Moderator: johnsmith
HBS Guy wrote:OK you want to bottle then bottle. Be a little bit wary, and open a bottle a week after say two weeks. If they are getting quite fizzy put them in a fridge, overnight say, then uncap and rebottle. Bottle bombs are not fun.
Increase the malt content of your worts.
............. More specifically, worts with large non-grain components (i.e. significant amounts of glucose or fructose) can create a number of problems with the yeast cell’s activities – the most important being the inhibition of the yeast’s ability to transport maltose through the cell wall. This problem can lead to a long and disordered fermentation. ...........
Here are a few ways to revive a stuck fermentation.
Make sure fermentation really has stalled.
In case you don’t have enough good reasons to always measure the original gravity (OG) of your wort, here’s another. Maybe you overshot your efficiency and what you thought was 1.060 wort really came out to 1.067. The final gravity is going to be a little higher, but you won’t know this unless you have an OG with which to compare it.
Heat things up.
Warming up the carboy is probably the most reliable way to restart a stalled fermentation. Some yeast strains are more temperature sensitive than others and may require some warmth to complete the job. The Saison Dupont strain is famous for stopping at around 1.035 and refusing to budge until it’s warmed as high as 95°F (35°C).
Ferment up a storm.
Imagine that the contents of your fermentor are the waters of the Bay of Bengal and the yeast cells tiny boats carrying casks of IPA. Give those suckers a maelstrom. Some British yeasts are so stubbornly flocculent that it’s worth giving the carboy a good swirl a couple of times a day just to keep them in suspension until they’re done.
Add more yeast.
Additional yeast may be able to revive a sluggish fermentation, although simply tossing in a fresh pack of yeast may not be enough, especially if most of the nutrients have been depleted. You’re likely to have better results with a method called Kräusening. In this approach, you prepare a small yeast starter, and when it reaches high Kräusen, you add it to the main fermentor. Introducing yeast cells at the height of activity may encourage them to chomp down on what the initial population left behind.
HBS Guy wrote:To prevent a stuck ferment—aerate aerate aerate the wort before pitching the yeast.
HBS Guy wrote:Yup, so a Pack with more malt than dextrose will need to do that little boil.
Once you can boil possibilities open up: adding hop aroma/flavor, steeping some actual malt (crystal malt aka caramalt or roasted malt, chocolate malt, roasted malt and roasted (unmalted) barley.
You can then buy the cheapest kits (the Coopers Lager can, clean light malt with just 21IBU (not very bitter) and improve it with fresh ingredients, some grain, some hop pellets.
Heh, in the shop I had some old age pensioner customers. They would say quietly “I bought the can from the supermarket” and ask for a Pack to add for some decent beer. I made fuck all out of selling cans (some of the top range a little bit) but made my money out of Packs (3 x cost of ingredients plus $1 for bag and label etc) so was happy to help and understood their financial situation.
Basic beer brewing instructions. www.brewmart.com.au
BASIC BEER BREWING INSTRUCTIONS
1/ Clean and Sterilise Equipment
Assemble all equipment and ingredients needed for your brew. All equipment will need to be cleaned and sterilised prior to use. Wash your fermenter and other equipment (spoon, airlock, tap, etc) in hot water with a brewer's detergent. Ensure that all equipment is thoroughly rinsed with clean cold water and allowed to drain well. Washing and rinsing thoroughly will clean and sterilise the equipment. If you are using normal detergent or brewer's detergent, you will need to sterilise your equipment as well. Using a sterilising product like Sodium Metabisulphite or equivalent, soak all your equipment in the solution and allow to drain well then rinse. Do not forget to run some cleaner and steriliser through your fermenter tap. For hard to reach places, a plastic spray bottle can be used to apply steriliser.
2/ Add the Beer Kit
Pour boiling water into a 250ml mug containing your hops bag and leave for ten minutes. Pour 2 litres of boiling water into your fermenter, first making sure that the tap on the fermenter is turned off. Open the tin of concentrated wort (pronounced wert, this is what unfermented beer is called) and pour into your fermenter. The can of wort is much easier to empty if it has been pre-heated in some hot water. Use a little boiling water from your kettle to get all the wort out of the tin. Add 1kg of Brew Booster and stir until all the ingredients are dissolved. For a better brew, use Ultra Brew, or malt (liquid or powdered)
instead of the Brew Booster. Dextrose and Body Brew can also be used as cheaper alternatives, but never use sugar.
