Hello from Ashford

[RichieBeer]

Hi

I'm brand new to the forum and this whole home brewing caper, although I'm very experienced when it come to drinking beer.

I got this starter kit from my kids and I've finally got round to giving it a go on Sunday (1/10/17). I sort of wished I did a bit more reading here before I started but nevermind.

I've followed the instructions on the side of the FV but they seem rather vague compared to some of the kit advice here. E.g. there's nothing in the instructions about the temperature that you should add the yeast. Mine was about 24 degrees, is this too high? The room where I've sited the fermenter is about 22 degrees.

Some of the advice I've since read seem to be contradictory, like some say snap the lid of the FV on tightly and others say just leave it loosely on top. Mine is fitted tightly - there is no airlock or anything. Anyway, I had a peek this morning and it seems to be bubbling away I plan to leave it now until next weekend when I'll start checking with my hydrometer.

It's only a 1.5kg kit so I'm not too fussed if it doesn't work just as long as I know what went wrong for next time.

Fingers crossed

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Welcome to the forum :

I think the general rule is if you have a hole for an airlock snap it shut if you haven't don't snap it shut all the way round you need enough of a gap to let CO2 out but no bugs etc in)

.

 

[terrym]

Welcome to the forum.
This might be of help
Basic beginners guide to brewing your own beer from a kit - The HomeBrew Forum
For ales 22*C is at the top end of where you would normally want to be, 18-20*C is better.
Perhaps consider a water bath if you have the space, say in an unheated spare room or a garage.
How to Set up a Water Bath for your FV - The HomeBrew Forum

PS I see you have a Wherry kit. This is known for sticking i.e the fermentation stops before it should. Some Wherries do, some don't. If you have not got one already I recommend you buy a hydrometer to measure the SG of your beer (Wilko's sell them). If your beer has stuck your SG will stabilise at about SG 1.020 not about 1.010. There are some strategies for getting it going again, but you might be lucky and it finish as it should.
More on the Wherry kit here
http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=17784

 

[RichieBeer]

Thanks for the pointers. I'll see if I can find somewhere with a slightly cooler ambient temperature. I had the foresight to get a hydrometer from Wilkinson's before I started. My initial reading was 1.041. So I'll take another reading in a few days and see if it has indeed "stuck"

Sent from my Lenovo TAB 2 A10-70F using Tapatalk

 

[Gerryjo]

Hi and welcome to the forum...

 

[Jakeyboi]

Hi from Hastings. Don't even open the lid for at least two weeks to take a reading. It really does make a huge difference if u just leave your brew alone, I know how exciting it is with the first few brews. Enjoy