first time brewer needing help! asap!

[bilko]

hi all, im a total amateur to all this and bought a beer beginner kit on friday. I bought with it a can of coopers mexican cerveza and mixed everything as it said on the instructions that came with the can. it says on the instructions that the coopers lager should be brewed at the recommended temperature of 21 degress and as low as 13 degress. i have mine bang on 20 degress at the moment but after reading things on the internet it seems this is too hot and most people ferment there lager in the fridge!. my question is is this brew going to work or shall i just chuck it now and start again with it at a lower temperature?

any advice would be much appreciated!!

 

[megajester]

Im just a beginner aswell but I have had no problems with brewing beer at 20C will only put in fridge 2 weeks minimum after bottling as I like it cold and its easier to pour without disturbing the sediment

 

[bilko]

hmm well il keep my fingers crossed then ! i see you wrote that you make beer, does that mean youve made lager as well at 20 degress as from what ive been reading lager is totally different than brewing beer?? or am i just getting confused from reading to many different things ??!!

 

[Frisp]

. Cooler would help but dont fret. I wouldn't let it get any warmer though.... If its bubblin its fairly happy....
Lager yeasties prefer the cooler wort

 

[bilko]

ideal was worrying there for a bit! yeh its bubblin nicely, about every 3 seconds at the moment and i started it on friday evening, I can get it down to 18 degrees so will set it to that :-) good fun this home brewing am going to try a cider next !

 

[Frisp]

If you are going to do a cider may I suggest a Turbo cider. easy peasy ... and youngs cider yeast loves 20C

 

[tubby_shaw]

Don't worry I believe that kit actually comes with an ale yeast which works best at 20C :thumb:

Lager yeasts need cooler temperatures and hence the need to ferment in the fridge

 

[megajester]

wow I've been fermanting larger at 20c and has turn out well but it seems that the general concensus is frement in the fridge would give it ago but how do you get 40 pints of larger in a fridge, we have 2 fridges but mes thinks the missus will need room for her salad ( by the way she needs it :rofl: ) **** she just caught me typing ,thanks for advice see what I can do to bring the temp down.

 

[ano]

Also most fridges you see used as fermentation cabinets will have had the thermostat changed so they're not fermenting at salad crisping temperatures, still cooler though. Finally as tubby says the kit will probably have come with an ale yeast which is much more tolerant (and indeed prefers) warmer conditions of ~20degreesC.

 

[bilko]

ideal thanks for all the help guys, will definately be doing a cider next weekend and will do the turbo cider for defo :-) I spotted a nice "water" distiller in the brew shop and tried a few of the samples they had produced so when i get paid next month il give that ago too! once again cheers for setting my mind at ease :thumb:

 

[The Seer]

Lager brewed in a fridge! :shock:

Surely not? Nothing is gonna happen at five degrees.

 

[Aleman]

Lager brewed in a fridge! :shock:

Surely not? Nothing is gonna happen at five degrees.

The thermostat is repleced with an adjustable one that you can set to anything between 0C (And lower) and 25+ C so you can ferment at sensible temperatures all year round.

And I ferment my lager at 9C . . . . It will ferment much slower below this . . . you just have to you more yeast . . . . A Lot more!!

 

[The Seer]

Lager brewed in a fridge! :shock:

Surely not? Nothing is gonna happen at five degrees.

The thermostat is repleced with an adjustable one that you can set to anything between 0C (And lower) and 25+ C so you can ferment at sensible temperatures all year round.

And I ferment my lager at 9C . . . . It will ferment much slower below this . . . you just have to you more yeast . . . . A Lot more!!

Ok, an old fridge is used, but not for it's usual general purpose.

Lager with lots of yeast? That doesn't sound too tasty. I'm paranoid about mine having too much of a yeasty taste.

 

[Aleman]

Lager with lots of yeast? That doesn't sound too tasty. I'm paranoid about mine having too much of a yeasty taste.

In order to get a quick start to a lager fermentation at proper lager fermentation temperatures (9-12C) you need to pitch lots of yeast . . .And I'm talking on the order of 25-50g per 25L Batch . . . depending on pitching temperature. (Try My Malty to get an idea how much yeast you need. . . . Looking at the Fermentis Saflager-23 Yeast Guide they suggest "80 to 120 g/hl for pitching at 12C – 15C. Increase dosage for pitching below 12C, up to 200 to 300 g/hl at 9C".

Fermenting lager cool and crash cooling it to 0C at the end of fermentation, and lagering it for a couple of weeks (Months) means that it has fermented clean, and the yeast has dropped out of suspension leaving you with a clear brew and no yeasty taste . . . (Just sound brewing practise)

 

[The Seer]

In order to get a quick start to a lager fermentation at proper lager fermentation temperatures (9-12C) you need to pitch lots of yeast . . .And I'm talking on the order of 25-50g per 25L Batch . . . depending on pitching temperature. (Try My Malty to get an idea how much yeast you need. . . . Looking at the Fermentis Saflager-23 Yeast Guide they suggest "80 to 120 g/hl for pitching at 12C – 15C. Increase dosage for pitching below 12C, up to 200 to 300 g/hl at 9C".

Fermenting lager cool and crash cooling it to 0C at the end of fermentation, and lagering it for a couple of weeks (Months) means that it has fermented clean, and the yeast has dropped out of suspension leaving you with a clear brew and no yeasty taste . . . (Just sound brewing practise)

Interesting, as they say, you learn something everyday.

Thanks for sharing that. :)

So cooler fermenting temperatures generally will help to acheive a less yeasty taste throughout most beers?

Unfortunately I don't have the luxury of time. Obviously necessary for this process.