Beginner Questions

[Danny_T]

Good afternoon, all. I am brand new to home brewing and took my first stab at it last week with a kit. I've done tons of research on the process and terminology, but of course I'm still a beginner and had a couple of questions about my batch. It's been fermenting for almost a week. In the first couple days it did the primary fermentation and was bubbling steadily, then it's now slowed to a nearly complete stop. I read that the formation on the bottom is the "trub" (extra material and hops debris, correct?), but I'm wondering what the collection above the beer is on the inside of the container? Is everything looking normal? I appreciate the help!

 

[RPh_Guy]

The yeast produces foam during fermentation, called kräusen, and you see where a little bit of it stuck to the sides.

It looks ready to package!

Cheers and welcome to HBT!

 

[petemoss]

Just looks like krausen from when your fermentation was very active. Looks normal to me. My guess is that you will be in good shape. Do make sure to keep it covered or in the dark in some manner as light is no good.

 

[Danny_T]

Thank y'all so much for the help! RPh, it's only been fermenting about a week, you think that it is ready to bottle?

petemoss, it is always in the room with the lights off and curtains closed, I just turned them on to get the picture, thank you!

 

[RPh_Guy]

RPh, it's only been fermenting about a week, you think that it is ready to bottle?

Yep!

If you have a hydrometer you can verify it's at predicted final gravity.

 

[deadwolfbones]

If you pitch healthy yeast in the right quantity and keep the beer at the right temperature, in my experience it's normal to have fermentation finish in a week or less. Some people say it's a good idea to leave it for the yeast to "clean up," but I've found they do that just as well in the bottle (or keg). That said, if you don't have a way of measuring gravity to confirm that fermentation is actually finished, a) definitely obtain one (refractometer or hydrometer, your choice) and b) you're probably better off waiting for another week just to be sure.

 

[RPh_Guy]

$10 says it was dry yeast and the entire packet was pitched (in one gallon). No temp control. It probably finished in 3-4 days.

 

[ncbrewer]

One way or another, you need to be positive fermentation is complete. If you bottle before fermentation is complete, it will continue to ferment in the bottles and could cause bottle bombs. These are really not good.

Two gravity readings 2 - 3 days apart is preferred, but since it is a one gallon batch, that would be a big loss of beer if you take samples for a hydrometer. A refractometer would solve that, but you would need to correct the reading for alcohol if you want the actual gravity. For confirming stable gravity, the correction wouldn't be needed. Lots of brewers don't do the repeat gravity checks and go by experience (or luck), but you are new. In the words of Clint Eastwood, "You've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' "

 

[brew703]

I agree that it is likely finished and ready to be bottled.

When I started brewing I did 1 gallon batches as well. At first I would take a gravity reading at 7 days to see where it was. If it hit FG then I would bottle.
Then I started just letting it go 2-3 weeks then bottle without taking a gravity reading. Yeah i know not the best practice but brewing 1 gallon batches only yields about 9 bottles of beer. I quickly outgrew that then started with 3 gallon batches now I'm at 5.75 gallon batches (into fermenter).

Just curious, did the OP have any temp control?

 

[Danny_T]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I went and bought a hydrometer and just took the hit on wasting a little beer. Gravity was met! Crazy the instructions wanted 2 weeks in carboy and 2 weeks in bottles

 

[petemoss]

I think the 2 weeks in the fermenter is more of a general "safe" time that they can put in the instructions. After 2 weeks you are pretty much always safe. Once you bottle it will take some time for the beer to carbonate, maybe not two weeks, but again you are probably "safe" after 2 weeks. You can of course start trying them anytime you wish. A lot of beers do seem to taste better after a few weeks though.

 

[Danny_T]

I agree that it is likely finished and ready to be bottled.

When I started brewing I did 1 gallon batches as well. At first I would take a gravity reading at 7 days to see where it was. If it hit FG then I would bottle.
Then I started just letting it go 2-3 weeks then bottle without taking a gravity reading. Yeah i know not the best practice but brewing 1 gallon batches only yields about 9 bottles of beer. I quickly outgrew that then started with 3 gallon batches now I'm at 5.75 gallon batches (into fermenter).

Just curious, did the OP have any temp control?

Sorry I'm a newbie! What does OP stand for?

 

[Gnomebrewer]

Sorry I'm a newbie! What does OP stand for?

Opening Post or Opening Poster (the person).

 

[BrewInspector]

Original poster.

YOU

Note the same little green OP next to your name

 

[Ed Boik]

$10 says it was dry yeast and the entire packet was pitched (in one gallon). No temp control. It probably finished in 3-4 days.

For my first 1 gallon kit ferment it was indeed dry yeast and the entire packet was pitched (as per instructions). I put mine in a temp controlled fridge at 70 degrees. It finished in less than a week. I've been letting it sit almost 5 additional days and will be bottling my first gallon tomorrow or Saturday. The first several days the ferment was exceptionally active, but there's been pretty much no activity for many days. Being a beginner and following the instructions did we do anything wrong?

 

[RPh_Guy]

Being a beginner and following the instructions did we do anything wrong?

Sounds fine to me!

Once you get comfortable with the process, try to pick one thing to improve with each brew.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I went and bought a hydrometer and just took the hit on wasting a little beer.

Have you seen the topic "1-Gallon Brewers UNITE!" ? Page 165 (mid Feb 2019) is a good place to start.

Even if your thought is to "advance" to a larger batch size, there is a lot of good material on brewing with 1 gallon carboys as well as ideas on how to brew to a desired outcome (6 pack, 12 pack, ...) of fresh beer (in 2019, most people seem to have figured out that batch size is a personal decision).

