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seapro22 · 12-07-2010, 12:46 AM

Maybe someone can give some advice--I brewed a true brew all malt amber, my first attempt at home brewing, on 11-7-10. I racked it to a secondary on 11-14-10. The beer settled nicely and was clear seemed to be reddish amber in color. Everything seemed to be progressing nicely. Fast forward to this past weekend 12-3-10. The beer had remained the same for 3 weeks in secondary and I was going to bottle the beer along with another batch. The amber had become cloudy overnight from friday to saturday and there was increased activity in the fermentation lock. The beer is not quite as red as it was. I now have foam which I assume means the beer is fermenting again. My question is do I let it run this course? Will I have to add yeast to it again when I bottle? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

**BigB** · 12-07-2010, 02:09 AM

I am curious if you did anything on Thursday or Friday? Did you move anything? Stir it? Is the room temp warmer? Did you stick anything in it like a wine thief?

Letting it run its course is difficult to say... depends on what is really the cause. Adding more yeast for bottle conditioning? No, not after only 4 weeks.

birvine · 12-07-2010, 10:29 AM

I may be wrong, but you may want to use the hydrometer over the next few days to see if the FG has been reached and is steady.

Justibone · 12-07-2010, 10:45 AM

I would be concerned about a possible infection, personally.

seapro22 · 12-11-2010, 12:53 PM

The brew seems to be clearing up. I have just left it alone this week. I am going to assume it was just fermentation activity in secondary.

seapro22 · 12-19-2010, 07:20 PM

Beer cleared up and bottled today. Taste very bitter though. Will this subside with conditioning? Thanks for your thoughts.

VTBrewer · 12-19-2010, 07:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seapro22

Taste very bitter though. .

That's hard to answer without knowing the recipe. Bitterness will normally subside as it conditions, which can be viewed as a good or bad thing. Hop heads will tell you to drink an IPA as soon as it carbs to enjoy the bitterness.

It strikes me as odd though that you had a second fermentation 3 weeks into the process. While it may *seem* logical to have one in the secondary, its a pooly named apparatus and no fermentation should really take place there. That's why someone asked if you'd moved it, disturbed it etc and another person was thinking infection.

If it's just bitter but tastes like beer you're most likely good, and yes it should subside. If some nasties got in there it may not.

stumpwater · 12-19-2010, 08:00 PM

I'm a greenhorn brewer also and brewed the same kit as you on Dec.1.Just botteled it and it's pretty bitter also.The lme was hopped and it came with 1 oz. of cascade that i added after the extract quit foaming then let it boil for 30 min.Tasted purdy good, i drank about 8 oz.lol Maybe just the hops.

JRems · 12-19-2010, 08:13 PM

I made this kit a couple months ago. It took 2 months in the keg before the bitterness went down and was really good. Unfortunately I had already drank 3/4 of it by then. Just let it sit in tge keg or bottles for a couple months and you will be much happier.

Buck33 · 02-10-2011, 02:07 AM

i just bottled this today and it was super bitter, im hoping it mellows out because this is my first attempt at brewing