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Main
Date: 13 Jul 2006 07:52:29
From:
Subject: Newbie with questions
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Hi folks,
Just doing my first home brew, decided to try a 'John Bull Cider' kit.
For the inital fermentation I put it all into a sterile brewing bucket
using 'brewing sugar', left the lid loose and placed it into the airing
cupboard, nice and warm. After four days the 'foam head' had gone and
using a hydrometer it was down to 1.000, sorry don't know the
temperature, so I assume it had completed its fermentation.
I bottled it into 2 litre PET bottles adding a couple of teaspoons of
sugar along the way.
Now, a couple of days later I am seeing quite a bit of sediment
settling out in the bottom of these bottles as they gradually clear and
wonder if I should have left it a bit longer before bottling?
With the last couple of bottles I had not realised that the siphon tube
had slipped to the bottom of the bucket so would have picked up some
stuff from the bottom. Incidentally, these few bottles developed quite
a 'head' when the sugar was added.
The main thing I want to ask is can I 'rack' them off again? Am I
likely to loose too much 'fizz'? If so, what options do I have to add
the fizz back?
Could/should I add more sugar when 'racking' them off for the second
time?
How long should I leave it before racking them off?
For future reference..
. Did I bottle too soon? Should I have let it settle a bit longer in
the bucket?
. Will the couple of bottles which picked up the bottom sediment need
anything extra doing to them to prevent anything bad happening?
So many questions! Any advice greatfully appreciated.
Chris
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Date: 13 Jul 2006 12:55:24
From: brian@yahoo.com
Subject: Re: Newbie with questions
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alebrewer wrote:
> chris-s@mailcity.com wrote:
> > Hi folks,
> >
> > Just doing my first home brew, decided to try a 'John Bull Cider' kit.
> >
> > For the inital fermentation I put it all into a sterile brewing bucket
> > using 'brewing sugar', left the lid loose and placed it into the airing
> > cupboard, nice and warm. After four days the 'foam head' had gone and
> > using a hydrometer it was down to 1.000, sorry don't know the
> > temperature, so I assume it had completed its fermentation.
> >
> > I bottled it into 2 litre PET bottles adding a couple of teaspoons of
> > sugar along the way.
> >
> > Now, a couple of days later I am seeing quite a bit of sediment
> > settling out in the bottom of these bottles as they gradually clear and
> > wonder if I should have left it a bit longer before bottling?
> >
> > With the last couple of bottles I had not realised that the siphon tube
> > had slipped to the bottom of the bucket so would have picked up some
> > stuff from the bottom. Incidentally, these few bottles developed quite
> > a 'head' when the sugar was added.
> >
> > The main thing I want to ask is can I 'rack' them off again? Am I
> > likely to loose too much 'fizz'? If so, what options do I have to add
> > the fizz back?
> > Could/should I add more sugar when 'racking' them off for the second
> > time?
> > How long should I leave it before racking them off?
> >
> > For future reference..
> >
> > . Did I bottle too soon? Should I have let it settle a bit longer in
> > the bucket?
> >
> > . Will the couple of bottles which picked up the bottom sediment need
> > anything extra doing to them to prevent anything bad happening?
> >
> >
> > So many questions! Any advice greatfully appreciated.
> >
> > Chris
>
> Relax. Don't worry. Have another homebrew.
>
> ab
First, I second the notion of Relax. Don't worry. Have another
homebrew.
Second, check out www.HowToBrew.com. Its an excellent primer on how to
brew beer.
Some observations of things you may want to change:
1. Beer likes cooler places to ferment, not warm. Try to find a cool
place to put the beer rather than someplace warm.
2. Adding sugar to a cider was probably the best choice given the
flavors at work there, but for future beer kits, add an equal weight of
Dry Malt Extract instead of the sugar. It will result in more beer
flavor and body.
3. PET bottles are handy for short term storage, but they can allow
oxygen into the beer (this is generally bad) over long term storage.
4. The sugar added to the bottles is generally referred to as priming
sugar. Generally it is better to prime the whole batch than to prime
each bottle individually. For a 5 gal batch you will usually use 3/4
cup of sugar and dissolve it in a cup or two of water and bring to a
boil. Then cool the sugar water by placing the pot in an ice bath.
Meanwhile move the beer to a bottling bucket and then stir in the sugar
solution. Now fill your bottles and they will all have just the right
amount of sugar.
