Kit Kockups

[TheOsprey]

So having brewed my first kit, which is now sitting in bottles in the garage. Having read the 200 word pamphlet repeatedly, here's the mistakes I made...

For a start, I had two kits. Both kits (and both packets of yeast) were out of date. I used the Geordie Winter Warmer which went out of date in Dec 2018, rather than the lager which went out in Sept (I think) 2017. Replaced the yeast with an order from The Home Brew Shop, along with a bag of brewing sugar (to replace the bag a mouse had got to in the garage) and a thermometer.

I found a day to start and used the cleaner sanitiser which came with the kit in the way shown in this video (mistake 1), and rinsed out with tap water (mistake 2? I filled it with tap water anyway...). I then heated the can, emptied it into the FV with a kettle of hot water and filled it to 27 litres, then pitched the yeast (mistake 3) I checked the OG and it came out as 1.12, which seemed strangely low - a quick check on here, and I realised that I hadn't added the brewing sugar (I bought it thinking I needed it, then didn't bother to check the instructions for adding it) (mistake 4). So I took out a couple of pints, mixed with the sugar and added back in.

Then I left the FV for a few days and checked it after 3 days. Looked good. Lots of bubbles - I don't have an airlock. Checked it again after a few more days and it gave off a strong smell of vinegar. I nearly binned it (nearly mistake 5). But I figured it couldn't get any worse than being binned. I then checked it after another few days and the vinegar smell was no worse, so I figured I'd bottle it anyway, it may just be the smell of young beer.

So I then decided that my 'rinse off after' cleaner sanitiser was going to be too much of a ballache to sanitise my bottles with, so I googled bottle rinsers and found the cheapest was on Love Brewing, and ordered from there (kind of mistake 5), along with a no rinse sanitiser powder, as their site said "shipping 6 days a week, with royal mail 24 hour delivery". What I didn't know was that it would take 3 days for them to dispatch it, and then 48 hours for Royal Mail 24 to deliver. For £4 more, I could've amazon primed it. Anyway...

I set about bottling it. I carefully carried the FV from the cupboard under the stairs to the kitchen, deftly whacking it on 4 door frames on the way, despite there only being 2 between the lounge and kitchen. I decided leaving it an hour would be a good idea, and started to sanitise. I showed my wife how exciting the bottle rinser was and she decided to help me. Once all were done, I realised priming as we went would've been easier. But never mind, so we started to prime the bottles (1/2 teaspoon golden granulated in each bottle) (mistake 6? I think a priming solution would've been better. We've got enough Calpol syringes in the house to build a shrine).

So after a couple of misfires, I started to syphon, with a pinch in the tube. First few were going well - syphon down to the bottom, fill and remove. Then I had a monumental brain fart (mistake #7,8,9 and 10) upon realising the priming sugar was stuck at the bottom (as if I imagined it would immediately dissolve. So I started swirling the bottles and shaking them to try and mix the sugar in (and adding the county's oxygen supply into the bottles as I went.

I've now put into the garage (not realising I needed to condition at room temp for 2 weeks), but having gone into the garage, the FV is reading 18 degrees, so I'm not too worried.

Some of the mistakes I've made, I feel utterly stupid for (particularly swilling the bottles), some I feel a little silly for, after reading people's advice on here, and some I feel should really have been mentioned on the instructions (which literally say 'After 10 days, siphon into bottles or a pressure barrel'), but in the age of the internet, I should (and did) research and not completely cock it up (and still did).

Maybe this post will help someone else to not make the same mistakes I did. Or maybe it'll just sink into the annals of forum history. On the plus side, I learned A LOT, and I put the bottles back into the boxes they came in, so at least the beer will taste like its packaging.

