Hi Eric from North Wales

[ericmark]

Christmas 2012 started me with first kit. Young's Harvest Bitter in the main. Also tried some wine kits and a Coopers Ginger beer.

For the wine it seems a lot of messing for very little gain so that has been left for another time but the beer has gone well. However there are a few unanswered questions.

1) Starting:- With the Young's Harvest Bitter just put it all in and off it goes, but with the Coopers Ginger beer it seems to just sit there so put some of the Young's Harvest Bitter yeast into it which seemed to start it off. Done three Coopers Ginger beers and all seem slow starting. I note with wines you put yeast into cup first and I wonder if I should do same with Coopers Ginger beer or maybe I just did not wait long enough (three days).

2) Time for bottling:- told to use hydrometer and not go by bubbles in the air lock but with Coopers Ginger beer the reading was nearly at 0.000 but still bubbles in the air lock which even after a few extra days did not seem to stop so bottled anyway. Plastic bottles so testing pressure.

3) Again Coopers says add one carbonation drop per 375ml then fill and seal, but no carbonation drops in the kit. I added half a spoon of sugar like in Young's Harvest Bitter seems OK but not sure.

4) Young's Harvest Bitter gives a few sets of instructions on back of label and it seems to say for Yorkshire bitter add extra sugar (1.5kg) and also reduce water for a stronger ale and I am uncertain if stronger refers to alcohol or taste? So if I add more water will it be slightly less bitter and if I add more sugar will it have more alcohol? I realise there is a limit as yeast will die once a point is reached but how much leeway is there to amounts of water and sugar?

5) Temperature:- All have a temperature range i.e. 18 - 24 deg C. During summer at moment this has not been a problem but in the winter central heating does not run over night unless very cold and the brew may fall below the 18 degs at times and since placed next to a radiator there could be a gradient within the fermenter. The Coopers Ginger beer is 21 - 27 deg C and I wonder if one should select different kits depending on time of year. Or even use different yeast?

Up to now touch wood everything I have brewed was drinkable and well within the limits I would accept the only down point is I am drinking more due to reduced price. But see no need to re-invent the wheel and if some one can give some pointers they likely I can adjust the methods to give a near perfect pint. As to alcohol levels the only real problem is knowing when I can drive as can't really count it when I don't know level anyway. So at moment any drink then no driving and likely to stay that way.
Lucky bus service in my part of North Wales is good.

Thanks Eric

 

[Algernon]

Hi and welcome.
Wow, what a lot of questions. I don't do wine or GB (yet) but I can do a couple of the beer questions.
3. Half a teaspoon should be fine. Some like a little more, whole spoon gives you a lager-ish level of fizz, bit less than half gives you sparkling but not fizzy. Experiment until you find the fizz level you like. Don'g go over a decent teaspoon per bottle though or you may have problems with weaker bottles exploding. I hear this is unpleasant.

4. Never done Young's kit so can't help there. In general terms, sugar adds alcohol but reduces flavour, leaving a beer quite dry. Brewing "short" (i.e. with less water than usual) makes the beer both tastier and stronger. Tastier is a matter of opinion, of course. Some people prefer some kits brewed long, others prefer them short. Brew to the instructions first, then fart about with the next ones to your taste. I have taken kit yeast up to 10.6% abv so I doubt you'll kill it with your current plans.

5. WHat they say it will do and what it makes nice beer at are not the same. Aim to keep ales below 21c if possible. I have never tried to brew ale too cold, so cannot comment on that. I imagine it would be slow to take off. If you have no means to control fermentation temps then as a vague guide, ale in spring and autumn, lager in winter and saison in summer. Different yeasts will definitely thrive at different temps and I think some modern yeasts can even brew nicely at over 26c. never tried them though.

In terms of ABV, if you measure the OG and FG with a hydrometer, add about 0.2% for your priming and that should be a ballpark figure. Even in the pub they are only required to be within 0.5% of the true value (and 1.0% when it gets to around 5 or 6%).

I have waffled... oops

 

[joe1002]

Welcome to the forum :

2) Do yo mean 1.000?

3) 1/2 teaspoon to 375ml should create a decent fizz

 

[ericmark]

In general terms, sugar adds alcohol but reduces flavour, leaving a beer quite dry. Brewing "short" (i.e. with less water than usual) makes the beer both tastier and stronger. Tastier is a matter of opinion, of course. Some people prefer some kits brewed long, others prefer them short. Brew to the instructions first, then fart about with the next ones to your taste. I have taken kit yeast up to 10.6% abv so I doubt you'll kill it with your current plans.

Oh that's great news. I have been slowly increasing both water and sugar think last one I may have over done it. Very active but will not know for another couple of weeks. Sorry to say not very good at record keeping and so had some better then others but don't know which was which. Took photos of hydrometer then did not label bottles.

I was using old sherry bottles but caps not too good so losing pressure. However found a cork that fits so now corking and using screw cap to keep cork in place. But like old pop bottles as easy to check pressure being plastic.

Aim is to build up stock so that it can remain in bottles longer. But although Younger's only needs just over 2 weeks the Coopers Ginger Beer is very slow getting on for 3 weeks in fermenter (says one week on tin) then another 3 weeks before it is supposed to be ready for drinking. But since running out of bottles thought it was good time to try it.

Done two boxes of wine kit but only the Solomon Grundy has been completed a cherry very nice but for 7 bottles seems a lot of work. What I am looking at is my Apple tree. Ended up with some cider by accident last year. Stuck it juicer then bottled but run out of room in fridge the stuff not in fridge was very nice except for marks on ceiling!

 

[dennisking]

Hi and welcome.

 

[ericmark]

2) Do yo mean 1.000?

Only the Ginger beer went that low. But not too easy to read.

think I need a beer hydrometer not a wine one?