Let the bottles carbonate for 2 weeks (2 liter bottles may take longer,
but 2 weeks should work ok). The sediment will settle to the bottom
and whenever you pour just be gentle to not disturb the sediment too
much and you will be fine. I doubt it will be worthwhile to try and
rerack the beer.
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Date: 14 Jul 2006 05:17:26
From: Steve/Aus
Subject: Re: Newbie with questions
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"brian@yahoo.com" <brian.sico@gmail.com > wrote in message
news:1152820524.147801.304810@i42g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>
> alebrewer wrote:
>> chris-s@mailcity.com wrote:
>
> First, I second the notion of Relax. Don't worry. Have another
> homebrew.
>
> Second, check out www.HowToBrew.com. Its an excellent primer on how to
> brew beer.
>
> Some observations of things you may want to change:
> 1. Beer likes cooler places to ferment, not warm. Try to find a cool
> place to put the beer rather than someplace warm.
> 2. Adding sugar to a cider was probably the best choice given the
> flavors at work there, but for future beer kits, add an equal weight of
> Dry Malt Extract instead of the sugar. It will result in more beer
> flavor and body.
> 3. PET bottles are handy for short term storage, but they can allow
> oxygen into the beer (this is generally bad) over long term storage.
> 4. The sugar added to the bottles is generally referred to as priming
> sugar. Generally it is better to prime the whole batch than to prime
> each bottle individually. For a 5 gal batch you will usually use 3/4
> cup of sugar and dissolve it in a cup or two of water and bring to a
> boil. Then cool the sugar water by placing the pot in an ice bath.
> Meanwhile move the beer to a bottling bucket and then stir in the sugar
> solution. Now fill your bottles and they will all have just the right
> amount of sugar.
>
> Let the bottles carbonate for 2 weeks (2 liter bottles may take longer,
> but 2 weeks should work ok). The sediment will settle to the bottom
> and whenever you pour just be gentle to not disturb the sediment too
> much and you will be fine. I doubt it will be worthwhile to try and
> rerack the beer.
>
I think the OP is making cider - not beer. Cider by definition is a wine, a
fermented fruit juice, so adding malt extract is not exactly a cider but
some sort of hybrid (cyser or something like that?). However, his concern
was the sediment that is primarily caused by bottle fermentation and is
unavoidable unless you switch to force carbonation.
As for removing the sediment, the easiest way is to chill the cider with the
bottles upright - the cold temp will help settle out solids, and then decant
the bottle into a serving jug in one continuous pour, leaving the sediment
behind.
If you got the ways and means, you can invert the bottles until all the
sediment settles in the necks. Then freeze the neck, unscrew the top and
remove the ice plug.
Steve W (in Aus)
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Date: 13 Jul 2006 12:35:37
From: alebrewer
Subject: Re: Newbie with questions
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chris-s@mailcity.com wrote:
> Hi folks,
>
> Just doing my first home brew, decided to try a 'John Bull Cider' kit.
>
> For the inital fermentation I put it all into a sterile brewing bucket
> using 'brewing sugar', left the lid loose and placed it into the airing
> cupboard, nice and warm. After four days the 'foam head' had gone and
> using a hydrometer it was down to 1.000, sorry don't know the
> temperature, so I assume it had completed its fermentation.
>
> I bottled it into 2 litre PET bottles adding a couple of teaspoons of
> sugar along the way.
>
> Now, a couple of days later I am seeing quite a bit of sediment
> settling out in the bottom of these bottles as they gradually clear and
> wonder if I should have left it a bit longer before bottling?
>
> With the last couple of bottles I had not realised that the siphon tube
> had slipped to the bottom of the bucket so would have picked up some
> stuff from the bottom. Incidentally, these few bottles developed quite
> a 'head' when the sugar was added.
>
> The main thing I want to ask is can I 'rack' them off again? Am I
> likely to loose too much 'fizz'? If so, what options do I have to add
> the fizz back?
> Could/should I add more sugar when 'racking' them off for the second
> time?
> How long should I leave it before racking them off?
>
> For future reference..
>
> . Did I bottle too soon? Should I have let it settle a bit longer in
> the bucket?
>
> . Will the couple of bottles which picked up the bottom sediment need
> anything extra doing to them to prevent anything bad happening?
>
>
> So many questions! Any advice greatfully appreciated.
>
> Chris
Relax. Don't worry. Have another homebrew.
ab
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Date: 14 Jul 2006 01:23:09
From:
Subject: Re: Newbie with questions
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Thanks for the replies guys. Since I've got plenty of bottles, I might
experiment with the various methods to see which works best.
Chris
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