 

[terrym]

You haven't made as many mistakes as you think.
Tap water is usually fine for rinsing and making up kits provided its not chlorine or chloramine heavy (if it tastes and smells OK and you drink it from the tap its OK for brewing in my view).
Priming using half a teaspoon per 500ml bottles can be just as quick as fiddling about batch priming. In the end you find out whats best for you
Table sugar and dextrose usually dissolve quickly. I roll my bottles on their sides rather than shake them to help things along. And if you use PET bottles you can squeeze out the air before putting the cap on.
And not pouring your beer down the early on was a good move. You only do that when it should be ready after a few weeks and and you sadly find its not fit to drink.
Finally this might still be of help to you
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/...de-to-brewing-your-own-beer-from-a-kit.57526/

 

[kelper]

Unless you have a private water supply. the tap water is sterile so no worries there. The OG can't have been 1.12 it must have been 1.012. Don't worry, everyone misreads hydrometers as novices. Did you cover the FV with anything at all? Airlocks are not essential but you do want to keep the brewing beer free of contaminants.

Priming with sugar straight into the bottles is what we all do. The sugar will just dissolve by itself within 24 hours - no panic.

Thanks for making me laugh. Yes, you are an idiot, but it sounds like your wife has the family brains - good woman - treasure her.

A woman who helps you brew is a godsend, a woman who helps you drink it is even more valuable, she will become a trusted critic and double your pleasure. Who wants to drink alone? Send photo of beer when ready.

 

[Tanglefoot]

You'll make the whole process much simpler if you get a hydrometer
- you'll know your OG
- when it's ready to bottle ( constant FG for a couple of days )
- you'll know the ABV ( OG - FG, use brewers friend calculator Alcohol By Volume ABV Calculator - Brewer's Friend )

An airlock is a cheap useful guide to what's going on with fermentation, depending on how airtight your FV is.
An extra FV is helpful for racking off the trub or dry hops before bottling also for rinsing during sterilisation.
I would recommend a bottling wand as well, much easier for precise filling and the correct air gap at the top of the bottle.

Like the others have said, tap water is usually fine though certain types suit certain beers better. Some people
prefer botttled water but for convenience during lockdown I've used it straight from the tap no worries.
You can also get inline purifiers. I much prefer the idea of rinsing after sanitising but each to their own.

Yeast seems pretty resilient in my experience, cleanliness and keeping correct temperature are probably the most important factors in a successful brew.

Hoping it'll turn out well for you !

 

[TheOsprey]

You haven't made as many mistakes as you think.
Tap water is usually fine for rinsing and making up kits provided its not chlorine or chloramine heavy (if it tastes and smells OK and you drink it from the tap its OK for brewing in my view).
Priming using half a teaspoon per 500ml bottles can be just as quick as fiddling about batch priming. In the end you find out whats best for you
Table sugar and dextrose usually dissolve quickly. I roll my bottles on their sides rather than shake them to help things along. And if you use PET bottles you can squeeze out the air before putting the cap on.
And not pouring your beer down the early on was a good move. You only do that when it should be ready after a few weeks and and you sadly find its not fit to drink.
Finally this might still be of help to you
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/...de-to-brewing-your-own-beer-from-a-kit.57526/

Thanks for the link, that's helpful. I was confused about the water thing. Lots of 'don't rinse it in tap water' advice, but the rest of the water is coming from the same place... Fingers crossed it won't be too awful then!

[...]
The OG can't have been 1.12 it must have been 1.012. Don't worry, everyone misreads hydrometers as novices. Did you cover the FV with anything at all? Airlocks are not essential but you do want to keep the brewing beer free of contaminants.
[...]

Thanks for making me laugh. Yes, you are an idiot, but it sounds like your wife has the family brains - good woman - treasure her.

A woman who helps you brew is a godsend, a woman who helps you drink it is even more valuable, she will become a trusted critic and double your pleasure. Who wants to drink alone? Send photo of beer when ready.

If she got the brains *and* the looks, I really am screwed! But she certainly hates beer. She's just a fan of mundane jobs.

I had a lid on the FV, just cracked the side open a little. And yes, 1.012 - I totally did read it correctly at the time! Ended up 1.034, down to 1.004.

