Must have equipment.

[Wrongway]

If the airlock lid has come off it sounds like you're in business so won't need the extra yeast. With the yeast that comes with the Wherry kit is a bit temperamental but seems to prefer warmer temperatures so you might want to increase the temp of the water bath to 22c after a few days of vigorous fermentation at 19c.

That's interesting about the Wherry yeast Mick. I usually brew all grain but have been given a Wherry kit recently by a kind relative. I was going to set it off this weekend, just to see what it's like. I am tempted by the yeast comments to use another yeast such as a Safale S-04 which has always performed well. Do you recommend doing that?

 

[Obfu]

In the past I've done Woodford Wherry, Nelson's Revenge and Admirals Reserve using just their own yeast without issue. If the yeast can be temperamental as DoctorMick suggests, I'd have a your Safale-04 as backup but pitch the Woodfords one. If it takes, you get to drink the beer as Woodfords intended, if not, you have your trusty backup.

 

[Aphid]

If the airlock lid has come off it sounds like you're in business so won't need the extra yeast. With the yeast that comes with the Wherry kit is a bit temperamental but seems to prefer warmer temperatures so you might want to increase the temp of the water bath to 22c after a few days of vigorous fermentation at 19c.

Thanks for your comments. Vigorous fermentation would be good! :-)
After many hours there was little sign of any actionleaving me concerned that something was wrong. Noticing that the wort temperature was reading 24C led me to think I had compromised the yeast in some way. As you say, the suggested range is 18-20C and the only way I have been able to achieve this in the bath is to relocate to my garage. Fingers crossed that fermentation is finally underway. A video I watched of the same kit showed the airlock bubbling away right from the off. Mine is the simple version - lid tube slides into the liquid within the other tube - rather than the winemaking style one on the video. Thanks for the heads up on temperatures. I will certainly bear this in mind.

 

[DoctorMick]

When I was brewing kits it wasn't unusual for the pre-fermentation lag to be 24-36 hours so I wouldn't worry too much. With the initial temp being 24c you wouldn't have killed the yeast and, if anything, it should have kicked off quicker at the warmer temperature.

 

[Aphid]

When I was brewing kits it wasn't unusual for the pre-fermentation lag to be 24-36 hours so I wouldn't worry too much. With the initial temp being 24c you wouldn't have killed the yeast and, if anything, it should have kicked off quicker at the warmer temperature.

Be aware of a possible lag is good to know. Thanks. Given that the yeast should be fine starting out at 24C wouldn't I expect the start of fermentation to be sooner rather than later?

 

[DoctorMick]

Be aware of a possible lag is good to know. Thanks. Given that the yeast should be fine starting out at 24C wouldn't I expect the start of fermentation to be sooner rather than later?

Yeah, I wouldn't be concerned until about 48 hours.

 

[Aphid]

Yeah, I wouldn't be concerned until about 48 hours.

Just got back from work and straight to the garage to check the brew - or lack of. Good news, I think, 24 hours after making up the wort. From watching the airlock it looks like fermentation is well under way and the water bath is maintaining a steady 19C as set. Deep sigh! Encouraging signs at long last. :thumb:

 

[Misneac]

Today I created "Capt. Misneac's Patented Siphon Seal & Fruit Fly Excluder with Adjustable Sediment-Ease Technology". As impressive as it sounds it's basically a plastic spice bottle with one big hole and about a hundred little holes in the bottom, two or three rubber bands and a plastic bag. The large hole in the bottle is sized to the outside diameter of my auto siphon. The small holes are smaller than a fruit fly. Spice bottle sits on top of my carboy and the siphon passes through it, into the liquid. This would be fine except the spice bottle shifts around a bit and occasionally leaves gaps where a bug could get in. Voila! A plastic bag skirt and 2 rubber bands to secure it to the carboy and the spice bottle. The third rubber band is incase you made your large hole too big. It would go around the siphon itself to keep it from dropping further than you want. The wee holes in the spice bottle were bored with a small paperclip heated red hot. I may reinventing the wheel but if so it cost nothing to do and took about 45 minutes to make once I got started. I'm fairly new at brewing so if I have duplicated something extant I'm curious to hear about it.

