corby_brewer
Landlord.
evening everyone. im new to homebrew, just brewed my first batch. tastes good but still a bit cloudy. can anyone give me some advise on keeping the brew warm. fish tank heater or brew belt?
dave siv :
dave siv :
advise
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corby_brewer
Landlord.
i didnt use any heat while my first batch was fementing. And I've just brought my second batch (Geordie Scotish Export). so need advise on heating while fementing. :drink:
ah right I see 
You need the temp to be around 20c for the period of fermentation, 18 - 22 is fine.
If you can't find a suitable spot thats in that temp range then either a belt or an immersion heater are ok (santise the immersion) but watch that the belt doesn't get it too warm, the immersion heaters normally have a temp control I think.
:thumb:
You need the temp to be around 20c for the period of fermentation, 18 - 22 is fine.
If you can't find a suitable spot thats in that temp range then either a belt or an immersion heater are ok (santise the immersion) but watch that the belt doesn't get it too warm, the immersion heaters normally have a temp control I think.
:thumb:
corby_brewer
Landlord.
thanks. think ill brew my next batch in the spare bedroom. any other advise for a beginer?
Yep, the following is someting one of our moderators has put together, i'm sure he'll be fine that I've posted it :?
How to get the best from your beer kit
First read the instructions that come with your kit.
Although the instructions supplied with many beer kits are adequate to produce acceptable beer there are things that can be easily done to improve the final quality of the beer.
Sanitation.
Whatever method of sanitation you choose be thorough and rinse your equipment well with cooled boiled water, to remove any trace of residual sanitiser.
The next is water quality.
Tap water is perfectly good to produce your beer from, however, most tap water contains chlorine and chloramines which can combine with the ingredients in your kit to give a medicinal or TCP like taste in your beer. The easiest way to counteract this is to treat the bulk of your brewing water with ½ of a crushed campden tablet per 25 litres. Simply add your water to your brewing bin and stir in the crushed campden tablet.
Take the required water to dissolve the malt extract from this treated water and heat separately.
Sugar.
If your kit calls for extra sugar to be added, there are better alternatives to household sugar, these are in order of increasing quality, Brewing sugar(glucose), beer kit enhancer ( a mix of glucose and dried malt extract) and finally extra malt extract.
These can all be used as a direct replacement for the sugar called for in the kit instructions.
Aeration
To give your yeast the best possible start in life it needs a good amount of oxygen to be dissolved in your beer. This is easily accomplished by a vigorous stirring or splashing the cold water into the hot water / malt extract mix, if you get a froth on top of your brew you will have sufficient oxygen dissolved into your beer.
Temperature
Fermentation temperature is also very important. Ferment to warm and you will produce some unpleasant tastes and odours, too cold and your yeast will stop working. A constant 18 to 22C is ideal.
Finally patience, donât rush! Give your beer 10 days in the fermenter and allow the yeast to do its job and then settle to the bottom giving you clear beer.
Whether you bottle or barrel your beer give it a month to mature, itâll be worth it.
How to get the best from your beer kit
First read the instructions that come with your kit.
Although the instructions supplied with many beer kits are adequate to produce acceptable beer there are things that can be easily done to improve the final quality of the beer.
Sanitation.
Whatever method of sanitation you choose be thorough and rinse your equipment well with cooled boiled water, to remove any trace of residual sanitiser.
The next is water quality.
Tap water is perfectly good to produce your beer from, however, most tap water contains chlorine and chloramines which can combine with the ingredients in your kit to give a medicinal or TCP like taste in your beer. The easiest way to counteract this is to treat the bulk of your brewing water with ½ of a crushed campden tablet per 25 litres. Simply add your water to your brewing bin and stir in the crushed campden tablet.
Take the required water to dissolve the malt extract from this treated water and heat separately.
Sugar.
If your kit calls for extra sugar to be added, there are better alternatives to household sugar, these are in order of increasing quality, Brewing sugar(glucose), beer kit enhancer ( a mix of glucose and dried malt extract) and finally extra malt extract.
These can all be used as a direct replacement for the sugar called for in the kit instructions.
Aeration
To give your yeast the best possible start in life it needs a good amount of oxygen to be dissolved in your beer. This is easily accomplished by a vigorous stirring or splashing the cold water into the hot water / malt extract mix, if you get a froth on top of your brew you will have sufficient oxygen dissolved into your beer.
Temperature
Fermentation temperature is also very important. Ferment to warm and you will produce some unpleasant tastes and odours, too cold and your yeast will stop working. A constant 18 to 22C is ideal.
Finally patience, donât rush! Give your beer 10 days in the fermenter and allow the yeast to do its job and then settle to the bottom giving you clear beer.
Whether you bottle or barrel your beer give it a month to mature, itâll be worth it.
corby_brewer
Landlord.
thanks again. very helpfull. one last question "sorry to be a pain" :thumb: but have you or anyone every tried "geordie scotish export"?
but have you or anyone every tried "geordie scotish export"?I've not tried that particular one but I've just finished a keg of Geordie Best Bitter and have a keg of Geordie Yorkshire Bitter yet to drink. I have to say that I'm not looking forward to it and am sorely tempted to follow my dads advice (it was him that made it) and bin it. However, I shall persevere (with the help of friends) and get through it one way or another.
The problem is that I've been spoilt by making all grain brews. The Geordie really looked the part, absolutely crystal clear and it wasn't until you tasted it that you realised what it was, a 'kit'. Unfortunately they have a horrid 'twang' to them. If you're bottling it then you'll probably find it suffers less from that twang and you'll get cheap beer that's easy to make and easily drinkable at a BBQ.
The alternative is to make a kit but instead of using sugar get some liquid or dried malt extract, results are vastly improved apparently but that's not something I know from experience unfortunately. If you've not done a kit before then it's well worth doing, if only the one time to get an idea of the taste, then you can think about progressing to extract brewing if the kits don't suit you.
The problem is that I've been spoilt by making all grain brews. The Geordie really looked the part, absolutely crystal clear and it wasn't until you tasted it that you realised what it was, a 'kit'. Unfortunately they have a horrid 'twang' to them. If you're bottling it then you'll probably find it suffers less from that twang and you'll get cheap beer that's easy to make and easily drinkable at a BBQ.
The alternative is to make a kit but instead of using sugar get some liquid or dried malt extract, results are vastly improved apparently but that's not something I know from experience unfortunately. If you've not done a kit before then it's well worth doing, if only the one time to get an idea of the taste, then you can think about progressing to extract brewing if the kits don't suit you.
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