First brew - need some help please asap!!? :/

[Jay77]

Hi,

So I have my "Woodforde's Wherry Real Ale" and I've sanitised and started fermenting and have a couple of questions:

- I started the fermenting late on Thursday night. Friday afternoon through to Saturday afternoon I had some decent activity through the airlock but since then nothing. The airlock water is now the colour of the ale, will a tiny bit of spillage on top the lid. The instructions say 4 days and people here said leave for around 10. Is is done already?

- The instructions say add 1 teaspoon of sugar for each pint (40 pint kit). Does anyone know how much sugar this is in weight? Teaspoons vary in size and we have some tiny ones and some large ones!?

Sorry for the dumb questions, first kit etc :drunk:

 

[jonnymorris]

I suspect some of your brew has come out through the airlock. Mop up the spill but otherwise don't worry about it. The first phase of fermentation may well be over but there is still much for the yeast to do so leave it alone for another week.

For 40 pints I use 100g of sugar.

Congrats on #1 and welcome.

 

[Jay77]

Thanks for the quick reply, puts my mind at ease.

Should I replace the ale in the airlock, or is it doing its job fine? Also, will adding more sugar increase the strength of the ale or is that done in the ingredients of the 2 tins in the kit?

 

[LeithR]

The sugar you are discussing here (40 x 1 teaspoonful or the 100g as suggested by Jonny) is whats called priming sugar. Its added at the end of the fermentation into either a clean and different fermentation vessel.

What to do is add sugar to a small amount of boiled water and stir it to dissolve, then let this mixture cool or force cool it in a bowl of cold water. Once cool add this into the new clean empty fermenting vessel then transfer the finished beer into the same vessel trying to disturb it as little as possible you can now either fill your King Keg or your bottles if thats what you are using.

Once this operation is complete then you need to keep the brew warm (room temp) for about a week, this will allow the sugar to convert to CO2 sitting above the beer in the bottle. Then move the bottles into the cold (Shed or garage etc...) this will force the CO2 gas into the beer thus giving you a little fizz when you open the bottle and the beer will pour with a head on it. If this all works out well you should have a head on the beer while you drink it - known as head retention.

As the Meerkat says Simple!!

 

[jonnymorris]

You could clean out the airlock but it's probably best not to fiddle.

If you were to add sugar it would increase the ABV at the expense of mouthfeel and general balance of the brew. In other words, you might f*** it up if you do.

Edit: I note LeithR has clarified the sugar question above, thanks. I was indeed talking about priming sugar.

 

[Jay77]

Much clearer now, though still doesn't feel simple at this stage!

I'll be transferring to one of these in a few days then, would the sugar converting to co2 not make this explode?

 

[jonnymorris]

If you put in too much, yes. You'll be OK with 100g.

 

[Jay77]

Thanks :)

Have another concern.

I have just been to check on the fermenting bucket and the air-lock level is so low that I think air is getting inside.

What should I do? Remove the airlock and put in some boiled water?

 

[Ian...]

Just a word about kegs. You'll see on here they are always a topic of discussion and tend to split opinion.... kegs or bottles

advantages and disadvantages for both:
Bottles
arguably a better taste when conditioned,(subjective) convenient for giving/taking to friends but washing, sanitising and priming (though you can batch prime in a secondary fv) 40 bottles at a time is a real pain and time consuming. They take up a lot of space when you get into 'stock holding'.

Kegs
very convenient for pouring another pint, easier to wash, sanitise and prime, time saving, very space-saving.
Bloody heavy to haul around (when you get to my age), bottoms bulge with the pressure, taps seep, washers need constant care and replacing, need CO2 to top up from about half-way. All in all a right pain. So you choose!

Personally I do both. I have two kegs on the go and always bottle about 12 pints from each brew which makes a good plan for saving one or two to 'mature'.

Your keg should be fine for your first brew but don't worry if you get a leaking tap. Its a good sign the keg is carbonating and all you do to relieve the pressure is draw a glass full off... a good time to sample!

Good luck.

 

[Jay77]

Great reply, thanks. It's been a learning process and I think I may move to bottles one day but we're having our kitchen redone so space is an issue when sanitising at the moment.

Does anyone have any comment on my airlock issue (see last post)? A bit panicked that air is getting in.

 

[pittsy]

if your unsure about messing with airlock just pour some vodka into it and if you spill a little it will be safe for your brew . I would just pull airlock out and give it a clean if needed and fill with tap water and replace.