Slow fermentation or there isn’t. Help me plz

[Mohy]

I have never brewed with rice, so I do not know the answer to this, but is it common to cook the rice first?

Based on the videos on YouTube, they cook the rice first then they add it after.

 

[jerrylotto]

I see , but is there a way to get rid of chloramine, without adding tablets since I have no access to them? As far as I understood, leave the water for 2 days is gonna help the chlorine issue only.

The alternative is to start with distilled or RO purified water and add various salts to get the profile you want. Calcium is important for yeast function, magnesium too in much smaller amounts, and chloride and sulfate impact taste. Carbonate ion is needed to buffer your strike water so you don't have wide swings of pH and you will need lactic or phosphoric acid to get your mask pH down to around 5.4 to avoid extracting tannins from the grain. There are very good online calculators that can help you determine and hit an ion profile appropriate for any target style but you will need salts on hand. I always brew with RO water (an RO filter will remove chloramines) and keep chalk, gypsum, epsom salt, non iodized table salt and calcium chloride on hand.

 

[Mohy]

The alternative is to start with distilled or RO purified water and add various salts to get the profile you want. Calcium is important for yeast function, magnesium too in much smaller amounts, and chloride and sulfate impact taste. Carbonate ion is needed to buffer your strike water so you don't have wide swings of pH and you will need lactic or phosphoric acid to get your mask pH down to around 5.4 to avoid extracting tannins from the grain. There are very good online calculators that can help you determine and hit an ion profile appropriate for any target style but you will need salts on hand. I always brew with RO water (an RO filter will remove chloramines) and keep chalk, gypsum, epsom salt, non iodized table salt and calcium chloride on hand.

Didn’t really know water chemistry makes that much of a difference in brewing.

I wish I get to your knowledge level u seem to be very aware what’s going on in your process.

I’ll do my level best.

Thank you very much

 

[IslandLizard]

I see , but is there a way to get rid of chloramine,

How sure are you sure it's Chloramine, not Chlorine?

without adding tablets since I have no access to them

Using Campden (tablets or powder) is about the simplest way* to remove Chloramines. In post# 27 I provided the chemical names of "Campden," have you checked in the right places?

Perhaps hook up with wine or mead makers, they likely use Campden, as I said before.

* Some (special) charcoal filters (not just all of them) will remove it too, but they can be pricey and difficult to obtain. You would have to make sure you're getting the right ones.

Buying a small RO system, just used for purifying your brewing and drinking water is another alternative.

 

[IslandLizard]

Eureka!
I just thought of a possible alternative to using "Meta" or "Campden:" Sodium ThioSulfate!

You can probably get that from an aquarium supplies place. It's used to de-chlorinate or de-chloraminate tap water intended for freshwater fish tanks.

It's also used as "fixer" in photochemical processes, removing residual silver salts from photographic emulsions, after developing. So an (old time) film/print based photographic supplier should have it. It's usually sold as a powder.

You'd need to use a similar amount as you would use Campden, or a little more.

 

[jerrylotto]

Didn’t really know water chemistry makes that much of a difference in brewing.

I wish I get to your knowledge level u seem to be very aware what’s going on in your process.

I’ll do my level best.

Thank you very much

Check out Brewing Water Chemistry Calculator - Brewer's Friend

 

[Mohy]

Eureka!
I just thought of a possible alternative to using "Meta" or "Campden:" Sodium ThioSulfate!

You can probably get that from an aquarium supplies place. It's used to de-chlorinate or de-chloraminate tap water intended for freshwater fish tanks.

It's also used as "fixer" in photochemical processes, removing residual silver salts from photographic emulsions, after developing. So an (old time) film/print based photographic supplier should have it. It's usually sold as a powder.

You'd need to use a similar amount as you would use Campden, or a little more.

Thank you very much for that helpful feedback.

Now I understand more about water and how to fix it.

I’ll order that powder from Amazon i saw it that it’s available.

Thank you very much

 

[Mohy]

Check out Brewing Water Chemistry Calculator - Brewer's Friend

Ow wow that’s perfect. I’ll use that to help me with my water. I

That’s perfect. Thank you very much for that help.

 

[IslandLizard]

I’ll order that powder from Amazon i saw it that it’s available.

Ah, perfect! Didn't know you had access to Amazon.

But which powder? I mentioned 3 versions.
My preference would be Potassium MetaBiSulfite, or Sodium MetaBiSulfite (if the Potassium version is hard to get, or extra expensive).

