Hey Guys,
i am completely new to brewing nd starting from scratch ;D...
My fav drink beer but variety is would be erdinger nd started my journey with Muntons Connoisseur Wheat Beer Kit.
I also bought a starter brewing kit online which include lot of the basics to start brewing.
Did lot of reading on basics of brewing before joining this site and but still hav a few questions on my 1st brew....
Sterilisation, cleanliness nd process...
I Ofcourse followed basics instructions but bit unsure still nd nervous let's say....
So my brew is in my FV at moment with an airlock, put yeast into wort Friday morning at 9am...
Muntons instructions gave me som conflicting information in comparison to some info from actual home brewers...
Muntons, 1st ferment no airlock nd after 2 days into 2nd vessel with airlock but the info I read it seems to be opposite way round....
I already hav a Krausin ring in my FV after 36 hours nd airlock still bubbling but slowed down a bit..Temps are between 18-20 in Fv which is sopose be ideal range for wheat beer....
Anybody who can give some clarity nd any help on my 1st brew would be greatly appreciated....
Cheers, Prost, Slainte 😄
Welcome Daydo, sounds like everything is okay. I wonder did you use a different yeast or the one supplied by the kit? Sometimes the yeast supplied with the kit can be old. I would leave everything well enough alone bar double checking you sealed the container properly. You can double check this by pushing down around the edges of the lid the whole way around. I would give it about two weeks or so & then do a gravity reading.
Shanna
Hey Shanna,
Thanks for getting bk to me nd ur help...
The lid is firmly secure I double checked, I did use the yeast supplied in the kit nd pitched into wort at 18c ....
I did hav a lag time of roughly 6-8 hours nd then noticed significant pressure building in my FV nd fermentation had been very vigorous for 1st 24hours, just checked the FV nd airlock stil bubbling 48hours in Ferment but def reduced tho.....
I guess I am on track nd will check my gravity reading once airlock stops bubbling....
Cheers Shanna, I keep this thread updated with my progress....
Slainte 😄
Everything sounds perfectly fine. You're doing a good job. Just leave it alone to do its thing :)
Daydo where are you based?
Shanna
Hey Guys ,
Cheers for the feedback lads, I based in Clonmel Co Tipp....
So yesterday I noticed bubbling had really slowed down in my Airlock nd I followed Muntons instructions nd transferred my beer in 2nd Fv after 2 days for 2nd Ferm..
I again stearilised, cleaned the 2nd vessel nd also my syphon got sterilised nd thouroughly rinsed out...
So I syphoned my beer into the 2nd vessel, did my best to leave all the sludge at the bottom of the main vessel, so started with 23ltr nd only took 22ltr....
Tooks little tester of the beer nd my hydrometer readin was 1018... Stupidly I forgot to take my starter readings :-[
I couldn't resist taste my beer from my sample glass I took, I didnn actually drink it but more swirled in my mouth, it tasted fairly clean nd actually looked like erdinger...
Talk soon guys, slainte ;)
Quote from: Daydo on October 13, 2014, 08:34:47 PM
Hey Guys ,
Cheers for the feedback lads, I based in Clonmel Co Tipp....
So yesterday I noticed bubbling had really slowed down in my Airlock nd I followed Muntons instructions nd transferred my beer in 2nd Fv after 2 days for 2nd Ferm..
I again stearilised, cleaned the 2nd vessel nd also my syphon got sterilised nd thouroughly rinsed out...
So I syphoned my beer into the 2nd vessel, did my best to leave all the sludge at the bottom of the main vessel, so started with 23ltr nd only took 22ltr....
Tooks little tester of the beer nd my hydrometer readin was 1018... Stupidly I forgot to take my starter readings :-[
I couldn't resist taste my beer from my sample glass I took, I didnn actually drink it but more swirled in my mouth, it tasted fairly clean nd actually looked like erdinger...
Talk soon guys, slainte ;)
1.018 is a bit on the high side in my opinion. Did you I read your last post right in that you transferred to the 2ndary after 2 days fermentation? If so in future I would wait for at least 10 days (2 weeks is better0 before transferring it to give the beer a real chance to finish up.
Shanna
Hey Shanna,
Yeah I feared 1018 was on the high side but followed the instructions included in my Kit... On personal note I do lack patience which I guess is not the best when brewing lol
Option A woz to leav ferment in 1st FV for 7 Dayz nd then bottle
Option B woz leave ferment in 1st FV for 2 Dayz nd transfer to 2nd FV for further Ferment for 5-7 days
I am in the hope the 1018 will continue to drop over next few days in the 2nd FV, I hav noticed pressure continue build in my 2nd FV, so some ferm must be taking place even its only a small .... Hopefully :P
Alrite Ladz,
So quick update on my brew....
