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How to Kit Brew (a beginner's guide)

Started by LordEoin, January 13, 2013, 11:43:42 PM

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Martin

I turn water into beer. That's pretty badass.

LordEoin

1 - as dcbrewing said, if it's good to drink it's good to brew.

2 - it's a blend of ale and lager yeasts. i find it works best at 16-18C. Unlike their ale yeasts which are hardy and will ferment a lot higher.

3 -  for the aztec gold recipe use any extra light DME (eg this . brew to 19-20 liters. again the mexican cerveza kit comes with the same lager/ale blend, so 16-18C would be best

Martin

I turn water into beer. That's pretty badass.

Barberjitsu

Hi guys I've got the coopers lager kit too like martin but had the lager yeast. Its in its 3rd day of fermentation at 16-18 degrees. The instructions said between 21-28 but after some advice online from underdogbrewing (who steered me to this fine establishment too) I
brought it down to 16-18. Quick questions....Do i still remove the Kreuzen after 4 days at the lower temp ? As a rule , how long should i ferment the lager at this lower temp ? Thank you in advance guys!

LordEoin

As a rule, ignore fixed timeframes. They'll only make you rush the job. Instead observe the brew and let it tell you when it's ready.
By the kreuzen, i presume you have a coopers fermenter and you're referring to the krausen collar, right?
You remove this when the level of the krausen (the foam) drops below the ring of dark bitter scum stuck to the collar.
Just remove the lid, take out the collar, replace the lid.
Any shorter and you'll just get a krausen ring on the fermenter. Any longer and you might not have as much of a blanket of protective co2 over the beer.
Coopers kits usually ferment out in about 5-7 days(pilsner takes longer). You'll know when it's ready because the krausen will disappear and more yeast will to drop out.
Take a hydrometer reading when you think it's done, then another 2 days later. If they read the same then the fermentation is finished.
You can prime and bottle at this stage if you want. many people will leave it another week to let the yeast 'clean up after itself'.

Barberjitsu


Martin

I was just going to ask the same collar question :) Thanks Eoin!
I turn water into beer. That's pretty badass.

LordEoin

yeah, that collar's a bit of a weird one. Its purpose is to give enough headspace for more violent brews and once the krausen has died down removing it makes the headspace smaller and removed the krausen ring while its still soft and easy to clean.
They're a very well designed FV, right down to the tap and the bulged bottom for sediment:)

Martin

..."You can prime and bottle at this stage if you want. many people will leave it another week to let the yeast 'clean up after itself'

- My first brew will be good to bottle soon, so Eoin, would you advise to leave the brew in the fermenter for another week or rather bottle when's ready? I guess leaving the beer to rest for another week won't do the brew any harm, right? Just for me to understand the process for my future brews - what are the advantages / disadvantages of doing so? Many thanks in advance!
I turn water into beer. That's pretty badass.

padre78

Hey Guys,

I am trying a Belgian Ale kit from Muntons. The instructions go along these lines....."When the gravity is below 1.014 syphon the beer into a sterilised fermenting bin leaving behind the yeast sediment. Add the spraymalt and then scoop half a cup of the yeast lees and pitch into the beer and stir gently. Close the fermenter and continue fermentation until ready to bottle."
So....i only have one fermenting bucket, do I need a second bucket or can I continue to ferment as normal but guessing i just wont get the same results?
Apologies if this is a really obvious, stupid question ☺️

LordEoin

A bit of a weird one, but at a guess I'd say:
"When the gravity is below 1.014, dissolve the spraymalt in a cup of boiled water. Pitch into the beer and stir gently. Close the fermenter and continue fermentation until ready to bottle."

padre78

Thanks for the reply and sorry for not getting back sooner.

The beer is in the fermenter for about 2 weeks now with a steady temp of 20-22c. Bubbling has slowed down a fair bit but the gravity hasn't dropped past 1.020 for the past few days.

Do you think its stalled a bit and should I increase the temp a bit? or should I just add the spraymalt as per your advise previously?

TIA.