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Main
Date: 18 Oct 2006 09:34:32
From: Wayne
Subject: First kit batch
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Hi all,
Been lurking here for a while reading all the knowledgeable posts
by you guys (a bit of flattery never hurts) and it's time to ask a
question. The last time I brewed was about 20 years ago, a Boots
(Brits would know what I mean) kit.
I've just brewed (I hope) a Black Rock bitter kit. The instructions
call for a kilo of sugar but being a bit of a purist I decided to
use a kilo of Muntons medium spraymalt instead. Hopefully, I cleaned
and sanitised all my kit beforehand and made up the brew. The kit
included a tiny 5 gramme sachet of dry yeast and I'm kicking myself
for not buying a third-party larger packet. Bubbles in the air-lock
appeared about 28 hours after pitching and continued for another
28 hours, which I thought was a trifle quick. I left the brew for
about 48 hours (no time to do much) and just now racked it into a
Hambleton Bard keg with 80 grammes of demerara sugar as primer. I,
of course had to sample it and it tasted a bit tart. Alcohol was
only about 2% and the blurb says it should be around 4.4%. I'm
wondering what to do: wait, dump it, put it back in the bucket
with an air-lock? Any suggestions?
Cheers
Wayne
--
Registered Linux user #375994
http://www.geocities.jp/rondonko/
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Date: 18 Oct 2006 07:32:01
From: Steve/Aus
Subject: Re: First kit batch
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"Wayne" <rondonjin@yahoo.com > wrote in message
news:pan.2006.10.18.00.34.31.154436@yahoo.com...
> Hi all,
>
> Been lurking here for a while reading all the knowledgeable posts
> by you guys (a bit of flattery never hurts) and it's time to ask a
> question. The last time I brewed was about 20 years ago, a Boots
> (Brits would know what I mean) kit.
>
> I've just brewed (I hope) a Black Rock bitter kit. The instructions
> call for a kilo of sugar but being a bit of a purist I decided to
> use a kilo of Muntons medium spraymalt instead. Hopefully, I cleaned
> and sanitised all my kit beforehand and made up the brew. The kit
> included a tiny 5 gramme sachet of dry yeast and I'm kicking myself
> for not buying a third-party larger packet. Bubbles in the air-lock
> appeared about 28 hours after pitching and continued for another
> 28 hours, which I thought was a trifle quick. I left the brew for
> about 48 hours (no time to do much) and just now racked it into a
> Hambleton Bard keg with 80 grammes of demerara sugar as primer. I,
> of course had to sample it and it tasted a bit tart. Alcohol was
> only about 2% and the blurb says it should be around 4.4%. I'm
> wondering what to do: wait, dump it, put it back in the bucket
> with an air-lock? Any suggestions?
>
> Cheers
>
> Wayne
> --
> Registered Linux user #375994
> http://www.geocities.jp/rondonko/
>
I think you rushed things through just a tad quicker than what most people
do.
A week at least in the primary. If you're going from the primary straight to
a serving keg, I'd say two weeks in the primary would be the norm.
Steve W (in Aus)
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Date: 19 Oct 2006 07:54:26
From: Wayne
Subject: Re: First kit batch
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On Wed, 18 2006 07:32:01 +0000, Steve/Aus wrote:
>
> "Wayne" <rondonjin@yahoo.com> wrote in message
> news:pan.2006.10.18.00.34.31.154436@yahoo.com...
>> Hi all,
>>
>> Been lurking here for a while reading all the knowledgeable posts by you
>> guys (a bit of flattery never hurts) and it's time to ask a question.
>> The last time I brewed was about 20 years ago, a Boots (Brits would know
>> what I mean) kit.
>>
>> I've just brewed (I hope) a Black Rock bitter kit. The instructions call
>> for a kilo of sugar but being a bit of a purist I decided to use a kilo
>> of Muntons medium spraymalt instead. Hopefully, I cleaned and sanitised
>> all my kit beforehand and made up the brew. The kit included a tiny 5
>> gramme sachet of dry yeast and I'm kicking myself for not buying a
>> third-party larger packet. Bubbles in the air-lock appeared about 28
>> hours after pitching and continued for another 28 hours, which I thought
>> was a trifle quick. I left the brew for about 48 hours (no time to do
>> much) and just now racked it into a Hambleton Bard keg with 80 grammes
>> of demerara sugar as primer. I, of course had to sample it and it tasted
>> a bit tart. Alcohol was only about 2% and the blurb says it should be
>> around 4.4%. I'm wondering what to do: wait, dump it, put it back in the
>> bucket with an air-lock? Any suggestions?
>>
>> Cheers
>>
>> Wayne
>> --
>> Registered Linux user #375994
>> http://www.geocities.jp/rondonko/
>>
>>
> I think you rushed things through just a tad quicker than what most people
> do.
