going with pale ale

[Seeyakid]

alright guys i've choosen my first brew and its going to be pale alefrom the true brew ingredient kit, Any tips for this brew?

also has anyone tryed it, is it good?

btw is a second fermentation needed or suggested for this brew?

see ya kid.

 

[bradleypariah]

I may be wrong, but even when second fermentation is suggested, it's never *necessary*.

I'm choosing my words carefully here. Saying something is not necessary is not the same thing as saying "it won't do anything". Word?

I haven't made anything from a True Brew kit. I see my LHBS carries that item for about $35. What does the kit consist of? Do you have grains, LME, DME, or a combination thereof?

 

[ghank15]

You don't need to use a secondary unless you are adding fruit or making a lager.

If you do secondary, make sure you properly sanitize. Your beer will have less sediment and may be crisper, but for ales, you can accomplish the same thing by leaving it in the primary for a few weeks

 

[nanofreak]

I wouldn't secondary. I would go 4 weeks in the primary and that is it. A Pale Ale is a great beer to start with. It can be a really good beer, but it isn't too expreme on any level that you will be able to pick out all of the faults. That is important, knowing what you are doing wrong is a good part of initially learning to be a good brewer. Too many people jump in to wild crazy stuff right away, or making their own recipes from batch one.

I brewed a pale ale as my first, and it is one of my favorite brews to date.

 

[unionrdr]

Pale ales are good & easy drinking beers imo. Once you get a good process down,& get used to brewing them,they can be great fun to experiment with. Learn as you go is the biggest thing around here.

 

[Seeyakid]

hey guys we made the pale ale on Saturday so its been fermenting for a couple of days, the first day it was bubbling like crazy like every 4 seconds room temp was 69 69 degrees the next day we had to move it into another room the temp was about 66 65 ish. it hasnt bubbled that much tho is that coquinidence or is that normal

 

[kh54s10]

hey guys we made the pale ale on Saturday so its been fermenting for a couple of days, the first day it was bubbling like crazy like every 4 seconds room temp was 69 69 degrees the next day we had to move it into another room the temp was about 66 65 ish. it hasnt bubbled that much tho is that coquinidence or is that normal

That is normal. Most of the activity is early on. Lower temperatures will also make the fermentation less active. The low temperatures are better than too high a temperature which may introduce off flavors.

It sounds like things are going very well.:rockin:

 

[Sippin37]

That's normal, the bubbling will slow down as it starts to finish fermenting. A temp change of 3-4 degrees should be just fine, but if you can help it try not to keep moving it around o you may develop some off flavors due to all the temp changing. I'd just leave that bad boy in the primary for 3-4 weeks and then bottle or keg it up!

 

[RM-MN]

hey guys we made the pale ale on Saturday so its been fermenting for a couple of days, the first day it was bubbling like crazy like every 4 seconds room temp was 69 69 degrees the next day we had to move it into another room the temp was about 66 65 ish. it hasnt bubbled that much tho is that coquinidence or is that normal

Just for your information, you should start the brew in the cooler room and leave it there or move it to a warmer location after a few days. Most yeast like it cooler and throw fewer off flavors then.

 

[Seeyakid]

Just for your information, you should start the brew in the cooler room and leave it there or move it to a warmer location after a few days. Most yeast like it cooler and throw fewer off flavors then.

ok thanks but is that why it stop bubbling?

 

[unionrdr]

No. when it slows down or stops bubbling,that's a good indication that initial fermentation is done. But it will still slowly ferment down to a stable FG. And it can take more than 2 weeks. That time frame is up to the yeast.

 

[Seeyakid]

ok so i'm 10 days into the fermentation, it was bubbling the first 48 hours and then it subsided as the days went on. It seems like theres no more bubbles now. Is it time to bottle? or should we start taking hydrometer readings tomorrow for 3 days and then if readings are constant, then bottle it?

thanks

 

[nanofreak]

Yup, bottle off of hydro readings, not bubbles. That said I would do a good 3-4 weeks in the primary. It is about more than alch conversion. The yeast will get started on some cleanup work next.

 

[unionrdr]

I never bother Doing that 1st FG test till the 14 day mark. It's usually very close to it at that point. Once you get a stable FG,give it another 3-7 days to settle out clear,or slightly misty. THEN bottle. Never be in a hurry to get to the drinking part. 9 times out of 10,that's a sure-fire recipe for dissappointment!

 

[Seeyakid]

I never bother Doing that 1st FG test till the 14 day mark. It's usually very close to it at that point. Once you get a stable FG,give it another 3-7 days to settle out clear,or slightly misty. THEN bottle. Never be in a hurry to get to the drinking part. 9 times out of 10,that's a sure-fire recipe for dissappointment!

ok thanks what would a clear fg reading be for a pale ale unfortunetly the directions that came with this kit are very vauge.

 

[mid_knight]

The MOST DIFFICULT thing with your first batch is the waiting. Consider allowing 3-4 weeks in your primary to let the yeast clean-up after themselves. If you JUST CAN'T WAIT ( uhmmm ... like me) consider bottling half now and the other half later to see the difference.

That is - assuming your FG is stable.

 

[MotorcycleMatt]

Whenever it has hit a stable gravity reading, my robust porter took a good 2.5 weeks to get down to 1.014 and then I met it sit another week and a half

 

[unionrdr]

There are no hard & fast rules in brewing any given style. But if your OG was 1.04x,then your FG should be 1.008-1.012. That's a typical FG range for a pale ale in the ten forty something original gravity range. Just get the same number 2 days apart & you're good to go.
Just give it a few days to settle out clear or slightly misty from that point. Patience gives better beer.

 

[spokaniac]

My pale ale started at 1.046 and ended up at 1.013. I let it sit another 6 days and it was still at 1.013, then bottled it.

 

[PIGMAN]

ok thanks what would a clear fg reading be for a pale ale unfortunetly the directions that came with this kit are very vauge.

The instructions for your brew call for a FG of 1.010 - 1.012, but like the other posters said, look for a stable number over several days. And yes, those instructions are poor. Try a kit from Northern Brewer or Austin next time.

 

[Seeyakid]

ok thank you all

 

[Seeyakid]

hey guys took an gravity reading yesterday and it was 1.019 so 2morrow ill take one bc i want able to take one today hopefully it will go down alittle more, anythoughts? its been fermenting for 15 days btw

 

[Seeyakid]

hey guys took an gravity reading yesterday and it was 1.019 so 2morrow ill take one bc i want able to take one today hopefully it will go down alittle more, anythoughts? its been fermenting for 15 days btw

I did a gravity reading today and ir said 1.019, so i'll give it more time when should i check the gravity again?