I've been bought a Wilko home brew starter kit by my wife and kids for Father's Day last week with a ale brew. It's nothing special its just fermentation bucket, paddle, pressure barrel and siphon tube. I followed the instructions sterilised everything, rinsed out. I made the mix by the instructions added theyeast. It foamed up fora couple of days and now I have sediment on the bottom and scum ring were the fermentation foam was and now it looks like flat beer with bits floating on the top. Like it smells like stale beer it a slight odour of something else. Is it ok? And do I bottle now or wait a bit long as it has only been going since Thursday?
Stupid question time
- Thread starter nik77
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:
johngaltsmotor
Well-Known Member
The typical rule is to wait 2 weeks if you're not able to test the gravity. Even if it looks done the yeast are likely still working on the more complex sugars for a week or so. You don't want to bottle too early or the extra sugars will let the yeast make too much CO2 and the bottles can explode. It is better to wait until they have consumed most of the sugars, then the only CO2 generated comes from the bottling sugar.
Do the bits floating on top look like they could be bunches of yeast and gas bubbles? As they die off for lack of sugar most yeast will sink so if they're still floating they're still working. I'd give it at least another week.
Do the bits floating on top look like they could be bunches of yeast and gas bubbles? As they die off for lack of sugar most yeast will sink so if they're still floating they're still working. I'd give it at least another week.
GrogNerd
mean old man
sediment and scum ring are normal
smells like warm, flat beer because that's exactly what it is
did your kit come with a hydrometer? you can bottle any time after fermentation is done and that can ONLY be determined by taking gravity readings a day or 2 apart. if they match, fermentation is done
smells like warm, flat beer because that's exactly what it is
did your kit come with a hydrometer? you can bottle any time after fermentation is done and that can ONLY be determined by taking gravity readings a day or 2 apart. if they match, fermentation is done
woozy
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2013
- Messages
- 1,297
- Reaction score
- 132
>>and now it looks like flat beer with bits floating on the top.
That's because it *is* flat beer with bits floating on the top.
>> Like it smells like stale beer it a slight odour of something else. Is it ok?
Hell yeah, it's okay!!!
>>And do I bottle now or wait a bit longer
Only been going since thursday? Let it sit a week. It's done the fermentation (probably... it might be in the last stages) but now it needs to age and condition and clear for a while. You *never* want to _rush_ beer.
And think of it this way: It'll take six weeks or so for the beer to reach its peak; So either you bottle it now and let the bottles sit about for 5 and a half weeks, or you let it sit in the fermenter for another week and a half and *then* let the bottles sit about for 3 weeks. It'll still take 6 weeks before you *should* drink it.
What do the instructions about how to tell when it's time to bottle?
Now the *real* way to tell is: Buy a hydrometer. Measure sometime after all the active fermentation is over. Measure again a few days later. If the measurements are the same then the fermentation is done; final gravity has reached; and it's time to bottle. If not, fermentation isn't done and it *isn't* time to bottle.
Without a hydrometer you are making an educated guess and the longer you wait, the more educated the guess.
That's because it *is* flat beer with bits floating on the top.
>> Like it smells like stale beer it a slight odour of something else. Is it ok?
Hell yeah, it's okay!!!
>>And do I bottle now or wait a bit longer
Only been going since thursday? Let it sit a week. It's done the fermentation (probably... it might be in the last stages) but now it needs to age and condition and clear for a while. You *never* want to _rush_ beer.
And think of it this way: It'll take six weeks or so for the beer to reach its peak; So either you bottle it now and let the bottles sit about for 5 and a half weeks, or you let it sit in the fermenter for another week and a half and *then* let the bottles sit about for 3 weeks. It'll still take 6 weeks before you *should* drink it.
What do the instructions about how to tell when it's time to bottle?
Now the *real* way to tell is: Buy a hydrometer. Measure sometime after all the active fermentation is over. Measure again a few days later. If the measurements are the same then the fermentation is done; final gravity has reached; and it's time to bottle. If not, fermentation isn't done and it *isn't* time to bottle.
Without a hydrometer you are making an educated guess and the longer you wait, the more educated the guess.
It's a basic you'll get bored of this hobby soon kit( so my wife thinks) so hydrometer is on the list for ASAP buying. Wife don't know about the four brew mixes I have in cellar. One pear cider, copper bitter, Wilko own bitter and a Xmas ale. As I'm only 36 wife thinks ill be bored soon but the thought of slowing drinking myself to death with home made beer and cider only makes me think I need more bottles another ferm bucket and a bigger cellar.
GrogNerd
mean old man
I'm 8 months into it and I need more bottles
it's not that I'm brewing too much, there can be no such thing
I'm just not drinking enough
See my point if I can brew 40 pints a time and that means I'm gonna have to average two pints a night just so that the bottles are empty for the next brew or I get more bottles and another ferm bucket I can slow down as well as having to drink the pressure barrel before "it go's off" I'm gonna need more time for drinking
woozy
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2013
- Messages
- 1,297
- Reaction score
- 132
Well, the best way to prove your wife right will be to bottle your beer too soon, drink them young, wonder why your beer tastes so green and lacking in complexity and then just give up 'cause your beers never really seemed to "get there".
