1st timer to brewing

[Neill]

Hi all first time brewing and looking advice. At present I have a St peters stout kit brewing away but not sure how long to leave in fv. Its been 6 days now. Yeast was added at a temp of 22-24 and OG reading was 1.044. Did another reading today and it was 1.020. What's the norm. Any advice welcome.

Thanks

 

[HarryFlatters]

Standard practice is to leave it for a fortnight, then check gravity over a few days. If the gravity is stable, you'll be fine to bottle.

Welcome to the club

 

[kelper]

Fermentation gets slower and slower as it nears completion so it's easy to think it's finished when it hasn't. Two weeks or longer can't do any harm if the lid is on and you have an airlock. Do the kit instructions suggest a target SG? It must get well below 1.020.

Kit instructions would have you believe it will finish quicker as this helps sell the kits.

 

[kelper]

St Peter's IPA

This kit was started on 4th September and I transferred to pressure barrel on 22nd September. It reached 1.012 and might have dropped another point. You can see how slowly the SG (blue line) dropped over the last week.

 

[terrym]

Welcome to the forum.
You might find this useful.
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/...de-to-brewing-your-own-beer-from-a-kit.57526/
As far is you kit is concerned it will probably go down to about 1.010. I would now leave it alone for a few more days before you take your next reading since in time it has still some way to go.
Major factors in successful homebrewing are clean and sanitised equipment, steady fermentation temperatures, and initially patience.

 

[matt76]

Major factors in successful homebrewing are clean and sanitised equipment, steady fermentation temperatures, and initially patience.

+1 on this, especially patience. I started brewing just over a year ago so it's still fresh in my mind - this hobby is really about patience, you just can't rush these things. Leave it be, it'll be fine. As already said, leave it 2-3 weeks then see how the gravity varies over a few days.

And if you want something to do in the meantime, get yourself another FV and brew some more beer

Or, a Charlie Papazian quite I heard this morning, "Relax, have a homebrew"

Welcome to the forum

 

[Rich27]

I put a Mango Jack IPA kit in the fermenting bin yesterday evening (around 6pm) and there doesn't seem to be any activity.

The lid is on tight and there is a slight amount of pressure building underneath but nothing significant or movement in the bubbler.

Is this normal as I'm getting a bit concerned?

 

[Cheshire Cat]

MJ Yeast usually takes 24 hours to start the fermentation,I stopped using it and now use Fermentis.

 

[Rich27]

MJ Yeast usually takes 24 hours to start the fermentation,I stopped using it and now use Fermentis.

What's MJ yeast?

I used the one with the kit if that's the same.

Oh yeah MJ = Mango Jack's - doh!

Ignore this post.

 

[MmmmCitra]

What's MJ yeast?

I used the one with the kit if that's the same.

MJ yeast is Mangrove Jacks yeast, the one that came with your kit, more than likely M44 yeast.

Usually takes 24-48 hours to get going but once it starts you'll certainly know it.

 

[Rich27]

MJ yeast is Mangrove Jacks yeast, the one that came with your kit, more than likely M44 yeast.

Usually takes 24-48 hours to get going but once it starts you'll certainly know it.

Yeah sorry I twigged in the end; it's been a long week.

Hopefully, I'll wake up in the morning to a nice brewing aroma then.

 

[An Ankoù]

Welcome Neill. Hope it's the first of many. Get another one on quick.

 

[matt76]

I put a Mango Jack IPA kit in the fermenting bin yesterday evening (around 6pm) and there doesn't seem to be any activity.

The lid is on tight and there is a slight amount of pressure building underneath but nothing significant or movement in the bubbler.

Is this normal as I'm getting a bit concerned?

Yes it's normal. Put the lid on, leave it on, and leave it alone for 2 to 3 weeks. This hobby is all about patience. And if you can't be patient, get another brew on while your wait

 

[Neill]

Thanks for all your replies, think target SG is ment to be 1.014. Once this is done and bottled I'm gonna try an ale. Any suggestions on a good ale kit

 

[Rich27]

Yes it's normal. Put the lid on, leave it on, and leave it alone for 2 to 3 weeks. This hobby is all about patience. And if you can't be patient, get another brew on while your wait

Should there be any activity in the bubbler by now?

The cider I made was constantly bubbling but mind you that was in a demijohn and only 1 gallon. There's a nice scum I can see on the inside of the fermenter bucket but I don't see any bubbles. I've put it in the porch which is more like a conservatory and gets very warm during the day but probably drops to about 15-16c at night.

Could the big temperature changes effect the process?

 

[matt76]

Should there be any activity in the bubbler by now?

The cider I made was constantly bubbling but mind you that was in a demijohn and only 1 gallon. There's a nice scum I can see on the inside of the fermenter bucket but I don't see any bubbles. I've put it in the porch which is more like a conservatory and gets very warm during the day but probably drops to about 15-16c at night.

Could the big temperature changes effect the process?

There should maybe, but not definitely, be some activity - but airlocks are misleading - for example your bucket could leak a little.

Leave it alone, the scum you describe sounds like the krausen forming (sign of healthy fermentation!)

You want to keep the temperature constant as possible - temperature settings are generally bad. 18degC would be about ideal for an ale yeast, though most of mine are more like 20-21degC.

Your conservatory sounds rather hot - cooler might be better, especially as the yeast will generate their own heat once fermentation really gets going.

 

[Rodcx500z]

+1 on temp I have had a terrible time this summer can't get lower than 20c, got one on now 22c, agree with Matt I move it out of porch and try and keep it steady

 

[Rich27]

Ok, thanks guys, I'll move it upstairs to the spare room.

I was worried my wife may moan about the smell but there's not much aroma coming from the porch TBH.

I was planning to keep it in the garage the whole time but I'm concerned it may be a little too cool in there overall, especially at night.

 

[matt76]

Ok, thanks guys, I'll move it upstairs to the spare room.

I was worried my wife may moan about the smell but there's not much aroma coming from the porch TBH.

I was planning to keep it in the garage the whole time but I'm concerned it may be a little too cool in there overall, especially at night.

You shouldn't get much smell while it's fermenting - if you do it means your hop aromas are escaping rather then going into your beer!

Regarding temperature, there's a lot of thermal inertia in 5 or 10 or 20L of fermenting beer and it takes a lot of heat added or removed to change its temperature significantly. But I do recommend those cheap stick on thermometers for the outside of your FV so you can keep an eye.

Nevertheless, one thing you can do is sit your fermenter in a bucket or crate of water (see below), this will create even more thermal inertia and help maintain stable temperatures. You can add ice blocks to the water bath to lower temperatures - in this case it was for a lager fermentation, but you can do the same with ale yeast, just keep the temperature a little higher:

https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/matt76s-brewdays.81971/page-2#post-830155

 

[johncrobinson]

Yes Kelper i agree kits are over optimistic.The true way forward is to increase production capacity to meet yours/family needs this means a large reserve this takes time (no other way due to biological factors).
Its one of many reasons why alcoholics face a lifetime of misery and expense.