First Batch ever please help

[beermaniac]

Hi!
ok i started my beer, (lager), two weeks ago today! I followed the instructions well, I added the beer kit to water as instructed and then added the yeast which was supplied with my beer kit. I made sure that everything was sanitised very well beforehand. One mistake was that i never took a hydrometer reading at the start.
Its been in the primary fermenter for the two weeks and kept at approx 65-75F.
I think its ready for the bottling stage now but one problem is that the beer seems to be cloudy. Ive tasted it and it tastes like beer at the start but has a weird after taste(prob a yeast taste). Is this normal? also everyone keeps commenting that the beer smells like cider!????
is the beer ready to be bottled? has it an infection? or has the yeast just not settled?

Please help solve these problems it would be much appreciated!!

 

[Pumbaa]

Sounds like the yeast just hasnt settled out yet. Do you have another bucket or carboy you could use as a secondary fermentor (clearing tank)? If not dont worry just let the yeast settle out and you'll be fine. I'd personally wait to bottle until the yeast settles.

 

[beermaniac]

well i have access to a 5gallon water bottle that you would find in any office water dispenser???? the only problem with that is that there is no lid for the small hole at the top but i suppose I could improvise??? Will I sterilize it and then transfer the beer into it this evening???
Regards, the beermaniac

 

[Kadmium]

I would not suggest the bottle for water unless it is a food grade bottle. Those things are not designed to hold an alcoholic substance like beer with hops oil etc so I dont know. You should be right to let it settle out for another week. Once you bottle it, you really need to lager your beer for a good 3 months in the fridge.

 

[Sir Humpsalot]

post your recipe.



As for using an office water cooler bottle, don't. It is oxygen permeable and will damage your beer. How are your sanitation practices? If they are really good, I would consider advising you to transfer into the sanitized office cooler bottle, santize your primary, then transfer it back. I'm sure plenty of people would say that all that movement is a bit on the excessive side, but I'm sure worse things have been done to beer than a three step clearing tank.


One other point though, your temps are too high for a Lager yeast. It's not going to be very lager-y. It will taste more like an ale which is probably what you should've started out with from the beginning since they are more tolerant of fermentation temps, but that is just my unsolicited opinion.

 

[Zymurgrafi]

Its been in the primary fermenter for the two weeks and kept at approx 65-75F.

This is too warm for lager yeast. Was it actually a lager yeast? You said kit, what kind of kit? Extract only? Was the yeast dry, and do you remember the brand?

I think its ready for the bottling stage now but one problem is that the beer seems to be cloudy. Ive tasted it and it tastes like beer at the start but has a weird after taste(prob a yeast taste). Is this normal? also everyone keeps commenting that the beer smells like cider!????

Two situations here. Cloudy, yes the yeast is still in suspension and it will taste yeasty (a problem I am quite familiar with). The cidery taste typically comes from using too much sugar(s) as an adjunct. Did you recipe include corn sugar, table sugar, etc... ?

i

s the beer ready to be bottled? has it an infection? or has the yeast just not settled?

Nope, not ready to bottle. Infection, probably not. Yeast has not settled.

Generally with a lager you would primary ferment at 45-55 F (depending on the yeast strain, beer style, etc.) for two maybe three weeks. Then transfer to a new clean vessel to lager (which I believe means store in German) for 3-6 weeks depending on temps., anywhere from 33-45 degrees. Lager yeasts work very slowly at cool temperatures and give a "cleaner" taste because they do not produce as many esters as ale yeasts due to the lower temps. Can you use lager yeasts at ale temperatures? Sure. They will just taste different, not bad, different than the intended style.

If you absolutely do not have another fermenter (you are using a bucket I am assuming?) than I agree with Toot. Sanitize the water bottle, transfer to that temporarily while you clean your fermenter, then transfer back.

Better solution would be to go and get a glass carboy, rubber stopper, and airlock from you LHBS and transfer it to that. Then move it somewhere much cooler. If you have a fridge with space that would be great. Then, let it sit for a few more weeks, say 3. If you do not have the ability to place it somewhere that cool, just find the coolest place you can and let it sit a couple more weeks. Check it then. It is okay if you forgot to take the og. The kit should tell you what the expected fg is. If not, well, when you think it looks done check it over a 3 day period. If the gravity is constant. It is ready to bottle.

Hope that helps.

 

[cweston]

Hi!
ok i started my beer, (lager), two weeks ago today! I followed the instructions well, I added the beer kit to water as instructed and then added the yeast which was supplied with my beer kit.

You didn't say anything about boiling--is this some sort of no-boil beer kit?