First batch going on now.
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What type of kit/beer? What yeast? Temperature is also pretty important but in general long fermentations are just fine if the proper temperature is used.
Kaz
Well-Known Member
+1 to helibrewer. Fermentation temperature and sanitation are probably 2 of the most important things for new brewers. Sanitation is pretty easy to master, temperature control can be a bit more challenging. What recipe and yeast are you using?
Yup, in fact a longer fermentation is PREFERRED. If you're using your hydrometer, wait until the gravity has stopped dropping (AKA FG) and then give it a whole week more sitting in the primary. Then you're good to go!
Welcome to my obsession
NOW is your wife f###ing nuts does she know what she has done ,does she have any idea what she in for???? My wife bought me my first set up i bet she wished she hadn't LOL anyway welcome to the club
NOW is your wife f###ing nuts does she know what she has done ,does she have any idea what she in for???? My wife bought me my first set up i bet she wished she hadn't LOL anyway welcome to the club
that kid is called true brew.it is a amber all malt brew. I have not checked the gravity of it I thought the fermentation bucket needed to stay sealed should I have checked it before I sealed it ? I guess I will find these things out down the road .
Kaz
Well-Known Member
You should check the gravity right before you you pitch the yeast. That will give you an idea of how much sugar is in the wort before fermentation. Its not bad to open the bucket during fermentation, just be smart and clean about it. Don't open it in a room with lots of dirt or wind blowing around, sanitize around the lid before opening, drop your sanitized hydrometer in there and get a quick reading and then close it back up. You could also use a sanitized thief or sample puller (turkey baster) to pull a quick sample and take the measurement outside the bucket. Taking it outside the bucket will give you a chance to taste your heavenly brew. By taking measuring the specific gravity before fermentation starts, and then at different points throughout, you can get an idea of how the well the yeast are doing their job and when fermentation is complete. Once you go 3 or 4 days without a drop in specific gravity, the yeast have consumed most of the sugar. However, don't jump the gun at this point and transfer the beer. I let almost all of my beers sit on the yeast for a minimum of 3-4 weeks to let the yeast eat up any nasty by-products they may have produced. There are a few beers where a transferring at 1-2 weeks in preferable but still not necessary(mainly wheat beers). At 4 weeks you should have a clear tasty beer ready to bottle. But still, keep those temps in check. I would ferment an amber at around 65F-67F to keep it clean. That means room temps should be closer to 60F, the temp in the bucket can be as much as 10 degrees higher. HTH
Where I live we are charged a deposit for the bottles anytime you buy beer, so it is unavoidable. I like to use 750ml bottles and cork/cage so when I need extra I actually go down to the grocery store and buy the empties at the deposit price (30 cents each). Not a bad deal if you ask me...
Grumpybumpy
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No point in checking the gravity while it's still fermenting. If you did an all extract kit, the og is probably provided. If it's not provided, you could plug it into an online recipe creator and get it. The only benefit knowing the og is calculating the abv.
I usually have my first bottle after 2 weeks since I am so impatient! Then every week after that until I think it is good to go.
Do a gravity reading after a week if the bubbles nearly stop. Taste it out of the test jar.
On an average gravity beer,3 weeks to carbonate is a good average. But mine take 4 or 5 weeks to condition well. Then 2 weeks in the fridge for thicker head & longer lasting carbonation.
well there are 2 sides to this:
long fermentation is fine and you generally experience this from fermenting at lower temperatures or pitching non-viable yeast.. where it has to first populate before it can ferment. but , you let it go, the yeast cells will mulitply and eventually be able to consume the sugary wort... NOW ..
what you really want is a fast fermenation. a 24-72 hour pickup, clean up and done job. it's sort of the same thought process of cooling your wort with a wort chiller. the sooner and faster you cool your wort and get it in your fermenter , the better it's gonna turn out
same for fermentation, the more viable the yeast cells and the more yeast you pitch, the bigger the army . the faster the cleanup. and cleaner the beer .. this can be acheived by some of the following methods:
- getting your wort chilled extremely fast to pitching temp
- aerating your wort before you pitch ( you can use a drill and a degaser or just shake shake shake away!
- make a yeast start - this increases viability and the amount of yeast cells at pitching time
- ferment at optimal temps - between 68-72f
long fermentation is fine and you generally experience this from fermenting at lower temperatures or pitching non-viable yeast.. where it has to first populate before it can ferment. but , you let it go, the yeast cells will mulitply and eventually be able to consume the sugary wort... NOW ..
what you really want is a fast fermenation. a 24-72 hour pickup, clean up and done job. it's sort of the same thought process of cooling your wort with a wort chiller. the sooner and faster you cool your wort and get it in your fermenter , the better it's gonna turn out
same for fermentation, the more viable the yeast cells and the more yeast you pitch, the bigger the army . the faster the cleanup. and cleaner the beer .. this can be acheived by some of the following methods:
- getting your wort chilled extremely fast to pitching temp
- aerating your wort before you pitch ( you can use a drill and a degaser or just shake shake shake away!