Sounds to me like you made beer. Congrats. That sounds exactly like it is supposed to be. The most active part of fermentation is done. I would give it a little longer to make sure it is done since you do not have a hydrometer(it is not a bad idea to go with ~2 weeks in primary before doing anything much with it). It keeps you from dropping anything weird in there. Then go ahead and bottle it up, wait 3 weeks throw some bottles in the fridge for 24-72 hours and crack one open, pour to the shoulder (leave the sediment in the bottle) and enjoy.
The last bottle of a batch always tastes the best though.
LowNotes
Well-Known Member
Hehe, that is how it usually starts
1.5 years and 18 batches later for me and now I have 4 buckets, 2 carboys, a re-purposed garage-fridge fermentation chamber, a cardboard box full of leftover grains, and 3 baby hop plants crawling up my backyard fence.
And it all started with that first bucket and kit.
Oh, and I have beer too. Lots and lots of delicious beer.
And since you mentioned a cider, might I suggest you look into Edwort's Apfelwein. It is one of best recipes in terms of combining easiness, tastiness, and knocks-you-on-your-assedness. It is pretty popular around these aprts, as you amy find.
Brew on!:rockin:
Looks like Low Notes has already been into a pint or two. I agree though, I try to keep some on hand always. It is a real crowd pleaser.
Honestly, I used some high dollar organic apple juice not from concentrate the first time I made it and then used Motts brand the second time and preferred the Motts from concentrate. My wallet did too. You can use fresh juiced or pressed if you like though.
woozy
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2013
- Messages
- 1,297
- Reaction score
- 132
Yeah, but so will your cider be when you are done with it.
I have absolutely *no* idea.
But you are making a large assumption (a reasonable and a fairly deep bred-in the bones assumption) that un-concentrated and lack of crap and less processing and freshness is a *good* thing. Considering that your goal is to process the crap out of the juice yourself and to add a destructive crap (yeast) to it that will destroy its sugar and replace them with toxins and you'll let it *ferment* into something unrecognizable, I'm not sure that it's a valid assumption.
You'll need to research. I was wrong when I made the same argument about extract vs. all-grain and I'm probably wrong now. But for the sake of cidering (*not* drinking straight) does concentrating and reconstituting and adding crap (usually sugar) matter? I don't know. But I kinda don't think so.
Woozy I was more thinking in concentrate juice the juice content is low and the additives are quite high. I know by brewing your are adding "crap" to get the end product. But that's something you control ie the yeast and sugar but the chemicals to me would be something non- controllable. I'm probably 90% wrong but if a product like apple juice needs to be flavoured with a artificial apple flavouring just how bad or little is there in the juice to start with.
GrogNerd
mean old man
in the fall, head out into the country. lots of roadside vendors selling cider
or farmers' market
or the rest of the year, local supermarket "organic" section
or farmers' market
or the rest of the year, local supermarket "organic" section
woozy
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2013
- Messages
- 1,297
- Reaction score
- 132
Okay, yeah, you *definately* want to avoid anything with *artificial* flavor. If you get cheap stuff you want to make sure it's legally apple *juice* and not apple flavored drink. And some additives might hinder the yeast. (Additives are added to hinder spoilage and yeasts *purpose* is to "spoil".) But I don't think reconstituting concentrate is nescessarily a *bad* thing. Don't kill yourself purchasing the hyper organic $30/gallon cider when Mott's will do just fine. But, yeah, avoid the kool-aid and hawaiin punch apple flavored drinks.
It's really a judgement call. Picking and pressing your own apples would be *fun* once in a while. But in my opinion that's going a bit far (unless you have local access to an apple farm, which you might, and really enjoy this it, which you might).
Woozy dude apple farms I never thought about that some of the local orchards do some apple juice they produce one 100% which is I little expensive for the amount is want but they do a 65-70% watered down one all without "crap" in it.
Thats why I go with Motts. 100% juice from concentrate. Water, A-Juice from concentrate and ascorbic acid (vitamin C as a preservative). Thats it. Works for me and tastes great. Not to mention that I add 2 lbs of sugar to it which could be considered crap in its own right.
LowNotes
Well-Known Member
Actually, a lot of the juices, even ones from concentrate, really don't have a lot added to them. If you look at the ingredients, most have only 2-3: Water, Apple Juice (probably from concentrate), Ascorbic Acid (AKA - Vitamin C, is totally okay for fermenting).
Some brands have more than this, and use something other than ascorbic acid as a preservative, and those SHOULD be avoided, but if the ingredients have just the three things I listed, it will be A-OK for brewing.
Squeezing your own juice or using cider will result in more pulp and more trub, and will probably have some difference in flavor, but really there is more likely to be extra "stuff" in the home-pressed cider than the processed juice that has been reduced to have only 3 ingredients, including the 2 we need (water and juice).
That is my take anyways, your mileage may vary.
Looking good, now put the lid back on and don't peek for another 10 days.
Similar threads
Latest posts
-
-
Why didn't anyone ever tell me to buy a grain mill sooner- Latest: madscientist451
-
-
-
-
