HELP!

[homegrownalan]

hi guys

i bottled up my 1st ever homebrew on sunday, i had a look at the bottles today and all 20 of them have sediment in the bottom of them :sick: what have i done wrong :hmm: :hmm: :hmm: help please :wha:

 

[jans1971]

hi guys

i bottled up my 1st ever homebrew on sunday, i had a look at the bottles today and all 20 of them have sediment in the bottom of them :sick: what have i done wrong :hmm: :hmm: :hmm: help please :wha:

im a newbie as well and i asked the same question , it is normal so dont worry :thumb:

 

[EskiBrew]

Yo haven't done anything wrong :thumb: You have made real ale and there is live yeast in it - not a problem

If you have lots of yeast at the bottom then perhaps you carried a bit too much across to the bottles but it won't hurt really.

Depending on what yeast you used, it may form a compact stable sediment but to be on the safe side, be careful when you pour the bottles to make sure you don't disturb the yeast - you will have to pour the whole bottle in one go - try not to tip it back halfway through because it will stir up the sediment.

If you'd prefer to have only a little yeast in future when you're bottling, you might want to look into racking the beer to a secondary fermenting vessel for a few days to allow it to drop bright before bottling.

Well done on completing your first brew :clap:

 

[tubby_shaw]

As jans said it's normal :thumb: in fact you have just made your very own bottle conditioned live ale

 

[homegrownalan]

: : : : :clap: hay me goody goody :clap: thanks guys thought i had totally cocked it up PHEW thank good for that, i'll well chuffed now thanks guys cant wait to start a new brew, a guy at work is giving me a pressure barrel and heating elements at the end of the week, so i'll be totally up and running, i'll be needing some help with that kit, so i'll be in touch :thumb:

 

[llannige]

Well done on the first of many. :thumb:

 

[Moley]

If I may be permitted to hijack and extend this thread, rather than starting a new one, I bottled my first brew when everything had finished but before it started to clear. Sure enough, after 2 or 3 days in the warm and now 2 weeks down the cellar (Victorian houses can be a PITA but have their plus points) it's thrown a fairly heavy but hard sediment, no off tastes and I can pour virtually the whole bottle.

I left my 2nd brew for at least another 36 hours before bottling, it's beautifully clear now but I have far less sediment. From the feel of the few plastic bottles I have used, there's less pressure. Will that continue to build if it's left longer, or is that my lot?

We have a narrowboat, not a shiny new posh one but it does for us. If the weather's fine there really isn't much better than chugging through England's green and pleasant land at a leisurely 3mph with one hand on the tiller and a beer in the other.

Naturally, next time out I would like to take a crate of my own brews. Will homebrew travel, or would I be better off clearing in a secondary, casking and injecting CO2?

 

[Wez]

Good question about the pressure & time ... you get most of what you are going to get during the week in the warm, then thats it.

I'd imagine that the bottles will travel well on a narrowboat :thumb:

 

[homegrownalan]

Hijack away mate no probs :thumb: sounds like the ideal life that u discribed do u need a 1st mate i'll even wash yr empty bottles out and refill them lol lol

 

[Moley]

Sorry Alan, nothing personal but you're the wrong variety, I already have a 1st mate, otherwise known as SWMBO, or in boaty terms, OCM (Other Crew Member).

It's not always idyllic, can be a pain when you're on a schedule and have to keep cruising even though it's p!$$ing down, but it can be very pleasant when the weather's kind, and then you find a decent pub to moor outside.

Occasionally you might find a queue at a lock, but that's just an excuse to crack open another beer and chat to the other crews waiting. Where else can you have a beer and enjoy a traffic jam?

 

[Wez]

It does sound great :thumb:

We plan on having Narrowboating holidays when our kids are a bit older

 

[tigertim]

Hi guys,

Another related hijack, if you don't mind :)

My kit brew has been in a pressure barrel at about 10-12C for two weeks now, and it flows nice and clear. It tastes pretty damn nice, but it's a little sweet and probably not quite up to the 4.3% the kit is quoted at (Woodforde's Eastern Ale). I followed the kit instructions to the letter, but I notice people here suggesting leaving the pressure barrel in a warm place for a week before moving to a cooler environment - mine was only in the warm for the two days suggested on the instructions before I moved it out to the garage so I'm wondering if a significant proportion of the priming sugar didn't get a chance to ferment, leaving the slightly sweet taste?

Is there any point in raising the temperature to 19-20C for a week before returning back to 10-12 to try and get some more fermentation, or would this risk ruining the brew altogether?

I guess I'm asking whether I can attempt to make a good beer better, or whether I put it down to experience, enjoy the brew as it is without risking making it worse, and make a point of giving my next brew longer? :)

Thanks for any advice, guys! :

 

[Wez]

Hi TT

I'd say no to be honest, if you can enjoy the beer stick with it.

The sweet taste may be from unfermented priming sugars but the risk of infecting now from messing about with it is not worth it - as long as it's drinkable.

Go with a week next time bud :)

Wez

 

[tigertim]

Hi Wez,
Thanks for the reply!
Oh, it's definitely drinkable - one might almost say quaffable
I'll take your advice in leaving it as it is, and look forward to applying all my new found knowledge to the Nelson's Revenge I have queued up!

All the best,
T.

 

[Wez]

nice one TT

Who do you use (shop) Solihull is not far from me

 

[tigertim]

Hi Wez, I use Studley Homebrew. I regularly drive past the front door, so it's easy to stop and pop in. Really friendly and helpful, too! :thumb: