new to home brewing (little help)

[reedy2k9]

so, im new to homebrewing and i have a couple of questions to ask you all.

i made my first batch of coopers lager on saturday the 7th march and followed all instruction from a guy on u tube known as craig tube and every thing went well, fermentation started that same day on the night and only took 4 days to ferment i then syphend my lager to a clean bucket and left over night and then it was bottling day (the next day) i wanted to carbonate my lager using coopers carbonation drops as i did not understand priming and i phoned a local brewery shop to see if they sold these drops witch they did not, and the lady told me she don't recommend the carbonation drops (she has been in the brewing busnes for 35 years she claims) and she told me 1 tea spoon of normal table sugar in every bottle, so i took her advise and did what she suggested (i have 700ml glass bottles) see i dont understand how carbonating lager or beer works
so my first question is will my lager carbonate?
also could some one please tell me how carbonating works and how,
she also told me to put my lager in the same place i fermented my brew (witch i have done) and leave for 3 days then put them all in my garage for 2/3 days but not on the cold floor, so my second question is will my lager carbonate if i follow the ladys instructions. now i know that most people have said that leave your larger to carbonate for 3 weeks- should i do that.
my next question is i found some beer finings in a local shop will that clear my lager of sediment or is it just for beer?
if any one has any tips to share that would be greatfull
thanks in advance

 

[icebob]

How did you figure that fermentation was done? It seems to me that it was a really short time and suspect fermentation was not complete. What was the temp during fermentation. If I were you I would place those bottle in a container with a lid on top, bottle bombs can make quite a mess. I'm no expert but your fermentation time was really short...

 

[reedy2k9]

i knew fermentation was done as there was no bubbling in my airlock and after putting it in to another bucket there was still nothing the temp was about 25 deg

 

[jbaysurfer]

I think you mean Lager and and not Larger. Priming works like this:
Yeast eat sugar and excrete CO2 and Alcohol (amongst other things) C02 carbonates beer.

When the beer is done fermenting, and you rack it to the bottling bucket, it still has some yeast in it. Those yeast will eat a little more sugar if you give it to them. Give them the right amount of it, mix it all up and bottle the beer and then wait for the yeast to do their thing.

The c02 they produce becomes the carbonation in the bottle.

Give them 3 weeks at room temps before trying them out. Move it to the fridge for a good 48 hours after those 3 weeks is up and before opening a bottle (this allows the co2 to dissolve back into the liquid).

I think you may have underprimed a little bit, but I'd never do it on a "per bottle" basis, so that's why I just "think" instead of say it for a fact. I'd never prime that way again if I were you. Just use this calculator:
http://www.brewersfriend.com/beer-priming-calculator/

There...now you understand priming. ;-)

 

[jbaysurfer]

i knew fermentation was done as there was no bubbling in my airlock and after putting it in to another bucket there was still nothing the temp was about 25 deg

That doesn't mean it's done. Bubbling activity is not a reliable indicator of anything more then the overall level of yeast activity. They can still be working but putting off little enough gas for you to see activity. You need a hydrometer. Cheap and reliable...and breakable. ;-)

He's right...I'd store those bottles in a tupperware tub while aging them. Bottle bombs are messy and dangerous.

 

[jbaysurfer]

And now I read the last line, I'm not even sure what you're talking about when you say "Larger". If you mean "Lager", that's beer, so I'm still not sure what the last sentence means.

Take this as constructive criticism, but get a good book on brewing beer. You've still got some stuff to learn.

 

[akillys]

How did you figure that fermentation was done? It seems to me that it was a really short time and suspect fermentation was not complete. What was the temp during fermentation. If I were you I would place those bottle in a container with a lid on top, bottle bombs can make quite a mess. I'm no expert but your fermentation time was really short...

I agree with icebob, that was a really short fermentation. Bubbles in the airlock are not a sign of completed fermentation by any means. I have a pumpkin ale that is fermenting really well. There are no bubbles in my air lock and the gravity reading have not been consistent. You really should get a hydrometer so you can take gravity readings. These readings will help you verify that fermentation is complete. I suspect that you have bottle bombs as well.

As for priming, most people boil the sugar in water and dump that into their bottling bucket, then rack the beer onto that. Here is a link to a priming calculator so that you can know how much sugar to use. http://www.northernbrewer.com/priming-sugar-calculator/

Edit: post 4 and 5 were not up when I started typing but they are correct as well.

 

[reedy2k9]

thanks for the information on the carbonating, i now understand,
sorry i mean lager as in beer my i phone keeps correcting me to larger,
think i will take your advise and load the bottles in a bucket, also i took a reading from the hydrometer and it showed it was ready to be bottled and when you say breakable i have already broke 1 haha

 

[bberg]

Patience my friend.... I'd listen to everyone else..

4 days doesn't seem long enough, but who knows.. Secure those bottles as those suckers can/will be dangerous.

 

[icebob]

for the hydrometer, to know your beer is done fermenting, you need a couple reading at a couple days interval, if it didn't move, you're ready to bottle.

 

[reedy2k9]

I done 3 tests and it was ready to bottle every time a took the reading,
How long should I leave to carbonate

 

[bberg]

3 tests with the same SG? How far apart (time wise) were the readings?

