vanderkidd
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- Jan 8, 2013
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Hi, new forum here member and I'm a bit desperate for some advice/reassurance/confirmation my attempt is a loss!
I picked up a Cooper's Australian Pale Ale, attempted to follow the instructions but ultimately think i messed it up..
Rather than mixing in the fermenter i mixed it all in a pot, i then filled the fermenter to 20 ltrs of cold water, then added the wort. I now realise the wort should be in there first.
End result i had more than the 5 gallon marker of liquid. I scooped out 1.5 ltr of excess so it was below the line in fear that once the yeast was pitched it may bubble to much. I now know this means my sugars ratio would be lower than ideal.
OG was 1.034, which I thought seemed OK. Pitched the yeast whilst temp was at 18C (scattered dry - not rehydrated or stirred) and waited for some bubbles in my airlock.
Fast forward 16 hours and nothing - no bubbles but definitely some yeast activity after taking a peak under the lid. Thinking the issue was temperature (18C at this stage) i moved the fermenter nearer a radiator and increased the heat. checked a couple of hours later and far more bubbles underneath, but still nothing coming through the airlock.
When the lid is on, and i press on the lid, the water levels in the airlock move so i'm assuming i have a decent tight seal on it.
Move on another 24 hours and still nothing from the airlock, another check under the lid and all the bubbling activity on the top has died right down and there appears to only be some little bubbles coming through the liquids (much like bubbles you'd see coming up through a pint).
Where I think I have ultimately gone wrong is when I moved the bucket nearer the radiator and turned up the heat, my thermometer reached 27C on the side of the bucket furthest from the radiator, so no doubt it would have been hotter on the nearside. Could I have I killed the yeast? I'm unsure because the room the bucket is sitting in now smells very yeasty!
Any ideas? Is there any way to save this, or do I start again? Or am i worrying about nothing?
I picked up a Cooper's Australian Pale Ale, attempted to follow the instructions but ultimately think i messed it up..
Rather than mixing in the fermenter i mixed it all in a pot, i then filled the fermenter to 20 ltrs of cold water, then added the wort. I now realise the wort should be in there first.
End result i had more than the 5 gallon marker of liquid. I scooped out 1.5 ltr of excess so it was below the line in fear that once the yeast was pitched it may bubble to much. I now know this means my sugars ratio would be lower than ideal.
OG was 1.034, which I thought seemed OK. Pitched the yeast whilst temp was at 18C (scattered dry - not rehydrated or stirred) and waited for some bubbles in my airlock.
Fast forward 16 hours and nothing - no bubbles but definitely some yeast activity after taking a peak under the lid. Thinking the issue was temperature (18C at this stage) i moved the fermenter nearer a radiator and increased the heat. checked a couple of hours later and far more bubbles underneath, but still nothing coming through the airlock.
When the lid is on, and i press on the lid, the water levels in the airlock move so i'm assuming i have a decent tight seal on it.
Move on another 24 hours and still nothing from the airlock, another check under the lid and all the bubbling activity on the top has died right down and there appears to only be some little bubbles coming through the liquids (much like bubbles you'd see coming up through a pint).
Where I think I have ultimately gone wrong is when I moved the bucket nearer the radiator and turned up the heat, my thermometer reached 27C on the side of the bucket furthest from the radiator, so no doubt it would have been hotter on the nearside. Could I have I killed the yeast? I'm unsure because the room the bucket is sitting in now smells very yeasty!
Any ideas? Is there any way to save this, or do I start again? Or am i worrying about nothing?
