hi all, 1st time brewer, little help please

[geordie brewer]

hi all

hows it going,

i started my 1st brew last friday took hydro reading on sat (30) it was bubbling away in the bucket then did another reading yesterday still at 30, what does this mean, why is the hydro reading the same after a week is this normal??

p.s. after the second reading it tasted good

thanks for reading and hopefully helping

 

[Mark1964]

what do you mean 30 its a 4 numbered scale on a hydrometer

 

[geordie brewer]

sorry1030

 

[Mark1964]

Ok so it started at 1030 and its still like it now. Is your beer warm enough ideally between 18-24 deg c make sure its warm enough. You say its stopped bubbling it may be a stuck fermentation if the hydrometer reads 1030 for more than a couple of days try stirring the beer if that doesnt work try a new pack of yeast

 

[geordie brewer]

i thought it was warkm enough will leave it close to a radiator tonight see if that re starts it if not buy some more yeast. fermentation had definitly started (bubbles and froth at top)

thanks

 

[Mark1964]

make sure you use the hydrometer at 20 degrees and use a trial jar

 

[robsan77]

Hi,

Its been a week and no hydrometer change yet it tastes good? It must have been fermenting for it to taste good after a week. Maybe you need a new hydrometer? Did it taste as sweet as it does on brew day?

 

[geordie brewer]

no, no where near as sweet, maybe it was 20 degrees when took the reading will do another one in a bit

 

[geordie brewer]

just took another reading (1024) so has dropped a bit (but may have misread it yesterday) heating has been on bit more today have moved it out of kitchen to the dining room, next to radiator will take another reading tomorrow, if no change will add more yeast....

p.s. taste a bit flat

 

[shearclass]

I have stuck fermentation issue at the moment, can anyone help?

Started at 1.036, and am now stuck at 1.020. Been 1.02 since wendesday at least.

Do I

a) stir my brew
b)buy more yeast, add, stir
c) buy more yeast, sprinkle on top
d) something else

 

[Mark1964]

Give it a stir and keep it warmish if nothing happens sprinkle another packet of yeast on top

 

[BigYin]

just took another reading (1024) so has dropped a bit (but may have misread it yesterday) heating has been on bit more today have moved it out of kitchen to the dining room, next to radiator will take another reading tomorrow, if no change will add more yeast....

p.s. taste a bit flat

sounds positive :thumb:

Main lesson is to be patient, and keep the brew 'warm' (when I say warm, I mean 20 to 22c, not much more, not much less ).

When you say it tastes flat, do you mean 'not fizzy'? It doesn't get the fizz until the conditioning stage - either in a pressure keg or in bottles with a small amount of sugar :thumb:

 

[cnelsonplumber]

My first brew Woodforde's Nelson's Revenge was in the fermentation vessel for 3 weeks at 18 degrees although it did get stuck for a while. Advice from the forum suggested a stir which worked well but only after a day or so delay. As previously suggested patience is the key.

There are a couple of different types of adjustable heaters which will keep your brew at a constant temp and widely available for about £20

 

[Cussword]

As said before patience is the thing. Keep at a steady temp & give a good stir,then wait :thumb: Everything comes to he who waits. :

 

[johnnie]

I had the same problem with my first brew. It was in the FV for 14 days bubbling away but hydrometer kept reading the same. I think it was a little bit too cold. After joining the forum I decided to invest in an Electrim immersion heater (about£23). Quickly took the lid off and sterilised it and the heater and plonked the heater in. Fermentation finished in a few days after that. My second brew finished in about 6 days. I'm now on my third, (a BIAB) which I started yesterday and is almost crawling out of the FV. I'm not an expert but if you want to ferment quickly I suggest you buy a heater, although others suggest that a longer fermentation produces a better beer.

 

[geordie brewer]

Thanks for all the replies I did another reading on saturday and was 1020 so getting there, its hard to keep it at the same temp with not being in all day and heating not staying on etc. I may buy one of those heater. Things of may just wrap it up in a blanket lol whicheve is cheapest

 

[StubbsPKS]

Thanks for all the replies I did another reading on saturday and was 1020 so getting there, its hard to keep it at the same temp with not being in all day and heating not staying on etc. I may buy one of those heater. Things of may just wrap it up in a blanket lol whicheve is cheapest

Once the beer reaches temperature and fermentation starts, the beer will usually produce enough heat from fermentation to keep it up to temp. If it doesn't seem to be doing that, then wrapping it in a blanker works quite well :)

I am probably going to be investing in one of those electrim heaters with a thermostat though, just to keep things a bit more regulated :thumb:

 

[geordie brewer]

did another reading last night its 1011, all the froth has gone off the top and it looks like lager will take another reading tonight and hopefully be bottling by weekend :

 

[geordie brewer]

hey all another question, i will be bottling at the weekend (aint got enough bottles yet though) i was wondering are there any guides or tips etc on bottling, i dont have a tap on my fermentation bin, i have just got a youngs u bend syphon which stops the sediment be sucked through syphon. (apparantly)

:thumb: