A Few Beginner Questions: 1st Follow Up

[Rezer]

Hey all!

Approximately 10 days ago I started my first brew ever and posted this thread with a few questions for you guys.

As I progress through my first brew I have new questions and figured I'll follow up on some of my old questions for any one interested in following or is new and would like some documentation. As a refresher, I'm using a Cooper's Australian Lager canned kit.

I racked to my glass carboy on day 6. There was very little krausen on the edges of my primary carboy and absolutely no foam other than the bubbles gathering at the top. At the bottom was a layer of gunk that I was successful at leaving and cleaning out.

My adjusted hydrometer reading on day 6 was 1.002 (original was 1.043). Carbonation was evident, especially in the sampler, as well as in the airlock albeit slow (bubbles escaped every few minutes). Taking all this into account, I've determined that the fermentation is complete and I'll bottle sometime next week.

I sampled a bit of it as well and I have to say it tasted great (bias!) despite having a bit of a yeasty flavor and an incomplete taste, which I'm guessing is from not carbonating in a bottle. This put a lot of my sanitizing worries to bed, and I'm very excited!

Now for a few questions:

• From everything I read and the pictures I saw, I was expecting a lot of foam and krausen. However, this really never produced, yet all other measures seem to show it properly fermented. What gives?
• I've been saving twist off bottles from your standard budweisers and kokanees but I've read that these are probably your worst option for bottling. I've been looking into these but they are expensive! Are they worth the investment?
• I read a few posts from Revvy saying that there is no difference between using dextrose and table sugar for both primary fermentation and priming, and the off flavors they produce are a myth. What are your experiences with this, and if I use table sugar, do I have to adjust how much I use because it is a different sugar?
• How much priming sugar should I mix in to my bottling bucket on bottling day, and what is the proper way to do this?

Pretty much all the questions I have for now. Thanks for reading!

 

[progmac]

1. Krausen varies enormously depending on yeast strain and wort composition
2. I've experimented with twist off bottles once. With one bottle. It worked perfectly fine. I reused the bottle and the original twist cap.
3. Table sugar seems fine. I've bought maybe one bag of dextrose in my life. The fermentability by weight is a little different. Make sure your calculator is for sucrose and not dextrose.
4. Most people calculate priming sugar by weight using an online calculator. I got tired of the extra step and now I add about 1/2-2/3 of a cup, with the lower end representing moderate carbonation and the higher end moderately high carbonation. Some consideration needs to be given to the fact that higher temperature fermentations have less residual CO2 and therefore need more priming sugar.

 

[Rezer]

1. Krausen varies enormously depending on yeast strain and wort composition
2. I've experimented with twist off bottles once. With one bottle. It worked perfectly fine. I reused the bottle and the original twist cap.
3. Table sugar seems fine. I've bought maybe one bag of dextrose in my life. The fermentability by weight is a little different. Make sure your calculator is for sucrose and not dextrose.
4. Most people calculate priming sugar by weight using an online calculator. I got tired of the extra step and now I add about 1/2-2/3 of a cup, with the lower end representing moderate carbonation and the higher end moderately high carbonation. Some consideration needs to be given to the fact that higher temperature fermentations have less residual CO2 and therefore need more priming sugar.

That was a very fast reply, thank you!

I do not have the original twist caps, which is why I am doubtful. The other bottles also seem to be superior in every way, except for their price.

 

[mrgrimm101]

I personally wouldn't use twist offs, because I have an excess of standard bottles, and I just wouldn't trust them. Using standard crown caps and bottles, you use the capper and form the cap around the lip of the bottle. With a twist off, the best you can do is try and twist it shut and hope it's sealed all the way. IMO, it just seems like a recipe for disaster. You can get cases of 24 standard 12 oz bottles for about $12.00 plus shipping online. However, my LHBS has some in stock for that same price, minus shipping.

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/12-oz-beer-bottles-amber-case-of-24.html

Amount of priming sugar during bottling depends on the style of beer. For example, for IPAs, I've seen calculators that suggest 4 oz of sugar, but I always use about 3.25-3.5 as I don't want to overcarb. Some online calculators will let you pick a style, while some want you to plug in the desired carb level, which you can also find online.

 

[harleybug88]

The twist-off bottles are a lot thinner and more fragile then pry-off bottles.

Don't use them.