New here... Have a a couple of questions

[Sistermoon]

Hi everyone, Im sorry if its been asked before.
I just do this so new people would find it easier too, as i was not sure what to search for myself....
SO here is my question...
I tried to make beer with a kit. i did all stuff and for extra alcohol i added some sugar. and my hydrometer reading showed 1.09 ( close to 1100) while it was still hot from the pot...
Now my question is, did i do the right thing? i did some reading online and realized 1.05 is much already...
my fermentation is goign well i guess. I openned up the gallon a couple times to see if theres any procces...
And its still going...
Its been 4 days.
When do i need to measure with Hydrometer again?
So that was 2 question.
1: If 1.09 was ok. and 2: when to measure again.
Thank you so much for replying already x

 

[cactusgarrett]

1. Your starting gravity of 1.090 is BIG, but okay. It might be off if you truly measured the gravity hot. Hydrometers are typically calibrated at 60°F (15.6°C), so you have to do a conversion if measured at anything other than that. What did your recipe state should be the starting gravity? If it's a standard kit, I would imagine it should be somewhere in the neighborhood of 1.050-1.060. You must have added a LOT of sugar to bump it up to 1.090 (even if measured hot). Make sure you hold that fermenting batch at a low enough temperature. Because the yeast are likely overly stressed and you added increased simple sugars, you could have rocket fuel if you let go too warm.

2. I don't know how you're fermenting right now - with an airlock? If so, i would wait for the bubbling to stop. Should be around 7 days. But the important thing is to obtain two consecutive identical gravity readings on separate days when you do measure. Otherwise if you go to bottle and it's still fermenting, you could get bottle bombs.

 

[Sistermoon]

1. Your starting gravity of 1.090 is BIG, but okay. It might be off if you truly measured the gravity hot. Hydrometers are typically calibrated at 60°F (15.6°C), so you have to do a conversion if measured at anything other than that. What did your recipe state should be the starting gravity? If it's a standard kit, I would imagine it should be somewhere in the neighborhood of 1.050-1.060. You must have added a LOT of sugar to bump it up to 1.090 (even if measured hot). Make sure you hold that fermenting batch at a low enough temperature. Because the yeast are likely overly stressed and increased simple sugars, you could have rocket fuel with the if let go too warm.

2. I don't know how you're fermenting right now - with an airlock? If so, i would wait for the bubbling to stop. Should be around 7 days. But the important thing is to obtain two consecutive identical gravity readings on separate days when you do measure. Otherwise if you go to bottle and it's still fermenting, you could get bottle bombs.

Hi. Thank you so much for the great reply...
MY kit said its already on 1.05 so ur right. i measured once and i saw 1.08 while it was still boiling in teh pot, i just wanted more alcohol so i added some sugar. measured once and it showed 1.09, i wasnt sure about how these numbers worked anyway... but i guess ur right since it was hot it showed 1.08 instead 1.05?
and i keep it in Living room. temp is around 25 degrees C . I dont have an air lock. its a gallon with a tight head on it. I will tak a pic. . do you suggest i move it to balcony? the temp there is around 0 to 15 degrees C. depends its night or day.
Also is it ok to open the gallon head sometimes to see how is it going?
Thanks again.

 

[Jag75]

Looks like everything went well, signs of krausen . You should refrain from opening the fermenter. Not only does it introduce o2 also could be an invitation for bacteria. I'd look into a fermenter that you can attach an airlock to.

Welcome to the forum!

 

[Sistermoon]

Looks like everything went well, signs of krausen . You should refrain from opening the fermenter. Not only does it introduce o2 also could be an invitation for bacteria. I'd look into a fermenter that you can attach an airlock to.

Welcome to the forum!

