coopers micro brewery kit trouble

[MACKYBHOY]

hi all im a first time brewer and just needing a bit of help as ive ran into a few problems,,i went out and bought myself a micro brewery kit from coopers ,i got the coopers real ale and beers enhancer 2 with it ,i followed the instructions in the booklet to make the ale and placed the fermenter in the corner of the kitchen ,48 hours later i still never had any bubbles coming from the airlock but the beer was still fermenting as the foam had risen and left its mark round the sides of the fermenter ,i left it for another 4 days fermenting ,on day 7 i took a hydrometer test and stupidly left the airlock in and some water (just a few drops)from the airlock got into my beer ,on day 7 the hydrometer read 1025,and on day 8 it read 1020,,it is now day 9 and i have noticed that the ale looks as if its stopped fermenting as there is hardly any foam on top of the beer ,,,,so my questions are ( 1 )will my beer be ok after the water from the airlock getting in ???,,,,( 2 )will the reading stick at 1020 if its stopped fermenting and what will i do ?? ( 3 ) when will i bottle ??? ,,any tips and help from anyone would be great as im stuck in a rut and dont want my first time brewing to go wrong ,,thanks alot everyone ,,peace out

 

[nepatsfan1]

Take more readings with the hydrometer. A couple of days of the same reading will tell you when to bottle. Relax have a beer and be patient.

 

[Pappers_]

Welcome, Macky. Scroll around the forums for a little bit, especially the beginner brewing forum - you'll find lots and lots of info there, answers to all your questions. Short answers to your questions are: 1) yes 2) who knows, wait and see and 3) don't think about bottling until at least 3 weeks after you brewed. Cheers, Salud and Skaal!

 

[samc]

You should be ok. Did you check the Hydrometer with distilled or RO water to see if it calibrates to 1.000 ? I have an old Coopers kit and still use the hydro from it. If it reads 1.020, then my beer actually is 1.016 ... Check yours out.

 

[MACKYBHOY]

thanks man ,,but what if the reading stays at 1020 ????? ,,i thought you only bottler under 1010 ???

 

[MACKYBHOY]

good advice mate ,,3 weeks you say,i thought you could bottle when the hydrometer reads under 1010,,???? will it be ok leaving it for 3 weeks with a air leak ????

 

[MACKYBHOY]

more good advice mate ,,,ill give it a wee look ,,cheers