 

[Doglaner]

Aphid, I posted about yeast problems a couple of weeks ago entitled "Should I Ditch it....?"

Have a read through that if you want to learn from my mistake and also to see how it has gone. Some great comments, too, from other forum members. Mine only got going properly after nearly 2 weeks!! Time will tell what it'll turn out like, but I'm very glad I persevered.

As to my first brew, it was also a Woodfordes Wherry. Came out really nice, and I bottled it in 2l sparkling mineral water bottles.

I progressed on to kits with hop additions, then to some where you steep grains to make a tea to add to the brew, then on to kits with some boiling on the stove with hops, before topping up with dried malt extract (sticky mess ensued), and finally to all-grain, which I am now doing. I mostly bottle, but do the odd keg when it is empty, about every six months. I try to brew monthly and use a bench capper - fantastic.

Useful bits of kit - a turkey baster for taking samples for testing gravity reading. Heavy duty cardboard boxes for bottle storage (full and empty) - I use jacket potato boxes from my local farm shop. Free and fit 20 bottles perfectly. Two boxes per brew. Finally I have made fermenting fridge which I got on Gumtree for £40, plus an inkbird temperature controller, and a greenhouse tube heater (Birthday presents) and then some plywood to build a support for the FV, and I can control the fermentation temp to within a degree.

Good luck. It seems to me like you're doing everything right.

Oh, and a large supply of old towels to go on the floor near the sink while I'm cleaning and sanitising. What a mess.

Right. Got some gardening to do.

Dog.

 

[Aphid]

Aphid, I posted about yeast problems a couple of weeks ago entitled "Should I Ditch it....?"

Have a read through that if you want to learn from my mistake and also to see how it has gone. Some great comments, too, from other forum members. Mine only got going properly after nearly 2 weeks!! Time will tell what it'll turn out like, but I'm very glad I persevered.

As to my first brew, it was also a Woodfordes Wherry. Came out really nice, and I bottled it in 2l sparkling mineral water bottles.

I progressed on to kits with hop additions, then to some where you steep grains to make a tea to add to the brew, then on to kits with some boiling on the stove with hops, before topping up with dried malt extract (sticky mess ensued), and finally to all-grain, which I am now doing. I mostly bottle, but do the odd keg when it is empty, about every six months. I try to brew monthly and use a bench capper - fantastic.

Useful bits of kit - a turkey baster for taking samples for testing gravity reading. Heavy duty cardboard boxes for bottle storage (full and empty) - I use jacket potato boxes from my local farm shop. Free and fit 20 bottles perfectly. Two boxes per brew. Finally I have made fermenting fridge which I got on Gumtree for ���£40, plus an inkbird temperature controller, and a greenhouse tube heater (Birthday presents) and then some plywood to build a support for the FV, and I can control the fermentation temp to within a degree.

Good luck. It seems to me like you're doing everything right.

Oh, and a large supply of old towels to go on the floor near the sink while I'm cleaning and sanitising. What a mess.

Right. Got some gardening to do.

Dog.

Thanks for sharing. You sound like a man of my own heart. The progression you describe matches my own ambition to a tee, right down to setting up a brew fridge...which I am currently investigating for warmer months when ambient temperatures are too warm.
Although I am chomping at the bit I realise I mustn't run before I can walk and everything that happens along the way can only be good experience, as long as you learn from it. Still don't like it when things (appear to) go wrong, though. ;-) I read another forum about people wondering whether or not to ditch. As you have discovered, every single person advised to hang on in there and reported at fine brew at the end.
I have already ordered my next Beer kit - a Woodfordes Admirals Reserve - with some additional basic equipment and plan to try a New World Saison kit after that. Mr order includes two boxes of Ox-Bar Coopers bottles for my second batch, as a progression from the pressurised barrel. After that, a beer fridge and towards extract kits. Exciting times ahead!

 

[Aphid]

Here's a list of Inkbird models for the new members.

Inkbird ITC-308,the most hot sale model with heating and cooling socket.
Inkbird ITC-310T, you can set 6 periods of temperature, timer heating and cooling thermostat.
Inkbird ITC-306T, 2 stages timer temp controller.
Inkbird ITC-1000, DIY heating and cooling temperature controller.
Inkbird ITC-2000, DIY heating OR cooling temperature controller.
Inkbird IHC-200, humidity controller.
Inkbird IHC-230, temperature & humidity controller 2-in-1 unit.
Inkbird IBT-2X, kitchen bluetooth thermometer,ok for mashing, temperature range: -50 ~ 300 ° C.