Thank you.
so do u think its ok to bottle in like 10 days from now? its been 4 days already. or should i measure again before bottling?
Thank you
I will buy a all the tools next time im brewing, this was my first time

 

[Jag75]

Thank you.
so do u think its ok to bottle in like 10 days from now? its been 4 days already. or should i measure again before bottling?
Thank you
I will buy a all the tools next time im brewing, this was my first time

Like cactusgarrett said . Bottling before it's ready is no joke . It will create bottle bombs . The only way to know is take multiple hydrometer readings a few days apart. If it doesnt change your good to bottle. Use this calculator to help you determine the amount of priming .
https://www.northernbrewer.com/pages/priming-sugar-calculator

Just a couple of tips on brewing . Always clean your stuff really good . Sanitize everything on the cold side . Fermentation temp is key . Fermentation will increase the temp so keep that in mind . Patience is your friend , never rush to get your beer bottled or kegged . I let my beer sit in the fermenter for 3 weeks . Read John Palmers book on how to brew, it's a great read. Have fun and welcome to the hobby!

 

[doogie]

14 days is the earliest that I would bottle, I normally am closer to 21 days for most (and I keg, so no risk of bottle bombs) especially with higher gravity beers.

 

[balrog]

Welcome to the hobby!
Patience is the hardest thing to master in this hobby.
Put the lid on it and walk away for two weeks.
Play some hockey.
Read a book.
Look for an undiscovered comet.
Stuff like that.
Leave it be.

I agree with 14 days earliest to bottle.
And perhaps look into getting a refractometer for 20-30 USD which is good for starting SG (OG), and for telling when SG has finished dropping. It's not good necessarily for FG measurement as calculations of varying accuracy exist and hydrometer is always better used for FG. But the refractometer uses one drop (you don't want to use hydrometer in fermentation vessel as that's too easily a vector for infection), and the refractometer readings will stop moving downward when FG is reached. But two weeks left alone is easier to manage and you want to avoid opening the fermenter to allow infection and oxidation ingress.

Lastly, if the kit had extract, the high reading could well just be stratification of wort. It is hard to truly homogenize thick syrup in water with a bit of stirring.

 

[Sistermoon]

14 days is the earliest that I would bottle, I normally am closer to 21 days for most (and I keg, so no risk of bottle bombs) especially with higher gravity beers.

Keg is like a little barrel right? How can you drink from a keg anyway? i think its a good idea to buy a keg instead bottles?

 

[Jag75]

Keg is like a little barrel right? How can you drink from a keg anyway? i think its a good idea to buy a keg instead bottles?

You need a way to keep your kegs cold. Most people start off with bottling then move to kegs because of the expense . Baby steps lol. Make sure this is something you really wanna do before investing. Look up kegerators or keezers on YouTube . You will see exactly what it consists of . I advise to start with bottles then before you know it you'll be getting into all grain , kegging, fermentation temp controllers and whatnot .....just research , read a bunch of threads here and ask questions

 

[Sistermoon]

You need a way to keep your kegs cold. Most people start off with bottling then move to kegs because of the expense . Baby steps lol. Make sure this is something you really wanna do before investing. Look up kegerators or keezers on YouTube . You will see exactly what it consists of . I advise to start with bottles then before you know it you'll be getting into all grain , kegging, fermentation temp controllers and whatnot .....just research , read a bunch of threads here and ask questions

thanks. can you please tell me whats the good temp for fermentation? I mean put it inside or outside. how about if its summer. im still confused about it...
Id rather ask you directly to get one line answer to read a whole book.
Thanks

 

[balrog]

Kegs require a CO2 tank and regulator as well as input/output hoses/connections. It's fun, and for those of us who have spots for kegs, ways to chill kegs, accouterments to serve from kegs, and despise bottling, we like it. But it's a whole nother layer of deepness into the rabbit hole to go down in the beginning.

 

[balrog]

Temp of the yeast is important. Too cold, it stops. Too hot, it throws "off" flavors. Each yeast is slightly different so you have to look at the fermentation range for the yeast you have used to know the answer to that question. Typical ales like 65-68F. Fermentation will produce heat, increasing the temp 5-10 degrees F in the process. It is typically better to control that as yeast will perform better with temp control.

