WelshBrew

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Hi all, I'm new to homebrewing and this forum and half way through my first brewing attempt at the moment.

I've got a couple of questions I'm hopeing soemone can answer. I'm brewing a real ale from an all in one kit, called Woodsfor Wherry. It sais to brew for 4 to 6 days. I'm now on day 4 and the fermentation has slowed right down, and the Krausen (not sure how to spell) has gone down too. I guess its ready to be bottled but I havent got enough bottles yet, I'm hoping to collect a load at a party this weekend. Will 1 or 2 extra days in the frementing bin do any harm?

Also, my supposedly all in one brewing kit came without an airlock. I baught one anyway which I'm useing, but do you actually need one for the primary fermentation stage (the brewing bin as i got it just had a small hole with a rubber washer, which was just big enough for me to fit in the airlock I bought).

Thanks in advance for your help

david_42

Recipes 

A few extra days in the primary are not a problem. The ale will just settle out some more.

Yes, you need an airlock. It's too easy for the wort to get contaminated without one.

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Passload

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I use the 1.2.3 method One week in the primary two weeks in the secondary and three weeks carbonate.

The airlock lets the gases escape but not let any air or dust or bad germs in.

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Zuckerflüsschen Brauend Firma
On Deck: Whatever I Want
Primary: Sugarcreek Amber Ale
Brite Tank:
Aging: Philr-er-up Rockwell
Drinking/Kegged: The Golden Quitty

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WelshBrew

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OK thanks David and Passload.
I've got one other question thats been bothering me. I've read 'how to brew your first beer', the shorter manuscript that preceeded 'how to brew', and he talks about boiling the malt syryp for an hour to let proteins seperate out from it or something.
The instructions in my all in one kit however just aksed me to pour the malt syrup straight into the fermenting bin and add water. Does this meen that the malt syryps in the all in one kits are already treated in some way, or are they exaxtly the same but just tend to miss the boiling stage to make things simpler?

Dark_Ale

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I guess I will throw in my 2 cents. Your canned extract was probably already hopped, but you should still boil it....I have not seen a kit that you just add the extract right to the primary......

WelshBrew

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Thanks for the feedback. Ye the extract was already hopped. The instructions were simply to pour the malt syrup in to the fermenting bin, add three and a half leeters of boiling water and mix the suryp in, and then top up with cold water to the 23 liter mark, sprinkel the yeast on top, and close the bin for fermentation.

oxford brewer

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Where are you from welshbrewer?(apart from wales).
Kits are the easiest way of brewing your own beer,the kit you have bought is one of the best kits going,you can leave it for a few more days and then mix with priming solution and then bottle(i have grolsch flip lid bottles)leave in a warm place for a week,then in a cool place fpr 2-3 weeks!!!!!(if you can).
Drink and enjoy(as you do this clean and sterilize equipment and start another brew....i have kegs and bottles and fermentation going in a permenant loop!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!damn its a good hobby!

DeejayDebi

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There are some brew kits that don't have air locks and they don't require them because the fermentation unit is designed to release gases through vent burrows generally cut down the threads on a screw on lid. These would be like Mr. Beer, Beer machine, Beer pig (?) and a few others. They are usually 2-3 gallon fermenters great for apartment brewing or people just getting started.

I have several (5 right now) Mr. Beer mini kegs (2.5 gals). I love them for making small test batches of stuff or just making a small batch of something for someone. I often have 5 or 6 batches going at once because of this. Of course I reserve my 6.5 gallon conical for the really good stuff! Also great to feed that need to brew but limited space to store it all.

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DeeJayDebi