Newbie: Hows this hydrometer reading looking?

[cephei]

http://imgur.com/3EMdy

Day 6 of Coopers micro brew kit with the European Lager concentrate. Im still a little bit unsure of what im looking for with this hydrometer reading so I dunno if this reading is good or bad.

Its day 6 of being in the fermentation tank (coopers say leave the brew ferment for 7 days before bottling) Does this reading look where its supposed to be at? It says to do two consecutive reading on day 6/7 and if they are the same its ready to bottle..

Cheers :)

http://imgur.com/3EMdy

 

[Moley]

That looks like about 1.016 to me, which is still a bit high for a kit brew.
The two Cooper's kits I have tried both finished at 1.008

 

[cephei]

That looks like about 1.016 to me, which is still a bit high for a kit brew.
The two Cooper's kits I have tried both finished at 1.008

Ok so what does that mean? Where may I have gone wrong or do I need to just let it keep going for a few more days?

Also I sampled a small bit of it.. It obviously hasnt finished but it tasted ok with a slight cidery after taste but I assume thats just because the fermentation hasnt finished yet and because it hasnt been carbonated in the bottles..

 

[john_s]

Ok so what does that mean? Where may I have gone wrong or do I need to just let it keep going for a few more days?

Sounds like you could do to let it run for a couple more days and take another reading.

 

[Moley]

Ok so what does that mean? Where may I have gone wrong or do I need to just let it keep going for a few more days?

Nothing wrong, what they print on the tin and how things work in practice can be two completely different things.

Leave it a bit longer, I have never bottled or kegged anything before day 10, it's usually more like day 14.

 

[cephei]

Phew was worried I had gotten it wrong.. Great i'll leave it till day 10 and take another test..

 

[Garry35]

Then you're aiming for a stable reading over a couple of days - it shows that fermentation has slowed and you're ready for the next stage!

 

[cephei]

Ok so its day 11 now with the coopers micro brew kit and european lager concentrate.. The last hydrometer reading I took was at day 6 and now this one is day 11.. Doesnt look like its done much. Can someone let me know whats going on im starting to get worried.. I tasted it again and it still has a cidery type taste.. smells like beer though..

Here is the reading at day 11..http://imgur.com/HovOj.jpg

Cheers

 

[rudeboy]

Its a bit hard to see but it looks like 1012, 1014 what did you put in with the kit, malt, dextrose or sugar because sugar will give you the cidery taste

If you used malt 1012 if you used dex or sugar much lower is finished 1008, 1006

 

[silversurfer]

I made European lager recently, I used a light beer enhancer in place of sugar, and with a closed ferment it was at least 14days before bottling, probably a couple of days longer. Reading at bottling was 1.006, and the result is a very pleasant lager, although nothing special. I think it best not to tamper too much, as there is a danger of introducing contamination.

 

[cephei]

I just used the dextrose brewing sugar that came with the coopers micro brew kit...I'll leave it till 14 days and take another reading and post back the results.. Is the cidery taste normal at this stage?

 

[silversurfer]

I try and avoid any chance of introducing contamination to my brews, I take an original gravity reading, and then throw the sample away, and I take a final gravity reading and again throw the sample away. Hopefully the cidery taste is only slight and once bottled will go away with conditioning. If you intend barrelling your brew, then I would suggest doing 4 bottles that you can use as testers.Try the first after 4 weeks , the next after 5 weeks and so on by which time the barrel might be ready. :thumb:

 

[cephei]

I just plan on bottling and storing as this is my first time. Here is the reading at 13 days http://imgur.com/4O6W9.jpg Doesn't look like its doing much.. Can someone advice as to how I should proceed.. Still a slight cidery taste from it...

 

[stephent]

Its defo moving, just leave it a few more days.

btw the coopers euro lager instructions state to condition for at least 3 months.