First Brew

[Yesd0g]

Been lurking this forum for months now gathering information. This is my first post, and pics of my first attempt. I'm three weeks in, and transferred to the secondary today. Now, I admit I am a total noob to home brew. I need a new hydrometer as Mine is 2 marks off in 60 degree water. For example, I tested my 3 week old Oatmeal Stout today, and its at FG 1021 (corrected 1025). Will that continue to drop in the secondary? Im not seeing a whole lot of action going on. Let me know what you think.

Recipe-
Oatmeal Stout

6.5 lbs. Dark Malt Extract
1 lbs. Dark Dry Malt Extract
.25 Lb. Dark Crystal Malt
.25 lb. Chocolate Malt
.25 lb. Roasted Barley
.5 lb. Flaked Oatmeal
1.25 lb. Perle Hops
Wyeast Irish yeast smack pac. (sub for dry yeast)

Oatmeal Stout kit. Drinking Friends HomeBrew Honey Ale.

Boil after adding the Hops (in bag).

Ready to go in the Ice Bath there in the cooler.

In Secondary

 

[Yesd0g]

Primary - Is this sludge the yeast cake?

Primary - Second shot of the bottom. Not sure what I was expecting to see.

 

[ChshreCat]

When did you add the nail polish remover and the half of a little football?

 

[Bob]

[snerk] Nice one, cat.

That sludge in the bottom of the primary is what they call the yeast cake, yes.

You may continue to see a drop in the secondary, but a drop sufficient to measure could take weeks. Sometimes the act of racking causes the ferment to kick up a little, and can be the difference between a strong finish and a weak one.

I wouldn't worry too much about ending at 1.025. Depending on the ingredients - type of extract, yeast strain, volume of yeast pitched, etc. - that sounds about right, actually. Don't get too distracted by the recipe; their FG number may or may not be correct.

Bob

 

[TeufelBrew]

The most important thing......


YOU MADE BEER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Congratulations, and welcome to the addiction.

 

[Aspera]

Well done! You're hydrometer may still be OK. To calibrate, make sure that the temp really is 60 F, that you are using distilled water, and that you are reading the meniscus correctly. Sometimes a magnifying glass can be very helpful.

 

[Yesd0g]

When did you add the nail polish remover and the half of a little football?

Those went in the boil with the Hops.

 

[Borisbbadd]

When did you add the nail polish remover and the half of a little football?

It's always fun to experiment....................

 

[ChshreCat]

I like to dry football my oatmeal stout, but it's really a personal preference thing.

 

[Yesd0g]

Ok, so its been 24 hours since I transferred to the secondary. I haven't seen any bubbles in the airlock. My FG seems a little low, as stated above. Any thoughts on my throwing some more yeast in? I've still got the dry yeast that came with the kit.

 

[Yesd0g]

So I just took another look at it, and I can defiantly see the yeast is settling out at the bottom. 24 hours, and I have about 3/4 inch of trub and yeast showing at the bottom of the carboy
. No foam, and no bubbles. Question - Pitch more yeast, or go ahead and bottle?

 

[Bob]

Leave it. You've used an under-attenuating yeast to ferment an extract with a relatively high proportion of unfermentables - dark extracts will always end with a higher FG than pale extracts.

You're fine. Honest.

Bob

Edit: Leave it in the secondary for a couple of weeks. After a fortnight, take another gravity. If the reading is still 1.025, go ahead and bottle.