Basic Brewing
New Member
Hello,
I currently have two brews on the go, a Tom Caxton dark real ale and a Geordie Scottish export. Both were started on 4th March with identical equipment; 30L fermenting bucket with tap and air lock. I am scrupulous about cleaning everything. Silver Spoon white sugar was used and both 40 pint kits were made up to 37 pints because that's the 21L line on the buckets.
The only difference is that the Ale is a few inches from a radiator and the Export to the left of that, so one bucket width from the radiator. Using stick on thermometers both generally measure about 20 degress and the Export can sometimes read one degree lower than the Ale. A digital thermometer on the same table is generally reading 19 - 20 degrees. I don't know what the middle of the night temperature is but it won't be massivly lower because of my wife and the central heating thermostat!
The Export has never bubbled through the airlock on its own depsite checkig the lid was well closed and changing the airlock and bung. I read that doesn't necessarily mean there's a problem. Slight pressure on the outside of the lid causes a stream of bubbles from the air lock on the Export. The Ale has happliy bubbled away since day 2.
Hydrometer readings, (ale first, export second):
4th March OG - 1044 / 1042
6th March SG - (not measured) / 1030 ( started to measure since curious about lack of bubbles in air lock).
7th March SG - (not measured) / 1048, I now believe this increase was caused by me not accounting for bubbles which there are lots of. Certianly in the hydrometer tube the Export has a lot of fizz.
10th March SG - 1012 / 1019
11th March SG - 1010 / 1019
I am away tomorrow morning and overnight untill the end of the next day so it will be easy to leave it and see what happens because I shan't be here!
What does the panel think? Leave now for two days? Add more yeast? Something else?
Thank you!
I currently have two brews on the go, a Tom Caxton dark real ale and a Geordie Scottish export. Both were started on 4th March with identical equipment; 30L fermenting bucket with tap and air lock. I am scrupulous about cleaning everything. Silver Spoon white sugar was used and both 40 pint kits were made up to 37 pints because that's the 21L line on the buckets.
The only difference is that the Ale is a few inches from a radiator and the Export to the left of that, so one bucket width from the radiator. Using stick on thermometers both generally measure about 20 degress and the Export can sometimes read one degree lower than the Ale. A digital thermometer on the same table is generally reading 19 - 20 degrees. I don't know what the middle of the night temperature is but it won't be massivly lower because of my wife and the central heating thermostat!
The Export has never bubbled through the airlock on its own depsite checkig the lid was well closed and changing the airlock and bung. I read that doesn't necessarily mean there's a problem. Slight pressure on the outside of the lid causes a stream of bubbles from the air lock on the Export. The Ale has happliy bubbled away since day 2.
Hydrometer readings, (ale first, export second):
4th March OG - 1044 / 1042
6th March SG - (not measured) / 1030 ( started to measure since curious about lack of bubbles in air lock).
7th March SG - (not measured) / 1048, I now believe this increase was caused by me not accounting for bubbles which there are lots of. Certianly in the hydrometer tube the Export has a lot of fizz.
10th March SG - 1012 / 1019
11th March SG - 1010 / 1019
I am away tomorrow morning and overnight untill the end of the next day so it will be easy to leave it and see what happens because I shan't be here!
What does the panel think? Leave now for two days? Add more yeast? Something else?
Thank you!
