First time brewer

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GREGORGREGOR

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Hello,

First time brewing. I got a lot from Ballihoo. 5 gallon fermenter and a Coppers Pilsner Brew can with yeast. I have been fermenting for 6 days. I forgot to take OG however the gravity now is around 1.010. It's been around 18-22 degrees over the 6 days. I also believe it is an Ale yeast so can ferment at higher temperatures.

The beer is still cloudy but my instructions say to bottle it after 5-6 days. Looking for advice please. How do I make it not cloudy? I don't have a secondary fermenter just looking to rack it into bottles with some carbonation drops.

Any advice or help is great appreciated [emoji481]
 
The instructions are flat out wrong. It never helps to rush beer and yours simply isn't ready to bottle. Leave it alone for another 8 days or more. It will be fine to leave it 3 to 6 weeks even, if you have the patience. That extra time will let the yeast get the last of the sugars, clean up the byproducts, and then settle out. You will get much less trub in the bottles and your beer will need less time to mature in the bottles. You can help the yeast clean up the byproducts by letting the beer get warmer, up to about 25C for the rest of the time.
 
The instructions are flat out wrong. It never helps to rush beer and yours simply isn't ready to bottle. Leave it alone for another 8 days or more. It will be fine to leave it 3 to 6 weeks even, if you have the patience. That extra time will let the yeast get the last of the sugars, clean up the byproducts, and then settle out. You will get much less trub in the bottles and your beer will need less time to mature in the bottles. You can help the yeast clean up the byproducts by letting the beer get warmer, up to about 25C for the rest of the time.
Thanks for the input I think I will leave it longer, thanks. I've read about using finings to clear the beer is this common practice? As for the temp I will struggle to get it up to 25°C I currently have a towels and a fleece jackets around the fermenter. Can you suggest anything else that I can do to keep the temp up? Anything better to insulate with? Also, any advice on post fermentation. After I've bottled. What should my process be? Really appreciate the help. Thanks [emoji3]
 
I generally let every batch ferment for three weeks. If fermenting in a carboy or other translucent vessel, I shine a light through to check for clarity.
There are more advanced methods. Pitching more yeast, using pure oxygen, careful temperature control and fining agents will lead to turn around. Right now I suggest you focus on basic methods and ingredients.
Warming the beer will help it clean up, but it's not absolutely necessary.
After bottling (with sugar for carbonation) keep the bottles at room temp in the dark for two more weeks, then chill a couple in the fridge for two days.
Welcome aboard.
 
Thanks for the input I think I will leave it longer, thanks. I've read about using finings to clear the beer is this common practice? As for the temp I will struggle to get it up to 25°C I currently have a towels and a fleece jackets around the fermenter. Can you suggest anything else that I can do to keep the temp up? Anything better to insulate with? Also, any advice on post fermentation. After I've bottled. What should my process be? Really appreciate the help. Thanks [emoji3]

The "up to 25" means just that. Your beer will be fine a the temperature you have it but it could be warmer without any harm now. Adding fining agents will speed up clearing the beer but just letting it sit in the fermenter will do the same thing, just slower.

When your beer is bottled and carbonated (after the 2 or 3 weeks to cabonate and mature) put some in the refrigerator to chill. This will probably cause some haze (called chill haze) from the proteins dissolved in the beer. Giving it a minimum of 24 hours for these proteins to settle out will return your beer to clear.
 
The "up to 25" means just that. Your beer will be fine a the temperature you have it but it could be warmer without any harm now. Adding fining agents will speed up clearing the beer but just letting it sit in the fermenter will do the same thing, just slower.

