BigYin
Regular.
OK, so I've got 2 kits I'm going to start soon. I've brewed 3 before with reasonably good results, but I'd like to get better results...
At the moment my two main questions are about fermentation time, and yeast.
I've tried a few searches, but words like fermentation and yeast tend to return a LOT of hits on a forum like this :lol:
Firstly - yeast - I've always simply used the yeast supplied with the kit, and sprinkled it, dry, into the brew mix pretty much last thing, given it a really good stir, and left it to get on with it.
I don't think I do enough brewing to justify buying a specialised yeast as I suspect I'd get very little used up before it got too old to use :hmm:
I've read about activating the dried yeast in some water first? Good idea? Not really needed? Bad idea?
Next - fermentation time - a 6 or 7 day time suits me as that lets me do weekend to weekend brewing. Reading a lot of chat on here has made me wonder if I should be leaving the brew longer before bottling - and if that allowed more yeast to drop out of suspension that might help with clarity and of course reducing any yeastiness left after bottle conditioning?
I don't have a second FV (yet - no immediate plans to get one though) so the brew will have to stay in the original FV for the full duration, and although I'm meticulous about disinfecting everything, since you have to open the lid on the FV to do initial stirring, and later SG testing, ther eis always a risk of some bacteria getting in, and if it was sitting an additional week, that seems to me to present a much higher risk of a spoilt brew... am I being over-cautious??
Thoughts, opinions appreciated!!
At the moment my two main questions are about fermentation time, and yeast.
I've tried a few searches, but words like fermentation and yeast tend to return a LOT of hits on a forum like this :lol:
Firstly - yeast - I've always simply used the yeast supplied with the kit, and sprinkled it, dry, into the brew mix pretty much last thing, given it a really good stir, and left it to get on with it.
I don't think I do enough brewing to justify buying a specialised yeast as I suspect I'd get very little used up before it got too old to use :hmm:
I've read about activating the dried yeast in some water first? Good idea? Not really needed? Bad idea?
Next - fermentation time - a 6 or 7 day time suits me as that lets me do weekend to weekend brewing. Reading a lot of chat on here has made me wonder if I should be leaving the brew longer before bottling - and if that allowed more yeast to drop out of suspension that might help with clarity and of course reducing any yeastiness left after bottle conditioning?
I don't have a second FV (yet - no immediate plans to get one though) so the brew will have to stay in the original FV for the full duration, and although I'm meticulous about disinfecting everything, since you have to open the lid on the FV to do initial stirring, and later SG testing, ther eis always a risk of some bacteria getting in, and if it was sitting an additional week, that seems to me to present a much higher risk of a spoilt brew... am I being over-cautious??
Thoughts, opinions appreciated!!