Hi guys, can I just start out by saying that I am a complete beginner and have never made a brew before. I've done some research so far and I gather that I need to bung everything from my kit into the fermenting vessel and sterilise everything. I'm using a woodfordes wherry home brew. When everything is sterilised, my wherry mixed into the fermenting vessel along with the water...is there anything else I need to do or be aware of? Any help would be greatly appreciated. If anyone can even point me in the direction of a website to help me it would be great
Complege beginner (woodfordes wherry)
- Thread starter eccipoo
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You can check out what's brewing UK on youtube. He bews those kits. Anyway,to be more accurate,it's sanitizing. Sterilizing would be more expensive & involved. As long as anything touching the beer was clean & sanitized,you'll be ok there. And try to keep fermenter temps in the particular yeast's ideal range for cleaner flavors.
Also give the yeast as much time as it needs to get down to a stable FG. Then give it 3-7 days to clean up by products of fermentation & settle out clear or slightly misty before bottling. That'll give the beer a chance to condition a little before bottling day.
Also give the yeast as much time as it needs to get down to a stable FG. Then give it 3-7 days to clean up by products of fermentation & settle out clear or slightly misty before bottling. That'll give the beer a chance to condition a little before bottling day.
I've noticed a few instruments in my kit that's obviously to do with measuring how much alcohol is present and gravity I think. I only really know this through some reading, but I don't have a clue how to actually use these or understand their readings. How will i know if all is going right while I'm doing it?
I give the fermenting beer 2-3 weeks before taking a gravity reading with the hydrometer. I use the plastic tube it comes in to contain the test sample.
You read the scale on it that looks sorta like a thermometer scale. You'll see where ot reads 1.000,this is the gravity of water @ 60F. The you'll see 10,20,30,40,etc. These numbers are added to the SG of water,1.000,& read as 1.010,1.020,1.030,1.040,etc. The smaller lines in between those read as 2,4,6,8,& are added to the former as 1.012,1.014,1.016,1.018,etc.
You take a sample of the beer & put it in the tube high enough to easilly float the hydrometer. You may have some foam on top & some dissolved co2 as well. You can let it sit a minute or two to degass & let the foam settle a bit to get a good reading. At that point,spin the hydrometer with the tube sitting on a stable,level surface. As soon as it stops spinning,read the scale as I detailed earlier. At this point,it'll be your FG or Final Gravity reading.
Wait two or three days,& repeat. If the numbers are the same,it's done fermenting. If not,wait a few days for it ferment some more,& try again.
You read the scale on it that looks sorta like a thermometer scale. You'll see where ot reads 1.000,this is the gravity of water @ 60F. The you'll see 10,20,30,40,etc. These numbers are added to the SG of water,1.000,& read as 1.010,1.020,1.030,1.040,etc. The smaller lines in between those read as 2,4,6,8,& are added to the former as 1.012,1.014,1.016,1.018,etc.
You take a sample of the beer & put it in the tube high enough to easilly float the hydrometer. You may have some foam on top & some dissolved co2 as well. You can let it sit a minute or two to degass & let the foam settle a bit to get a good reading. At that point,spin the hydrometer with the tube sitting on a stable,level surface. As soon as it stops spinning,read the scale as I detailed earlier. At this point,it'll be your FG or Final Gravity reading.
Wait two or three days,& repeat. If the numbers are the same,it's done fermenting. If not,wait a few days for it ferment some more,& try again.
I've read through other threads on these forums and I've heard people talking about 'secondary'. I don't think the kits I'll be using require this stage, will it?
And also, I've read about people adding carbonation tablets when bottling. If you add sugar in your bottle when bottling, will this provide carbonation instead?
And also, I've read about people adding carbonation tablets when bottling. If you add sugar in your bottle when bottling, will this provide carbonation instead?
A secondary vessel can be used if you like,but isn't all that necessary. Some like to clear the beer & dry hop,etc in a secondary. But it's best that the beer be at FG before racking it to anything.
I & many others just leave it in primary. Let the beer ferment down to a stable FG. Then give it another 3-7 days to clean up by products of fermentation,& settle out clear or slightly misty before packaging.
Yes,you could add a measure amount of sugar to each bottle. But that's not a very accurate way of priming,as some may get more sugar than others.
It's better to use a bottling bucket with a spigot to prime & bottle the beer. Boil 2C of water for a couple minutes in a small saucepan,& add a weighed amount of sugar to the boiled water off the heat. Stir it until the water goes clear again to be sure it's completely dissolved. Cover & let cool a bit.
Make sure bottling bucket is clean & sanitized,then place bottling bucket below the level of the fermenter. Use a tube from the fermenter to half way around the bottom of the bottling bucket either from the spigot on the fermenter,or from an autosiphon in the fermenter.
Start racking the beer into the bottling bucket,& when you get a couple inches of beer in it,slowly pour the priming solution into the surface of the swirling beer. The swirling action will help mix the priming solution into the beer. But you can give it a few gentle stirs with a sanitized spoon anyway to be sure it's mixed.
Now,put the filled bottling bucket on a higher surface,like where the fermenter was,to get a gravity flow going with a bottling wand atached to the spigot on the bottling bucket. The bottling wand has a pin valve on the end that stops flow of beer. Sanitize your bottles first,then insert the bottling wand into the bottle till it touches bottom. It'll fill the bottle till the level of beer comes to the top of the bottle's lip. Quickly pull up a couple inches on the bottling wand to close the pin valve & stop flow of beer. When you slowly pull the bottling wand out of the bottle,you'll get the perfect head space by way of volume displacement. Then sanitize a crown cap & place on top of bottle. Repeat till complete. I hope this helps...
I & many others just leave it in primary. Let the beer ferment down to a stable FG. Then give it another 3-7 days to clean up by products of fermentation,& settle out clear or slightly misty before packaging.
Yes,you could add a measure amount of sugar to each bottle. But that's not a very accurate way of priming,as some may get more sugar than others.
It's better to use a bottling bucket with a spigot to prime & bottle the beer. Boil 2C of water for a couple minutes in a small saucepan,& add a weighed amount of sugar to the boiled water off the heat. Stir it until the water goes clear again to be sure it's completely dissolved. Cover & let cool a bit.
Make sure bottling bucket is clean & sanitized,then place bottling bucket below the level of the fermenter. Use a tube from the fermenter to half way around the bottom of the bottling bucket either from the spigot on the fermenter,or from an autosiphon in the fermenter.
Start racking the beer into the bottling bucket,& when you get a couple inches of beer in it,slowly pour the priming solution into the surface of the swirling beer. The swirling action will help mix the priming solution into the beer. But you can give it a few gentle stirs with a sanitized spoon anyway to be sure it's mixed.
Now,put the filled bottling bucket on a higher surface,like where the fermenter was,to get a gravity flow going with a bottling wand atached to the spigot on the bottling bucket. The bottling wand has a pin valve on the end that stops flow of beer. Sanitize your bottles first,then insert the bottling wand into the bottle till it touches bottom. It'll fill the bottle till the level of beer comes to the top of the bottle's lip. Quickly pull up a couple inches on the bottling wand to close the pin valve & stop flow of beer. When you slowly pull the bottling wand out of the bottle,you'll get the perfect head space by way of volume displacement. Then sanitize a crown cap & place on top of bottle. Repeat till complete. I hope this helps...
expect a panic thread in a few days haha!
No problem. You have but to ask...
