New guy needs advice

[Cidermonkey]

Hi folks, this my first post here except introducing myself, 3 days into my first brew ever I just got a youngs lager kit to see if I have everything ok before. Go into kore expensive lagers. Just wanting to know do you keep the lid on the fermention bin until day seven like the instructions say or do you need to open it and stir the contents? I havnt opened it in fear anything would go wrong. The bin is a youngs bin also and it is extremely hard to see what's going on in there! The lid is rising slightly and it's starting to smell just like lager can't wait to get it bottled up and start conditioning!

 

[Cussword]

Hi CM, leave it alone, don't stir it :nono: . Do you have a hydrometer? Did you take a SG reading at the start? If so leave it for a week then test the gravity, when it's the same reading for 2/3 days, then you can rack it.
Welcome to the forum :thumb:

 

[broadfordbrewer]

Hi Cidermonkey and welcome,
I've done this kit and it turned out just fine when I followed the albeit limited instructions in the pack. As cussword says, done't stir it but take a reading if you can so you can be sure when its finished. Also, maybe just me, but I would crack the lid open on your FV to let it breathe a little and leave it open until its done now.

 

[Cidermonkey]

Ok that's great thanks. And as for bottling and racking is normal beer bottles ok to use. Re use them just give them a good sterilise? Ad the pint bottle to buy are very expensive, however in time I will get some? Just add half a tea spoon of normal White sugar to the bottle then will with the larger and cap? Sorry the instructions are very basic!!

 

[BigYin]

Bottles - use only bottles that have previously held a fizzy, pressurised drink - so beer bottles - or a cheaper option is the 2litre plastic bottles that drinks mixers like tonic or fizzy water come in - of course you'll have to drink 2 pints every time you open one :lol:

If you use normal beer bottles, best to get the 500ml ones, and preferably dark glass - you can use the clear glass ones, but they must be stored somewhere dark to prevent the beer 'skunking'. They can be bought for just under a tenner for 15 Clicky - but for a 21 litre brew you are going to need 40 or so bottles.

You will also need a capper and the caps - unless you are using the grolsch bottles.

Depending on how fizzy you want the beer put about half a teaspoon of sugar into each bottle. Beware that too much sugar can lead to a beer that's too fizzy to pour, and the possibility of the dreaded exploding bottle... Normal sugar will do - I like to use soft brown sugar - up to you!

Another option you may not have investigated yet is a pressure barrel - another chunky investement, but one you can use again and agian, and again....

 

[broadfordbrewer]

Yeah reuse beer bottles for sure. Just make sure you have cleaned them right to the bottom, with a stiff brush if you have one, then wash in hot soapy water, rinse them, stand them in a diluted sterilising solution (I use VWP) then rinse them really well with with cold water. add 1/2 to 3/4 tsp of sugar per pint bottle, but if the bottles are smaller then you'll need to account for this. Then crown cap as you say.

When bottling up, I like to sterilise 10 bottles and when they are done and while I'm filling them and capping them, the next 10 bottles are sterilising for 5-10 mins... and so on. It just breals the process up a little and makes it a little more interesting, rather than doing 40 of everything all in one go.