Another first brew thread!

I'm at week 3 of my first brewing attempt! I went with something very simple so I could get a grasp of the process, I went with Festa Brew full wort kits (23l (6 gallons) of wort in a box). I actually started 2 kits about a week appart.

Anyways, I think I might have screwed up a little bit on the first kit because I followed the instructions that came with it. They instructed to move to secondary after 3-5 days, whenever the krausen had dropped. Thus, I racked from the bucket to a carboy after 4 days. It's now been sitting in the secondary carboy for 13 days and I'm thinking about bottling soon. My OG was 1.055 and the instructions say it should finish between 1.008 and 1.018. Last time I took a reading (4-5 days ago) it was at 1.022 and still bubbling a bit. If it helps, my beer is a double oatmeal stout.

My second beer, I'm being more patient with it. it's been in the primary bucket for 8 days now, will probably rack to secondary next tuesday.

P.S. my fermentation temp is a steady 65F


How will they turn out?!

At 65 it just may take a little more time. If you are still getting some action it most likely isn't done yet. Take another reading and see where you are at. 1.022 is not to far off from the 1.018 but I think you want to get into your range. If it has dropped then give it a couple more days. Check again and when it hasn't moved for three days bottle.


Next time give it two to three weeks in primary before you move. Your fermentation needs to be done before you move it. Never use firm time lines go by your readings. You are fermenting at the lower end which is fine but it will take longer to finish.

Sounds like your on the right track.

I've never tried that sort of kit but I think you'll end up with a great beer. Yeah, you should have let that first one sit longer. Sure, it will change the profile of the beer somewhat. However, as long as you were diligent in your sanitation and avoiding oxidation you should end up with a good beer. Let us know...

The last batch of beer I made was a Festa Brew Double Oatmeal Stout. In fact, I just opened it up to the masses yesterday to celebrate Canada Day (as if I needed a reason).

I moved mine from the primary to the carboy after about 4 days and then had it in the carboy for another 2 weeks-ish. There wasn't much happening in the airlock at that point so I bottled it. That was a little over a month ago. Your fermentation may be different depending on where you're letting it sit, temperature, etc.

What I can tell you is that the beer will only get better in the bottle. I opened one after about 2 weeks and it was drinkable but wasn't quite there. After a month in the bottle it's fantastic and should only continue to improve. I had a previous batch in bottles (Cream Ale) for 4 months and it was excellent. So good, in fact, that I won't share it with friends.

I'm a huge Festa Brew fan. I wish there were more companies doing pre-packaged worts, as opposed to kits. In my experience they've always just produced better results.

Andy, just curious ... what do you pay for the Festa Brew kit in Montreal? It's $35 from my local brew place here in Nova Scotia.

I paid 32$ for the double oatmeal one and 29$ for the red ale, quite worth it imo, considering they are 6 gals kits.

AndyRoss said:

I paid 32$ for the double oatmeal one and 29$ for the red ale, quite worth it imo, considering they are 6 gals kits.

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No question about the value. I have heard of the kits being quite a bit more expensive on the West Coast, due to the distance it has to travel, I suppose.