> A week at least in the primary. If you're going from the primary straight
> to a serving keg, I'd say two weeks in the primary would be the norm.
> Steve W (in Aus)
Well, I was following the instructions which said 4-7 days in the
fermenter.
I started the brew last Thursday morning about 11:00, first bubbles
appeared Friday evening around 8pm, bubbles stopped Saturday evening
about 8pm, left it till Wednesday morning to keg. When I opened the
fermenter there was hardly any gunk around the sides, top of the
brew was almost free of anything, no action at all. I guess those
yeasties must have died a horrible death. I *think* my thermometer
is borked and I may have pitched while it was still too hot. Their
is no sign of secondary fermentation in the keg after 24 hours.
Cheers
Wayne
--
Registered Linux user #375994
http://www.geocities.jp/rondonko/
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Date: 19 Oct 2006 14:46:53
From: John 'Shaggy' Kolesar
Subject: Re: First kit batch
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On Thu, 19 2006 07:54:26 +0900, <rondonjin@yahoo.com > wrote:
>>> third-party larger packet. Bubbles in the air-lock appeared about 28
>>> hours after pitching and continued for another 28 hours, which I thought
>>> was a trifle quick. I left the brew for about 48 hours (no time to do
>>> much) and just now racked it into a Hambleton Bard keg with 80 grammes
>>>
>> I think you rushed things through just a tad quicker than what most people
>> do.
>
> Well, I was following the instructions which said 4-7 days in the
> fermenter.
Ah, I think we were just confused. I originally read your first post as
saying that you kegged the beer 48 hours after you brewed it. I'm assuming
from the responses that others were confused as well. I see what you meant
now. IE, lag time was 28 hours + fermented for 28 hours + you waited 48
hours after that for a total of a little over 4 days. That's at least
more reasonable.
IMO, you never want to rely on a set schedule for fermentations though. I
would tend to ignore any instructions that say "wait X days and then keg or
bottle". They're just taking a guess, and there are lots of variables which
will be unique to your batch that could drastically change the amount
of time it takes. A much better way to determine when fermentation is done
is to take SG readings with a hydrometer or refractometer. The SG will
tell you definitively whether there is still any fermentation activity.
Going by anything else (number of days, counting bubbles in the airlock) is
just going to be guessing.
> brew was almost free of anything, no action at all. I guess those
> yeasties must have died a horrible death. I *think* my thermometer
> is borked and I may have pitched while it was still too hot. Their
> is no sign of secondary fermentation in the keg after 24 hours.
A SG reading will also tell you if there has been any fermentation activity
or if your yeast were DOA.
John.
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Date: 18 Oct 2006 18:35:28
From: John 'Shaggy' Kolesar
Subject: Re: First kit batch
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On Wed, 18 2006 09:34:32 +0900, <rondonjin@yahoo.com > wrote:
> for not buying a third-party larger packet. Bubbles in the air-lock
> appeared about 28 hours after pitching and continued for another
> 28 hours, which I thought was a trifle quick. I left the brew for
> about 48 hours (no time to do much) and just now racked it into a
> Hambleton Bard keg with 80 grammes of demerara sugar as primer. I,
> of course had to sample it and it tasted a bit tart. Alcohol was
> only about 2% and the blurb says it should be around 4.4%. I'm
> wondering what to do: wait, dump it, put it back in the bucket
> with an air-lock? Any suggestions?
Sounds like it just hasn't finished fermenting yet. 48 hours is pretty
quick for a turnaround time. IMO, next time leave it alone for about
a week before you more it to the keg. Ideally you would want to be taking
SG readings to tell you when it is done.
John.
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Date: 19 Oct 2006 07:58:14
From: Wayne
Subject: Re: First kit batch
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On Wed, 18 2006 18:35:28 +0000, John 'Shaggy' Kolesar wrote:
> On Wed, 18 2006 09:34:32 +0900, <rondonjin@yahoo.com> wrote:
>> for not buying a third-party larger packet. Bubbles in the air-lock
>> appeared about 28 hours after pitching and continued for another 28
>> hours, which I thought was a trifle quick. I left the brew for about 48
>> hours (no time to do much) and just now racked it into a Hambleton Bard
>> keg with 80 grammes of demerara sugar as primer. I, of course had to
>> sample it and it tasted a bit tart. Alcohol was only about 2% and the
>> blurb says it should be around 4.4%. I'm wondering what to do: wait,
>> dump it, put it back in the bucket with an air-lock? Any suggestions?
>
> Sounds like it just hasn't finished fermenting yet. 48 hours is pretty
> quick for a turnaround time. IMO, next time leave it alone for about a
> week before you more it to the keg. Ideally you would want to be taking
> SG readings to tell you when it is done.
