Ack! What have I done wrong? Geordie Winter Warmer Kit

[TheOsprey]

Long time no speak!

I just wrote out a long post about this, then accidentally lost it all, so this time I'll paraphrase!

I bought a lager kit going cheap a few years ago, joined here, lots of talk, no action and never got round to brewing. I figured this was due to it being a lager kit, so I bought a Geordie Winter Warmer in Wilko. I'm not sure when this was, but the BBE on the bottom of the can says "Dec 2017" (can you see where this is going?).

I've perfected sourdough during lockdown, so feeling confident, I've got the kit out of the garage. When I joined here, there was a lot of chat about out of date kits and whether they'll still be ok. The general consensus was that the malt is probably OK but the yeast may be dead. So I bought a sachet of yeast online (during an hour or so of a site being online) and I was ready to go today.

I've long since lost the instructions, so I followed this video and made it up. I put the hydrometer in, and not knowing what the reading was and being irritated by a hungry fly, I quickly took a picture and pitched the yeast. I've since checked the reading and it seems to be 1.018, which seems far too low to actually produce something.

So, stupid question alert:
1) Is the gravity too low?
2) Is this likely to be because the kit is old?
3) I bought some brewing sugar too - would this help, and is it too late after adding the water or pitching the yeast?

I know I could just wait 10 days and see, but that's a lot of waiting...

Thanks in advance.

 

[Clint]

What volume did you dilute the kit to and did you give it a good thrashing?

 

[TheOsprey]

Made it up to 5 gallons, and yes, as much as I could without throwing it all over the place - the fermenter only has about 3 inches spare...

 

[fury_tea]

Did you add only the one kit or a kilo of fermentable sugar and also the kit?

 

[TheOsprey]

Uh, just the kit. Is that the booboo? This is the trouble with losing the instructions. I bought sugar thinking I'd need it...

 

[fury_tea]

Uh, just the kit. Is that the booboo? This is the trouble with losing the instructions. I bought sugar thinking I'd need it...

If it's just a one can kit, then 1.018 is about right. You want to add either sugar (dextrose or sucrose), malt extract or a mix of the 2. Usually around a kilo to 1.5 kilos of extra fermentable sugars will give you approximately a 3.8%-4.5% beer if made to 23L. You could add it now, just melt in a pan with a couple of pints of boiling water, let it cool to around 30c (you can do this in the sink with a bit of cold water running) and add then it in.

 

[Clint]

...couple of pints...plus the sugar...that might be too much as there's not much room in the fv...

 

[TheOsprey]

Will it mess up the yeast? And do I need to mix it in thoroughly again? If it affects the yeast, I could add the older yeast and hope for the best?

Thanks for your help

 

[fury_tea]

...couple of pints...plus the sugar...that might be too much as there's not much room in the fv...

You could scoop a couple or 3 pints out of the FV with a sanitised jug, and tip it down the drain, then add it back

 

[fury_tea]

Will it mess up the yeast? And do I need to mix it in thoroughly again? If it affects the yeast, I could add the older yeast and hope for the best?

Thanks for your help

Wouldn't worry about the yeast at this stage. Give it a bit of a mix yes. Just remember to keep everything sanitary.

 

[TheOsprey]

Brilliant. Thank you both.

 

[terrym]

Why not take just take two or three pints out of the FV (using a sanitised jug) pour it into a sanitised saucepan or pot or similar mix in the sugar into it using a santised spoon (but dont heat it up) and then pour it back into the FV. That way you don't waste anything.

 

[TheOsprey]

Why not take just take two or three pints out of the FV (using a sanitised jug) pour it into a sanitised saucepan or pot or similar mix in the sugar into it using a santised spoon (but dont heat it up) and then pour it back into the FV. That way you don't waste anything.

I did this.

Much better, 1.034 now. Thanks very much to you all.

 

[Arcs]

What volume did you dilute the kit to and did you give it a good thrashing?

Och suits you sir! Och!