Hi!
I am brewing my first batch from kit and I'm looking for some advice and reassurance that I'm doing the right thing There seems to be a lot of conflicting advice, so any help would be greatly appreciated!
For my first batch I chose Munton's Nut Brown Ale kit with 1kg Munton's beer enhancer.
OG read 1044 at about 24 degrees C.
1) When to bottle
Following the instructions, I've tested the wort in 7 days of fermentation and got a reading of 1016 at about 22C. Seems too high, so I decided to leave it to ferment for another week or two.
I've read that a low of homebrewers leave their ales in primary fermenter for 3 weeks and then bottle - is that a good idea? Alternatively I would have to keep testing the beer, risking contamination so I am tempted to wait these 3 weeks and then bottle if FG is reasonable...
1B)
My next 2 batches are going to be a wheat beer and an IPA (also from kits). I remember reading somewhere that these 2 styles should be bottled earlier than others. Is there any special guidance on them that I can read?
2) Priming sugar
Local homebrew store advised to add a teaspoon of regular sugar to each bottle to carbonate the beer. I have then read that this is likley to contaminate the beer and it is better to boil the sugar in some water and add to the whole batch before bottling. Would adding the sugar (and mixing it in!) not result in oxidisation?
What's the best thing to do?
3) Temp control
I am fermenting my batch in my boiler cupboard. The temperature there can fluctuate from 19C to 23C, but mainly remains around 22 & 23C. Seems perfect for ales, however I intend to add a little temp regulating system.
I have already bought a digital thermostat with a heating and a cooling cutoff channels. I intend to use a lightbulb for heating (might use a tube heater instead if they are not a fire hazard), but what can I use for cooling? My best idea so far was to use a fan to blow warm air out of the cupboard and draw colder air from the room (the room is unlikley to be warmer than 23C for most of the year, execpt for 2-4 weeks in summer). Are there any more elegant solutions? In future I'll get myself a wee fridge to put in my shed but for now it's got to be the boiler cupboard =(
Thank you for the advice and apologies for posting silly-beginner questions!
I am brewing my first batch from kit and I'm looking for some advice and reassurance that I'm doing the right thing There seems to be a lot of conflicting advice, so any help would be greatly appreciated!
For my first batch I chose Munton's Nut Brown Ale kit with 1kg Munton's beer enhancer.
OG read 1044 at about 24 degrees C.
1) When to bottle
Following the instructions, I've tested the wort in 7 days of fermentation and got a reading of 1016 at about 22C. Seems too high, so I decided to leave it to ferment for another week or two.
I've read that a low of homebrewers leave their ales in primary fermenter for 3 weeks and then bottle - is that a good idea? Alternatively I would have to keep testing the beer, risking contamination so I am tempted to wait these 3 weeks and then bottle if FG is reasonable...
1B)
My next 2 batches are going to be a wheat beer and an IPA (also from kits). I remember reading somewhere that these 2 styles should be bottled earlier than others. Is there any special guidance on them that I can read?
2) Priming sugar
Local homebrew store advised to add a teaspoon of regular sugar to each bottle to carbonate the beer. I have then read that this is likley to contaminate the beer and it is better to boil the sugar in some water and add to the whole batch before bottling. Would adding the sugar (and mixing it in!) not result in oxidisation?
What's the best thing to do?
3) Temp control
I am fermenting my batch in my boiler cupboard. The temperature there can fluctuate from 19C to 23C, but mainly remains around 22 & 23C. Seems perfect for ales, however I intend to add a little temp regulating system.
I have already bought a digital thermostat with a heating and a cooling cutoff channels. I intend to use a lightbulb for heating (might use a tube heater instead if they are not a fire hazard), but what can I use for cooling? My best idea so far was to use a fan to blow warm air out of the cupboard and draw colder air from the room (the room is unlikley to be warmer than 23C for most of the year, execpt for 2-4 weeks in summer). Are there any more elegant solutions? In future I'll get myself a wee fridge to put in my shed but for now it's got to be the boiler cupboard =(
Thank you for the advice and apologies for posting silly-beginner questions!