Newbie From Galway...

[The Bards Son]

Hi all
New lad from galway here...First time on the site and first time brewing...ive been interested in brewing my own beer for a few years now but never really got stuck in cause of work and other commitments..recently i bought a full coopers home brew kit from Homebrewwest and started my first batch..Currently i have 23 ltrs of Canadian blonde in my hotpress which should be ready for bottling in about a week or so all going well...
It seems to be taking a little longer than expected though....My hotpress temp varies between 20.9c and 23.9c ,  The Krausner coller has now been removed with all the sediment stuc to it but my batch dosent seem to have done alot since..still a very yeasty smell from the FV....and alot of sediment on the very bottom..Maybe i need a brew belt to help it along???i have 500ml bottles to put it in to but should i use 1carbonation drop per bottle or 1 and a half??  all advice welcome

..Looking forward to doing this on a regular basis so if any body has any suggestions of beers that worked really well for them please feel free to send them on to me...Ill do the can thing for a while untill i get the basics down good and then progress to using grain and hops etc for my own flavours
Im sure i have loads more questions so sorry in advance
And thanks in advance for the imput
Shane..The Bards Son

[johnrm]

Hey Shane,
Welcome to the NHC.
It sounds like all is good with your brew.
How long have you got it in the fermenter?
Are you using an airlock? Had this quitened down?
After a week or so and reduced activity I would look for consistent gravity readings, then you should be good to bottle.
All the best!

[Will_D]

Welcome !

Nearly all the times stated in kits are wrong!!

They are overly optimistic. Your fermentation is finished when it is finished and not "after 7 days"

Relax and let time work its magic

[TheSumOfAllBeers]

Also, dont be tempted to rush this along with extra heat, brew belts etc.

Yeast working at high temps can introduce off flavours into the beer.

[The Bards Son]

Thanks Lads for the welcome..
I have the kit from Homebrewwest with out the traditional type airlock system..it uses internal preasure to push the co2 out by pushing up the lid..I think :....It is sitting in my hotpress at what seems to be 23.2C by my digital thermometer for about 8 days now, although it did take a few days for it to get up to this temp...
I have taken gravity readings over a few days and it doesnt seem to have changed much...around 1015 if im right..
Still a yeasty smell from it...
And here come the silly questions:

Lower temp = longer fermentation time right?
will this result in better end product?
I can see the sediment/exspanded yeast settling in the bottom of the FV..The Chef in me wants to give it a stir...I take it that this is a big NO NO?
What would happen if the co2 wasnt escaping the FV?
Should I put 1 coopers suger tab in to 500ml bottles or 1 and a half.??
My first batch will probably have to go into the pet kit bottles,..but i have built up a collection of 500ml glass bottles to put my next batch in to...What is a good inexspensive capper to use that wont chip or break my glass and stand the test of time??..IM sure most my bottles are standard 26mm
Can old/other caps be reused if they are sanitised properly?Reasons why??
What about glasss colour?..I have clear bottles(12)Dark Green Bottles(12) and dark Brown Bottles (20) all 500ml,that im going to try my 2nd batch in....
Which is best to use and which to avoid???and why?
Thanks again for the welcome and comments lads
Shane

[TheSumOfAllBeers]

Lower temp = longer fermentation time right?
will this result in better end product?

Yes it will take longer but not ages more. Most of the fermentation is done in the first few days.

It will make it better as long as the temperature does not fall too far and put the yeast to sleep.

I can see the sediment/exspanded yeast settling in the bottom of the FV..The Chef in me wants to give it a stir...I take it that this is a big NO NO?

Only if you think the yeast has stalled should you attempt that. The dead and dormant yeast at the bottom is full of by products that your yeast has cleaned out of the beer for you. Dont re-introduce them.

What would happen if the co2 wasnt escaping the FV?

It would inflate and rupture the FV. Or pop the lid off if that was the weak point.

Should I put 1 coopers suger tab in to 500ml bottles or 1 and a half.??

1 and a half for 500ml. Or batch prime.

My first batch will probably have to go into the pet kit bottles,..but i have built up a collection of 500ml glass bottles to put my next batch in to...What is a good inexspensive capper to use that wont chip or break my glass and stand the test of time??..IM sure most my bottles are standard 26mm

I have the better brew wing capper from HBW. Does all my needs, but doesn't handle Wychwood or Fullers bottles very well.

Can old/other caps be reused if they are sanitised properly?Reasons why??

No. They wont reseal properly.

What about glasss colour?..I have clear bottles(12)Dark Green Bottles(12) and dark Brown Bottles (20) all 500ml,that im going to try my 2nd batch in....
Which is best to use and which to avoid???and why?

Use brown only. Hops go funky in the bottle when exposed to light (not just sunlight, but any light). Brown bottles provide a lot of protection from this, green and white provide almost none.

