Hi guys - revived newbie here.
Only did a couple of barrels about 8 yrs ago & wasn't overly impressed but kept most of the kit & passed the homebrew stuff in Wilkos the other week & thought ya know what i'm gonna try again. So i've been doing some research & youtube hunting & restocked with the items that got thrown away & keeping finding myself with questions.
Yesterday i bottled some & barrelled the rest of a Woodfordes Wherry Real Ale kit. For the 1st time i used a packet of beer finings. I added this after 4 or 5 days to the fermenting barrel. Did i add this at the right time ? Thats 1 question.
Next question, when i bottled/barrelled i opened a pack of beer enhancer to use instead of sugar (only ever used granulated before), measured out 110g & put half teaspoon (actually 2.5ml side of medicine spoon) in each bottle & tipped the rest into the barrel. Was i OK doing this or have i upset the balance of either or aerated the beer ? (I've read its not good to bottle from the barrel after its secondary fermentation) but i 'think' what i did was secondary at that stage.
Question 3 - because i am prepared to be more patient this time round (instead of 'ahem taste testing after 7 days in the barrel - i am actually going to wait the recommended 2-3 weeks this time so it doesn't all run out by the time its reached its best), anyway i bought a Coopers Stout kit to try. After fully sterilising ALL the equipment i heated the wort, tipped it into the fermenting tub, then realised i only had a 1kg bag minus 110g of beer enhancer, so i used 110g of caster sugar.......is that an oooops moment or will things work out ok.
I know the stout has only been in the fermenter for 6 hours but a sneak peak under the lid it looks kind of flat. No bubbles like the Wherry kit did. Or is that my impatience showing and does it take a day before the familiar bubbles & light brown yeasty residue appears around the top of the tub.?
Do i add finings to a stout when the time comes ? (And when is that ?)
My fermenting tub has no hole in the top for an airlock & bung, can i cut one into it or not ?
I am fermenting with the lid of the tub on but not clicked all round - its this OK?
On the Wherry kit i started i forgot to take an SG before adding the yeast but did so straight after - is that already too late ? It read 1032 (as close as i could make out) but the next day it was 1052 !!! Can i take either of these as a SG to go with the 1014-1016 FG after 6 days fermenting to work out an approx ABV.?
So many questions i keeping i need answers too........oh yeah i got the bug for this homebrewing & look forward to any help & advise.
Cheers guys :) :
Only did a couple of barrels about 8 yrs ago & wasn't overly impressed but kept most of the kit & passed the homebrew stuff in Wilkos the other week & thought ya know what i'm gonna try again. So i've been doing some research & youtube hunting & restocked with the items that got thrown away & keeping finding myself with questions.
Yesterday i bottled some & barrelled the rest of a Woodfordes Wherry Real Ale kit. For the 1st time i used a packet of beer finings. I added this after 4 or 5 days to the fermenting barrel. Did i add this at the right time ? Thats 1 question.
Next question, when i bottled/barrelled i opened a pack of beer enhancer to use instead of sugar (only ever used granulated before), measured out 110g & put half teaspoon (actually 2.5ml side of medicine spoon) in each bottle & tipped the rest into the barrel. Was i OK doing this or have i upset the balance of either or aerated the beer ? (I've read its not good to bottle from the barrel after its secondary fermentation) but i 'think' what i did was secondary at that stage.
Question 3 - because i am prepared to be more patient this time round (instead of 'ahem taste testing after 7 days in the barrel - i am actually going to wait the recommended 2-3 weeks this time so it doesn't all run out by the time its reached its best), anyway i bought a Coopers Stout kit to try. After fully sterilising ALL the equipment i heated the wort, tipped it into the fermenting tub, then realised i only had a 1kg bag minus 110g of beer enhancer, so i used 110g of caster sugar.......is that an oooops moment or will things work out ok.
I know the stout has only been in the fermenter for 6 hours but a sneak peak under the lid it looks kind of flat. No bubbles like the Wherry kit did. Or is that my impatience showing and does it take a day before the familiar bubbles & light brown yeasty residue appears around the top of the tub.?
Do i add finings to a stout when the time comes ? (And when is that ?)
My fermenting tub has no hole in the top for an airlock & bung, can i cut one into it or not ?
I am fermenting with the lid of the tub on but not clicked all round - its this OK?
On the Wherry kit i started i forgot to take an SG before adding the yeast but did so straight after - is that already too late ? It read 1032 (as close as i could make out) but the next day it was 1052 !!! Can i take either of these as a SG to go with the 1014-1016 FG after 6 days fermenting to work out an approx ABV.?
So many questions i keeping i need answers too........oh yeah i got the bug for this homebrewing & look forward to any help & advise.
Cheers guys :) :
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