Noob in trouble with first brew !

[crasher600]

Hi guys sorry if you have probably answered this question like a zillion times before but i am running out of ideas and need some help.
I started my first ever brew on the 27th dec using a brew buddy bitter kit i was given for xmas, I followed the instructions and used a muntons beer enhancer instead of suger after a trawl through this and other forums. Fermentation semed to start ok and i had a froth on top of the brew and a few bubbles through the airlock i had fitted to the lid, then everything seemed to stop with the sg at 1.011 and it has been there for two days now.Also the froth has gone away almost completely but i can see bubbles in the test jar when i take my sg reading. I have the brew in a warmish room and whenever i have checked the temp of the brew it has been between 19c (at 2;30am !) and 22c. I did read about rousing the yeast on a forum so tried that late last night but there was no change. Have I got a stuck fermentation or am i letting my inexperience making me over think things ?. I would appreciate any input.

 

[Wez]

1.011 sounds like it's finished fermenting to me :thumb:

Welcome to the forum btw

 

[crasher600]

Hi thanks for the quick reply. I thought i needed to reach a 1.006 at least for it to be finished. At least that waht th instructions say. but 1.011 is good enough is it. happy days if it is ! :grin:

 

[Aleman]

If you used sugar then it could well have gone as low as 1.008 or 1.006, but as you used beer enhancer that will be less fermentable, and the fermentation will stop with a higher gravity around the 1.010-1.012 so your beer is right on the mark.

All grain beers will generally finish at 1.012, although by altering the mashing temperature you can get it to go lower . . . this does not always give the 'impression' of quality though.

You will see bubbles in the trial jar because the beer is saturated with carbon dioxide, and when you do the transfer the turbulence from filling will cause bubbles of CO2 to come out of solution

 

[crasher600]

WOOHOO!. I am sanitizing my keg as we speak. Thanks for the help guys. :

 

[westy]

Thought I'd keep my question in here instead of starting another thread as I am also a noob in need of help.

My brew is fermenting well now and a healthy froth is developing. I'm no expert but I think that's good! I did say I'd ask stupid questions as a noob, so here they are:

1 - How do I get a sample into my hydrometer without getting a load of froth?
2 - I know that the end of fermentation is generally measured by the hydrometer reading, but when should I expect it to end realistically? I started brewing on Sunday and it only really started fermenting overnight last night (Monday night). Today (Tuesday) it has really come along while I've been at work.

Does everything sound ok to you guys with it? It's exciting!

 

[Wez]

Hi westy

Hope this helps

1. Some homebrewers strilise their hydrometer and leave it in the fermenter for the duration of fermentation, otherwise unless you have a tap fitted to your fermenter you're looking at syphoning which could end up giving you an extra risk of infection.

2. The duration of fermentation depends upon a number of factors, temperature, quality of yeast, quality of ingredients etc etc etc, i've had beer ferment out in 3 days and some take 2 weeks :) normally what you expect from a fermentation is an initial lag after pitching the yeast where nothing happens, then you get a yeast head start to form, this can grow quite a few inches and even start to come out of the fermenter :shock: this will then die down and it won't look like much is happening, but it is....the best way to tell it's over is when it remains at a reasonably low final gravity (FG).

Sounds like it's going fine to me :thumb:

Cheers, Wez

 

[westy]

Cheers Wez. Sounds like I've made a bit of a boob with the hydrometer not being in the fermenter as I don't have a tap fitted. How might I get round that? I have a syphoning tube, but might a pippette or something do the trick? I'll obviously make sure everything is as sanitized as I can possible get it.

From your description of the froth, it sounds like I'm on track. Nothing happened for about 36 hours until I woke up this morning and a thin layer of small bubbles had formed. Now there is a pretty large froth on top, so I'll lay some towels down around it I think!

Thanks for the help, I'm really getting the bug for brewing and it's only my first attempt!

 

[Wez]

You can drop the Hydrometer in at any point, so your OK if it were me i'd put it in once that main yeast head has died down.