Crazy the instructions wanted 2 weeks in carboy and 2 weeks in bottles

Homebrewing is a time consuming activity. People have time on weekends to pursue new hobbies. For many styles, the beer can sit in the fermentation vessel for a month. Brewing on a Saturday, waiting two (or three weeks), then bottling on a Saturday (or Sunday) probably works well for many people.

But, depending on style and equipment, one can "go from grain to glass" on a much shorter schedule.

 

[Soulshine2]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I went and bought a hydrometer and just took the hit on wasting a little beer. Gravity was met! Crazy the instructions wanted 2 weeks in carboy and 2 weeks in bottles

Yeast has its own schedule. I just bottled a brew yesterday,a 1.052 Kolsch ,fermented 2 weeks resulting in 1.010 ,6 gallons came out to 62 bottles. I also have a 1.048 bavarian hefeweizen that hit 1.010 in a week . I'm giving it until tomorrow and check again, if it hasnt changed ,its getting bottled too.
Looks great , lots to learn but you have the idea . Next you'll be brewing 5 gallons and buying shiny stuff.
cheers

 

[Danny_T]

Opening Post or Opening Poster (the person).

No temp control I just had a thermometer attached to the carboy

 

[petemoss]

So, how did you proceed? Have you bottled it up?

 

[Saunassa]

All my beers with the exception of the Kveik style yeast sit in the fermenter a minimum of two weeks. Depending on the yeast used you will see it start to drop clear that second week. My wife appreciates it because it looks nicer and my gas is not so bad.

 

[Danny_T]

Hi everyone, sorry for the late replies, it's been crazy. However, I got to try my first batch tonight after a little over 2 wks of being bottled. It is THE best beer I've ever tasted. Probably because I made it lol. Thank you all for the tips and notes, and I plan to continue this hobby and learn more.

 

[petemoss]

Hey, Awesome!!! That's the spirit. I can remember when I first started, looking at that nasty bunch of bubbling, chunky, foamy crap in the carboy and thinking "there is no way that this is fit for human consumption". But then after opening the first bottle being like, "holy cow. I can't believe how good this turned out".

 

[OnePlate]

Hi everyone, sorry for the late replies, it's been crazy. However, I got to try my first batch tonight after a little over 2 wks of being bottled. It is THE best beer I've ever tasted. Probably because I made it lol. Thank you all for the tips and notes, and I plan to continue this hobby and learn more. View attachment 641675

I'm glad your first brew went well! Pretty soon you'll drink a commercial beer and think to yourself "I think I can make a better version of this..."

 

[Saunassa]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I went and bought a hydrometer and just took the hit on wasting a little beer. Gravity was met! Crazy the instructions wanted 2 weeks in carboy and 2 weeks in bottles

You tested it to check and looked good. Did you then drink that sample? I do because the thought of dumping it seems wrong. Plus I get an idea of how it is turning out and what bottle conditioning does.

 

[Amadeo38]

If I brewed one gallon batches, I’d do the following to save from having to “waste” an entire flask worth of uncarbonated beer to measure with hydrometer:

Tie an 18” piece of unscented, unwaxed dental floss to the top part of your hydrometer. Around the 1.000 mark. Double loop and draw it tight so it can be suspended from the floss without slipping loose.

Sanitize the hydrometer and the piece of floss well.

Carefully lower the hydrometer into the carboy and view your gravity reading.

Retrieve it out of carboy with floss. No wasted beer.

I do this with my meads so I know when the reach 2/3 gravity for nutrient additions. Works like a charm.

 

[Nate R]

If I brewed one gallon batches, I’d do the following to save from having to “waste” an entire flask worth of uncarbonated beer to measure with hydrometer:

Tie an 18” piece of unscented, unwaxed dental floss to the top part of your hydrometer. Around the 1.000 mark. Double loop and draw it tight so it can be suspended from the floss without slipping loose.

Sanitize the hydrometer and the piece of floss well.

Carefully lower the hydrometer into the carboy and view your gravity reading.

Retrieve it out of carboy with floss. No wasted beer.

I do this with my meads so I know when the reach 2/3 gravity for nutrient additions. Works like a charm.

That is a unique idea. It scares me a little bit with infection tho, especially for a person maybe newer to the process.

For $18 on amazon you can get a decent refractometer. Free calculation spreadsheets are available all over (i like morebeer.com) to adjust for alcohol.
But even if it is off, at least it will be consitently off the whole time.

These refractometers only need a few drops of beer to check.

 

[Saunassa]

Oops did not remember the one gallon batch size. My sample is drawn off at bottling so I can verify what the refractometer after calculating for alcohol gave me. Oh yes, I also like to taste the best beer ever too.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

If I brewed one gallon batches, I’d do the following to save from having to “waste” an entire flask worth of uncarbonated beer to measure with hydrometer:

Tie an 18” piece of unscented, unwaxed dental floss to the top part of your hydrometer. Around the 1.000 mark. Double loop and draw it tight so it can be suspended from the floss without slipping loose.

Sanitize the hydrometer and the piece of floss well.

Carefully lower the hydrometer into the carboy and view your gravity reading.

Retrieve it out of carboy with floss. No wasted beer.

Assuming the hydrometer floats in the amount of wort that's in the carboy, I'd be concerned about being able to read the hydrometer through the amount of krausen that's often on the sides of the carboy (see picture in #1).

No wasted beer.

It has been said (somewhere, maybe) that beer that is used for hydrometer readings is highly regarded by 12 oz bottles (that are used to package the remaining beer as those bottles can hold the beer without fear of bottle bombs). And the most highly regarded of all beer is that beer that remains in the bottling bucket (and siphon).

Personally, I'm enjoying "brewing to a desired outcome" (1 gal carboy: 6-pack, 2 gal food grade pail: 12-pack, 24-pack) and brewing enough wort to account for "other uses" of the beer: like hydrometer readings, beer left over after packaging, ...