 

[Jag75]

thanks. can you please tell me whats the good temp for fermentation? I mean put it inside or outside. how about if its summer. im still confused about it...
Id rather ask you directly to get one line answer to read a whole book.
Thanks

Fermenters should be placed somewhere dark. If you dont have a place you can cover it . Different yeast call for different temps. On the yeast packet it will say what the optimal temp is . I pitch towards the lower end because when fermentation kicks in it causes the temp to rise .

 

[doogie]

Give it a little time before jumping into kegging. At a minimum you would need a keg, CO2 tank and a few parts. Generally additional cost is about $200 to get started in kegging, but you might keep a look on CraigsList or the for sale section of HomeBrewTalk for someone leaving the hobby. After bottling a few 5 gallon batches, kegging will start to have more appeal, but it's harder to travel with it, or give it to friends.

 

[cactusgarrett]

I'd look into a fermenter that you can attach an airlock to.

She could just drill a 1/2" hole and add a grommet. Boom, airlock ready.

 

[ncbrewer]

A few thoughts:

• IMO high gravity beers are not good beginner beers. 1.050 range would be a better OG for a while.
• I strongly agree with taking two gravity readings 2 - 3 days apart to make sure gravity is stable before bottling.
• When using a priming sugar calculator, estimate the volume that will go in the bottling bucket - not the volume in the fermenter. For reference, my extract batches have about 0.4 gallons of trub loss for a five gallon batch.
• If you boiled the whole batch rather than a partial boil and topping off with water, I feel that the gravity sample should be good. You should work on reading it more accurately - to three decimal places. Absolutely necessary for checking on a stable FG.
• Welcome to HBT.

 

[Sistermoon]

Yeh thanks everyone for the lovely answers.
I decided to skip kegging for now. i thought its just a little barrel, but looks liek its more complicated. I will stick with bottles.
and yeh i forgot to mention my reading was before i top up with water. ( i added like 9 litre water after
On general question for everyone...
How alcoholic could a beer get? i mean does it get more alcoholic if i add more sugar? or theres a limit where it stops somewhere.
And one more last question... Since i added sugar already.. when bottling do i still need one spoon sugar in each bottle?
Thanks everyone

 

[ESBrewer]

How alcoholic could a beer get? i mean does it get more alcoholic if i add more sugar? or theres a limit where it stops somewhere.

It stops when the yeast starts to get poisoned by the high alcohol level (or runs outh of other nutrients..or the osmotic pressure is too high for the yeast to live happily). This happens anywhere between 1--25% ABV depending on the type of yeast and how it is handled. For most ale brewing strains the limit is somewhere around 7-12%. To brew stronger, high gravity beers you need to choose a yeast strain capable to handle high ABV conditions. In such cases, you may need to take extra care of the yeast health by pitching more yeast, providing additional oxygen, nutrients etc.

Since i added sugar already.. when bottling do i still need one spoon sugar in each bottle?

Yes you do, the sugar added prior to fermentation will/should be fermented to alcohol before you bottle the beer so there will be no fermentable sugar unless you add some. Make sure the fermentation is finished before you bottle to avoid excessive carbonation and pressure in the bottles.

 

[cactusgarrett]

How alcoholic could a beer get?

A lot of factors go into that, but mainly: how much sugars (malt, extract, or otherwise) you use, how healthy your yeast is, and what strain of yeast you use. Some strains are more tolerable to higher alcohol amounts than others.

when bottling do i still need one spoon sugar in each bottle?

You still need to add sugar, though likely not a spoonful. When you follow the previous advice and get consecutive gravity readings that don't change, you've essentially used up the available sugar. So you need to add more in order to carbonate in the bottle. Use this to tell you how much and what types of sugar to add:
https://www.brewersfriend.com/beer-priming-calculator/

You could also go the easy route and use carbonation tabs where you just fill the bottle and drop a tab into each bottle.

 

[Jag75]

With kits you have a predictable OG and FG. It should say on the recipe instructions that came with it. However you added sugar so its gonna be higher abv.