There are lots of things you can do to reduce that lag time like make a yeast starter and ensure that before you pitch the yeast you've beat the **** out of it to get lots of air in there, initially yeast needs lots of air in the wort to grow in number and an already working yeast will/should get things off to a faster start. You are less likely to get an infected brew if you can reduce the lag time.

Yep, it's quite an addictive hobby for lots of reasons :thumb:

One question, what sort of temperature are you fermenting at, 18c - 20c is the ideal.

 

[Smod]

I always put my hydrometer in the brew as I also don't have a tap and hate to lose too much taking a sample out.

Lift the hydrometer and "swizzle" around to get any foam and bubbles off and then gently let it back in and just "bob" it down to settle. It's not as accurate as doing it at eye level but would like to hear comments / corrections from others.

I understand using a Refractometer only requires a single drop from a pippet.

 

[westy]

Yes, I've got it at 18 degrees. Yet another thing I learnt on here before starting!

So I literally just drop it in? Stupid question, but how do I get it out?! I'm guessing it will float, but just want to make sure!

Don't know where I'd be without this forum - very glad I found it! I've been reading print outs to and from work on the tube! :P

 

[Smod]

OK don't literally drop it but hold the top as you are lowering it and it will float. Try it in a tall glass with water first to try it out.

 

[Wez]

Yep, it'll float just like a fishing float - if it sinks you've made the strongest brew known to man :grin:

Basically in simple terms it gets it boyancy from the amount of sugar in a brew so at the start before you put the yeast in most of it will be above the top of the wort, then as the yeast eats up the sugar it sinks down, thats how you measure how many gravity points you have fermented out.

Feel free to print a few more off and leave them on the tube :P can't beat a bit of free advertising

Thanks for the comments about the forum - we are very lucky to have a great set of helpful members here :thumb:

 

[westy]

Thanks.

Just so I'm 100% clear... are we talking about the sample pot here or the actual hydrometer itself?!

And 2nd question - have you ever had a more stupid question than that on here?!

As I know you fully understand - it will come to me once I've done it once, but forgive me while I struggle on for now! :

 

[BrewStew]

I understand using a Refractometer only requires a single drop from a pippet.

this is true but the alcohol in the beer will send the reading off and needs to be accounted for. from my understanding a refractometer is best at the pre yeast end of the brewing regime.

the hydrometer itself should be carefully dropped in. forget the trail jar if you've not got a tap in your fermenter

it may be best if you wait for the yeast head to die down before dropping your hydrometer in, cos it'll get caked in **** and make readings difficult... that and i've always wondered if the weight of the scum stuck to it could give a false reading (ie the few grams in weight of scum making it sink a little) :hmm:

 

[Smod]

Right. Two things.

1. Sample pot stays outside of the fermenting beer. You only fill it from a tap on the bin (which you don't have) or from a siphon tube then put the hydrometer into the sample pot with the beer in and take a reading.

2. The hydrometer goes in either the sample pot (if you have done as above) or put the hydrometer into the fermenting bucket as I described earlier and just leave it in. When you want a reading "swizzle" it as I described earlier to get rid of bubbles or foam which get attracted to it and take a reading.

Hope it helps :thumb: But don't worry it was all a bit nervous the first few times for me. I still forget to do things now

 

[westy]

Cool, thanks everyone. I'm clear now! I'll let you know how things go.

In no way at all did i nearly drop my sample pot in the brew. No way. Uh-uh. That would be silly.

 

[Smod]

:lol:

Let us know how you get on :

 

[Wez]

Nice one westy, looking forward to hearing how you get on.

BTW - Ask away :thumb:

 

[westy]

Ok, I think my brew is nearly ready for putting in the keg - the hydrometer reading is at 1.014 at the moment. My guess is that it should be ready tomorrow? Still a few bubbles appearing on the surface.

One question though as something is troubling me - when it was fermenting and there was a thick foam, some brown 'crust' appeared on the foam. As the foam has now died down, this crust is now sitting on the surface of the brew. I say 'crust', it looks a little like brown sugar.

Any ideas what it is, and this bad? Also, it has been brewing 7 days now, has something gone wrong for it not to be ready by now or am i just worrying unecessarily?