Better Brew Czech Pils

[PuggledPrune]

Made up this kit on Friday night - it's my first attempt at a kit so fingers crossed.

I made it up with 1Kg of Better Brew Enhancer and a packet of their Saaz finishing hops. Steeped the hops in a mug of hot water for ten mins or so and threw it in the wort. Brewed short to 20 litres. OG 1052.
Pitched the yeast at 23 degrees.

All seems to be going well, lots of foam hitting the lid. Got a couple of weeks now to decide what to do next and get the bottles sterilised etc. Got a second FV so was thinking of racking it for another week before sticking it back in the other FV to batch prime it. Does that sound right?

Just need to drink more Grolsch in the meantime. Got 38 bottles so far. I'm sure I'll manage that in a fortnight :)

Edited to ask is 120g sugar sound about right to batch prime?

Thanks!

 

[mmaguy41]

Id use a bit more to prime maybe 160 as its a lager, in regards to secondary its your choice if you want it clearer in the bottle with less sediment then go for it, it will take slightly longer to carb up and condition in the bottle though because there is less yeast left in suspension.

 

[PuggledPrune]

Id use a bit more to prime maybe 160 as its a lager, in regards to secondary its your choice if you want it clearer in the bottle with less sediment then go for it, it will take slightly longer to carb up and condition in the bottle though because there is less yeast left in suspension.

Thanks for that. Looked at a couple of the calculators online but always good to hear from other people.

Judgment call about secondary.... don't want to have to wait too long, but also want it to be good!

 

[PuggledPrune]

Also made 1 gallon of Youngs Blackcherry Wine and 1 gallon of fiery ginger beer this weekend.

That's 15 gallons of homebrew since joining the site! :drink:

 

[Windy]

Got a second FV so was thinking of racking it for another week before sticking it back in the other FV to batch prime it. Does that sound right?

Leave it where it is until it's finished fermenting - SG stays the same for 3 days or more.
After that it does take a while to clear (longer than most kits) so maybe give it a couple of weeks in the second FV before bottling with plenty of sugar.

 

[PuggledPrune]

Got a second FV so was thinking of racking it for another week before sticking it back in the other FV to batch prime it. Does that sound right?

Leave it where it is until it's finished fermenting - SG stays the same for 3 days or more.
After that it does take a while to clear (longer than most kits) so maybe give it a couple of weeks in the second FV before bottling with plenty of sugar.

Great stuff, thanks for that. Funny, the instructions say to leave for a fortnight but came with a sticker saying it was a typo and ten days was fine. I knew to ignore them like.

 

[PuggledPrune]

Have done a bit od reading about lagering... I've decided I don't mind waiting so be as well taking advantage of the colder weather. When it comes to transferring to secondary, do I just leave it there for a month or so in a cold place like my attic? Then when it comes to bottling do I have to bring it back up to room temperature so I cam batch prime?

Thanks for bearing with me.

 

[simonlpearce]

I just bottled this at the weekend, but used brewing sugar and no hops.

Mine was in the FV for 2 weeks but i bottled straight away. In hindsight i probably should have left it in the second FV for a couple of weeks but it was my first ever brew so you live and learn. It has cleared down massively though over just one night in the bottle, so will see how long i can resist before having a taster.

 

[PuggledPrune]

Haha! I figured if leave it a while I'll be able to save up some more bottles. I'm actually drinking a Czech Pilsner just now. Hope the home brew version tastes as good as this!

 

[Windy]

Have done a bit od reading about lagering... I've decided I don't mind waiting so be as well taking advantage of the colder weather. When it comes to transferring to secondary, do I just leave it there for a month or so in a cold place like my attic? Then when it comes to bottling do I have to bring it back up to room temperature so I cam batch prime?

Thanks for bearing with me.

I think a month is over doing it, mine tasted pretty good after a few days but took about 2 weeks to clear. Once it is more or less clear it is probably better off in the bottles or keg than sitting in a bucket without a proper seal.

