New Member, first brew.. not going well?

[caferaca]

Hi all,
This looked like a good place to get started and ask for some advice.
I started a home brew kit about 10 days ago, and I don't think its going to well.

It was a young American pale ale, and came with dry hops. I made a mistake of not reading the instructions too well and added the hops (in a muslin bag) right at the start. I since found out these should be added at the end!

Also I didn't take a hydrometer reading at the start, but did after 7 days. 1010, which on the chart says 1.3 % alc. i also tasted it, very bitter (does smell nice though), I guess due to the hops being added early.

I checked it again yesterday, and exactly the same reading.
Also , all of this time there have been no bubbles at all , just a bit of condensation in the bubble tube thingy and the lid.

Basically I think its not fermenting. I should mention that the first week it may have been too cold. (in a room at the back of my garage) I have since wrapped the bucket in a blanket and stuck a rad by it. Temp now reads about 24c.

I sterilized everything as best as I could at the beginning and got plenty of air into it as well, so not really sure what happened, apart from adding the hops too early and maybe the temp was too low.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers and hello everyone,
Rick

 

[Martybhoy]

Dry hopping at the start shouldn't be a problem.

As for alcohol, you can only work that out if you have that gravity before fermentation and after. You have the gravity after fermentation. All that means is you won't know the ABV. You could estimate it by using the starting gravity target (instructions should have this).

At 1.010, you definitely fermented. There may be an air leak in you fermenting bin. It happens. Don't sweat about it. Check the gravity again in 2-3 days, and if you're still at 1.010, fermentation has finished. If it has crept lower than 1.010, give it a few more days, until you get identical readings a few days apart.

HOWEVER - take it away from the radiator. I'd also remove the blanket. Then put the fermenting bin in a place where the temperature doesn't fluctuate much.

Oh, and welcome to the forum!

 

[LarryF]

First things first, it's all fine. Adding the hops in at the beginning is fine, I've done it loads of times. If it smells nice then you're onto a winner. The review for this beer says an OG of about 1050 and you're down to 1010 so you're on course to bottle after 14 days fermenting and you're looking at a beer somewhere about 5+%. Don't worry about the lack of airlock activity it could be that the seal on your FV wasn't all that and the CO2 will bleed off there. If you're beer was infected by bacteria or wild yeast you'd either smell it or you'd have an SG reading of 1001. What are you planning to do with it, bottle or keg? You've got a few days to read up on both. What I would recommend is that you do a back to back brew so bottle/keg it clean all the gear and get another kit on straight away that way you'll build up a stock. Any worries or concerns just ask and you will get answers and the only stupid question on here is the one you don't ask.

 

[caferaca]

Thanks fro the replies gents.

Good to know I haven't ruined my first batch!

I was planning on bottling the beer after two weeks. I have lots of old beer bottles washed and ready, with caps all ready to go. presumably I have to sterilize them as well?

I also have a pack of sugar drops, which I think you drop one in each bottle to give it a bit of carbonation?

I'll turn off the rad, and remove the blanket and check the hydrometer reading on Saturday , that will be 2 weeks. If the reading is the same (1010), I guess that is OK to bottle?

I might buy a barrel for the next brew so I can start again straight away ( not sure I will drink 40 pints in 2 weeks .

Thanks again.
Rick

 

[DavidHatton]

Also i have had youngs kits go as low as 1.006 the last youngs american ipa did, they come with a huge packet of yeast, as others have said let it go on,

D

 

[Alside101]

Also , all of this time there have been no bubbles at all , just a bit of condensation in the bubble tube thingy and the lid.

did you put any water in the bubble tube thingy (air lock)

 

[Martybhoy]

Yeah, bottles need sterilised. They also need to be clean before sterilising.

Sugar drops - usually one per bottle. I used to add 2, but that was too much.

You're good to bottle once you have matching gravity readings, a few days apart.

How are you planning to bottle? Do you have a separate bottling bucket, with a tap?

Your beer won't really be ready until after 2 weeks in the bottle, although it can vary. During these 2 weeks, the bottles should be kept at room temp (20° or so). This is essential for good carbonation. After this time, chill and drink.

 

[terrym]

I was planning on bottling the beer after two weeks. I have lots of old beer bottles washed and ready, with caps all ready to go. presumably I have to sterilize them as well?

I also have a pack of sugar drops, which I think you drop one in each bottle to give it a bit of carbonation?

I'll turn off the rad, and remove the blanket and check the hydrometer reading on Saturday , that will be 2 weeks. If the reading is the same (1010), I guess that is OK to bottle?

I might buy a barrel for the next brew so I can start again straight away ( not sure I will drink 40 pints in 2 weeks .

Thanks again.
Rick

If your hydrometer reading has bottomed out then the primary fermentation has finished, and it is safe to bottle.
In my view your objective should always be to bottle clear or nearly clear beer, however, if the SG has been stable for a week my guess is that the beer in your FV is pretty much clear, so you should be OK.
You should consider how you are going to stop hop bits going forward from your FV into your bottles since it seems you have dropped the hop pellets in as they are. I use a small sterilised fine mesh nylon sock over the end of the FV end of the siphon tube and this works well.
And you should sterilise you bottles before you fill them with beer.
And when you have added the priming sugar and sealed the bottles you will need to keep them in a warm place for one to two weeks for the beer to carb up.
Then find a cool place in which to store the bottles and try one after two or three weeks, by which time it might be ready to start drinking in quantity but might also improve with keeping a few weeks longer.
I did this kit some time ago and it turned out really good. :thumb:
PS If you are thinking of buying a PB you might find this useful
Guide to a Standard Home Brew Pressure Barrel

 

[chewie]

Thanks fro the replies gents.

Good to know I haven't ruined my first batch!

I was planning on bottling the beer after two weeks. I have lots of old beer bottles washed and ready, with caps all ready to go. presumably I have to sterilize them as well?

I also have a pack of sugar drops, which I think you drop one in each bottle to give it a bit of carbonation?

I'll turn off the rad, and remove the blanket and check the hydrometer reading on Saturday , that will be 2 weeks. If the reading is the same (1010), I guess that is OK to bottle?

I might buy a barrel for the next brew so I can start again straight away ( not sure I will drink 40 pints in 2 weeks .

Thanks again.
Rick

How/with what did you wash your bottles? After cleaning they should be dried completely as bacteria can start to form quite quickly, i would not clean bottles anymore than 2 days in advance to sterilising and filling.

If the sugar drops are carbonation drops then prime a few with the carbonation drops and the rest with table sugar, mark the bottles you used carb drops on and then compare side by side the ones with sugar, you won't use carb drops again at about £2 per packet for 50 or so compared to table sugar at 60p for a kilo which will do 200 bottles at 5g a bottle.

If you have a second FV or bottling bucket then rack the beer to it the day before bottling, this will help no end with helping to bottle a clear beer. The temptation is always there to bottle every last drop but this can add a lot of sediment to bottles.

Read up thoroughly on barrels, they aren't cheap and tend to give a lot of problems that you need to check for well in advance before putting beer near them, do the groundwork and prepare it first.

 

[jackthehat]

'...not sure I will drink 40 pints in 2 weeks'

You may surprise yourself!

 

[Dutto]

Rule One - Don't worry. Beer and God are very forgiving.

Rule Two - Stop messing with it. Neither of the above are totally forgiving.

Rule Three - After bottling leave it alone for at least four weeks before tasting it.

Rule Four - Get your next brew going as soon as you have bottled this one.

Welcome to the Forum!

 

[caferaca]

Thank you all for the responses. It all sounds like great advice.

I should mention I took the muslin bag containing the dry hops out after 10 days ( I know I got it all wrong), but panicked that it was making the beer too bitter). So all the sludge from that is contained.

It looked fairly clear on Wednesday, I will check it again tomorrow, and if the reading is the same (1010), I'll bottle it I think.

I washed the bottles in soapy water and rinsed thoroughly. let dry and stored in closed cardboard boxes ( a couple of months ago). I'll do the same with sterilising powder before bottling.

With the FV I got, there is a tap, on the bottom, which attaches a tube which is supposed to have a sediment catcher. Not sure if it works or is any good, but is meant for bottling.

So after that, airing cupboard (or somewhere warn for 2 weeks, than rack for 2-3 weeks, and consume in great quantity :smile:

Sounds like a plan.

I like the idea of having bottles instead of a barrel I think, mainly because it's easier to carbonate? certainly chill before drinking and give away maybe. We'll see.

Any I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[caferaca]

All bottled up sitting in the spare bedroom. Very exciting!

 

[caferaca]

Update: I tried my first bottle last night. All in all very impressed. Good head, some fizz, not too murky, and most importantly it tastes pretty good. Certainly good enough for me to get through 40 pints
It's a bit early I think, as its only been bottled for 3 weeks, but couldn't resist.

Also I started another brew a week ago. Youngs kit again, this time the new work saison. this time this one is bubbling away, and I bought a heated mat for it, as its likes the warm apparently. Anyway will bottle that at the weekend I think.
All going good. Thanks for the advice fellas.