my first brew, help? / tips?

[mk2-matt]

hi all this is my first ever brew so as you can gather iv no idea what im doig haha, iv started a tom caxtos real ale kit (got everythg from wilkos), obv i have no idea if theyer a good or a bad kit? iv ben followig the instructios and have got it fermenting in the bucket it says 4-6 dys to ferment tomorw will be the 6th day so im going to syphon it into my prssure brrel & 500mll bottles for other people and add the extra sugar im just a bit confusd as its still extreemly cloudy, wen it settles in the bottles will there be like a sludgy stuff at the bottom? any help or tips i woud really appreciate

thanks matt

 

[Quantum freak]

I would ignore the time given on the instructions and leave it in the FV for a bit longer, you will get a better beer for it! I leave mine in the fermenter for around 10 days, take a gravity reading and when its stable I put it into a secondary FV with no airlock for a further 5 days, then bottle and leave for at least 2 weeks.
What I have now after doing that is a superbly clear and awesome tasting Wherry! :grin:

Patience is a virtue my friend :thumb:

 

[RobWalker]

your fermentation would have looked like airlock bubbling, big foamy head on the beer etc, have you had that? if it's gone away for a few days, you're probably ready :thumb:

if you have a keg i would suggest using that the first time around. sanitize, syphon your beer into it and add about 80g sugar to carbonate and pressurize it.

as for clarity, yes it's cloudy at the moment, but it will settle out to clear beer. in your keg, you will get clear pints no problem. in your bottles they will clear out and leave a layer of sediment at the bottom. you just give it a few weeks and it'll pack down nicely, then you pour gently off and sacrifice the last 1/4 inch or so :thumb:

sorry quantum, posted as you posted :p

 

[Quantum freak]

your fermentation would have looked like airlock bubbling, big foamy head on the beer etc, have you had that? if it's gone away for a few days, you're probably ready :thumb:

if you have a keg i would suggest using that the first time around. sanitize, syphon your beer into it and add about 80g sugar to carbonate and pressurize it.

as for clarity, yes it's cloudy at the moment, but it will settle out to clear beer. in your keg, you will get clear pints no problem. in your bottles they will clear out and leave a layer of sediment at the bottom. you just give it a few weeks and it'll pack down nicely, then you pour gently off and sacrifice the last 1/4 inch or so :thumb:

sorry quantum, posted as you posted :p

:thumb: no problem :grin:

 

[mk2-matt]

thanks for both your replys :) iv had the foam and yes its dissapeard :) would i be better off syponing it to the presure barrel adding the sugar then puttig it into bottles wen its cleared?

 

[jonnymorris]

As QF above suggests, leave it in the FV for at least 10 days. I give mine 2 weeks at 18-20degC and a further week somewhere cooler. It all helps to clear the beer.

When you cone to barrel/bottle do it all in one go, i.e. I wouldn't recommend bottling from the barrel. Do you have a bottling wand? I wouldn't try bottling without one.

 

[mk2-matt]

i was actully gona leave it an extra few days to be on the safe side anywy so i shall leave it for the 10 days as surgested then sypon into te pressure barrel to clear

 

[mk2-matt]

hi all, i took your advice and gave it the extra few days to ferment, i put it all into the pressure barrel yesterday added the sugar and gave it a swirl then put it in the airing cupbored where its warm, iv had a check on it this afrernoon to make sure it hadnt been leeking and the inward curv at the bottom of the barrel had poped out shud i release sum of the pressure? also wen i come to botte it in 2 weeks time shud i undo the lid (relesing th gasses) and sypon it orrrr do it from the tap?

thanks matt

 

[RobWalker]

sounds like it probably wasnt finished to me. it's over pressurized, so keep an eye on it over the next few days.

i'd also put it somewhere where a beery explosion wouldnt be an issue, just in case :lol: but that probably won't happen.

it won't work from the tap, you'll expose it to oxygen. you know how a pint tastes like crap when you're near the bottom? that's oxygen.

i'd drink from the keg personally, but if you want to bottle, you'll need to open the lid, prime again, stir and bottle straight away :thumb:

 

[mk2-matt]

sounds like it probably wasnt finished to me. it's over pressurized, so keep an eye on it over the next few days.

i'd also put it somewhere where a beery explosion wouldnt be an issue, just in case :lol: but that probably won't happen.

it won't work from the tap, you'll expose it to oxygen. you know how a pint tastes like crap when you're near the bottom? that's oxygen.

i'd drink from the keg personally, but if you want to bottle, you'll need to open the lid, prime again, stir and bottle straight away :thumb:

sooo should i release this pressure just in case? i will be drinking it from the barrel but i wat to bottle some to give away to a few friends, what do you mean by prime? and wont stirig it mix up all the sediment and cause it to go cloudy agen?

 

[lovelldr]

sooo should i release this pressure just in case? i will be drinking it from the barrel but i wat to bottle some to give away to a few friends, what do you mean by prime? and wont stirig it mix up all the sediment and cause it to go cloudy agen?

Yes, release a little of the pressure to stop it from bursting the barrel!

As for bottling, you would've been just as well bottling straight away , as you will need a little yeast to eat up the sugars that will carbonate the beer in the bottle

 

[mk2-matt]

hi all thanks for the help, had a bit of a party the other night and the brew went down lovley every1 commented how nice it was so i must of done somthing rght haha, iv now got anther brew on (a wilkinson cheepo) lets see f ths 1s any good

 

[fbsf]

Which wilkos kit did you get? Be interested to hear how it turns out...

 

[mk2-matt]

i got the dark velvet stout £10 comes with free brewing sugar

 

[fbsf]

Good man! I did a coopers stout recently and it was a belter. I did turbo it a little (see the link in my signature for my blog - the details are on there), but everyone that has tasted it has said how dangerously sinkable it is!