation of 75%, resulting in a 1.010 FG. Looking here on the Coopers site for the same recipe they say a 1.008 is the expected FG. I don't think recommending someone to bottle at the moment is such a good idea.


QldKev

thank you for your replies good sirs, I did in fact use the BE1 which came with it and was made to 23l as the kit states to do. I didn't use anything additional. as qldkev put it, I also read that the FG reading would be closer to about 1.010 or lower which is why I hesitated in the first place. I don't have temperature control (yet, sadly) but the temperature has been quite constant in that part of the house at 20-22 degrees.

I'm really sorry, I should have given that information in my initial post. that was my fault.

 

[krisisdog]

Try not to touch it for 2 weeks, then start taking readings. Having the brew sit fr a few days after its finished fermenting will help to clean it up a bit. If you're really that worried, give the fermenter a very light rock back and forward/ side to side to help wake the yeast up, leave it for a few days then check the sg again.

Best thing you can do is to get a fridge that you can fit 2-3 fermenters in, you'll find they use about the same amount of juice as a bar fridge. My 100l bar fridge uses about 280kw, my 340l fermenter fridge uses 350kw - higher temps mean lower energy consumption than the rating too.