Since last post the hydrometer reading is now at. 1014
Muntons state on pack I should wait till reading reaches 1008 but here is a problem...
Reading on their website if 1kg spraymalt is used (which i did) a stronger yeast should be used to ensure full fermentation but I only used the yeast supplied in pack ...
Yeast supplied in pack is best used with normal brewing sugar...
So will I ever reach the magic 1008 ??
Reference appearance it looks lot like wheat beer, cloudy I mean... Did hav nice ly carbonated nd created a head in in test glass when poured...
Smell like stale beer tho is that normal ??
My girlfriend used to work in pub nd she said it def smelled stale, did it get contaminated with bacteria...
Any help greatly appreciated
Slainte 😄
1.014 should be ok. You will have a higher FG because you used spray malt. Check reading for 3 consecutive days if no change bottle away. When you say it smells stale describe the smell. If it smells like damp cardboard you might have a problem otherwise I wouldn't be too worried.
Hey Chris,
Thanks for cumin bk to me... I keep an eye on the FG next 2 days....
Smell wise I thought it smelled sour if that makes sense
My gf thought it smelled like bottle beer been standing out all nite...
Quote from: Daydo on October 19, 2014, 08:05:02 PM
Hey Chris,
Thanks for cumin bk to me... I keep an eye on the FG next 2 days....
Smell wise I thought it smelled sour if that makes sense
My gf thought it smelled like bottle beer been standing out all nite...
Remember it's uncarbonated at this stage. The flavour, aroma and texture will all change when it's carbonated. The reference to it smelling like stale beer that has been out all night is because that beer is flat because all of the Co2 has bubbled off. I would hazard a guess that it will be fine unless you have been unlucky to get an infection.
Shanna
Cheers Shanna,
The truth is I didn't expect to get 100% right 1st time round nd keep my fingers crossed there's no infection...
If it not gona kill me I still drink it, I be proud to drink my 1st wheat beer .... Prost 8)
Startd on my 2nd brew wich will be Munton Cereva style beer (corona style beer)...
Quote from: Daydo on October 19, 2014, 08:05:02 PM
Smell wise I thought it smelled sour if that makes sense
My gf thought it smelled like bottle beer been standing out all nite...
It sounds like it will be fine. How are you carbing? I would rccomend bulk priming as you have a second fermenter. There are plenty of articles on the site.
Alrite Ladz,
It's bottling day for me nd my I am all excited.
FG readin has been 1014 now for 3 days, beers looks good in glass nd taste clean...
Can't do bulk bottling as my 2nd ferm kinda busy with my other Beer at moment so Gona hav to take the long road....
Cleaned out out 60 Budweiser 300ml bottles nd couple 500ml bottles... Just gota sterilise them now nd of I go....
Update :-X
Def worth investing in the 750ml swing top bottles, 40 bottle sterilised nd rinsed later nd I sm loosin the will to live.... Even better invest in a keg system.....
28 bottles left to go :(
Quote from: Daydo on October 21, 2014, 01:22:14 PM
Cleaned out out 60 Budweiser 300ml bottles nd couple 500ml bottles... Just gota sterilise them now nd of I go....
Just be careful capping the Budweiser bottles the glass can be a little thin.
I have the same beer bottle conditioning at the moment, needs a couple more weeks. I can't wait to taste it now
Enjoy your first bottling because it will very quickly lose its charm ;-)
a bottle tree and sterilizer makes easy work of 40 pint bottles. you'll get the whole lot done in about 15 minutes :)
Hey Guyz,
Sorry for gettin bk late but been 1 of those wks....
Successful bottled all me bottles nd used coopers drops for carb... Thank no bottles broke but def gona take advice nd invest bit more equip, bottling tree nd larger bottles, will do a bulk priming next time aswell
I was very curious nd had couple bottles the wknd after 1 wk conditioning... I know bit way to early but it tasted pretty clean but still bit flat...
Head retention wasn't great at all, it was very rich nd malty tasting bit too much for my liking, gona cut down on spray malt nd maybe do a 50/50 mixture instead...
I def be getting a better yeast next time also help fermentation nd add more banana notes.
On a different note for my next batch, I hav question out adding Vanilla Extract ( gd quality) , it's a Madagascan vanilla, does any1 hav any thoughts on this?