 

[Sistermoon]

Thanks again everyone for great answers...
Ihave another question...
So for bottling i got like 15, 20 whiskey, Vodka bottles.. Is it ok so i bottle the beers into them? they all have doors.
Also if its ok...
SHould i wash them first? or sanitize? they still smell like alcohol and there's a few drops in them left, does it not hurt my Beer if gets mixed with this? Since alcohol kills any bacteria, so i thought why wash?
Another General Question....
How important is santizing the bottles in general? Because after 3 weeks the beer has alcohol itself , does it not sanitize the bottles itself?
Thank you so much

 

[Tobor_8thMan]

Hi everyone, Im sorry if its been asked before.
I just do this so new people would find it easier too, as i was not sure what to search for myself....
SO here is my question...
I tried to make beer with a kit. i did all stuff and for extra alcohol i added some sugar. and my hydrometer reading showed 1.09 ( close to 1100) while it was still hot from the pot...
Now my question is, did i do the right thing? i did some reading online and realized 1.05 is much already...
my fermentation is goign well i guess. I openned up the gallon a couple times to see if theres any procces...
And its still going...
Its been 4 days.
When do i need to measure with Hydrometer again?
So that was 2 question.
1: If 1.09 was ok. and 2: when to measure again.
Thank you so much for replying already x

If the hydrometer is glass lucky it wasn't broken. Just about all hydrometer has a calibration temp. For example 60F. Need to cool the sample. Take a hydrometer reading and adjust for the hydrometer calibration value.

Take another hydrometer reading before bottling or kegging to ensure fermentation is complete (or, based on my experience simply give the primary fermentation around 3 weeks. Now, before all others jump in with "What!!! 3 weeks. The 3 weeks is just a general recommendation.)

 

[Sistermoon]

If the hydrometer is glass lucky it wasn't broken. Just about all hydrometer has a calibration temp. For example 60F. Need to cool the sample. Take a hydrometer reading and adjust for the hydrometer calibration value.

Take another hydrometer reading before bottling or kegging to ensure fermentation is complete (or, based on my experience simply give the primary fermentation around 3 weeks. Now, before all others jump in with "What!!! 3 weeks. The 3 weeks is just a general recommendation.)

Thank you, yeh i also measured without topping up with water.. do i not need to calibrate my hydrometer again? since it was used in hot beer? thanks

 

[Tobor_8thMan]

I openned up the gallon a couple times to see if theres any procces...
Thank you so much for replying already x

Be careful each time opening as opening the fermenater might possibly allow wild yeast/infection to enter the fermenter.

 

[Tobor_8thMan]

Thank you, yeh i also measured without topping up with water.. do i not need to calibrate my hydrometer again? since it was used in hot beer? thanks

No, without topping up the water you got a false reading. Top up with clean, sanitized water, stir the water into the fermenter and only then take the sample.

Think of it this way. I stir a LOT of sugar into a 1/2 cup of water and take a hydrometer reading. The reading is high. But, I then stir clean water into the batch to get 1 cup (1 1/4 cup, 1 1/2 cup?) then my hydrometer reading isn't the same as the original 1/2 cup hydrometer reading.

Remember, the hydrometer is giving us an estimate of sugar in the liquid.

 

[Tobor_8thMan]

Thank you, yeh i also measured without topping up with water.. do i not need to calibrate my hydrometer again? since it was used in hot beer? thanks

By "calibrate the hydrometer" we mean calibrating to properly determine the reading. For example, my hydrometer is calibrated at 60F. I take a reading at 72F it is 1.056. I need to adjust as 72F is not 60F. So, my hydrometer reading is actually 1.057.

Some hydrometers are calibrated at 60F, some at 62F and some at 72F. Need to check your hydrometer.

 

[ESBrewer]

Washing & sanitizing the bottles is very important. I wouldn't use liquor bottles because those are not meant for pressurized liquids so it could be risky. In addition, some liquor bottles are transparent, exposing your beer to harmful light. If you don't have a capper you could use swing top bottles (even transparent bottles if you store them in a dark place). If this is not possible, even plastic soda bottles could be better to start with than the vodka bottles cause those are good at handling the pressure if not most suitable for beer. In the long run, u would like to buy a capper and use some old beer bottles. Or buy a set of quality swing top bottles.