You'll make the whole process much simpler if you get a hydrometer
- you'll know your OG
- when it's ready to bottle ( constant FG for a couple of days )
- you'll know the ABV ( OG - FG, use brewers friend calculator Alcohol By Volume ABV Calculator - Brewer's Friend )

An airlock is a cheap useful guide to what's going on with fermentation, depending on how airtight your FV is.
An extra FV is helpful for racking off the trub or dry hops before bottling also for rinsing during sterilisation.
I would recommend a bottling wand as well, much easier for precise filling and the correct air gap at the top of the bottle.

Like the others have said, tap water is usually fine though certain types suit certain beers better. Some people
prefer botttled water but for convenience during lockdown I've used it straight from the tap no worries.
You can also get inline purifiers. I much prefer the idea of rinsing after sanitising but each to their own.

Yeast seems pretty resilient in my experience, cleanliness and keeping correct temperature are probably the most important factors in a successful brew.

Hoping it'll turn out well for you !

I do have a hydrometer, but not an airlock. I am planning to upgrade my equipment pretty soon, so will go for a second FV with a bottom tap and a bottling wand.

I've still got the lager yeast, but I'm not a lager fan, so that may never be used!


Thanks all

 

[nixhaz]

For ease next time, maybe get some sugar lumps. 1 per bottle is pretty much spot on I reckon.
I think we all balls up our first one or two, it's par for the course!
Hopefully it will taste ok, if not give it another go with the second kit and don't be afraid to ask questions, there's almost always someone on here who is available to answer!

 

[Cheyne_brewer]

One thing you might also try is buy one of B&Q's £1 spray bottles and fill with a solution of sodium metabisulphite. You can spot-sanitise spoons etc as well as spraying the insides of your FV and bottles after washing to keep them sweet during storage. I wash mine out immediately after use and give a quick squirt of solution before capping.

Incidentally, this solution will help reduce any chlorine in the water. Just don't use on a pressure barrel injector cap - the metal really doesn't like it!

 

[stan.distortion]

+1 to the spray bottles, I picked a pump-up pressurised one from a pound shop a few months back thinking it might come in useful for something sometime and it's turned out to be one of the best purchases I ever made, I only mix about half a pint of sanitiser and everything gets a thorough misting and there's still quite a bit left over.

I wouldn't worry too much about shaking bottles to mix up priming sugar, I bottled some wine in clear bottles a few days ago, checked them the day after and there wasn't a trace of sugar in the bottom, every grain totally dissolved.

A small funnel is a huge help with bottle priming, I 3d printed one to be a very good fit in a bottle neck and it's probably knocked 1/4 of the time off to prepare bottles. If priming with dry sugar it's well worth getting one, either made for the job or taking a knife to a bigger one that fits just right in the bottle neck.

 

[Binkei Huckaback]

One thing you might also try is buy one of B&Q's £1 spray bottles and fill with a solution of sodium metabisulphite. You can spot-sanitise spoons etc as well as spraying the insides of your FV and bottles after washing to keep them sweet during storage.

I've never heard of sodium metabisulphate being used as a sanitiser, only as a preservative. At least two home brew shops recommend you don't use it as a sanitiser. Probably as it's only a bacterial inhibitor, rather than killing it and that it gives off a gas when mixed with water.

 

[kelper]

A tap in regular use will dispense water that is free of bacteria. If you go to a rarely used tap I suppose you might have problems; even then all you need to do is run the tap for a few minutes. You should be using a tap that is mains pressure as all kitchen taps should be. The other taps in your home might well be connected to a cold-water header tank. So we are both right.

 

[GhostShip]

I don't think you've made as many mistakes as you seem to think, but either way, look at what you've learned along the way!

You'll do the second one slightly differently, probably learn from that, and number three will be different again.

If you get a drinkable brew from this one (which is entirely possible), just think what you can go on to achieve! Good luck!