Unusmundus
Well-Known Member
So after being ripped off by buying one of those ****ty Mr.Beer kits, and making two awful batches, last week I decided to switch to actual all-grain brewing. I went to my local home brew shop, and picked up a full starters equipment set for a 23 litre batch, as well as a Brewhouse Munich Dark Lager beer kit. Got home, sanitized obsessively, and put the batch into primary fermentation. The instructions for my particular brew kit said 3-5 days in primary. I got home from work on day 2, and realized my batch had exploded. The lid was still pretty much on, so I doubt anything infectious got in, but there was beer everywhere. I wiped the mess up, made sure the lid was on tight, and left it for a couple hours. When I checked back, the lid was so swollen, that I realized if I didn't rack that night, it would explode again, and I'd end up spoiling the batch. Don't ask me whose brilliant idea it was to created a primary fermentation bucket with no ventilation, but that night, after the batch had sat in primary for about 2 and a half days-- 60 hours give or take (it was after all 5 am when I decided to rack), I racked to my carboy. Sooo.... Is this a huge, huge problem? It has been sitting in secondary for about 5 days now, and I did take the airlock off for a quick sniff yesterday, and it's starting to smell pretty good. HOWEVER, I am also having temperature problems, as because of the height of the carboy with the airlock on, the only place I have to store it out of direct sunlight is next to an outside wall, and it's getting pretty damn cold up here in NS in the last few weeks. 3 days ago I noticed the adhesive thermometer read 62 degrees, so I put a towel under the base, folded a packing blanket up four times, wrapped it around tightly, and put an old t-shirt over the top, with the airlock sticking out of the head hole, yet now, 3 days later, it still reads 62, and I'm only getting between 2 and 3 bubbles out of the airlock a minute. Is this a huge problem? It is after all a lager? If it helps, the Brewhouse kits come packaged with Coopers DIY yeast, and for the record I did not take an initial gravity reading, as I forgot to pick up a wine thief. I did try to dip the (sanitized) hydrometer tube into the bucket awkwardly, but as soon as my finger grazed the top of the foam I decided it wasn't worth the risk of infection. Anyhow, for anyone that takes the time to read this, and give their two cents, I really appreciate it. Happy brewing !
Cheers !
Cheers !