 

[foolsbrew]

So for bottling i got like 15, 20 whiskey, Vodka bottles.. Is it ok so i bottle the beers into them? they all have doors.

Don't do this. These bottles are rarely strong enough to resist the pressure and may explode.

And one more last question... Since i added sugar already.. when bottling do i still need one spoon sugar in each bottle?

Yes, for carbonation. A sugar cube weighs 2-2.5g, you can drop a single sugar cube instead of measuring with a spoon instead.

and i keep it in Living room. temp is around 25 degrees C . I dont have an air lock. its a gallon with a tight head on it. I will tak a pic. . do you suggest i move it to balcony? the temp there is around 0 to 15 degrees C. depends its night or day.

Fermentation produces heat and your gravity is reasonably high. You are probably fermenting it near 30C if your ambient is 25C.
15C sounds good, but 10C is too cold. Can you move it near the doorway or something? Get a relatively smooth temperature decrease going while making sure it's above 10C and sticks around or slightly above 15C.

Concrete and metals will act as heat sinks. You can place it in a ~10C environment if you place it on top of a plastic chair and that should cool it down slowly while still being hot enough for fermentation.

Your balcony at 0-15C is a great place to brew a lager. It requires a bit more care than making an ale, but it would be truly great beer. Sadly it is too cold for ales.

How alcoholic could a beer get? i mean does it get more alcoholic if i add more sugar? or theres a limit where it stops somewhere.

Most yeast will struggle past 15%. You can get it to as high as you want though, look up "freeze distillation" keep in mind it's rarely worth the effort to go past 10%, in terms of effort and taste

SHould i wash them first? or sanitize? they still smell like alcohol and there's a few drops in them left, does it not hurt my Beer if gets mixed with this? Since alcohol kills any bacteria, so i thought why wash?
How important is santizing the bottles in general? Because after 3 weeks the beer has alcohol itself , does it not sanitize the bottles itself?

A few drops of alcohol isn't enough to be a problem.
Sanitization is important though. Not a lot can live in that environment, but some stuff still can, including wild yeasts.

Don't wait for more than a way once you get a bottle sanitized. If you wait a week, assume it was contamined.
Easiest ways:
a) Use a sanitizer like starsan
b) Put them in your dishwasher and run at 70C. Don't add anything else, no cleaners. Place them looking downwards. They won't be really washed, just some water and heat. This is enough for sanitization.
c) Place them in the oven at 175C.

Thank you, yeh i also measured without topping up with water.. do i not need to calibrate my hydrometer again? since it was used in hot beer? thanks

No, but don't place it in anything above 35C from now on.

 

[Sistermoon]

Thanks foolsbrew. for complete answers... speialy the sanitizing ones.. I wasnt thunking of dish washer.. thats great idea. thanks...
SOo question.. lets say i want to bootle tomorrow.. is it ok that i clsoe the bottles doors and leave them in dish washer or somwehrre..
and also. can u please find a solution so i use these liquor bottles? maybe if i use less sugar they wont break? also their doors are not that tight anyway.
thanks again

 

[foolsbrew]

lets say i want to bootle tomorrow..

Judging by your first post tomorrow should be the 11th day. It should be done fermenting given you basically fermented it near 30C, but the higher gravity makes me unsure and I would wait at least a few days and take a reading then. It would be careless to bottle it tomorrow. Besides, you have no bottles right now.

I would also let it sit in your cold balcony for a few days before bottling.

Thanks foolsbrew. for complete answers... speialy the sanitizing ones.. I wasnt thunking of dish washer.. thats great idea. thanks...
SOo question.. lets say i want to bootle tomorrow.. is it ok that i clsoe the bottles doors and leave them in dish washer or somwehrre..
and also. can u please find a solution so i use these liquor bottles? maybe if i use less sugar they wont break? also their doors are not that tight anyway.
thanks again

Don't use your liquor bottles. At best it won't work out, at worst you end up in a grave.

