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You want to rack off the lees before degassing and fining. As for when it's done, there's lots of stuff in this thread about how long it takes using the various methods. I rack off the lees and de-gas when adding stabiliser according to kit instructions. I use a drill and wand made from coat...

I still consider myself a newbie so I'm happy to be corrected on anything. A by product of fermentation is CO2. In still drinks, CO2 can prevent wine from clearing and, when bottled, if you're not using bottles able to handle pressure, the CO2 can leak out and cause bottles to leak/explode. So...

I think it's a matter of trying different stuff and seeing what works for you. I've never done a 7-day kit in 7 days. But I have done a Cooper's stout this year. I wouldn't call it fast though - it took 9 weeks and apparently that's quite normal for a stout. Decided to wait three months before...

I really like these kits and have done a few more since my last post in April - my local homebrew shop always seems to have some cheap ones at half price (about £9). Never had any issues with non-starters or slow ferments. Typically they ferment to around 991 (white and red). The colour on the...

Good one. I hadn't thought of that. I haven't done a stout before and I was doing some reading up last night so seems now is a good time to bottle. I'm using PET bottles, so should be safe from bombs! :D

It appears to have finished! I'll give it 10 days to settle out before bottling.

G'day peeps! I'm brewing Sergeant's Stout - an 'own brand' kit from the Home Brew shop. I started it on 26 May. It had a very lively initial fermentation and after a few days settled into a steady rhythm which is still going after 3.5 weeks. Albeit somewhat more slowly. Now, I have't done a...

I've done a couple of these recently: the chardonnay and the classic red. The white turned out really nice - i was pleasantly surprised. The red not so much. I mean, it wasn't awful, but wasn't better than a cheaper kit. For a second batch of red, I mixed the fruit with boiling water and let it...

I had this for the first time on my 7th brew (red wine kit)! Bit of a shock isn't it :lol:

That's fine. I'm still new to this so I'm taking good care to follow instructions and I'm tending to leave things a little longer than the instructions say. I guess it will take a few goes to figure out the trouble spots :lol:

Thanks both!

It had finished. There was no activity in airlock for two days and FG was 996 on two consecutive days.

I arrived home the other night to find my red wine erupting through the airlock. It's in a 30ltr bucket filled to 22.5, so that's a heck of a lot foam!! It's fermenting at 21 deg C, less than the kit says (25-30 deg). Luckily the mess had stayed on the lid but, to my surprise, it was the...

I'm doing a Magnum medium dry white. It's in the secondary bucket for six days now, post degassing and fining and, in theory, ready to bottle. However, when I shine a torch through the bucket I can see fine particles in suspension, and particles (or possibly) bubbles on the side of the...

It's the Wilko medium dry white. The instructions say: "...Once fermentation is complete add the wine stabiliser followed by finings A. Stir, then leave to stand for one hour. Then add finings B, stir gently, move to cool location and leave to clear. This will take up to 7 days. When the wine...

It's a 30 bottle Wilko kit in a 30ltr bucket. The instruction says rack to DJ to de-gas a week after adding stabiliser and finings, and then bottle. I'm at that stage now.

I'm going for the coat hanger method in a bucket on my first wine kit, but my drill only has one speed (very fast) and one direction... Will this be a problem? How long will it take? Should I bottle straight away (as the kit says) or rack to DJ's for a while?

My cider (two batches: (1) natural and (2) with added sugar to boost alcohol content) had one week in primary before racking to secondary. After one month, when it was completely clear, I bottled half, adding 1/2tsp sugar for 500ml bottle, and the rest I bottled after a further two weeks, again...

An update for you kind folks that had some answers. The first lot that I bottled straight from the bucket, were mildy fizzy, cloudy and quite tarte - but drinkable. Left, they have mellowed in flavour. The second lot sat in DJ's for two months and cleared very nicely indeed! Bottled with sugar...

Thanks for all the responses. I've been doing some more research and reading and I've decided to use my tap water after all. I've been collecting thrown bottles and asking friends to save me their fizzy drinks bottles, so after 3 weeks in the FV, I should have enough bottles for my beer!!