Brewing from a kit/ conditioning the beer

[Jaxx421]

Hi all,

I have started my first brewing kit today, and the instructions state after the primary fermentation around 4-6 days to transfer to a secondary fermenting bin and add sugar to condition the beer for three days and then keg/bottle.

Now I have been reading many forums stating they recommend leaving the beer in the primary fermenting bin for up to three to five weeks.

If I did this would I then add sugar to condition after 4-6 days or do you add sugar to condition once it is racked off into a pressure barrel ( which I am planning on using)?

Do I leave the beer in the primary longer than stated on the instructions?

I would love to hear all your ideas and thoughts on this

 

[Bigjas]

I'm pretty sure you will get a lot of different answers and ideas to your questions. Personally I keep it in a the fermenter for 2 weeks, condition in the warm for 2 weeks and then chill for 2 weeks. I add the sugar to the pressure barrel so it carbs up during the second 2 weeks in the warm.

Jas

 

[oo2be]

Howdo Jaxx?

I'm very new to homebrew also so I would wait for one of the truely knowledgeable folks to add the tuppance but my understanding is that the kit manufacturers really want their product to appeal to new folk so overstate their times so as to make it more appealing. As far as I know the kits can be done and make beer if you follow the manufacturers timelines although it will be considerably worse beer than if you'd followed advice of aforementioned folk in the know.

Everything I read up to now supports the idea to give the beer at least two and possibly even three weeks in the primary fermentation vessel as although the initial ferment is done, the yeasties start to clean up the by products they originally made when reproducing at the start which in my wee mind translates to better flavour less chance of fussel alcohol and less chance of a banging hangover. If you move the beer as per manufacturer then it will take longer for the beer to come good in the pressure barrel (which translates to the same amount of time I suppose but I prefer the last bit of the wait to be the shortest) that might be complete and utter pish but that's what I believe.

As for priming, as said I am new too but I wouldn't add additional sugar and then leave for a few days before transferring as this would like cause the yeast to start up again and when you transferred to your pressure barrel you'll have lost some of that carbonation fermentation - again I don't use pv's so maybe I'm completely wrong. I think you'd be better waiting until your ready to transfer to your pv then batch prime (boil your priming sugar in approx 500ml water for 10 minutes add to the pv then syphon the beer on top, this should ensure a nice consistent mix throughout the beer).

If I'm wrong I stand to be corrected and apologise for misleading but it seems to be working for me at the moment (touch hairy wood :))

 

[dan125]

oo2be is correct - add the priming sugar when you transfer the beer to the pressure barrel, so that the co2 produced carbonates the beer.
:

 

[Jaxx421]

Thanks for your informative response guys, as I said I'm a newbie so I will follow the lead of what responses I have recieved as I also believe the manufacturers are giving time guides that may work but may Also not be the best guide to brewing for these kits.

I also am so respectful of all the feedback I receive as I really want to understand the different opinions of ways of home brewing ( although once tried and tested I will gauge what works for me)

I also received a CO2 bullet with my starter kit, Have you guys got any tips on using CO2 in these barrels?

 

[terrym]

If you are new to brewing and doing kits this might be of use.
http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=57526
Most folks on here suggest 2+2+2, i.e. 2 weeks in the FV, 2 weeks to carbonate, and 2 weeks to condition preferably in the coolest place you have before you start to drink them. However some beers are best if left to mature for considerably longer than two weeks, whereas others are best drunk young as soon as they have carbonated and cleared.
I am one of the group of homebrewers that choose to rack off to a secondary FV for a few days when the primary fermentation has almost finished, before I bottle or put the brew into my pressure barrels. The racking process is usually in conjunction with a dry hop. So typically I will leave in the first FV for 7/8 days and then transfer for a further 5/6 days in the second FV before bottling etc. I find that this helps to give a clearer beer earlier. However I know others don't bother to do the racking stage.
In the end you will decide what suits you best.

 

[IainM]

Hi all,

I have started my first brewing kit today, and the instructions state after the primary fermentation around 4-6 days to transfer to a secondary fermenting bin and add sugar to condition the beer for three days and then keg/bottle.

Now I have been reading many forums stating they recommend leaving the beer in the primary fermenting bin for up to three to five weeks.

If I did this would I then add sugar to condition after 4-6 days or do you add sugar to condition once it is racked off into a pressure barrel ( which I am planning on using)?

Do I leave the beer in the primary longer than stated on the instructions?

I would love to hear all your ideas and thoughts on this

Congrats on starting your first brew. What kit is it?

 

[Bigjas]

I also received a CO2 bullet with my starter kit, Have you guys got any tips on using CO2 in these barrels?

Pressure barrels seem to be a bit hit and miss regarding their ability to hold pressure. I have a Youngs barrel that leaks around the tap. I have two King kegs and they are fine. Some other people have had the opposite experience so I think it depends on luck some what? I would fill your barrel with water and seal it up. Don't forget to lubricate the seals on the tap and lid before fitting them. Then inject the c02 and see how well it holds up. Much better to do this now rather than when it's full of beer. I like using kegs as I can pour as much as I want when I want. If I just want a taste of half s pint, then I can. You only need to add C02 when the pressure in the barrel drops so much that you get the glugging from the tap. The last thing you want is air in the barrel as this will make the beer go off. I have fitted pressure guages to my kegs to monitor the pressure and this works very well.

