first brewing kit and im stuck help

[twintens]

hello im new to homebrewing so ive bought a mexican larger kit from wilko as the reviews seem to say its a easy one for beginners now ive had it fermenting for 5 days and ive just been looking at the instructions and it doesnt say anything about when to use finnings now the kit didnt come with any finnings so does this mean that this product doesnt need them im not sure what to do ive got finnings that ive bought seperate as i thought i would need this help please

 

[PD]

normally a beer ( or lager ) does not need any finings. it will clean itself given cool temps and time.

 

[twintens]

thanks piddle dribbler thats probablythe first of many questions anserwed thanks again :thumb:

 

[dennisking]

Moved this post to the correct section. :thumb:

 

[rpt]

You don't need finings. The beer will eventually clear, especially if you can condition it somewhere cool.

 

[Paddy]

Any Idea would be to leave it outside to cool if the weather where you are is getting cold. You don't want it to freeze mind you :)

Hitting about 6C here at the minute at night. Need to clear one of our beers so leaving it outside for two days (in a shed or garage would be perfect)

 

[twintens]

thanks all im going to bottle it tomorrow whats the difference between carbonating drops and sugar as i believe i need one or the other to make the larger fizzy if thats the right saying thanks again like i said loads of questions but will just keep asking as i go your never too old to learn somthing new :drink:

 

[Jonny B]

I'm not sure about the difference but I'm sure you can use either. Drops would take longer as you need to put one in each bottle and maybe even agitate the bottle slightly to dissolve the drop. Ive only use priming sugar in my first 4 brews and I've experimented with different amounts from 80g to 150g for around 23 litres of brew. Please take note I am a beginner too and just trying to help so hopefully someone will clear things up for you eventually. Jon.

 

[jonnymorris]

They're both sugar so take your pick. Depending on how you plan to bottle you might find batch priming (adding sugar to the whole batch rather than each bottle) is easier.

More importantly... 6 days in might be a little early to bottle. I'd be tempted to leave it 2 weeks before bottling to allow the yeast to finish doing its thing. Have you measured the specific gravity?

 

[Rolfster]

They're both sugar so take your pick. Depending on how you plan to bottle you might find batch priming (adding sugar to the whole batch rather than each bottle) is easier.

More importantly... 6 days in might be a little early to bottle. I'd be tempted to leave it 2 weeks before bottling to allow the yeast to finish doing its thing. Have you measured the specific gravity?

+1 for What JM said!

The instructions that come with kits seem to give the shortest possible time frames to give you the impression that you can be drinking pub quality beer in 2 weeks!
It will not be if its rushed.
Couple of weeks in the FV (fermenting vessel), then bottle and leave somewhere at fermentation temperature for a week or 2, then move somewhere cool for a few weeks (3 or 4) and it will be approaching pub standards! The longer you leave it in the bottle the better it gets!

All that said, mine usually reaches its best as I consume the last bottle!

 

[twintens]

specific gravity is at 1007 if I'm reading the hydrommeter correctly been like it for two days like I said totally green when it comes to homebrewing

 

[itbrvilla]

Put one of these on last Monday and plan to bottle on the 10th November (13 days). What amount of sugar is sensible for givingbthese "lager kits" a nice fizz?

 

[twintens]

so it's best to leave the brew fermenting for longer than is stated this might be a silly question but can you leave it too long as I've left it to ferment longer and does this apply for other brews such as wine and cider

 

[itbrvilla]

I think most people recommend leaving it 2 weeks in the FV.

I don't know how long is too long though. I imagine it should be OK to leave it longer as some of the lager kits and Belgian kits require longer fermenting times. Perhaps someone can confirm this?

 

[winelight]

Don't know the answer to that but I leave normal ales in the FV for 3 weeks... but I ferment at 18 so fermentation takes longer anyway.

Ten days at 18 then five days at 21 and five at 12.

 

[Sandimas]

When I started I tended to leave brews 10-14 days in the FV, but recently I've extended that out to 20-30 days: resulting brews have been lower FG and much clearer to bottle/keg.

 

[Rolfster]

You can get supher-y off falvours if you leave it toooooo long, that is a result of the yeast eating each other.
If its going to be in the FV for a long time, you can move it to a different sanitized FV to get it off the yeast cake. This can also help clear the beer (I think..... :wha: )
R

 

[the-erl]

Leaving the beer on the trub (the sediment at the bottom of the fermentor) can cause soapy flavors as the yeast may start to consume the trub. I've never experienced this problem and I don't think just because the beer is left for 3 weeks on the trub that this is always the result.

Have a look here http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter8-2-3.html It's a great resource. The book by the same name is also fantastic, well worth investing in or getting someone to buy for you as a present.

The info goes onto say "after very long times (on the trub) the yeast begin to die and break down - autolysis, which produces yeasty or rubbery/fatty/meaty flavors and aromas."
Don't be too worried as many brewers on here have commented that they leave their beer on the trub for 3 weeks and some a little longer. Personally I normally move to a secondary vessel after about 6 days and then leave it for upto a further 10 days before bottling. It just depends on when the beer has finished fermenting. Use your hydrometer to determine this - once you get the same gravity reading for 2-3 days the beer is ready to bottle. This is your FG.
Don't worry about asking "silly questions", there's no such thing! The only silly question is the one you didn't ask! We've all had to learn and I'm still learning, all the time. It's what makes home brewing so interesting!

Let us know how your beer turns out!

Erl :drink:

 

[twintens]

the airlock is still bubbleing it as slowed down to a rate of about 1 blurp every minute and the hydrometer is holding steady at 1008 so i think im going to bottle it tomorrow smells like larger :