Splitting a Brewhouse kit???

[BMacD]

Hi all,
I recently purchase "The Brew House - American Premium Lager". This kit comes with Coopers yeast. I have a 'Nottingham' yeast as well. I was planning on splitting the batch into 2 primaries and using both yeasts, just to see if there is much difference as I don't have local access to any other kinds of yeast.

My question is: When (if) i rack to a carboy, does it matter if its only 1/2 full for the 2 weeks the instructions say? Or will that be too much air space? Or should I just skip secondary and leave it in the bucket for 3-4 weeks then bottle?

Thanks for any future answers

Brad

 

[hoppymonkey]

It will be fine half full and yes you can skip the secondary if you want.

 

[Trail]

It shouldn't matter that it's only half full. The only recommendation I would make is to use half yeast in each batch, though it probably doesn't matter TOO much. Air space shouldn't be a concern because your yeasts are going to make a bunch of carbon dioxide and squeeze the air right out through your airlock!

Leaving it in the primary is fine, secondary is an unnecessary step according to the Powers That Be.

 

[BMacD]

Great thanks a lot guys!

Also, any tips on getting better carbonation? I've only been making the Brewhouse kits so far, and I just use the included Dextrose. I am using the 500mL brown PET bottles and fill them just into the neck and squeeze the air out and cap. Would trying something like 'Kreamy X' or adding a bit more Dextrose help? Perhaps using glass bottles instead of PET?

P.S. I'm aware the temp and storage conditions play a big part in this. I only have a spare walk-in closet to store them, prob around 20 Celsius. Either way the beer taste fine to me, just hoping to improve anywhere I can until I can get a house big enough to have a room dedicated to this.

Thanks again

 

[daksin]

You don't want to squeeze out the air when you bottle. Having appropriate headspace is ESSENTIAL when bottling to get carbonation. That will make a big improvement in your carbonation, I think. When you buy beer in bottles, they're not filled all the way to the cap, are they?

 

[midfielder5]

I have not used any Brewhouse kits, but honestly if you want an American lager beer, you need to (wait for it...) lager it -- which means a cool fermentation and a lager yeast.
But this is the beginner beer forum so with the yeast you got, try to ferment at the low end of its temp range (for Notty = 60*; i don't know about cooper). good luck!

 

[ACbrewer]

OP - I think the 1/2 primary is fine, but I'd be concerned about a 1/2 secondary. There is veryly little O2 that survives/stays in the primary after fermentation, but there would be a lot (relatively) in the secondary.

With that said, for the most part I'm a 'screw it, just use a primary. A secondary is just more work' kind of guy so I'd go primary for the total time - 3 to 4 weeks.

 

[BMacD]

I have not used any Brewhouse kits, but honestly if you want an American lager beer, you need to (wait for it...) lager it -- which means a cool fermentation and a lager yeast.
But this is the beginner beer forum so with the yeast you got, try to ferment at the low end of its temp range (for Notty = 60*; i don't know about cooper). good luck!

I'm fully aware that I should lager it. I really wish I could. Limited space and $$ keeps me stuck to just the plain old instructions included. I hope to eventually learn more and expand beyond "kit instructions".

I'm happy with beer that it puts out with the Coopers yeast, so I look forward to eventually trying the next steps and going from good beer to great beer. Right now I'm at the point where I just want some decent beer (seeing how a 12 pack cost $22-25 here)

With all the knowledge and helpful people here, I'm in good company for sure