Brew question/New Member intro

[Gregsbrew2]

Hi everyone,

I’ve been reading parts of these threads for a while now but I never made an account until today.

my name is Greg and I’m from NL Canada. I have been fermenting for a long time but I’m just getting into beer kits. My fermenting history ranges from a long standing sourdough starter we use weekly to home made ginger beers and kombucha.
I thought beer kits would be pretty simple but I’m definitely coming up with some questions that need answering.

I put in the coopers IPA kit about 14 days ago but used one of the quick ferment sugars along with dextrose. The fermentation process was fast (maybe 4 days) I just took the cover off to bottle today and I noticed some mould on the surface. Beer taste good and is clear underneath. Is this safe to bottle? SG is 1.012 but I lost the initial reading to compare.
Thanks for the help

 

[camonick]

Welcome to HBT.
What, in your video, do you consider to be mold? I see a krausen ring on the side of your bucket and some yeast rafts on the beer surface, both of which are completely normal.

 

[Gregsbrew2]

Thanks Sam.

 

[T Murph]

Welcome to the community. @camonick is correct. You have your first successful homebrew. RDWHAHB.

 

[GrowleyMonster]

Bottle it. Give it 3 or 4 weeks to condition. Stick it in the fridge for a few days. Take a couple out and let them warm to drinking temp. Enjoy the rewards of your labor.

First upgrade I would suggest is a Big Mouth Bubbler or Fermonster fermenter. You will be able to get a good seal, and it will be easy to open. You will be able to see your beer clearly. The opening is big enough to get your arm in for cleaning. It is easy to fit these with a spigot and you can buy them already so equipped.

Second upgrade I would suggest is a bluetooth or wifi electronic hydrometer such as the Tilt (a little expensive) or the Ispindle (much cheaper, uses wifi instead of bluetooth, and slightly bigger package.) and these can be left floating in your fermenter so you can see your temperature and your gravity at any time without having to draw a sample.

I got my start with kits, namely the Northern Brewer "Block Party Amber Ale" kit. Moved on to buying bags and jugs of extract and just winging it, then on to BIAB, Brew In A Bag, an all grain method that is still pretty simple, and Australian style "No-Chill" wort chilling. I wouldn't go back to kits but I do not regret for a second, starting with kits. It's a great way to get started. But you will probably want to move up to all grain at some point, to have more control over the product and to save money on ingredients.