Muntons santas winter warmer fermenting question

Equinox101 · Dec 3, 2011

Ive got this brew on the go at the moment, put it in last Sunday, muntons say 4 to 6 days, today will be the 6th.
There's still a lot of bubbles coming through, also there was a lot of bubbles in the first day and a half so much so it nearly blew the top of the bin off (even with the airlock).
I've opened the lid and it smells nice but also smells strong, is this usual for this type of brew? It hits the back of my nose but I wouldn't call it vinegary though.
I've also noticed now there seems to be about a cm at the bottom of sediment.
Is this usual for this brew, or is there going to be a chance I might lose this one?

chrisrelva · Dec 3, 2011

No help from me but I have a pack of this waiting to go in the tub so will be following the thread with interest.
:drink:

klaus · Dec 3, 2011

The kit estimate is always very optimistic I think you got at least another week for it to quieten down and clear. Never had any problems with Muntons kits. Not sure what you mean by smell hitting the back of your nose? Perhaps you got a good whiff of CO2?
Anyway, you should be fine - give it another week and you will be ready to bottle. Check FG though as usual.

Equinox101 · Dec 4, 2011

Thanks for the reply klaus. My first brew was a brew fern framboos which said 7 to 10 days fermenting and it had slowed around 6 days so I was curious this time :wha: last night though it started to slow

Yeah I think you right it's probably co2, theres no Oder to it just the nice drink to be : cheers:

Is it usual to see what I think is about 1cm of sediment at the bottom of this brew?

andyd · Dec 4, 2011

I made this kit a few weeks ago. It took just under two weeks before I bottled it, although it did seem to stick around about 1020. In the end I bottled it at 1018, rather high but it didn't seem to be going any further.

My experience with kits would suggest 8-10 days is usually the length of time needed to reach FG. As klaus says the instructions on the kit tend to be optimistic.

The level of sediment you describe doesn't sound unusual to me so I doubt you need to worry about this. I've taken to dropping my brews into a second FV after 3/4 days to avoid having them sit on this level of sediment throughout but whether this is beneficial is debateable.