Merry
Active Member
Iâve just kegged my 4th kit brew â muntonâs smugglers and Iâm wondering if there is a problem with my setup or technique as Iâve never managed to get a beer anywhere near what most people consider to be the target FG.
My first attempt was a Wherry which got stuck at 1020. After 2 weeks I gave it a good stir to try to kick start it but to no avail, so a week later I repeated the process and added a packet of S04 yeast, but it still would not budge. After another week I kegged it, and within a few days there was plenty of pressure. It turned out to be perfectly drinkable, if a little sweet.
My second kit was the Milestone Lionâs Pride. This achieved the lowest FG of all my attempts so far, 1012 which I think is acceptable (someone mentioned in another post the Milestone kits had a higher FG), after 3 weeks in the FV. Again, it was perfectly drinkable if lacking body.
Next up was the Woodfordeâs Norfolk NOG, this time I reached 1016, although Iâm fairly certain the instructions said I should be aiming for 1006. This time I transferred to another FV to try in introduce a bit of oxygen but it made no difference. I didnât bother adding another yeast packet since it didnât seem to make a difference the first time, just primed and kegged and again the pressure is fine.
Now Iâve decided not to mess about with the Muntons. It had 2 weeks in the FV and got to 1022, I transferred to a second FV, itâ dropped to 1017 on the first day and stayed there for the next 3, so Iâve primed and kegged it.
I had initially wondered if the temperature was dropping too low overnight so invested in a digital thermometer and checked 24 hour max and min. The temp stays between 22.4 and 24.4 so I guess thatâs not the problem.
Iâve checked my hydrometer it reads 0 at 24 degrees in water so I donât think that is a problem.
I make sure I get plenty of oxygen in when Iâm adding water to the malt so I wouldnât have thought that would be a problem, butâ¦.
â¦.something just doesnât seem to be right. Itâs not that the beers taste bad or off, in fact they have all been quite pleasant, if a little weaker than I would have hoped. Thereâs no problem with carbonation, easily get through half a keg before I have to add any gas. In fact, some people may wonder what Iâm moaning about. But the point is, I want to make sure Iâm getting the best possible results from kits before I invest the extra time and money in progressing to extract and eventually all grain brewing.
Iâve read plenty of posts from people whose kits drop to 1006-1008 after 4-5 days as well as plenty from people whose kits get stuck around 1020 after 2 weeks. So the question is what am I doing wrong? Or should I just blame dodgy kits?
My first attempt was a Wherry which got stuck at 1020. After 2 weeks I gave it a good stir to try to kick start it but to no avail, so a week later I repeated the process and added a packet of S04 yeast, but it still would not budge. After another week I kegged it, and within a few days there was plenty of pressure. It turned out to be perfectly drinkable, if a little sweet.
My second kit was the Milestone Lionâs Pride. This achieved the lowest FG of all my attempts so far, 1012 which I think is acceptable (someone mentioned in another post the Milestone kits had a higher FG), after 3 weeks in the FV. Again, it was perfectly drinkable if lacking body.
Next up was the Woodfordeâs Norfolk NOG, this time I reached 1016, although Iâm fairly certain the instructions said I should be aiming for 1006. This time I transferred to another FV to try in introduce a bit of oxygen but it made no difference. I didnât bother adding another yeast packet since it didnât seem to make a difference the first time, just primed and kegged and again the pressure is fine.
Now Iâve decided not to mess about with the Muntons. It had 2 weeks in the FV and got to 1022, I transferred to a second FV, itâ dropped to 1017 on the first day and stayed there for the next 3, so Iâve primed and kegged it.
I had initially wondered if the temperature was dropping too low overnight so invested in a digital thermometer and checked 24 hour max and min. The temp stays between 22.4 and 24.4 so I guess thatâs not the problem.
Iâve checked my hydrometer it reads 0 at 24 degrees in water so I donât think that is a problem.
I make sure I get plenty of oxygen in when Iâm adding water to the malt so I wouldnât have thought that would be a problem, butâ¦.
â¦.something just doesnât seem to be right. Itâs not that the beers taste bad or off, in fact they have all been quite pleasant, if a little weaker than I would have hoped. Thereâs no problem with carbonation, easily get through half a keg before I have to add any gas. In fact, some people may wonder what Iâm moaning about. But the point is, I want to make sure Iâm getting the best possible results from kits before I invest the extra time and money in progressing to extract and eventually all grain brewing.
Iâve read plenty of posts from people whose kits drop to 1006-1008 after 4-5 days as well as plenty from people whose kits get stuck around 1020 after 2 weeks. So the question is what am I doing wrong? Or should I just blame dodgy kits?