[LordEoin]

• Lower temp = longer fermentation time? - generally yes,  Make sure to stay within the yeast's temp range.
  
• will this result in better end product? - a cleaner ferment with less off flavors.
  
• I can see the sediment/exspanded yeast settling in the bottom of the FV..The Chef in me wants to give it a stir...I take it that this is a big NO NO? - That's called trub. stirring it won't do any harm as it will just settle down again, but there's no point. Just leave it alone.
  
• What would happen if the co2 wasnt escaping the FV? - pressure would build and it would pop.
  
• Should I put 1 coopers suger tab in to 500ml bottles or 1 and a half.?? i like 1 for ales and 1.5 for fizzier beers like lager. Bulk priming allows you to be more flexible
  
• My first batch will probably have to go into the pet kit bottles,..but i have built up a collection of 500ml glass bottles to put my next batch in to...What is a good inexspensive capper to use that wont chip or break my glass and stand the test of time??..IM sure most my bottles are standard 26mm - this one
  
• Can old/other caps be reused if they are sanitised properly?Reasons why?? - crown caps? just buy new ones, they're €2.10 for 100.
  
• What about glasss colour?..I have clear bottles(12)Dark Green Bottles(12) and dark Brown Bottles (20) all 500ml,that im going to try my 2nd batch in....
  
• Which is best to use and which to avoid???and why? Brown > Green > clear. light can 'skunk' your beer
  

[The Bards Son]

Thanks lads
I think i will leave it alone for another week and see what happens..
Just out of interest what temp will the yeast go to sleep at??
Ill get rid of the clear and green bottles so and only use the brown..
Ill let ye know how i get on..

[Eoin]

The yeast will work albeit very slowly down to about 12c after that there's a danger it'll go to sleep completely. Coopers yeasts due to being developed in Australia are good up to about 28c before the flavour starts to be badly affected, it'll start to taste of cloves. 23c should be fine for that yeast.

Sent using a complex system of semaphore and ninjas.

[St. Fursey]

Hi Shane
Come along to our meetings. Usually the last Friday in the month although we'll probably move our October meet to the George Bernard Shaw in Dublin for the homebrew expo!

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2

[Catherine]

Hi Shane,

I used that kit for my second batch. I added some dry malt extract and sugar, and I think I might have put in a hop teabag. It turned out great anyways, and disappeared fairly quickly.  I probably waited a bit over 2 weeks to bottle it, so don't worry about it.

I might see you at the next Galway meet up, I'm in Galway too.

[The Bards Son]

Ok Lads
I let my brew sit in the fermenter for a good few weeks being carefull to not let the temp drop below 21*c...
Bottled it all up there a few weeks back and put one and a half suger tabs into each bottle,
put the bottles into nice styrofoam boxes with lids I got my hands on ,and put the lot back into my hotpress with a digital thermometer.(constant 21*c reading)
Gave all the bottles a little shake about a week ago and put them back in again..
By my reckoning they should be about ready to put in the fridge after the weekend,
looks like there is a little bit of yeasty coloured sediment in the bottom of each of the bottles but im sure this is no harm once i dont pour it into the glass when decanting?

Anyway Im just going to go ahead and order my next brew tin and a few bits..
Any tips on a good tin to use for my second batch??
Ive used the canadian larger one already just waiting for the first taste test  
Also any tips you have used to make your brews more flavoursome or jus better in general would be appreciated..
Thank
Shane

[LordEoin]

The yeast sediment is normal. Pour gently and leave the last drop in the bottle and you'll have nice clear beer.
Even if you got all the sediment in your glass it's not going to harm you in any way.
It might harm SWMBO though, as she'll have to put up with your excessive farting in the morning.

For the next batch, if you want something easy and tasty try the Cooper's English bitter kit + a tin of LME.
If you want something a bit more hands-on/flavoursome, try the Cooper's IPA, and dryhop with about 30grams of some tasty hops like cascade, willamette, amarillo, bramling cross, motueka.

[The Bards Son]

Thanks Eoin
I mite try the IPA...
Another question... Which is better to keep using ,coopers carbonation tabs (250g pk) for easy measurement per bottle ? or, larger 1kg bags of brewing /winemaking suger.. measuring weight for each bottle ?,  or are the larger bags designed for batch use only?
I know the larger bags would be more cost effective but is it worth the hassel?

[LordEoin]

I use the 1kg bags of dextrose and bulk prime.

All you need to do is:

• Transfer the beer off the sediment in the fermenter into the bottling bucket.
  
• disolve the sugar in a pint of hot water
  
• stir it into the beer gently
  
• bottle
  
  pro: cheap, easy, consistant
  con: need a bottling bucket/second FV
  
  Otherwise, carbonation drops will do fine