>
>
> John.
Thanks. Please see my other reply. I think my thermometer is borked, I've
been playing around with it and it doesn't seem accurate. I may have
pitched those yeasties while the wort was too warm and killed off most
of those poor suckers. Would it be wise at this stage to return it to
the fermenter and pitch another packet of yeast?
Cheers
Wayne
--
Registered Linux user #375994
http://www.geocities.jp/rondonko/
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Date: 19 Oct 2006 10:07:37
From: Wayne
Subject: Re: First kit batch
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On Thu, 19 2006 07:58:14 +0900, Wayne wrote:
> Thanks. Please see my other reply. I think my thermometer is borked, I've
> been playing around with it and it doesn't seem accurate. I may have
> pitched those yeasties while the wort was too warm and killed off most of
> those poor suckers. Would it be wise at this stage to return it to the
> fermenter and pitch another packet of yeast?
Update:
After having a large caffeine injection and some chocolate to get the
last brain-cell moving I wander over to the keg in the corner and
peer through the sides and notice some carbonation on top of the brew,
I pour myself a little snifter and taste it, it has lost that 'tart'
taste it had yesterday. I feel a tad tipsy, after all, it's still
morning and I haven't had breakfast yet! There's a head on the beer,
it's a tad cloudy and a little bitter. While not brilliant or even
close to good I think it will be at least drinkable given time. I'll
give myself 2 out of 10 for this one and hope I've learned a few
things to apply to my next batch, either a pale ale or stout. First
being to buy some decent yeast!
Cheers
Wayne
--
Registered Linux user #375994
http://www.geocities.jp/rondonko/
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Date: 19 Oct 2006 14:48:26
From: John 'Shaggy' Kolesar
Subject: Re: First kit batch
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On Thu, 19 2006 07:58:14 +0900, <rondonjin@yahoo.com > wrote:
> Thanks. Please see my other reply. I think my thermometer is borked, I've
> been playing around with it and it doesn't seem accurate. I may have
> pitched those yeasties while the wort was too warm and killed off most
> of those poor suckers. Would it be wise at this stage to return it to
> the fermenter and pitch another packet of yeast?
I think the best thing you can do now is take a SG reading and really
see what is going on. There could be any number of things happening,
we'd just be guessing. You could add more yeast if you wanted to, but
it may be completely unnecessary. A SG will tell you for sure.
John.
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Date: 19 Oct 2006 17:07:30
From:
Subject: Re: First kit batch
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John 'Shaggy' Kolesar wrote:
> On Thu, 19 2006 07:54:26 +0900, <rondonjin@yahoo.com> wrote:
> >> I think you rushed things through just a tad quicker than what most people
> >> do.
> >
> > Well, I was following the instructions which said 4-7 days in the
> > fermenter.
>
> Ah, I think we were just confused. I originally read your first post as
> saying that you kegged the beer 48 hours after you brewed it. I'm assuming
> from the responses that others were confused as well. I see what you meant
> now. IE, lag time was 28 hours + fermented for 28 hours + you waited 48
> hours after that for a total of a little over 4 days. That's at least
> more reasonable.
>
> IMO, you never want to rely on a set schedule for fermentations though. I
> would tend to ignore any instructions that say "wait X days and then keg or
> bottle". They're just taking a guess, and there are lots of variables which
> will be unique to your batch that could drastically change the amount
> of time it takes. A much better way to determine when fermentation is done
> is to take SG readings with a hydrometer or refractometer. The SG will
> tell you definitively whether there is still any fermentation activity.
>
> Going by anything else (number of days, counting bubbles in the airlock) is
> just going to be guessing.
>
> > brew was almost free of anything, no action at all. I guess those
> > yeasties must have died a horrible death. I *think* my thermometer
> > is borked and I may have pitched while it was still too hot. Their
> > is no sign of secondary fermentation in the keg after 24 hours.
>
> A SG reading will also tell you if there has been any fermentation activity
> or if your yeast were DOA.
John,
Thanks for the feedback and sorry for the confusion. I realised I
should have been a bit
clearer AFTER I hit the 'send' button, but like spelling mistakes it's
too late to fix :-)
What I should have said is that I started the brew on a Thursday and
kegged it the
following Tuesday. The initial hydrometer reading was within the
maker's range at
1035.
I was a bit worried about taking further hydrometer readings, I didn't
want to open the lid
of the fermenter unnecessarily and it doesn't have a tap (spigot) to
allow me to draw off.
I really ought to get a better fermenter (conical?) so I can have more
control, but my
future in this country is a bit up in the air right now.
Anyway, the brew is kegged, there is some carbonation, the tart taste
has gone and
it is drinkable.