Hope this helps s bit

Jas

 

[Bigjas]

Also, if you do like barrels, and want to use the 8g bullets, then this is one of the cheapest places I've found https://www.tyreinflators.co.uk/index.php?act=viewCat&catId=4273

Jas

 

[Spoc]

Just remember that time is the home brewers best friend we all want to try our creations as soon as possible then find the last few pints are the best ones

 

[Spoc]

Also, if you do like barrels, and want to use the 8g bullets, then this is one of the cheapest places I've found https://www.tyreinflators.co.uk/index.php?act=viewCat&catId=4273

Jas

Thanks for that link I've been searching ages to find cheaper c02

 

[Bigjas]

Thanks for that link I've been searching ages to find cheaper c02

Quick delivery too :thumb:

 

[ericmark]

I am sure if I kept the brew right on the temperature limit it would complete in the time stated. However I do not measure in centre of the brew, I measure the temperature of the fermentor with the sensor insulated from ambient air with a sponge. So I want a couple of degrees to play with. Also the cooler the beer the better it tastes up to the point where it stops fermenting so I aim at the bottom of the temperature range not the top. So in general I am looking at three weeks.

Doing the beer in a brewing fridge one can dispense with a lot of the checks to see how it is doing, as kit beer tends to behave the same every time, but to start with the air lock and hydrometer are rather important. I have a screw lid fermentor with an electrical stuffing gland so there are no leaks other than through the air lock, however in early days I made mistakes thinking it was finished when it was just slow, and enough gas was escaping so air lock did not bubble. So in early days air lock would show when likely finished to hydrometer confirmed it.

Even in early days the hydrometer could lead one astray, why the kits don't actually say the finish s.g. should be around 1.008 or some other figure which matches the brew I don't know? but the final s.g. depends on strength the stronger the lower it will go, and the yeast, and the concentrate, so there is no fixed figure. Above 1.010 I am wary. I do transfer into a clean fermentor when nearly finished, but not to add priming sugar, simply to reduce sediment, I don't like adding priming sugar to whole barrel as since I bottle I would need to stir it and that would lift the sediment so each bottle has sugar in before I start to bottle.

I use plastic bottles so I can test pressure and also re-seal for next day, 12 pop bottles don't take much filling. I use a tap in the middle of two syphon pipes and the delivery pipe goes right to bottom so no air and no foam when filling. Every one does it a little different, and my methods have changed over the years. Using a temperature controlled fridge/freezer was the big change now it is near the same every time.

 

[Jaxx421]

Bigjas thanks for the link very handy, IainM I have started with directors courage as this came with my complete starter kit hopefully with all the good advice i have recieved it will turn out nice ( well at least drinkable :-D)

 

[BeerCat]

Also, if you do like barrels, and want to use the 8g bullets, then this is one of the cheapest places I've found https://www.tyreinflators.co.uk/index.php?act=viewCat&catId=4273

Jas

Wow thats really cheap, normally about £5 for 10. Cheers Jas

 

[IainM]

Bigjas thanks for the link very handy, IainM I have started with directors courage as this came with my complete starter kit hopefully with all the good advice i have recieved it will turn out nice ( well at least drinkable :-D)

I was a little suspicious when you said the instructions told you to add the priming sugar and wait three days before bottling / kegging, which is why I asked you what kit you are doing. I just looked at the instructions and you are right! Awful instructions. I would definately leave it two weeks in primary, then either put into 500ml bottles with 1/2 tsp sugar in each, or transfer to a bottling bucket with 100g sugar and bottle right away.

 

[Jaxx421]

Hi Jas,

I tried my youngs pressure barrel as you suggested ( thanks for the tip) and low and behold a leak around the tap, so for this batch I may be bottling.

Is there any point in finding replacement taps for this type of barrel or is it worth buying a different brand?

Cheers
Jaxx421

 

[Bigjas]

Hi Jas,

I tried my youngs pressure barrel as you suggested ( thanks for the tip) and low and behold a leak around the tap, so for this batch I may be bottling.

Is there any point in finding replacement taps for this type of barrel or is it worth buying a different brand?

Cheers
Jaxx421

I'm not sure it's the tap itself, it's the design of the tap and the way it is screwed in to the barrel. The plastic thread doesn't seem strong enough and if you over tighten the tap, it breaks the thread and spins. I tried it with PTFE tape and it still leeked when pressurised. That's when I bought the King kegs, as the Taps are held from the inside with a nut. Both of mine have been ok up to about 10 psi. The King keg is also easier to clean with the 4 inch neck.

I might have a go at sealing the Youngs keg and tap with silicone sealant in the thread and see if that fixes it. I have nothing to lose as I can't use it as a pressure barrel as it is.

I like using barrels as it's quicker than bottling and I have a spare fridge to keep it cool. I also attach mine to a beer engine when we have friends round.

Jas

 

[Jaxx421]

My leak is not from the thread it is actually from the swing tap join, it's a slowish drip but enough where I do not want to barrel my ale.

So bottling it is until a new one is purchased.

So here's the plan keep fermenting 2-3 weeks then bottle 500 ml 1/2 teaspoon of brewing sugar per bottle and leave in the warm for two - three weeks, then chill.

I had been mulling over weather to transfer the primary into a second fermenting bin and prime with the brewing sugar and leave two - three weeks before bottling, some say it gives a clearer beer ( I suppose I need to try both methods and find out for my self).

 

[Bigjas]

Ah ok, might be worth trying a different tap then?

Yes, some people transfer to a secondary to help it clear, I don't bother and I still get reasonably clear beer. You don't want to add the sugar until you are bottling though. The sugar helps to carb up the beer in the bottle.

Jas