When your beer is bottled and carbonated (after the 2 or 3 weeks to cabonate and mature) put some in the refrigerator to chill. This will probably cause some haze (called chill haze) from the proteins dissolved in the beer. Giving it a minimum of 24 hours for these proteins to settle out will return your beer to clear.
Thanks for all your help. This is really useful. Fingers crossed. Finally can I just check if you have any idea the final gravity should be before bottling? Thanks again
 
I generally let every batch ferment for three weeks. If fermenting in a carboy or other translucent vessel, I shine a light through to check for clarity.
There are more advanced methods. Pitching more yeast, using pure oxygen, careful temperature control and fining agents will lead to turn around. Right now I suggest you focus on basic methods and ingredients.
Warming the beer will help it clean up, but it's not absolutely necessary.
After bottling (with sugar for carbonation) keep the bottles at room temp in the dark for two more weeks, then chill a couple in the fridge for two days.
Welcome aboard.
Cheers for your insight. Really looking forward to tasting that first beer. Thanks for the welcome too. This forum is proving to be excellent! [emoji3]
 
The final gravity should be stable, that's what it should be.
Thanks. I read that if it is still to high you can then get bottle bombs due to too much sugar being present after priming. So is it just if the gravity is the same of 2 days or more? Or longer? Thanks for the help.
 
Thanks. I read that if it is still to high you can then get bottle bombs due to too much sugar being present after priming. So is it just if the gravity is the same of 2 days or more? Or longer? Thanks for the help.

Correct, if it stays the same with multiple days of reading. Some say two, others say three.

It also doesn't hurt to leave it in the carboy for another few days; that will help it clear out more. Three weeks in the vessel isn't uncommon.
 
Thanks. I read that if it is still to high you can then get bottle bombs due to too much sugar being present after priming. So is it just if the gravity is the same of 2 days or more? Or longer? Thanks for the help.

As others have said, give it at least another week, then take another gravity sample. It should be a lot clearer by then too.
 
Congratulations on your first brew! First of all, relax. This is supposed to be fun! Folks have been brewing beer successfully for at least ten thousand years, mostly without thermometers, hydrometers, knowledge of what was really going on, or much of anything, in fact.

These reason for giving the yeast plenty of time before bottling is to be sure they have consumed all the available fermentable sugars. If they have not finished, and you add priming sugar and bottle, you now have too much sugar for your intended carbonation level. If you are lucky, you only get gushers that waste half your beer. If you are not lucky, you get bottle bombs that explode in storage, or worse yet, in your hand when you try to open them.

Welcome to the madness!
 
Congratulations on your first brew! First of all, relax. This is supposed to be fun! Folks have been brewing beer successfully for at least ten thousand years, mostly without thermometers, hydrometers, knowledge of what was really going on, or much of anything, in fact.

These reason for giving the yeast plenty of time before bottling is to be sure they have consumed all the available fermentable sugars. If they have not finished, and you add priming sugar and bottle, you now have too much sugar for your intended carbonation level. If you are lucky, you only get gushers that waste half your beer. If you are not lucky, you get bottle bombs that explode in storage, or worse yet, in your hand when you try to open them.

Welcome to the madness!
Cheers mate. Think im just going to leave it another week. Use some finings if needed to clear beer then bottle. Cheers!
 
Cheers mate. Think im just going to leave it another week. Use some finings if needed to clear beer then bottle. Cheers!

If it is still very cloudy after another week of fermentation, and if you have the space, you can stick that fermentor in the fridge for a few days. That clears things up well and faster, with or without gelatin finings.
 
If it is still very cloudy after another week of fermentation, and if you have the space, you can stick that fermentor in the fridge for a few days. That clears things up well and faster, with or without gelatin finings.
Thanks. Don't have another fridge at present but soon as I can get an old one from someone and I move in a couple months and have more space then definately will use this method I think.
 
Thanks. Don't have another fridge at present but soon as I can get an old one from someone and I move in a couple months and have more space then definately will use this method I think.

Great idea!
Consider turning that extra fridge into a temp controlled fermentation chamber. You'll be making beer like a pro, soon.

Please, be careful when handling fermentors, especially glass ones, they are heavy and tend to get slippery when in a fridge. Plastic ones are much more forgiving but can still make a mess when dropped.
 
Great idea!
Consider turning that extra fridge into a temp controlled fermentation chamber. You'll be making beer like a pro, soon.

Please, be careful when handling fermentors, especially glass ones, they are heavy and tend to get slippery when in a fridge. Plastic ones are much more forgiving but can still make a mess when dropped.
Cheers yeah from what I read that's going to give the best results especially of I want to brew Pilsner correctly with Lager yeast rather than Ale year. Hopefully at some point in the future anyway
 

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