Is my 1st beer no good

[danzilleBC]

Hi

I am just in the process of brewing my 1st beer for hubby, but I feel it is ruined. I have cheated and used a Coopers Brewmaster IPA (Tin of wort) and added 500g of Light Dry malt as per instructions and 23lts of water. I started it 19 days ago and added the yeast at exactly 21c, it frothed up really well for about 5 days and I am using a large brew bucket with lid. The instructions say after approx. 6 days it is ready to bottle but it was still very cloudy and hubby doesn't like cloudy beer, so on day 14 I syphoned into a carboy and used an airlock.

I'm worried as the instructions say it can ruin if left standing too long,. Today (day 19) I have looked at it and it is a lot clearer, I can actually see through it, can I bottle it now. I got hubby to taste it and he said it taste like beer just flat and warm at the moment.

The OG was 1032 and then 6 days later 1006 and 8 days later 1002. All of these readings were taken whilst it was still in the bucket. I'm afraid to take anymore in case I am messing around with it too much. Also on reading some of the comments it looks like 1002 is too low and it will be weak.

I will be disheartened if it is ruined. What do you think?

 

[brewprint]

Bottle it and drink it. I bet it'll be good. Let it sit no less than 2 weeks in the bottle before you drink it.

 

[hunter_le five]

I'm worried as the instructions say it can ruin if left standing too long.

Nonsense. I would say if anything, you did the right thing leaving it longer. 6 days is too soon to bottle, in my opinion. Longer is better than shorter with beer, in my experience.

The OG was 1032 and then 6 days later 1006 and 8 days later 1002. All of these readings were taken whilst it was still in the bucket. I'm afraid to take anymore in case I am messing around with it too much. Also on reading some of the comments it looks like 1002 is too low and it will be weak.

It won't be "weak" so much as "dry". It will probably still be good though, just wait and see.

 

[2drunk2]

If it tastes good, but warm and flat that's an easy fix. Bottle carbonate it, and refrigerate it. Then, it will be good, bubbly and cold!

 

[Keith_O]

Wow!
What an awesome wifey you are!


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[Gnomebrewer]

1. The beer will be good. You haven't ruined it.
2. 500g of dry malt is on the very low side and will lead to a low alcohol beer (maybe 3-3.5%? unless the kits are different over there...I'm an Aussie). Very low for an IPA. Probably should have been about 1.5kg LDM.
3. Definitely don't bottle after 6 days! 3 weeks is good. Forget the instructions, I have had beers in primary sometimes for 6 weeks - they don't spoil.
4. Even if the beer is cloudy when you bottle it, it will clear in the bottle (you'll have less sediment in the bottles if it clears in the fermenter, though).
5. IMO a bit of dry-hopping (adding hop pellets to the fermenter after about 4 days of fermentation - just chuck them in) with a good aroma hop (citra, Amarillo, cascade, centennial are my four favourites) REALLY improves a kit beer. Too late for this one, but I'd recommend it for the next.

 

[danzilleBC]

Wow thanks for the speedy answers and I feel a lot better about it now. I have decided to go ahead and bottle it.

I think the gentleman who said it would be low alcohol is correct, if I have worked it out correct it will be about 3.3% but I will be happy at that for now just so long as it is drinkable.

Does the % of alcohol change after you bottle it and keep for 2 weeks or will it always be that %

 

[m1k3]

Wow!
What an awesome wifey you are!

My wife wouldn't go to the fridge to get me a beer.

 

[gr8shandini]

Wow thanks for the speedy answers and I feel a lot better about it now. I have decided to go ahead and bottle it.

I think the gentleman who said it would be low alcohol is correct, if I have worked it out correct it will be about 3.3% but I will be happy at that for now just so long as it is drinkable.

Does the % of alcohol change after you bottle it and keep for 2 weeks or will it always be that %

The priming sugar you add at bottling will bump it up a little bit, but you're still going to be looking at somewhere around 3.5%, if that. Still, if it tastes good, who cares? You'll just drink it fast and be ready for the next batch.

If you think you're going to do this often, I'd recommend reading "How to Brew" by John Palmer. The first edition is free online ( www.howtobrew.com ) and will answer many of your questions.

 

[andy6026]

Sounds like you've done a great job. I concur with the statements above that if you decide to forge ahead and make more then bump up the malt extract so as to increase the alcohol content, as well as add extra hops into the fermenter about 5 days before you bottle to give extra hop aroma (which is also perceived as affecting taste). Also, leaving it longer in the fermenter really helps to clear the beer - so you did well do keep it in there longer. 3 or more weeks is very common for most home brewers. Don't be surprised if it's still cloudier than commercial beer though - they filter it.

One important tip to remember is that after you've let it bottle-condition for about 3 weeks, be sure to let each bottle sit in the fridge upright for a long time before opening (3+ days is ideal). This will help the beer to retain its carbonation when you pour it. It's quite common for homebrew to be quite volatile on the pours, sometimes producing a huge frothy head that takes a looooong time to dissipate, especially if it hasn't been cold enough for long enough.

 

[flars]

Wow thanks for the speedy answers and I feel a lot better about it now. I have decided to go ahead and bottle it.

I think the gentleman who said it would be low alcohol is correct, if I have worked it out correct it will be about 3.3% but I will be happy at that for now just so long as it is drinkable.

Does the % of alcohol change after you bottle it and keep for 2 weeks or will it always be that %

Brew this one again, but at 19 liters in the fermentor if you feel it is a bit on the light side after bottle conditioning. ABV will be a little higher with more body to the finished product.

ABV will not change with bottle conditioning.