Hi from a newbie and a simple question

[Brew_Barron]

Hi.
A quick hello from a new brewer in the UK
I have just started a Muntons Traditional Bitter as a starter kit and I am looking forward to progressing in the future.
I think I have already made a rookie mistake (I dont have an airlock on the fermenting tub) but I have another question. If the brew is ok how long will it last in the plastic barrel once it is ready to drink?
Cheers
Mark

 

[RogerN]

If you have a fermenter with a sealable lid you should be ok as long as there is a small hole in the top to alow the CO2 to escape.
I'll let someone else answer your other question, I can drink mine faster than it can go off

Roger.

 

[bikebryan]

Hi.
A quick hello from a new brewer in the UK
I have just started a Muntons Traditional Bitter as a starter kit and I am looking forward to progressing in the future.
I think I have already made a rookie mistake (I dont have an airlock on the fermenting tub) but I have another question. If the brew is ok how long will it last in the plastic barrel once it is ready to drink?
Cheers
Mark

1. Get an airlock! At first, it's not such a big deal, as the yeast is producing CO2 at a rate high enough to have a positive pressure in the fermenter, blowing out through the hole in the lid where the airlock should be. After several days, though, the CO2 production drops to slim/none, allowing anything that wants to to crawl through that hole - wild yeasts, beer-ruining bacteria, and even bugs (yuck, what a thought, a nice cockroach sitting in the bottom of your glass).

2. I'm confused by the second question. Beer sitting in the fermenter isn't considered "ready to drink" by a large majority of home-brewers. It may have finished fermenting, but it has not been carbonated. Personally, I hate flat beer, but I guess to each his own. If you asking can it sit in the fermenter until you are ready to keg and/or bottle and carbonate it, sure. I would recommend, if you are going to let it sit, that you get a secondary fermentation vessel, preferably a glass carboy, so you can rack your beer off all the trub in the primary vessel. The glass is impermable, so you won't get any possible O2 spoilage, and it can sit in there for a LLOONNGG time (some folks secondary for months).

 

[RogerN]

A lot of the instructions that come with beer kits in the UK make no mention of airlocks and I think Mark is asking how long his beer will keep in his plastic keg.

Roger.

 

[Brew_Barron]

Spot on Rodger, I have a King Keg that I will be transfering into one fermenting has finished i the primary, just wondered how long I have got to drink 27 Litres.
Cheers
Mark

 

[RogerN]

Spot on Rodger, I have a King Keg that I will be transfering into one fermenting has finished i the primary, just wondered how long I have got to drink 27 Litres.
Cheers
Mark

From my experience you can drink it quicker than it takes for it to go bad

Roger.

 

[kenmc]

Spot on Rodger, I have a King Keg that I will be transfering into one fermenting has finished i the primary, just wondered how long I have got to drink 27 Litres.
Cheers
Mark

Hiya,
I have a king keg I use too, and it has lasted a few weeks for me. Usually pour some of it from the keg into bottles (coke bottles - 2litre) to give to people, stick in the fridge, bring to parties too, so it goes quite quickly. There's a full barrel here beside me as I speak, has about 2 weeks to go to clear and condition though before I can drink it.

 

[Brew_Barron]

Thanks for the replys guys.
All is looking well in the brew at the moment, 12 hours in and a nice head is starting to form as the yeast is kicking in
Must have done something right
The only problem I can see is that I think this brewing lark is going to get very adictive!!

 

[RogerN]

The only problem I can see is that I think this brewing lark is going to get very adictive!![/QUOTE]

Your right there. I've recently started brewing again after a break of a few years. Because I work away from home for a month at a time and then get a months leave I've got a brewing plan that takes me into next year!

 

[Buddhabuddha]

Yeah, the brewing bug gets ya quick...

Lets see, I started my first batch in February... and now I have done 6 batches.....

beer beer everywhere... ha, I am going to buy a small fridge just for beer this week...

I love making my own alcohol...

 

[Brew_Barron]

Got an airlock on the primary today and it is doing a nice bubble through at the moment. It was put in on Saturday so another day or so and it can go to secondary
Also bought another beer to brew today, a nice Brewers choice Brupack Traditional IPA.

 

[homebrewer_99]

If you haven't purchased an airlock you can use a balloon in a pinch. Put a balloon over the opening (seal into place with duct tape or a rubber band) and put one hole in it with a pin so the CO2 can escape.

 

[user 574]

If you haven't purchased an airlock you can use a balloon in a pinch. Put a balloon over the opening (seal into place with duct tape or a rubber band) and put one hole in it with a pin so the CO2 can escape.

That must have been what my dad did a ways back when he made wine. Had one of those punching balloons on his batches...

 

[Brew_Barron]

Cheers for the tip, got a few air locks on my shopping trip yesterday but always handy to know these things.
Also picked up a copy of "Brew your own British Real Ale at Home" (ISBN 1-8524-9138-8 CAMRA book), Really easy to understand so far and has over 100 recipes including one of my favorites (Hook Best Bitter).
Would recommend this book to any new brewer like me who wants to understand the brew process a bit better.

 

[RogerN]

Got an airlock on the primary today and it is doing a nice bubble through at the moment. It was put in on Saturday so another day or so and it can go to secondary
Also bought another beer to brew today, a nice Brewers choice Brupack Traditional IPA.

Earlier this year I made Brewers Choice Trad. IPA using the 1Kg of spray malt method and it was exellent. Comparable with a pub pint. You will enjoy it
There's no way that it'll go sour before you drink it all!!
Roger.