As for lagering, this isn't really a true lager and the instructions don't suggest that you try to treat it as one. If you want to do a proper lager then get a proper lager kit and be prepared for a lot more time and effort for results that aren't very much different!

 

[calumscott]

Have done a bit od reading about lagering... I've decided I don't mind waiting so be as well taking advantage of the colder weather. When it comes to transferring to secondary, do I just leave it there for a month or so in a cold place like my attic? Then when it comes to bottling do I have to bring it back up to room temperature so I cam batch prime?

Thanks for bearing with me.

I think a month is over doing it, mine tasted pretty good after a few days but took about 2 weeks to clear. Once it is more or less clear it is probably better off in the bottles or keg than sitting in a bucket without a proper seal.

As for lagering, this isn't really a true lager and the instructions don't suggest that you try to treat it as one. If you want to do a proper lager then get a proper lager kit and be prepared for a lot more time and effort for results that aren't very much different!

+1. No point in lagering this stuff. It's brewed with an ale yeast (albeit a very clean one) and will never be as crisp as a true lager. Just cold crash it in the bucket, bottle, carb, store for a couple more weeks and enjoy. It does improve up to about 2 months in the bottle, after that you'll get very little, if any, improvement.

 

[PuggledPrune]

That's great thanks again. Makes sense right enough. I'll still to a couple of weeks in secondary. I'll stick it in the loft or in my shed.
One last newbie question..... do I have to let it come back up to room temperature for priming & bottling? Then do the 2 weeks warm, 2weeks cold in the bottles for carbonation?

Ok, that's two questions lol

 

[calumscott]

When you are ready, just bring it in, prime and bottle. You don't have to let it warm up first.

Then leave it somewhere warm for a fortnight and back to the cold for a bit.

 

[PuggledPrune]

When you are ready, just bring it in, prime and bottle. You don't have to let it warm up first.

Then leave it somewhere warm for a fortnight and back to the cold for a bit.

Thanks Calum, and everyone else!

 

[PuggledPrune]

That's it been in primary for ten days with the hop teabag. I was going to check the SG today, do yous reckon I should take the hops out now?

 

[simonlpearce]

I tried one of my bottles the weekend just gone, had been bottle priming for a week.

I got some chill haze when i moved it to the fridge overnight so would definitely say it needs to be left in a secondary FV for a couple of weeks to clear. It was also difficult to pour without passing on sediment from the bottom of the bottle. I also found that after just a week the beer was no where near fizzy enough.

For the remaining 44 bottles i have, i plan to leave them another week or so in the warm, then as many as i can resist in the cool. Of course i will sample along the way to make sure all is as should be :drink:

 

[PuggledPrune]

I tried one of my bottles the weekend just gone, had been bottle priming for a week.

I got some chill haze when i moved it to the fridge overnight so would definitely say it needs to be left in a secondary FV for a couple of weeks to clear. It was also difficult to pour without passing on sediment from the bottom of the bottle. I also found that after just a week the beer was no where near fizzy enough.

For the remaining 44 bottles i have, i plan to leave them another week or so in the warm, then as many as i can resist in the cool. Of course i will sample along the way to make sure all is as should be :drink:

I plan to leave it for a couple of weeks in secondary to let it clear before bottling. I'm gonna do my best to leave it as long as possible! Haha.

Just wondering about the added hops, if I should remove them now or will it wait til I transfer to secondary at the weekend...

 

[Windy]

Just wondering about the added hops, if I should remove them now or will it wait til I transfer to secondary at the weekend...

I'd leave them, they should be OK in there for a month or so but a few extra days at this point is probably going to make almost no difference so your better off not disturbing it an extra time.

 

[PuggledPrune]

Ok thanks windy.

Checked the SG today. Down to 1020. It's cooler so will take a bit longer to ferment out i guess. No rush. Will check again in a few days.

 

[PuggledPrune]

Still 1020 yesterday so I have given it a wee stir and stuck a brew belt on it for a bit to see what happens. Will keep an eye in the temps. Most of my other conditions have slowed or stopped fermentation, and that's in the warmest part of the house. I'm too tight to turn the heating up tho haha!