As a last resort would be using photo/film fixer (Sodium ThioSulfate), as there is other stuff in there. But usage is so minimal (1/16 teaspoon per 18-20 liters), so I doubt it being a problem.

 

[Mohy]

Ah, perfect! Didn't know you had access to Amazon.

But which powder? I mentioned 3 versions.
My preference would be Potassium MetaBiSulfite, or Sodium MetaBiSulfite (if the Potassium version is hard to get, or extra expensive).

As a last resort would be using photo/film fixer (Sodium ThioSulfate), as there is other stuff in there. But usage is so minimal (1/16 teaspoon per 18-20 liters), so I doubt it being a problem.

I thought I’ll use Campden either powder or tablets.

Yes I can buy it from US or UK Amazon and get it. It would take approximately 2 weeks to arrive.

 

[IslandLizard]

The OP, @Mohy, approached me in a conversation about reading his refractometer and wondered whether his batch of beer had finished (or not) and what the alcohol percentage of the beer was. With his consent, I'm posting my answer, for others to see:

---

[...] my OG was 1.043.

Enter your OG number (1.043) into the first field of the Brewer's Friend calculator.
Use the drop down toward the right, to select SG, not Brix, as shown in the picture below.

After 14 days of fermenting, I opened the lid if the carboy and checked my FG by using my refractometer, and it showed 1.019 as an FG

The uncorrected "FG" as it shows on your refractometer is 1.019 (= 4.8 Brix).*
Enter this "FG" number into the second field of the calculator. Must be entered as the Brix value (not SG).

As such, (entries highlighted in yellow):

From the calculator, your real FG is 1.005 and your Alcohol (by volume), or ABV, is 5.1% (highlighted in green).
This FG could be verified with a hydrometer.

In conclusion, your beer should be done:

• 1.005 is low enough for it to be done
• It's been 14 days of fermentation, and quite warm at that. Long enough for it to be done

Normally you would take a 2nd reading, 3 days later, to see if gravity has dropped any more. If no change, then it's ready to bottle.
I would doubt it's going to drop anymore, so I would bottle it.

* BTW, you can read the Brix value directly on your refractometer, the Brix scale is on the left, SG scale on the right.
Or use an SG to Brix converter, such as this one:
https://www.brewersfriend.com/brix-converter/

 

[Mohy]

The OP, @Mohy, approached me in a conversation about reading his refractometer and wondered whether his batch of beer had finished (or not) and what the alcohol percentage of the beer was. With his consent, I'm posting my answer, for others to see:

---

Enter your OG number (1.043) into the first field of the Brewer's Friend calculator.
Use the drop down toward the right, to select SG, not Brix, as shown in the picture below.


The uncorrected "FG" as it shows on your refractometer is 1.019 (= 4.8 Brix).*
Enter this "FG" number into the second field of the calculator. Must be entered as the Brix value (not SG).

As such, (entries highlighted in yellow):
View attachment 773655

From the calculator, your real FG is 1.005 and your Alcohol (by volume), or ABV, is 5.1% (highlighted in green).
This FG could be verified with a hydrometer.

In conclusion, your beer should be done:

• 1.005 is low enough for it to be done
• It's been 14 days of fermentation, and quite warm at that. Long enough for it to be done

Normally you would take a 2nd reading, 3 days later, to see if gravity has dropped any more. If no change, then it's ready to bottle.
I would doubt it's going to drop anymore, so I would bottle it.

* BTW, you can read the Brix value directly on your refractometer, the Brix scale is on the left, SG scale on the right.
Or use an SG to Brix converter, such as this one:
https://www.brewersfriend.com/brix-converter/

Exactly.

I checked after 14 days by using a refractometer and the reading was 1.019.

I was worried that the fermentation has not finished, and needed to buy hydrometer ASAP to know where I was at.

But it turned out that I was doing well and still I can know my FG by using a refractometer.

Thank you very much IslandLizard for your helpful information about how to check your FG by using refractometer.

 

[Toxxyc]

Well, I believe i did it very well. Took the 6 row barley form the bakery and followed the instructions on youtube from cleaning, moistening, drying, cleaning again then roasting.

I live in Between Egypt and Iran, my country is the big one I suggest you check it on the map

It’s very helpful to have you ppl around helping me and my poor nice friends that deserve a beer in every weekend, and specially if each of us has been super respected and responsible to his 4 wives during the weekdays, then he must has a beer by me as a reward

I'd love to see pictures of this. Also, roasting can easily kill enzymes, so keep that in mind!