Newbie, First ever Brew.

[Kingtj]

Hi Everyone,
I have just signed up after reading a lot on the forum.
Ok, I started my 1st ever Brew on Saturday 4th July it's the Cooper's Lager starter kit.
Mainly decided on this as the kit gives me everything to get started.
I have so far followed Cooper's instructions and removed the Krausen Collar on day 3 after around 75-80 hrs.
So what I'm unsure of after reading about brewing on the net is;
should I follow the instructions that came with the kit ? So I see what that tastes like ?

But I have read about 2+2+2 on some other sites and was wondering if I should I do that ?
Also have seen that some add hop's and spray malts ?
Also I picked up some Beer finings when I was in Wilkinson's this morning but not sure if I should use it or not.

Any advice would be helpful.

 

[Snuffy]

Stick to the script. Play with the rules next time. First brew is a bad time to experiment. You need that control batch to compare to.

 

[Harleybrew32]

the spray malt(DME) would need to be boiled that will add some body and up your ABV.
I brewed a Coopers Lager a few years back, added the I think coopers calls it brew enhancer 2 it might have some maltodextrin and dextrose with the DME if my memory is correct. turned out pretty good. i did use US-05 so not really a lager.
i would let it sit for 10-14 days take a couple of hydrometer readings then bottle or keg.
i usually brew a kit per instructions the first time then change it up the next time i brew it.
keeping notes helps alot.
good luck with your brew.
cheers

 

[Kingtj]

Thanks guys,
It came with enhancer 1, which it says has dextrose and maltodextrin.
The instructions say bottle around 7 days.
I think I will start taking readings this weekend and go from there.

 

[rwinzing]

Thanks guys,
It came with enhancer 1, which it says has dextrose and maltodextrin.
The instructions say bottle around 7 days.
I think I will start taking readings this weekend and go from there.

Careful with bottling after 7 days. If the beer isn't finished fermenting it is a good way to get bottle bombs. I would wait two weeks at minimum and ensure your gravity readings don't move for three days. The hardest part about being a new brewer is patience.

 

[Kingtj]

Thanks for the info.
I will leave it alone until next weekend.
Will start taking readings from next Thursday/Friday (day 12/13)

 

[Harleybrew32]

i usually ferment for 14 days for most of my ales and three weeks for lagers then 4-6weeks lagering.
most of those kits suggest bottling after 7 days. usually not a good idea.
brewing beer takes some patience, I know when i started i was bottling and after 4 days popping one in the fridge to try it and repeating every two days. i learned to bottle and give it 2-3 weeks before tasting and the beer tasted much better. however i got tired of bottling after the first 8 batches i think and switched to kegging.
order up another kit and get ready to brew again and again and well you know your hooked.
cheers

 

[Kingtj]

I have now bottled the brew on day 23, was bottling on day 21 but couldn't find a suitable bucket in shops to sterilise bottles.
Been in bottles 7 days, fg was 1009 so abv of 3.5. will report back next weekend as will try a bottle then ( will be 5 weeks old)

Will hopefully be brewing Woodfords Wherry at the weekend if I can get the fermentation fridge sorted by then.

 

[Kingtj]

Ok, so tried a bottle tonight, day 18 after bottling (day 41) first bottle was to me perfect. Had a nice head, carbonation bubbles floating to the top, like a can/bottle from shop. Tasted quite good, had worse.

2nd & 3rd bottles taste the same but have NO head & NO Bubble's floating. I stirred it with a spoon & got a nice head but it didn't last long.

Any ideas as to why the bottles have behaved differently ?

Funnily enough the 1st bottle was the last to be bottled, with the dregs.

All in all quite happy with it for a 1st brew.

 

[Kingtj]

 

[davidabcd]

Any ideas as to why the bottles have behaved differently ?

Could be a capping issue/sealing issue.
Did you batch prime (boiled sugar and water into the bottling bucket) or add sugar by the each?
Yeast is suspended in the beer itself but you could have gotten extra yeast from the bottom but that's speculation on my part.
Beer can take a while to fully carbonate in bottles.

 

[Kingtj]

Hi, thanks for your reply.
I used the Cooper's carbonation drops that came with the kit, 2 in each bottle.
Maybe I tightened some bottles more than others ?
To be fair as I said quite happy with it for my 1st brew. Temperature's where all over the place from 20 to 27. And I didn't know about keeping it out of sun light. Was brewed on a unit in spare bedroom. I put/have bottles in the cordboard box the kit came in, so NO sun light but IT'S been very hot here in the last 2 weeks.
Have just finished a fermentation chamber/fridge to control temperature.

It's all lessons for now.

 

[Maxkling]

Was your glass dry for the first beer then wet for the next two?

 

[Kingtj]

Yes, would THAT really make a difference ?

 

[Maxkling]

Yes, would THAT really make a difference ?

Depends on the beer. Give it a shot. I find that a rinsed glass will sometimes drastically reduce head.

 

[Harleybrew32]

hey that looks damn close to what mine looked like.
i did notice when i steeped some grains it helped with head retention.
not saying thats the answer, but worth a try and real easy to do.
cheers

 

[Kingtj]

So I had a bottle last night & 2 tonight and ALL 3 where fine. So I guess it wasn't quite ready before. Head didn't last too long but tastes ok. Definitely drinkable

 

[kloppofthekop]

So I had a bottle last night & 2 tonight and ALL 3 where fine. So I guess it wasn't quite ready before. Head didn't last too long but tastes ok. Definitely drinkable
View attachment 694711

I hope my first brew is somewhere near that

 

[Kingtj]

I hope my first brew is somewhere near that

Thanks, quite happy with it.
Started a Wherry on Saturday, brewing it in my newly built fermentation chamber/fridge.

Good look with your brew.
What you brewing?

 

[kloppofthekop]

I have bottled a St Peters Ale and just made a Scottish heavy today

 

[kloppofthekop]

Thanks, quite happy with it.
Started a Wherry on Saturday, brewing it in my newly built fermentation chamber/fridge.

Good look with your brew.
What you brewing?

Are you from the UK ?

 

[Kingtj]

Yes

 

[kloppofthekop]

Yes

What are you planning to brew next. I'm only in to ales,bitters etc, I might do lagers as we come in to the cooler weather

 

[Kingtj]

Got a Wherry on the go now, day 7 in fv.
Will bottle it next weekend then will do either willko stout OR newkie for the Mrs.

The Cooper's Lager was done as I decided to buy the Cooper's starter kit.
As it was a all in one kit with bottles, fv, tap and little bottler.

 

[kloppofthekop]

I started with the full kit, got fermenting bin, 40 bottles, to tins of extract, little bottler thermometer, sanitising crystals, hydrometer,carbonisation drops. I don't think I will use the drops again though. I have a Scottish heavy on the go now. I hear that Newkie is very nice so I will get one of those when I bottle the heavy