How us the ITC-308 different from the ITC-308s...apart from price?

 

[Clint]

I think the s has a longer temp probe which is detachable. .
308 on my shopping list!

Cheers

Clint

 

[Aphid]

I think the s has a longer temp probe which is detachable. .
308 on my shopping list!

Cheers

Clint

Thanks, Clint. Is there an advantage to having a longer probe that can be detached? About £5.00 price difference, I think.

 

[Ale]

Just reading through this. After posting this I am off to get an auto syphone and 2nd FV. I currently have one with a tap and bottling wand so getting the second so I can do a secondary fermentation and batch priming.

My next addfition will be a fridge. I have a heat belt on an STC 1000 temp controller. Someone mentioned getting a heat belt a few pages back. I like mine but havng it on a temperature controller makes a big difference for any heat source. At the moment the world is my fridge but come summer it'll be easier to have one thats properly controlled. Last summer I used a garden trub (the large plastic flexible bucket things that they sell eveywhere now, someone said they didnt know). It worked fins and adding a fan on the STC 1000 would work even better, but a fridge is the ideal solution so keeping my eyes open for a free one.

The only problem I have had with a heat belt is I currently have a 23lt FV and a 5lt demi-john with my first small AG fermenting. Its not easy getting them both on the same temperature, although within a degree or so is pretty easy. If I can get a tall larder fridge for the brew fridge that can fit both it would be ideal.

After that my next addition will be a big boiler for AG brews.

 

[chimpo]

A tall fridge is really good, My first fridge was free as i had it in one of the rentals but it just about allowed a taller FV. I then got a 2nd tall larder fridge which I can keep a tall fv in , heater in bottom door shelf , temp probe stuck on Fv . The extra space can be used for conditioning any surplus bottles that don't fit in cornie or make a starter yeast.
When stocked I may use it in summer to hold cornie and some bottles to drink fitted beer tap to top.

 

[Horse]

Commandeering the family fridge for your homebrew fermentation costs nothing except your marriage, potentially, but will be the best investment for your beer. Although we all focus on the gadgets around making wort, because it's hands on and is geeky, in reality, it's the yeast that does the work, and yeast really like consistent temps.

 

[Manxnorton]

Home brew kit..
FV's various styles (price according your budget for grains and the beers)
Hydrometer & trial jar
Long handed paddle (stainless steel if you can)
Air locks (different styles)
Star San or other steriliser
Syphon long and small
Demi johns (glass 5l or placca 23l
Rubber bungs for them)
Tubing (various widths and length for various jobs like blow off tube)
Bottles (glass 500ml, 1l pep bottles etc) wine & beer
Crowns and a crown machine
Bottle and Demi jons brush various style
Turkey Baster (optional)
Grain containers (hard plastic and sealable)
AG up grade
Mash tun (size and types to suit budget) SS will last and shiny shiny
HLT (size and types to suit budget)
Boiler size and types to suit budget)
Bottling stick (optional)
All in one AG system- I have a GrainFather and I'm chuffed I've bought it..but! Budget suits
And finally enjoy the hobby.

If your serious about the hobby and in my 30+ years home brewing I would up grade some of the items that will last a life time!
SS last and look shiny shiny
Fermentation temps control would be on my list also
STC 1000, inkbird etc
DIY Ferm chamber
The last would be media apps etc
Brewmate etc, a good brewing book to save hard copies
And never tell your partner how much you've payed for the kit!!!

 

[nigelnorris]

OK so I was bored, but I bet not many have remote monitoring of temperature control in the garage. Good job Inkbird does glow in the dark displays.

 

[Ale]

OK so I was bored, but I bet not many have remote monitoring of temperature control in the garage. Good job Inkbird does glow in the dark displays.

A few years ago I was at Lidl near work and they have a weather monitor with a wireless temperature sensor meant for outside temperature. The wireless sensor now lives in my garage, on top of the fv under the insulation I wrap it in. Gives remote current, max and min temperatures.