Thanks for your time (and patience)
Cheers
Wayne
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Date: 20 Oct 2006 12:29:06
From: Wayne
Subject: Re: First kit batch
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On Thu, 19 2006 17:07:30 -0700, beerislife wrote:
> What I should have said is that I started the brew on a Thursday and
> kegged it the
> following Tuesday. The initial hydrometer reading was within the maker's
> range at
> 1035.
I think the last brain-cell has finally been pickled! That should be
I started on Thursday and kegged the following Wednesday! I was going
to do it on Tuesday but had no petrolium jelly for the keg's O-ring.
Wayne
--
Registered Linux user #375994
http://www.geocities.jp/rondonko/
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Date: 20 Oct 2006 17:38:30
From: John 'Shaggy' Kolesar
Subject: Re: First kit batch
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On 19 2006 17:07:30 -0700, <beerislife@gmail.com > wrote:
> Thanks for the feedback and sorry for the confusion. I realised I
> should have been a bit
> clearer AFTER I hit the 'send' button, but like spelling mistakes it's
> too late to fix :-)
No problem, we figured it out eventually. ;)
> What I should have said is that I started the brew on a Thursday and
> kegged it the
> following Tuesday. The initial hydrometer reading was within the
> maker's range at
> 1035.
That's a pretty low OG reading. That's not bad, it just means that this
type of beer will usually ferment out more quickly.
> I was a bit worried about taking further hydrometer readings, I didn't
> want to open the lid
> of the fermenter unnecessarily and it doesn't have a tap (spigot) to
> allow me to draw off.
> I really ought to get a better fermenter (conical?) so I can have more
> control, but my
> future in this country is a bit up in the air right now.
Don't worry about opening the lid for hydrometer readings, you're not
going to hurt anything. The benefits of learning what your fermentation
is doing far outweight any minimal risk of exposing the beer.
John.
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Date: 25 Oct 2006 09:10:52
From: Wayne
Subject: Re: First kit batch
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On Fri, 20 2006 17:38:30 +0000, John 'Shaggy' Kolesar wrote:
>> I was a bit worried about taking further hydrometer readings, I didn't
>> want to open the lid
>> of the fermenter unnecessarily and it doesn't have a tap (spigot) to
>> allow me to draw off.
>> I really ought to get a better fermenter (conical?) so I can have more
>> control, but my
>> future in this country is a bit up in the air right now.
>
> Don't worry about opening the lid for hydrometer readings, you're not
> going to hurt anything. The benefits of learning what your fermentation
> is doing far outweight any minimal risk of exposing the beer.
Thanks for the reassurance :-)
I've almost got rid of that batch, thirsty work living :-) I'm
getting ready to start my second batch maybe this weekend. It's
a pity I can't get the hopped variety of Muntons spraymalt here,
only the unhopped. I wanted to use a 500 gramme pack of each. I
like my pale ale hoppy!
Wayne
--
Registered Linux user #375994
http://www.geocities.jp/rondonko/
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Date: 25 Oct 2006 14:52:47
From: John 'Shaggy' Kolesar
Subject: Re: First kit batch
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On Wed, 25 2006 09:10:52 +0900, <rondonjin@yahoo.com > wrote:
> Thanks for the reassurance :-)
>
> I've almost got rid of that batch, thirsty work living :-) I'm
> getting ready to start my second batch maybe this weekend. It's
> a pity I can't get the hopped variety of Muntons spraymalt here,
> only the unhopped. I wanted to use a 500 gramme pack of each. I
> like my pale ale hoppy!
One option would be to get hops seperately and add them to the wort
yourself, kind of "tweaking" the kit beer to your liking.
John.
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Date: 26 Oct 2006 08:21:04
From: Wayne
Subject: Re: First kit batch
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On Wed, 25 2006 14:52:47 +0000, John 'Shaggy' Kolesar wrote:
> On Wed, 25 2006 09:10:52 +0900, <rondonjin@yahoo.com> wrote:
>> Thanks for the reassurance :-)
>>
>> I've almost got rid of that batch, thirsty work living :-) I'm getting
>> ready to start my second batch maybe this weekend. It's a pity I can't
>> get the hopped variety of Muntons spraymalt here, only the unhopped. I
>> wanted to use a 500 gramme pack of each. I like my pale ale hoppy!
>
> One option would be to get hops seperately and add them to the wort
> yourself, kind of "tweaking" the kit beer to your liking.
>
>
> John.
Yep. I already started another thread on that very topic, to which
I'm grateful for your and all the other replies :-) You guys are
really helpful to the noobs!
I may go hunting tomorrow. The nearest place to me (an hour away)
that has hops only has Fuggles and Saaz.
Cheers
Wayne
--
Registered Linux user #375994
http://www.geocities.jp/rondonko/
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