FIRST Brew - Woodfordes Sundew

[Dundeebrew]

HI - I have a query about my first home brew. I bought a starter kit from homebrewonline.co.uk which consisted of a bucket fv with a lid and airlock (no tap), a pressure barrel etc and the Woodfordes Sundew kit.

I used the kit as per the instructions: sterilised all equipment, poured in the 2 cans of malt, added warm water, mixed and aerated thoroughly, topped up with cold water to 23Litres and then sprinkled the yeast on top. Lid on, airlock in (with water) and that was it.

It was sitting at a temperature of a bout 18degrees celcius for the first few days but there was no sign of any bubbling. It seemed like there was a krausen forming and a brown line developed around the top of the container. However, I'm not so sure about the krausen as its hard to see through the white plastic - I've just kept the lid on to prevent contamination.

I have had the brew on for a week now and I'm not sure whats going on... I didn't touch it until today. Opened it up and there was NO KRAUSEN, just the brown line around the top. It didn't smell very beer-like, more cider like...
Overall looked quite flat... very little material on top if the liquid.

I did however take a hydrometer reading which, if I've read correctly was 1.11. the kit says you want to be below 1018. The smell and taste is rather cider-y and watery... however i put the lid back on and its started bubbling today!

Do you think the brew is spoiled or should I leave it another week and transfer to pressure barrel with carbonation and see what happens...

Any advice would be very welcome! Thanks

 

[el gringo]

Sounds like its doing what it should, maybe the airlock/lid wasn't sealed fully to start with so you weren't getting any bubbles.

Also 18 is about right i would say 18-20/22 is the normal ale range

I'd leave it at least another week before barrelling

 

[serum]

Sounds fine. The Krausen can die down quite quickly and not sealing the lid properly shouldn't ruin the beer.

The taste from the trial jar isn't all that close to what you get at the end. I had similar thoughts about it being watery when I did my first brew but it's completely normal. Once you've conditioned it for a while it'll start to get more of a full taste. I'd agree with the advice to leave it another week before bottling or kegging it. Leave it as long as you can after that to let the flavours develop (easier said than done when you're eager to taste it)

 

[Dundeebrew]

Thanks for the advice guys - I'm new to this forum. So I took another reading today and its about the same. The smell when I opened that lid and took a sniff though- wow. Very alcoholic! Not at all beery... is this normal?

 

[Dundeebrew]

Also - the temperature is now down at 16 degrees... is this too low? and if so how can i increase it efficiently?

 

[Hopping_Mad]

Stick it next to a radiator for a while. Better still, buy a heat pad and a timer switch and get the settings to come on for periods during the night, and less so the day. You'll soon learn to get the temp fairly steady.

 

[Dundeebrew]

So I didn't manage to up the temperature, but just left it another week and a bit... Today I siphoned it into a pressure barrel with 80g granulated sugar dissolved in water. I tried a wee glass... its quite cloudy, a few particles, but...tastes ok!! I imagine after a couple of weeks in the pressure barrel it will be ready for drinking.

I'm wondering whats the best thing to do with the grub left in the bottom... I've read you can re-use it?

 

[Hopping_Mad]

So I didn't manage to up the temperature, but just left it another week and a bit... Today I siphoned it into a pressure barrel with 80g granulated sugar dissolved in water. I tried a wee glass... its quite cloudy, a few particles, but...tastes ok!! I imagine after a couple of weeks in the pressure barrel it will be ready for drinking.

I'm wondering whats the best thing to do with the grub left in the bottom... I've read you can re-use it?

Facepack? :nah:

 

[Dundeebrew]

facepack? I meant like re-using the yeast

 

[chrisstuarthall]

Hi

I would say your initial temperature for pitching your yeast is too low. Another thing to consider is most kits come with only 6 gms of yeast, 10 to 12 gms is really the optimum pitched at 24c to 20c, this is for ales and top fermenters. Then keep the temperature around 22c to 20c.

After 7 to 10 days I always rack off to anther vessel for bottling or casking.

For ordinary ales, they should be ready for conditioning after 10 days fermentation.

 

[Slid]

So I didn't manage to up the temperature, but just left it another week and a bit... Today I siphoned it into a pressure barrel with 80g granulated sugar dissolved in water. I tried a wee glass... its quite cloudy, a few particles, but...tastes ok!! I imagine after a couple of weeks in the pressure barrel it will be ready for drinking.

I'm wondering whats the best thing to do with the grub left in the bottom... I've read you can re-use it?

Yes you can and there are a few videos on U-Tube. The guy on these is a bit large for life, IMO, but it's an example.

http://www.HomebrewerTV.com

But I would suggest another few "wee go's" at doing kits and do them following the advice you can get on the forum first.

The best advice I have had up to now is get the temperature control right. So that's the advice I'm passing on. When you're happy that it's brewing in the right temperature zone, you're on the winning side, and you can think about the next thing with confidence.

Wrapping a towel around the FV, keeping it out of draughts, and keeping off to one side of a radiator are all ways of keeping a brew at a stable temperature in a centrally heated house.

Hope this helps. :thumb:

 

[Dundeebrew]

So after almost 2 weeks in the pressure barrel I have tried a sample of the Sundew (I'm waiting in my friend who I'm brewing with before sampling a full pint) and it is surprisingly good, if a little weak to the taste. It pours with adequate carbonation from the tap and has a nice creamy head. It is a nice yellowy golden colour and is almost perfectly clear.

What have others thought about the taste? Is it possible to add other flavours at this stage?