Coopers lager SG

[Davebispham81]

Hi all.

What should the SG of a Coopers lager kit be??? i got all of the extract out of the tin, i added 1 KG of bog standard sugar and i gave it a good stir. When i checked the SG it was 1035 at 19 degrees C, this seems a bit low to me but the instructions say not to add more than 1KG of sugar, am i going to end up with a cornie keg full of carling black label??? :sick:

I threw out the yeast that came with the tin and used a packet of saflager w34/70, its been fermenting nicely in the shed at 12 degrees C give or take a couple of degrees

 

[Mark1964]

Thats still going to leave an abv of around 4.6% did you add the correct amount of water??

 

[Davebispham81]

yeah i filled it to 23L, i was hoping for something a bit stronger than that though 5%-5.5% ABV.

 

[Mark1964]

Its not far off i would be happy with 4.6% not that bad

 

[Davebispham81]

I suppose it will have to do. Nothing i can do about it now and to throw it away would be sacrilege :shock:

I will let you know the FG when it is done fermenting.

 

[Davebispham81]

OK so curiosity got the better of me and i`ve just been and put the hydrometer in the FV, ( sanitised of course ) it was at 1.016 at 13 degrees C i hope to god its not finish yet.

 

[Mark1964]

the temp is low needs to be at 18 deg c minimum

 

[Davebispham81]

If i had used the ale yeast that comes with the kit i would agree but i used this instead
http://www.fermentis.com/fo/pdf/HB/EN/Saflager_W-3470_HB.pdf

 

[Mark1964]

Should be fine then fermentation should finish around 1.010 - 1.000

 

[Davebispham81]

If it gets to 1.000 it wont be too bad but still nowhere near what i was hoping for, i`ll just have to wait and see.

 

[Mark1964]

just be patient making beer is a waiting game if you leave it should be ok :thumb:

 

[Davebispham81]

OK thanks Mark. i read that lager yeasts take longer to ferment due to the colder temperatures, is this true? if so how much longer?

 

[philip5660]

OK thanks Mark. i read that lager yeasts take longer to ferment due to the colder temperatures, is this true? if so how much longer?

I have a lager on the go at the minute - it's nearly 3 weeks and it's still going.....

 

[Davebispham81]

WOW :shock: I didn`t think it would be that long. When its finished fermenting will you rack it to another bin for secondary??? if so how long will you leave it before bottling/kegging???

 

[philip5660]

I have already racked it to a fresh FV to get it off the dead yeast. Not a compulsory step but I like to do it that way.
Once it's finished I'll drop the temp in the fridge to 2 degrees for a couple of days to help it clear, batch prime then bottle. Then it's a 3 month wait before drinking....