First attempt at bottling lager - does this look normal??

[seamus]

haha seeing as you're being helpful, hijack away!

okay so curiousity got the better off me and I popped a bottle of harvest lager - it has fizz!! We're going to bottle about another 12 bottles tonight and i'm going to up the sugar a touch from 2.5g to 3.5g as the beer could do with a bit more carbonation

tastes a hell of a lot better than straight out the bucket and no where near as "thin" - it has a bit of body but a slight tang as well which I need to eliminate from the next brew

I'm shocked and so is the mrs so we've stuck one in the fridge to see what it's like cold later - I know, I know, we should wait but this is purely in the name of science you see (hic) and it's fairly clear already !! :

I'm guessing decent yeast and malt will much improve the flavour - I bought the lightly hopped malt and wheat malt varieties so fingers crossed it's a decent combo

if this is what you get from a cheap kit with sugar then I CANNOT WAIT to brew the wheat beer kit with extra goodies : : :

thanks again for all the advice - i'm sure i'll be back with another raft of daft questions though :grin:

J...

 

[graysalchemy]

But wouldn't the yeast that comes with the kit be suited to that particular style of beer? Why are the yeasts that come with the kits considered (by some) to be 'crap'?
[sorry for hijacking your thread again. Can't help myself]

Not necessarily all depends on how much you paid for the kit. Some budget kits will have inferior ingrediants. Also many 'lager' kits have an ale yeast as they will ferment faster and are easier to use. They also scrimp on the amount of yeast they give again to save money. So yes by and large the yeast in kits is inappropriate and crap.

 

[RobWalker]

The tang will subside after a month or two, although with cheap kits it might not go completely :-)

 

[graysalchemy]

That homebrew tang is prevalent in kits and is due to the quality of the extract and also the age of the kit. If you want to know more there was a thread the other week entitled that home brew tang. Our resident demi god Aleman gave a difinitive answer on the subject, worth searching the forum for it.

 

[seamus]

ah yes - just been reading about THT - so much to read so little time

cheers for the heads up

 

[pittsy]

the yeasts that come with kits ain't the greatest for brewing are for 2 reasons , 1 is the hardiest type of yeast that can withstand long shelf life and possible exposure to sunlight and/or warm temperatures are chosen to be used by beer kit manufactures and 2 the easiest type of yeast that can be used to withstand high fermentation temps and poor brewing techniques that will work to give a drinkable pint , they don't pick the best yeasts for certain styles as the type of yeast best suited may well have a shorter shelf life , harder to keep at ideal fermentation temps or even need to be stored at lower temps to maintain quality of yeast cells , you may use cheap malted grains , you may use top quality malted grains but if you have a cheap/poor yeast it will show in your brew while an excellent yeast will brew good beer every time just a better beer with better grains :)

 

[seamus]

after more reading I have another question

I live in a hard water area and have been using tap water

I know the exact make up of my tap water as i'm a very keen aquarist and test it frequently and it has moderate nitrate, a pH of 7.6, a moderate kH and gH and an ec of 0.9

you can definitely smell a touch of chloramine as well

so my question is is it worth adding campden tablets or buying mineral water or stop being paranoid and stick with tap water??

sorry and thanks!!

 

[lovelldr]

If you have chlorine our chloromine, then def best to add Camden tablet imo...

 

[seamus]

hmmm I thought so - can you add the campden tabs directly to the bucket or do you have to prep the tap water before adding it?

 

[seamus]

another bottling question ...

Is it okay to add a LITTLE splashing effect when filling the bottles to mix the sugar/malt a bit better or is oxidisation at bottling time a total no-no??

sorry for so many questions again but you experienced guys have been so helpful and I read a lot of conflicting advice!

 

[alanywiseman.]

Oxidation at bottling time is a BIG no no. Airiate the wort before pitching is good for good yeast growth but after pitching it is best to avoid oxidation by any means.

 

[jonnymorris]

you can definitely smell a touch of chloramine as well

Defo worth a campden tablet for this reason alone.

 

[pittsy]

another bottling question ...

Is it okay to add a LITTLE splashing effect when filling the bottles to mix the sugar/malt a bit better or is oxidisation at bottling time a total no-no??

sorry for so many questions again but you experienced guys have been so helpful and I read a lot of conflicting advice!

as little splashing as possible , try putting liquid to run down the side of the inside of the bottle , and use camden tablet in water before you brew with it

 

[seamus]

ok then the last ten we just bottled might be a touch aerated!! :rofl:

I got carried away with seeing a foamy head before capping but they've all settled down now

:

 

[seamus]

think the mrs wants me to try mineral water next brew so tabs are off the agenda - seems like more hassle anyway sterilising the water before adding it to the FV (check me out using abbreviations) :rofl:

 

[lovelldr]

Isn't really any hassle adding campden tablets add long as you have a second FV. I sterilise first FV, fill with amount of water needed, crush half campden tab, mix it round, and leave it whilst sterilise second FV. Then, when ready to brew, I use water from first FV...

 

[RobWalker]

yeah, for such a small and simple step, it's really worthwhile. I use about 15L of top up water so when I extract brew, I just get that 15L in an FV and then pour in the hot wort to make it up to 23L, you can do the same thing by mixing your kit with boiling water seperately after your top up water is ready and sanitized

 

[anthonyUK]

If the 2nd FV also has a tap which can take a 'little bottler' than all the better
Seeing your post regarding bottling I would investigate one Seamus. They are a godsend when bottling.

Water treatment apart from what has been mentioned regarding chlorine/chloramine removal isn't necessary with kits so I wouldn't bother with bottled water TBH.

 

[BarnsleyBrewer]

s-04 is even recommended for cider! but that's for next time.

I once did a TC with S-04, fermented great but I always got an underlying ale taste that was out of place. :?

BB

Cider yeast for cider, ale yeast for ale, wine yeast for wine, bakers yeast for bread. The clue is in the name :lol: :lol:

Not having a dig at you BB

No offence taken, it's true what you state.... :thumb: :thumb:

BB

 

[seamus]

sorted already - just ordered a bottling wand and tap for the FV which i'll fit myself

I only have one FV at the mo - spent way more than I initially wanted and now i've seen that new coopers FV with the screw lid so i'm going to wait a while before I buy that or the mrs will complain - told her the whole initial set up would cost no more than £50 lol

what I dont understand is why I cant just fill up the FV first with the cold water and then add campden tablets and THEN add the can and dextrose/malt and give it a good stir and bring up to temp with additional boiled water if required???

is there a really good reason for this that I cant get my head round??