First batch - primary fermentation question

[HomeBrewer_UK]

Hi,

i finally took the plunge and got all my equipment, materials, hops, grains sorted and did my first brew (target being TR tropica).
It a. 10l batch with 85pale, 10 wheat and 5 oat....(recipe 1)however this recipe didnt have fruits, so i hybridised it another mango ipa recipe which showed 20%of grain bill as fruit. So i took inital list and reduced all by 20% to allow later fruit addition.

fid the hops in accordance with recipe 1, 15 min boil of mosaic / simcoe... then end of boil 15 min...

so far all good, it s brewing in the fv with quite a bit of activity (3-4 bubbles per minute through the airlock)...

Some of the stuff i couldn't figure out are ;

- How long shall i wait for primary to finish (when the activity stops? Or more than that)

- i disinfected the freezer bag, then the fruits (after slicing) then froze and thawed them couple of times without opening the sealed bag. Is there anything i can do to ensure no bacteria?

- shall i drop it into the primary fv and wait another week or first move the beer to secondary and drop the fruit into the secondary fv? The second recipe i hybridised just drops it into the primary without any transfers...

- og of the recipe was 1.050 and i got 1.050 but this is with 20% less grain! Thinking i will add 20% of fruit later which will come with sugars, increasing abv...the fruit mix waiting to be added is 0.5kg. Will it be too strong? How do i calc abv of this recipe?

- and finally - is there any additives i need to add at the end of fv? So far the only yhing i did was a half tablet of of britewort during the last 10min of boil.

Thanks in advance

 

[Pugh]

Hiya. I'm not an expert, but to answer a couple of your questions, from my experience:

- sounds like your fruit will be fine? I've seen advice to add some vodka to the bag but a lot of the recipes I've been following say chuck it in when it's thawed when there's still a bit of fermentation happening.

- I've just been adding fruit to the primary for ~5 days as the fermentation was starting to slow and then racking off and bottling after those 5 days.

- I've not needed to add anything else at the end. You can cold crash if you have the means though.

Hope that helps a bit! Good luck!

 

[HomeBrewer_UK]

Thanks a lot Pugh, much appreciated.

A quick update and some questions (obviously :))

the photos show the fv and the sample i took using the tap for measuring gravity...

Og was 1.051,1d later 1.035 and the next day it s 1.033. This mean something isnt right is it? Target was 1.009 and probably it wont reach 1.025...considering it’s supposed to be a logarithmic graph. anything i should/can do about this?

 

[AnimatedGIF]

Og was 1.051,1d later 1.035 and the next day it s 1.033. This mean something isnt right is it?

It sounds like you're checking the specific gravity rather frequently - is this necessary? It seems a little premature to take readings so soon. I'd have thought a little patience woul be the way to go, and then maybe a reading on day 10? I normally wait until day 12 to take my first post-pitch reading. I am fairly new to all this though, so take it with a pinch of salt.

 

[HomeBrewer_UK]

To be honest my plan was to discover as much as possible during initial batch so i’ve tasted the wort, tasted the ferment every day and planning to keep doing :)

there’s also information overload aspect. I think i read too much, at least enough to confuse myself.
One thing i already love about HB is - it seems like you can personalise it as much as you like, provided you get the basic right

 

[Green Tiger]

Relax.
Let the beer ferment at a nice constant temp for at least 7-10 days, it'll be fine.
I always perform a 3 day diacetyl test after fermentation has completed. If you have the ability to cold crash, do that. That's effectively how most modern breweries would go about brewing ale.
It looks like you are using a refractometer. I sometimes get very weird readings so don't panic too much. Give it a day or so and take another look.
Also, you FG is going to depend on your mash temp. Don't stress out about hitting 1.009. If you are anywhere form there to 1.015 I'd say you are going to have a very drinkable beer.

 

[HomeBrewer_UK]

I have a little problem i think - the refractometer and the hydrometer show different values...first one 1.0325 the other 1.021

is there a way of finding out which one is correct, other than buying a third device?

theres very little activity in the fv and the refr Has been showing the same value last three days (during thesethree days activit dropped from 1 release / per minute to pretty much none).

I followed a 1.050 Og to 1.009 Fg recipe

 

[terrym]

I have a little problem i think - the refractometer and the hydrometer show different values...first one 1.0325 the other 1.021

is there a way of finding out which one is correct, other than buying a third device?

theres very little activity in the fv and the refr Has been showing the same value last three days (during thesethree days activit dropped from 1 release / per minute to pretty much none).

I followed a 1.050 Og to 1.009 Fg recipe

1. You have to correct a refractometer reading as the fermentation progresses. Whereas the hydrometer is WYSIWYG .
2. I notice you said you like to discover what is happening along the trail of your first brew. I fear if you keep taking the lid off to take samples every day or thereabouts you may well end up discovering one of homebrews rare but for some disastrous situations, i.e. an infected brew which ends up down the drain, which would be unfortunate.
3. If your SG stays at 1.021 (if that's what it is) for more than say 3 or 4 days and the FG is predicted to be lower and with no sign of movement, you may have a stuck fermentation. More on that here
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/...s-for-dealing-with-stuck-fermentations.74910/

 

[HomeBrewer_UK]

Thanks a lot @terrym .
1- i wasnt aware of that actually. Thought only checking it against water to show 1.0000 was all :/ any reads you can recommend?

2- the fv has a tiny valve so i havent opened the lid yet. So i am hoping i havent spoilt it yet

3- great - i will monitor the sg using hydrometer for couple of days and hopefully it s not stuck. Yo be honest seems like i am at much better position than i thought. Refc showing 1.032 for 3 days was not encouraging :)

 

[BassoonBrew]

As terrym says, you need to make a correction to the refractometer once there is alcohol produced. I use this one: Refractometer Calculator - Brewer's Friend

I've checked it with a hydrometer and it's accurate enough for me. As also said, the main advantage I see is the very small amount of wort you need compared to a hydrometer.