Just bottled my first brew

[johnnie]

Just bottled my first brew from a youngs kit I was given as a Christmas present. I primed the bottles with sugar, (other posts have mentioned priming with glucose and spray malt, but as this is my first attempt I thought I'd stick to the basics). I used one clear bottle so that I could see what was happening. When the brew hit the sugar it really fizzed, but this subsided after a minute or so. Since then nothing has happened. Should I expect to see anything such as bubbles? or has something gone wrong. I'd also like to try a few more kits before moving on. Anyone recommend a good ale kit?

 

[Dunfie]

Well done on getting the first one bottled. You are fine with sugar as the amount of flavour that you add at this stage is negligible and the key thing is to get the beer carbonated. I've never used anything other than white sugar to prime my beer.

So what should you see now? Well not a lot to be honest. The yeast is working hard within a hostile alcoholic environment to squeeze as much food as it can from the sugars it finds in the bottle. With the normal amount of priming sugar you gain around .1% abv from the secondary fermentation over the course of a week to a fortnight and in return you will get some carbonation and the yeast will also continue to work on anything alse it can find adn remove the off flavours that can occur (oxygen, various ethanols etc). If the beer is still cloudy you will hopefully see it begin to clear over the course of a few days and you will also see a thin film of yeast deposit on the bottom of the bottle.

 

[Grumpy Jack]

Can't add much to what Dunfie has said, usually you cannot see the secondary fermentation taking place, but you will over time see the brew clear and any sediment will settle out nicely and hopefully you'll have a good clear beer to sup!

As for a good ale kit, well, what kind? Choices, choices... if you're looking at a simple to do and good value kit, then I can heartily recommend Coopers English Bitter, this has possibly been my most successful brew to date and Andy in my local HBS has had a similarly good result, far above what we both expected and though mine was bottled and his barrelled, they were comparable quality and taste, with just the expected differences between the two vessels.

If it's a darker brew, then Coopers Dark Ale or Tom Caxtons Dark Ale have been good to me or, if you want a golden ale, then Coopers Sparkling Ale is top quality. If you want to go Belgian, try Brewferm's Tarwebier...

...all these are single can kits and have been good value and very good brews to me. Good luck!

 

[BigYin]

One of the most drinkable kits I ever did was a 'Ruby Red Ale' - really lovely beer :

As to the bottles, no, you won't see bubbles in them - until you open the cap and relieve the pressure :thumb:

 

[johnnie]

Thanks guys for your help. Suppose i'll just have to wait for a few more weeks. In the meantime I might try the Coopers.

 

[abeyptfc]

One of the most drinkable kits I ever did was a 'Ruby Red Ale' - really lovely beer :

As to the bottles, no, you won't see bubbles in them - until you open the cap and relieve the pressure :thumb:

who makes the 'ruby red ale' bigyin?

 

[Grumpy Jack]

St. Peter's Brewery in Suffolk do a good Ruby Red Ale -

http://www.colchesterhomebrew.co.uk/col ... d-Ale.html

 

[BigYin]

That's the very badger :thumb: :drink:

 

[abeyptfc]

cool man i'll maybe give it a try, I've got a coopers mex cerveza and the milestone raspberry wheat beer that i'll maybe stick on over the weekend. not had any beer kits on in quite a while, most recently bottled a californian conn red and white wine so looking forward to getting back into the beer action.