- make a yeast start - this increases viability and the amount of yeast cells at pitching time
- ferment at optimal temps - between 68-72f
jme147
Member
I will be very interested to figure out how this beer turns out? My first kit was a true brew kit and it came with the Amber all malt ingredient kit. It fermented just fine, but I think I was a little impatience and bottled too soon. The didn't come out that great. I also didn't use the hydrometer on the first batch. I just assumed since the airlock wasn't bubbling, it was done. WRONG!!! I have used it on my last two batches.
I currently waiting on my second batch, an Oktoberfest, to get fully carbonated. If there is anything I learned after that first batch, it is to have patience. It is a timely process to get good beer.
I currently waiting on my second batch, an Oktoberfest, to get fully carbonated. If there is anything I learned after that first batch, it is to have patience. It is a timely process to get good beer.
I had a question on this topic about taking a FG reading on the fermenting wort.
How do I take an FG reading when fermenting in a glass carboy? I'm thinking just pull the air lock, wipe the rim with sanitizer and drop my sanitized hydrometer in? Will this work? In theory it should. I too, thought that exposing the beer to air could cause oxidation?
How do I take an FG reading when fermenting in a glass carboy? I'm thinking just pull the air lock, wipe the rim with sanitizer and drop my sanitized hydrometer in? Will this work? In theory it should. I too, thought that exposing the beer to air could cause oxidation?
To cpmpletely ferment out in 1-3 days would take good temp control & a huge amount of yeast. Long ferments aren't really a bad thing. No matter how you get your yeast cells ready,they still have to multply to a sufficient number for fermentation to visibly begin.
But yeah,cooling the hot wort in 15-20 minutes is good for less chill haze later. Non-viable says to me the yeast is dead or just as good as.
But yeah,cooling the hot wort in 15-20 minutes is good for less chill haze later. Non-viable says to me the yeast is dead or just as good as.
Make sure you become extremely obsessive about keeping bottles. The more bottles, the better. Then eventually she will get frustrated. Be sure to leave a couple of magazine or paper articles about kegging homebrew around. Eventually she will suggest you switch to kegs, so you can get rid of the bottles.
If you are nervous about removing the lid of your fermenter during fermentation:
A) Don't be. Drink another Sam Adams.
B) You can simply wait until you no longer see any activity in the airlock, then wait another week. By then, you can be reasonably sure that fermentation has completed.
HOWEVER, you should know that the ONLY way to know if fermentation has taken place or has completed is through gravity readings. I give the advice in (B) above only because, after 15 years of homebrewing, I find that this timing is pretty consistent, give or take a day. Then you usually want to wait the extra week to give your yeast a chance to clean up any off-flavors due to diacetyl, etc.
You want to take a gravity reading before pitching your yeast, because you can approximate the alcohol content by subtracting the final gravity from the starting gravity. There is a formula, but the odds are the paper in your hydrometer has an alcohol scale, as well. Just take the difference between the two alcohol numbers, and voila. Because I guarantee you someone will ask how strong the beer is.
Enjoy the obsession.
use a wine theif - you can by them at your lhbs , they're like 10 bucks .. i would never brew without one!
Christianb17
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+1 on the wine thief
So I bottled my first batch today with the help of my 13 year old who capped every bottle and my wife who dried every bottle. Only tried a little bit but I can't wait to start a new batch. I would like to go with a oct fest type if anybody knows of some good ones.
jme147
Member
My second batch was the 20th Anniversary Edition Oktoberfest from Austin Homebrew Supply. The Oktoberfest style is technically a lager, which requires lower fermentation temps, and a lagering phase. But I fermented mine at around 50-55 degrees and then carbonated without lagering. It has tasted great. Good luck and happy brewing?
How long did you ferment your first batch?
How long did you ferment your first batch?
You can ferment anything in a properly sanitized plastic bucket. I stopped using glass a long time ago because I find them to be a pain in the neck. Plus breakage can be a serious problem. I cut my finger once pretty badly trying to clean a glass carboy.
Just make sure the plastic bucket has no scratches or gouges on the inside, because those are great places for bacteria to hide.
Yeah,they have to be at room temp (about 70F) to carb & condition. So bring them out of the fridge & put in a dark warm place & they should be good.