 

[Hello]

thanks for the information on the carbonating, i now understand,
sorry i mean lager as in beer my i phone keeps correcting me to larger,
think i will take your advise and load the bottles in a bucket, also i took a reading from the hydrometer and it showed it was ready to be bottled and when you say breakable i have already broke 1 haha

I done 3 tests and it was ready to bottle every time a took the reading,
How long should I leave to carbonate

I don't get this. A hydrometer isn't going to tell you "ready to bottle" in such specific terms. What was the gravity of your beer when you brewed it? What was the gravity of the beer when it was "ready to bottle"? What yeast did you use?

My concerns are you bottled a beer that probably wasn't even done fermenting. If it was, it's a lager and I assume 25 degrees = 25C so that is 77F. The lagering temps are always lower. Is it really a lager? You may have flavors you don't expect in that beer, especially if you used a lager yeast at 77F.

How clear did the beer look? Even if yeast have eaten all sugars (fermented) there is time that the yeast could use to flocculate. It cleans up the beer, drops more crud out of suspension and gives you a cleaner beer. That is not a problem if you rushed it, and you sure did, but I am more concerned that you have sugars that those yeast will eat and those bottles may explode or be gushers.

I would keep the bottles in a room that is about 20-25C covered and far away from anything living (or electronics). Check one in a week. Take the bottle, put it in a fridge for 2 days, then carefully open it. If it is gushing you can be pretty sure the rest need to be chilled and drank quickly. Please be careful.

The lady giving you advice probably should have taken her 35 years of experience and noted the short fermentation period. It would have been a better topic than to discuss her disapproval of carbonation drops. I recommend watching CraigTube and also reading John Palmer's How to Brew. The free one is online, there are some things he changed such as secondary fermentation and such, but overall, you will get some basics.

 

[reedy2k9]

Update: I have just tested a lager that's been at room temp for 3 days I put it in the fridge for a few hours and I have to say it was fully carbed up no bottle bombs and realy refreshing all the other bottles will be left for longer thanks for all the advise

 

[xUffax]

I just wanted to chime in based on this last post (#14) fully carbed up after 3 days at room temp and a few hours in the fridge sounds extremely dangerous. Please be careful with the rest of your bottles and truly listen to the people on this site, they are extremely knowledgeable. I still merely lurk for information as I have a lot to learn still. Good luck.

 

[bberg]

Well said xuffax. Please, for your safety....make sure those bottles are covered so that IF they explode, no glass shards can do any real damage

Sent from my XT1049 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[rattyboh]

If the beer was "fully carbed" after three days, it seems likely that it was not done fermenting fully. You may not have had any bottle bombs yet but over the next few weeks they can easily become over carbed and/or expolosive. I know you said that you took three hydrometer readings but what was the OG for the recipe? and what was your final gravity reading. Like others have said, you need stable hydrometer readings over multiple days. Since you fermented for four days I would say it is impossible that you got three days of stable hydrometer readings. Even when it reaches a stable gravity, more time lets the yeast clean up after themselves. Next time try to leave it alone for at least 2 weeks, before even opening it to take a gravity reading.

 

[Test]

I don't get this. A hydrometer isn't going to tell you "ready to bottle" in such specific terms. What was the gravity of your beer when you brewed it? What was the gravity of the beer when it was "ready to bottle"? What yeast did you use?



My concerns are you bottled a beer that probably wasn't even done fermenting. If it was, it's a lager and I assume 25 degrees = 25C so that is 77F. The lagering temps are always lower. Is it really a lager? You may have flavors you don't expect in that beer, especially if you used a lager yeast at 77F.



How clear did the beer look? Even if yeast have eaten all sugars (fermented) there is time that the yeast could use to flocculate. It cleans up the beer, drops more crud out of suspension and gives you a cleaner beer. That is not a problem if you rushed it, and you sure did, but I am more concerned that you have sugars that those yeast will eat and those bottles may explode or be gushers.



I would keep the bottles in a room that is about 20-25C covered and far away from anything living (or electronics). Check one in a week. Take the bottle, put it in a fridge for 2 days, then carefully open it. If it is gushing you can be pretty sure the rest need to be chilled and drank quickly. Please be careful.



The lady giving you advice probably should have taken her 35 years of experience and noted the short fermentation period. It would have been a better topic than to discuss her disapproval of carbonation drops. I recommend watching CraigTube and also reading John Palmer's How to Brew. The free one is online, there are some things he changed such as secondary fermentation and such, but overall, you will get some basics.

Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[Hello]

Update: I have just tested a lager that's been at room temp for 3 days I put it in the fridge for a few hours and I have to say it was fully carbed up no bottle bombs and realy refreshing all the other bottles will be left for longer thanks for all the advise

I feel like you've ignored all the advice. No beer will fully carb in a bottle in 3 days unless you bottled too soon. Maybe I am wrong, it happens at least 5 times a day, but I don't think so in this case. If you ignore all other posts, just read this one by rattyboh: (it is short and sweet)

If the beer was "fully carbed" after three days, it seems likely that it was not done fermenting fully. You may not have had any bottle bombs yet but over the next few weeks they can easily become over carbed and/or expolosive. I know you said that you took three hydrometer readings but what was the OG for the recipe? and what was your final gravity reading. Like others have said, you need stable hydrometer readings over multiple days. Since you fermented for four days I would say it is impossible that you got three days of stable hydrometer readings. Even when it reaches a stable gravity, more time lets the yeast clean up after themselves. Next time try to leave it alone for at least 2 weeks, before even opening it to take a gravity reading.