First batch... oops

[shawn252]

My 2 cents, 21 days in ferment you will be fine. I think the only miss haps were taking FG reading after priming sugar and not enough wort in your reading vessel. non of which are going to give you reason for concern. Cheers!

 

[Elric]

If the hydrometer was bottomed out, it wasn’t floating. The hydrometer has to float for you to get a reading. You read it straight across at the level where the liquid is, not where the liquid rises slightly up the side of the hydrometer. That is called the meniscus and you ignore that. There wasn’t enough beer in the cylinder for it to float or if it was full it wasn’t tall enough. Hydrometer cylinders are tall and thin.

A few ounces of priming sugar will not raise your gravity by that much. Maybe 2 points or so in 5 gallons. But yes, you generally want to take a final gravity reading before you add priming sugar.

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Just a note, different hydrometers are manufactured to different specifications. You need to read the sheet that came with your hydrometer (and it is sometimes on the scale sheet in the hydrometer) to verify the proper calibration temperature and whether or not you take your reading at the top or bottom of the meniscus. Honestly with both the meniscus and temp calibration you are really only looking at a 1-2 point difference, but these details do vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, so please check and confirm with your own model.

 

[VikeMan]

Deleted. Forgot this was the beginner's forum.

 

[mendelec]

If the hydrometer was bottomed out, it wasn’t floating. The hydrometer has to float for you to get a reading. You read it straight across at the level where the liquid is, not where the liquid rises slightly up the side of the hydrometer. That is called the meniscus and you ignore that. There wasn’t enough beer in the cylinder for it to float or if it was full it wasn’t tall enough. Hydrometer cylinders are tall and thin.

A few ounces of priming sugar will not raise your gravity by that much. Maybe 2 points or so in 5 gallons. But yes, you generally want to take a final gravity reading before you add priming sugar.

View attachment 757982

What bwible said...

 

[JAReeves]

I know it's only a week, but have you cracked one open to see how the carbonation is progressing? If it's over-the-top foamy, it might be prudent to crack the caps on the other bottles to let out some CO2, but it's probably still working its way up to actual carbonation. Being forced to taste-test your brew in all of its stages isn't a bad thing .

 

[blackbird939]

I know it's only a week, but have you cracked one open to see how the carbonation is progressing? If it's over-the-top foamy, it might be prudent to crack the caps on the other bottles to let out some CO2, but it's probably still working its way up to actual carbonation. Being forced to taste-test your brew in all of its stages isn't a bad thing .

We did crack one open, last weekend. I was very careful, wrapping the bottle in a towel, wearing glasses, standing outside. There was a little hiss. It was, I guess, about 25% carbonated. The real issue was the bitter finish. It tasted great, but there's this really strong bitter finish on it. Someone at the local brew supply said it might be that we didn't keep the steeping stage at a low-enough temperature. We sat there and carefully monitored it with a chef's thermometer, but who knows if it was calibrated. The guy at the shop said tannins leached out of the grains. He also suggested that it will eventually mellow. But, it was still very drinkable!

We're going to refrigerate a couple more this weekend, a little ahead of the recommended duration from the sheet of 2 weeks. But hey, why not

 

[hotbeer]

Things don't heat evenly. Especially mash or even just wort with something steeping in it. So if you weren't stirring or taking the temps in several places then you really don't know what overall temp it might have gotten to.

 

[bracconiere]

do you have a refractometer? if you know the OG, take a refrac reading. and punch it into a calc....

 

[Sam_92]

We did crack one open, last weekend. I was very careful, wrapping the bottle in a towel, wearing glasses, standing outside. There was a little hiss. It was, I guess, about 25% carbonated. The real issue was the bitter finish. It tasted great, but there's this really strong bitter finish on it. Someone at the local brew supply said it might be that we didn't keep the steeping stage at a low-enough temperature. We sat there and carefully monitored it with a chef's thermometer, but who knows if it was calibrated. The guy at the shop said tannins leached out of the grains. He also suggested that it will eventually mellow. But, it was still very drinkable!

We're going to refrigerate a couple more this weekend, a little ahead of the recommended duration from the sheet of 2 weeks. But hey, why not

With 2oz of Columbus I wouldn't be surprised if it's pretty bitter. I think the best thing to do at this point is wait two more weeks. I think stouts take a little longer to bottle condition than other styles and carbonation has a huge impact on flavor. Buy some craft beers in the meantime and brew some more beer because when your stout hits it's prime it will probably disappear fast!

 

[rlprafa]

As many here have said, don't sweat it too much. Wait a few more weeks and taste it again. Time can do wonders to beer. Specially a stout.

One thing that can also contribute to an unpleasant finish in a beer is carrying too much sediments and trub to your bottles. Don't be too greedy when doing your transfers and you should be fine, too.

Now use this first brew and mishaps as a learning for the nexts ones. Be a bit more careful with your water volumes, Make sure your measurements are being done correctly and take as many notes as you possibly can during the process. This will help you troubleshoot any issues you may have in the final product.

There were also suggestions about a fast ferment test. I wouldn't bother. Specially being your first brews (I wouldn't do it at all, but that's up to you really). It's too much work for no benefits, imo. Chances of you screwing up enough to not create a fermentable enough wort are very slim if you pay attention.

Edit:
Don't ever trust bubbles as a sign of fermentation. Sometimes there will be plenty, some times there won't be any. That doesn't mean it's not going.

I used to use my refractometer to take small samples every so often to check fermentation status. It helps to catch problems at early stages without wasting liquid. It's also brewers choice and you don't have to do it to have good beer.

Cheers.