3/ Fill the Fermenter
Top up your fermenter with water to 22.5 litres. Your fermenter should be calibrated, allowing you to do this easily. (It helps to mark the 5 litre and the 23 litre points in black pen before you commence brewing) Use hot and cold water to reach a temperature between 20 to 30 degrees C, which is ideal for pitching your yeast. In summer, you may need to use fridge-cooled water to achieve this temperature. (Ensure all containers for water are cleaned and sterilised) When pouring the water into the fermenter, splash it as much as possible and stir vigorously to aerate the water. After stirring, empty the cup including the hops bag into the fermenter. Open the packet of yeast and sprinkle evenly on top of the wort.
Basic beer brewing instructions. www.brewmart.com.au
4/ Seal the Fermenter
Seal the fermenter and fit the airlock. The airlock should be half filled with clean water (preferably cooled boiled water). When the fermenter is sealed properly, the water in the airlock should sit at two different levels.
5/ Primary Fermentation
The yeast consumes the sugars and converts them into alcohol and waste gases which escape through the airlock. This is known as the primary fermentation stage. Ideally, the best temperature for fermentation of most beer kits is 18 to 25 degrees C. Try to keep your fermenter in this temperature range for best results. If the temperature is too hot it may kill the yeast, and if it is too cold, it may put the yeast to sleep. Cool the fermenter or use a heat pad, as necessary. Aim for a constant temperature, if possible.
6/ Wait
There is no fixed time for fermentation. The time taken will depend on how well the yeast is working. Under normal circumstances, the brew should start fermenting in about 6 - 12 hours and finish in around 7 to 10 days. Visible signs of this will be foaming on top of the wort and the airlock should start bubbling. Do not rely on the airlock as the only sign of fermentation - if the fermenter is not sealed properly, the airlock will not bubble.
7/ Check Specific Gravity
Using your hydrometer, you can measure the progress of your fermentation. Simply run some beer from the tap into a test tube and float the hydrometer in it. When the brew is first put down, the hydrometer should give a specific gravity reading of approximately 1040 for an average beer. (You should get into the habit of recording the specific gravity of your beer when you prepare it). After your brew has been fermenting for a few days, the specific gravity will be lower. An average beer made with 1kg of Brew Booster should ferment out to a specific gravity of approx 1005 - 1008. (Adding extra malt to your brew will give you a higher finishing specific gravity reading). The only way to ensure that fermentation is completed is to use your hydrometer. Take a reading and record it, then take another reading in 24-48 hours time. If the reading is the same, fermentation is complete. Bottling before primary fermentation is completed can result in exploding bottles.
8/ Add Finings
If you wish to add finings to your beer, you can do so when the specific gravity reaches approx 1010. In a sterilised mug/jug, pour in 250ml hot water, add the sachet of finings and stir well until dissolved. Pour this mixture into your fermenter giving a very gentle stir. The finings will help settle the yeast and improve the clarity of the beer.
9/ Prepare the Bottles
When you beer has finished fermenting, it is time to start the bottling stage. An average brew will make approx 30 x 750ml bottle or 60 x 375ml bottles. You will need to thoroughly clean your bottles using brewer's detergent and a bottlebrush. Ensure the detergent is rinsed out well and the bottles drained. After washing and rinsing your bottles, they must be sterilised using Sodium Metabisulphite or other steriliser, rinsed and drained well. Any equipment being used (e.g. bottling tube, funnel, crown seals) must also be sterilised.
Basic beer brewing instructions. www.brewmart.com.au
10/ Secondary Carbonation / Filling
Before bottling your beer, you need to add a small amount of sugar to each bottle for secondary carbonation to occur. The yeast present in the beer will ferment the sugar and convert it into carbon dioxide, which gives the beer its carbonation. Add 1 teaspoon of sugar to each 750ml bottle and 1/2 teaspoon to each 375ml bottle. If you are using white sugar, make sure that you use a measured spoon and never increase the amount of sugar. If you do, the end result can be exploding bottles. Carbonation drops may be used in place of sugar and are less messy. Use two drops per 750ml bottle and 1 drop per 375ml bottle.
(Adding the sugar before filling the bottles ensures no bottle is missed) Insert the bottling tube into the fermenter tap, and fill the bottles to about 50mm from the top. (A one meter piece of clear tubing can be attached between the fermenter and the bottling tube to give you more freedom) Cap each bottle with a crown seal and give the bottle a good shake to help dissolve the sugar. Store your bottles out of direct sunlight, at around 20 degrees C, for two weeks to allow secondary fermentation to complete. After two weeks, the beer will be ready to drink but the quality will improve dramatically if left for a longer maturation period. (6-8 weeks).
Remember, if you have any questions or problems, call us. We want to help you make your brewing a success.
HBS Guy wrote:You will find mosquitoes will drown in your airlock—just empty it out, rinse, refill and refit. Mozzies home in on CO2.
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