hi from tyne and wear

[paul_tatum]

so today my wife bought me , a barrel , a bucket , a spoon , a syphon some cleaner sterilizer and a few other things but im sure i need a thermomiter and a bung , ah well ive read the instructions and i now have a coopers stout under way.
ive never used a forum so i might get things wrong

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Welcome to the forum :
If you have any questions you will find lots of friendly members here who will be more than happy to help.

 

[Mike1981]

hi, welcome to the forum and enjoy your new hobby!

 

[jessthecat]

Hi and welcome

 

[Twostage]

Hi Paul,

Fellow North Easterner :thumb:

 

[LarryF]

Hi Paul, I bottled a Coopers Stout on 15th Feb after giving it 2 weeks in the FV, two weeks in the warm and two weeks in the shed, and although I should leave it for a while longer I'm finding it very drinkable now. Keep an eye on it in the FV, mine went off like a rocket within a day of pitching the yeast.

 

[paul_tatum]

Cheers, just a bit worried that I don't have a thermometer or a breathing cap??

 

[Will3694]

Hiya Paul.
Great forum for newbies this one.
If your close to me I'll drop a n airlock off.
I'm NE17

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Cheers, just a bit worried that I don't have a thermometer or a breathing cap??

If your bucket has a lid with no hole for an airlock you can lay the lid on top and the CO2 will escape, nothing will be able to get into the bucket as there is no gap.

A thermometer costs around £3 at Wilko or you can get a stick on one for less but they are not as accurate.

 

[paul_tatum]

thanks for the tips , i think my brew may be damaged as my house has not kept a temperature of 21 degrees , also there is loads of froth on top of my brew , im still going to leave it till friday and move it to a barrel , i have just ordered a heat belt for my next attempt and i will be getting an air lock today , thanks all help is appreciated

 

[Spapro]

If its only been going a few days then a froth on top is absoloutely normal and a result of fermentation taking place.

It needs a good couple of weeks in the primary fermentation vessel before bottling or kegging.

Have you got a hydrometer - which is the thing for measuring the gravity of your brew ?

Really worth having a hydrometer - its the only sure fire way of knowing if your brew has finished its primary fermentation. Once you think your brew is done you take a measure with the hydrometer. Then you take another after 3 days. If the reading is unchanged over the 3 days and around the 1.010 to 1.012 mark then your brew is ready for bottling or kegging.

A Hydrometer can be picked up wherever you are buying the airlock from and won't cost much - Wilkos (wilkinsons) sell them for £3.50

Good Luck with your brew !

 

[melotone]

What also comes in handy is a cheap self adhesive liquid crystal thermometer to stick on your fermenting bucket. That way you can always check the temp of your fermenting wort. Be sure to check out the min and max temp of your yeast on the package or the website of the company, so can keep it going within those barriers. Normal barriers are between 20 and 23 to 25 degrees celsius. Have fun!

 

[paul_tatum]

I got a hydrometer and it is measuring 15, first time I've checked it and it's only been 4 days of fermentation is this OK, cheers

 

[Spapro]

That sounds like good going - make sure you are reading it correctly, its easy to take an 'optomistic' reading because of the miniscus of the liquid surface.

Nice post here about reading a hydrometer correctly:
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/reading-hydrometer-confused-109289/

If the reading of 15 is correct (which is really 1.015 - or 1015) then thats doing well, make sure you are not brewing at too high a temperature as it will ferment out more quickly but you risk getting some off flavours as a result.

Check the instructions for the kit - most Coopers kits say something like ferment at between 18°C - 27°C. If thats the guideline try to keep your brew at a constant-ish 20°C for best results. 27°C will brew quickly put produce off flavours.

I would definately still leave it for a total of 2 weeks from pitching the yeast in - don't rush it. Then test the gravity - if its got down to 1010 - 1012 its ready for bottling/kegging.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

 

[paul_tatum]

so this is where my newbie head is at , 1.000 is water (nothing added @ 20 degrees) , when the ingredience are added it should drop to about 1010 - 1014 ? or is that 1040 , i could be wrong not to sure , how do you tell if fermenting is working , im so confused and i bet its simple , thanks for the advice and tips guys and girls

 

[Chippy_Tea]

The picture is just to show how to read it your reading will be different.

You know its fermenting as the reading will change daily until its finished then it will stay the same over a couple of days.

 

[Spapro]

You are correct, 1.000 is water (no ingredients) at 20°C

When you start your brew you take a reading with the hyrdometer (before pitching your yeast). This is your starting gravity and will be something like 1.040 - 1.050 depending on the amount of fermentables (sugar) you have added.

You then take a finishing gravity reading (this is the one you are looking at being stable over 2-3 days so you can bottle/keg). The finishing gravity should be around 1.010 - 1.012 ideally.

You can use the difference between the starting gravity and finishing gravity to calculate the strength of your brewed beer in ABV%

An example:
If your SG was 1.044 and your finishing gravity was 1.012 then the difference is 0.032
you then times your difference (0.032) by 129 to get the ABV% so 0.032 x 129 = 4.1%

In simple terms adding a bit more sugar, honey, spray malt etc when mixing your brew at the start increases the starting gravity and produces a stonger brew.

 

[Twostage]

I find the colour markings on the hydrometer confusing. I realise they have done it that way to make it easier but for me if they had stuck to having a colour for each 10 degree section would have been better for me.

Instead you have a yellow that goes from below 0.996 to 1.006 and the black goes from 1.006 to 1.010.

If you just use it as a quick yellow means 'OK to bottle' and red means 'probably a reasonable gravity for beer' then it's OK. But like many, I suspect, we want to know what the actual gravity is and we have to try and not see the colours.

I'd much prefer yellow is 1.000 to 1.010 then three bars into yellow would be 1.006.

I'm actually now wondering if the reading I took last night is right.

 

[paul_tatum]

so , on saturday i decanted the stout to my barrel as the hydrometer was reading bottle , i also used a brewers hydrometer which read 5.1% , i tasted and had a good smell tasted like rocket fuel then settled to a nice coffee treacle taste , in the barrel i used 100 grams of sugar , 50 grams of brewing sugar 25 grams of brown sugar and 25 grams of white sugar , think i am going to bottle it after saturday as no way will i drink 40 pints