The dishwasher method is for sanitizing before filling them. You place the empty bottles in your dishwasher like below

The top half of your dishwasher may not have enough space to fit them.

Make sure you run your dishwasher at 70C. Some dishwashers don't have this option. If the hottest option is only 60C, don't do it and clean them by hand or use the oven.

Once they are out, let them sit there for a few hours before opening it to make sure they dry and cool a bit, then fill them.

You can use PET bottles, but they have to be the stronger ones and it's not really ideal.

Best is beer bottles, but you will also need bottle caps and a way to cap them. You can get used beer bottles from liquor stores for whatever your country has the deposit rate of bottles set at, usually just several cents.

 

[Sistermoon]

Judging by your first post tomorrow should be the 11th day. It should be done fermenting given you basically fermented it near 30C, but the higher gravity makes me unsure and I would wait at least a few days and take a reading then. It would be careless to bottle it tomorrow. Besides, you have no bottles right now.

I would also let it sit in your cold balcony for a few days before bottling.


Don't use your liquor bottles. At best it won't work out, at worst you end up in a grave.

The dishwasher method is for sanitizing before filling them. You place the empty bottles in your dishwasher like below

The top half of your dishwasher may not have enough space to fit them.

Make sure you run your dishwasher at 70C. Some dishwashers don't have this option. If the hottest option is only 60C, don't do it and clean them by hand or use the oven.

Once they are out, let them sit there for a few hours before opening it to make sure they dry and cool a bit, then fill them.

You can use PET bottles, but they have to be the stronger ones and it's not really ideal.

Best is beer bottles, but you will also need bottle caps and a way to cap them. You can get used beer bottles from liquor stores for whatever your country has the deposit rate of bottles set at, usually just several cents.

thanks for the reply. By tomorow it was an example.. i will be bottling in about 10 days.
could u please explain why did you say , at best it wont work out and at worst it will kill me? bottle is bottle, wats the difference?

 

[foolsbrew]

thanks for the reply. By tomorow it was an example.. i will be bottling in about 10 days.
could u please explain why did you say , at best it wont work out and at worst it will kill me? bottle is bottle, wats the difference?

Bottles not made to withstand higher levels of pressure can and will explode. The best case is it's not a perfect seal and it ends up leaking the co2.

 

[Sistermoon]

Bottles not made to withstand higher levels of pressure can and will explode. The best case is it's not a perfect seal and it ends up leaking the co2.

Why do we need Co2?

 

[Tobor_8thMan]

Why do we need Co2?

Well we don't if one enjoys flat beer.

 

[Sistermoon]

Well i managed to find 45 bottles in basement. Hope its enough. Now i need to find caps.. We have a capper. i wont use liquor bottles anymore.
Thanks for suggestion.

 

[Tobor_8thMan]

Well i managed to find 45 bottles in basement. Hope its enough. Now i need to find caps.. We have a capper. i wont use liquor bottles anymore.
Thanks for suggestion.

Normal 5 gallon batch uses 52 12 oz bottles. However, if only have 45 clean and sanitized bottles, then put the rest in a clean and sanitized growler.

 

[Jag75]

Normal 5 gallon batch uses 52 12 oz bottles. However, if only have 45 clean and sanitized bottles, then put the rest in a clean and sanitized growler.

I'm usually at 48 12oz with a 5 gallon batch depending on what it is.

 

[cactusgarrett]

put the rest in a clean and sanitized growler.

Growlers aren't a good format for bottle conditioning either. If the cap doesn't fail, they're also not good with high pressure and are basically just BIGGER bottle bombs waiting to happen.

 

[dwhite60]

Higher alcohol beers really require aging to smooth out before consumption. This can be months. Without aging they can taste "hot" and have quite the alcohol burn but, if that's what you're looking for.....

I use some plastic soda bottles with screw caps. They hold quite a bit of pressure. I have some that are made by Cooper's (Amazon is your friend). Caps on screw tops are reusable many times.

All the Best,
D. White