Is it ruined?

[alster]

Hi all. A bit of advice for a newbie if you don't mind. I've fermented a Wherry, racked it and placed it in a cold place. Its gone very still looking, which worried me. So I bulk primed it with 125g of beer enhancer and bottled it. It seems rather sluggish carbonating/not carbonating. Have I killed it?

I racked and bottled a Vimto TC at the same time right from the fermenting cupboard. I can already feel that the pressure inside the couple of plasticy Cola bottles I did has increased already they're firming up but my Wherry bottles aren't.

 

[BarnsleyBrewer]

put it in a warm place... :thumb:

 

[alster]

put it in a warm place... :thumb:

I have they're both back in the fermenting cupboard. Maybe the TC's gassed up quicker because it was never put in the cold I'm not sure whats the best method.

 

[BarnsleyBrewer]

To carbonate you need to have it in a warm area for around 2 weeks then move to a cooler place..

 

[alster]

To carbonate you need to have it in a warm area for around 2 weeks then move to a cooler place..

So you recon it will carbonate eventually then, I thought I'd killed the yeast in it or something terminal.

 

[BarnsleyBrewer]

To carbonate you need to have it in a warm area for around 2 weeks then move to a cooler place..

So you recon it will carbonate eventually then, I thought I'd killed the yeast in it or something terminal.

Should do, give it time.... :thumb:

 

[alster]

To carbonate you need to have it in a warm area for around 2 weeks then move to a cooler place..

So you recon it will carbonate eventually then, I thought I'd killed the yeast in it or something terminal.

Should do, give it time.... :thumb:

I will be more patient thanks.

 

[rpt]

It's worth getting a hydrometer and so you will know if the fermentation has finished and it is ready to bottle.

 

[alster]

It's worth getting a hydrometer and so you will know if the fermentation has finished and it is ready to bottle.

Yeah cheers I did all the hydrometer stuff. not the numbers I have a Wilko one with coloured bands it was in the correct band prior to pitching yeast and was in the correct band and steady when I first racked it. I then put it outside in the garage as I'd read on here and it went really still and lifeless. It was below freezing outside we had a good frost, the garage couldn't have been much warmer and I was worried it got too cold and was ruined. My couple of plastic bottles are firming up now anyway so it must be carbonating.

Thanks to all who responded, its good to have somewhere to come to get advice. I'll probably be back for more pointers soon, I'm keen to learn ways to improve kit beers as I can't see myself getting so complex I start all that mashing and stuff.

 

[rpt]

Ignore the coloured bands. Only the numbers are of value when discussing brewing - the bands on your hydrometer may not match those on mine. Plus you need the figures to calculate the ABV.

 

[alster]

Ignore the coloured bands. Only the numbers are of value when discussing brewing - the bands on your hydrometer may not match those on mine. Plus you need the figures to calculate the ABV.

I'm pretty sure what I'm doing with the hydrometer is OK. Its just not as exact as a lot of you boys. Its got a band for starting beers and a wider band for starting wines OG and a band for bottling SG as I say I go roughly by these bands but would not bottle until reading is steady for at least 48hrs my TC's just fermended right through the bottling zone but I waited for it to become steady so I know its fully fermented out. I'm not overly bothered about ABV's I let my taste buds be my judge, though I do tend to prefer a stronger beer generally. I'd not hold it against a weaker one if I thought it tasted great. Still grateful for any advice I'm just not ready to become too technical just yet, maybe never its not in my nature.

 

[Brewbob]

From the kits I've done I'd say Wherry takes a lot of patience and I wouldn't recommend it as a first kit. It takes too long to condition and there is of course always the temptation to test what you've made, you'll end up drinking a young Wherry and you'll think hmm this isn't so great, but if you can stash a couple of bottles until after the summer you'll have a lovely drink.

I've started following a formula, obviously using your own judgement and changing it accordingly. But I go for 2wks ferment, 2wks in the cool (possibly in a secondary vessel to aid clearing), 2wks bottled/kegged in the warm to aid carbonation, (at least) 2wks in the cold again to finally clear and ready to drink. I have found though Wherry takes a lot longer to mature (a bit like me :lol: )