1st wherry - keg worries

[danb]

i have just set off my first go at making some wherry. i mixed everything up at around half 4 today and mixed it thoroughly so all the can contents were mixed in properly. put the yeast in then put out the way ive just had a look and theres a sediment on the bottom about an inch thick. should i leave it to do its thing or give it another stir? thanks

 

[jimp2003]

If you think that the extract has not mixed through the water properly and has settled at the bottom of the FV then you could give it a good stir now with a sanitised spoon/ladle/whatever and you will do no harm.

 

[danb]

it was mixed really well ill give it another stir. i was just unsure wether the sediment dropping was normal.

 

[PD]

sediment is quite normal. you might get quite a bit. its dead yeasts and other detritus, nothing to worry about.
Re mixing, yesterday on my brew, for the first time ever I used a £3.50 metal paint stirrer from my local DIY shop fixed in an electric drill.
Wow what a stir and build up of froth it made, For someone who's joints are beginning to get a little tired, I recommend them.

 

[danb]

i picked the fv up and gave it a shake round and seemed to do the trick, i realised afterwards when i went to get the big spoon and steriliser i used the last of it earlier so thought better to shake rather than risk an infection. i made a gadget for degassing wine earlier which i thought about using.

 

[jimp2003]

sediment is quite normal. you might get quite a bit. its dead yeasts and other detritus, nothing to worry about.
Re mixing, yesterday on my brew, for the first time ever I used a £3.50 metal paint stirrer from my local DIY shop fixed in an electric drill.
Wow what a stir and build up of froth it made, For someone who's joints are beginning to get a little tired, I recommend them.

You shouldn't get much in the way of sediment from a kit only 2 and a half hours after pitching the yeast - as the fermentation progresses you will of course as the yeast drops out. Its not like there would be break material that you might expect from an all-grain brew.....

 

[mak]

You should expect that layer at the bottom after 2 or 3 days not 2 hours... it mustn't have disolved properly? Make sure when you add that kettle water at the start that it is all mixed in, tilt it around and check all the corners, grooves etc if there are any, before you dilute with cold water.

I use a cheap hand blender just to make sure it is all disolved. Only because I already owned one though!

Enjoy the wherry :)

 

[danb]

the shake seemed to mix it back in and hasnt settled back down and now fermenting away nicely. thanks

 

[danb]

i have a cheap style youngs pressure keg that has the s30 cap and a hambleton bard canister that i havent used yet. it is second hand and came with all the fv's and other equipment i got. i have had a look at the barrel tonight to give it a good clean and check everything tomorrow ready for the wherry. the washer on the tap to barrel looks slightly perished can these be purchased seperately and looking through the cap there doesnt seem to be a back nut on the tap fitting do these just screw straight into the keg? the washer under the cap seems good and as far as i can see the washer around the s30 valve looks good its just the tap washer thats worrying me and is there a washer or anything inside the actual tap does it pull apart? thanks

 

[danb]

i got the keg filled up with steriliser today and give it a good shake to get some pressure in there and no leaks what so ever tap also works fine which is a bonus. going to ring the lhbs tomorrow for a price to refill the s30 canister and get all the washers aswell just to be sure. do the brown bands needs replacing on the valve? they look fine, a good fit but not stuck and dont look perished. also got 3 gallons of different wow varients racked off and put into the shed to clear. i cant wait to be able to start drinking all what i have been brewing.

 

[danb]

just checked the wherry after going like a steam train yesterday and last night with a big thick foamy head its now down to a bubble every few seconds and a foamy head about an inch thick smells lovely.

 

[danb]

today the head has gone and no more foam or bubbles. going to check the gravity as im sure it couldnt ferment out this quick. also exchanged the s30 canister and got keg washer so ready now.

 

[mak]

I've had them ferment in 3-4 days before... you need to leave it longer though for the yeast to clean up after itself.

Definately check gravity though in case it's stuck or run out of fermentables.

 

[danb]

it was down to 1.016 last night going to give it till next week and keep an eye on the gravity.

 

[danb]

the kegs all sorted and been checkjed for holding pressure. took a gravity reading this morning and down to 1.014 and not much activity going on. tastes nice too.

 

[danb]

the sample was very cloudy from all the yeast that has settled in the tap but still unbelievably nice. alot better than the sample when i took a reading 2 days ago. cant wait to drink the first proper pint i have made. :

 

[PD]

Patience is a virtue my son.
Give it 10 days ( at least ) from starting before you move it or bottle it.
Honestly you will thank us.......

 

[danb]

im trying my hardest mate have set plenty of wow varients off and cider types since starting brewing and this is the first beer. im not in as much of a hurry as i was since the last 2 days i have been able to actually sit and have a drink of what i have brewed. ill definately leave it in there till the end of the week before putting in the keg and then the first time i will try it will be over christmas. and in the mean time going to get another wherry, nelsons revenge and looking at the sweet newkie brown from wilkos to try.
when i went in to my local homebrew shop the other day to exchange the s30 cartridge the 2 chaps gave me some good advice and had a good look round but unfortunately there prices are very high on alot of things they have. i will have to try and resist going in though because of the nice shiny cornie that kept tempting me to give it a good home.

 

[danb]

i transferred to the pressure barrel with 80g of sugar to prime and left it in the warm to condition. all went well and the barrel had swollen up so i insulated the barrel to try and keep it a bit warmer as the only place cooler than 20 degrees is the shed which is really cold at the minute. last night i tried the wherry for the first time and although it tastes great all the pressure had gone within 2 and a half pints. i gave it a good squirt of gas and couldnt even pour 2 pints before running out again.
is the loss of gas because its too cold in the shed as before it went in there, it wasnt leaking and was holding pressure?
thanks

 

[skippy]

is the loss of gas because its too cold in the shed as before it went in there, it wasnt leaking and was holding pressure?

I am having the same problem at the mo...I initially thought it may be a leaking cap/valve then I came across your post.

Can anyone shed any light on the above problem...I am quickly running out of CO2 bulbs :)
Can the cold weather affect pressure?

Cheers