First time home brew

[Ted123]

Hi, I'm new to brewing, I've just done a coopers kit hefe lager?, it tastes decent not much fizz I fermented for 3 weeks, bottled with 1 Carbonation drop per bottle, left another week in warm, then 2 weeks in cold store, was this OK?, also what other types of lagers are a good brew, cheers Paul

 

[smcc]

how big were the bottles? if 500ml it can require 2 tabs I believe

 

[RichardM]

how big were the bottles? if 500ml it can require 2 tabs I believe

and could take two weeks in the warm.

 

[BrewMeHappy]

I would pop them back into somewhere warmer for another week or so and see if they carb up more. I haven't used carb drops other than the ones I had with my Coppers starter kit years ago, but I think that was 2 drops per bottle of I remember correctly....but I could be wrong.

As for other lager kits, the Coopers European Lager is excellent in my opinion, as is their Cerveza. That reminds me, I'll think I'll get one or both of them ordered when I'm next buying some stuff!

 

[Ted123]

how big were the bottles? if 500ml it can require 2 tabs I believe

Hi, the bottles were 450ml ones, I did read one and half cubes but they are impossible to cut in half. Many thanks paul

 

[Ted123]

I would pop them back into somewhere warmer for another week or so and see if they carb up more. I haven't used carb drops other than the ones I had with my Coppers starter kit years ago, but I think that was 2 drops per bottle of I remember correctly....but I could be wrong.

As for other lager kits, the Coopers European Lager is excellent in my opinion, as is their Cerveza. That reminds me, I'll think I'll get one or both of them ordered when I'm next buying some stuff!

Thank you,, how do you carbonate your brews?, I'll have a look and get another one in, the brew is very drinkable tastes great it pours with a head but goes flat quite quickly, many thanks

 

[An Ankoù]

Hi, the bottles were 450ml ones, I did read one and half cubes but they are impossible to cut in half. Many thanks paul

Don't waste your money on drops, it's the biggest rip off I've ever come across. Just use plain white sugar. You can measure it out with a teaspoon- a level teaspoon is about 4 grams or get a set of measuring spoons. Half a gram up or down isn't going to spoil your beer.
My advice would be leave your bottles for six weeks before trying them- 2 weeks in the warm and the rest a bit cooler, but not too cold. I bottle all my beer, I make 50-80 brews a year and I've never had a bottled beer ready in less than 4 weeks and it's usually 6 at least.
Welcome to the forum.

 

[jof]

I usually batch prime my beer, but occasionally I use a heaped coffee spoon - about 2g as my ales shouldn't be too fizzy.
The other tip I have is to use a small funnel. I have a metal one used for filling a hip flask - don't get the sugar stuck in it like the big plastic funnel, as easier to ensure its dry after sanitising

 

[DocAnna]

Don't waste your money on drops, it's the biggest rip off I've ever come across. Just use plain white sugar. You can measure it out with a teaspoon- a level teaspoon is about 4 grams or get a set of measuring spoons. Half a gram up or down isn't going to spoil your beer.
My advice would be leave your bottles for six weeks before trying them- 2 weeks in the warm and the rest a bit cooler, but not too cold. I bottle all my beer, I make 50-80 brews a year and I've never had a bottled beer ready in less than 4 weeks and it's usually 6 at least.
Welcome to the forum.

To add that one of the easiest way to be consistent and add the sugar rather than carbonation drops is to use plastic measuring spoons like these you can pick up in the supermarket.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/KitchenCraft-Colourworks-Piece-Measuring-Spoon/dp/B003SZU66W/
Also don't use a plastic funnel for the sugar as it will as some stage stick to the plastic, instead use a small piece of paper shaped into a cone, baking paper/greaseproof paper is ideal but half a sheet of common A4 paper is ideal, if you take a sheet from inside the pack/ream rather than the top sheet then it is going to be effectively sterile so is fine to use. The paper doesn't hold any static charge and will wick away any traces of moisture which stops the sugar sticking.

Anna

 

[An Ankoù]

Also don't use a plastic funnel for the sugar as it will as some stage stick to the plastic, instead use a small piece of paper shaped into a cone, baking paper/greaseproof paper is ideal but half a sheet of common A4 paper is ideal, if you take a sheet from inside the pack/ream rather than the top sheet then it is going to be effectively sterile so is fine to use. The paper doesn't hold any static charge and will wick away any traces of moisture which stops the sugar sticking.

I agree. I use left over Christmas cards. One lasts for ages and they're already nicely folded.

 

[Ted123]

Don't waste your money on drops, it's the biggest rip off I've ever come across. Just use plain white sugar. You can measure it out with a teaspoon- a level teaspoon is about 4 grams or get a set of measuring spoons. Half a gram up or down isn't going to spoil your beer.
My advice would be leave your bottles for six weeks before trying them- 2 weeks in the warm and the rest a bit cooler, but not too cold. I bottle all my beer, I make 50-80 brews a year and I've never had a bottled beer ready in less than 4 weeks and it's usually 6 at least.
Welcome to the forum.

Thank you i will do the next one with the sugar instead thanks again

 

[Ted123]

I usually batch prime my beer, but occasionally I use a heaped coffee spoon - about 2g as my ales shouldn't be too fizzy.
The other tip I have is to use a small funnel. I have a metal one used for filling a hip flask - don't get the sugar stuck in it like the big plastic funnel, as easier to ensure its dry after sanitising

Thanks for the tips I will get a metal funnel ordered for the nexlot t