stirring my brew?

[bonkersdan]

I've just started a batch of fiery ginger beer and noticed some people mentioned stirring the brew every day, is this necessary?

 

[jonnymorris]

No. More likely to do harm by introducing oxygen or worse, an infection. Leave it alone and it'll be fine.

 

[paddone]

Great advice, leave it be.

 

[bonkersdan]

No. More likely to do harm by introducing oxygen or worse, an infection. Leave it alone and it'll be fine.

Thats what I thought! thanks!

 

[ibrewthereforeiam]

Rousing your yeast is what you're talking about. I rouse my yeast. Yeast releases Co2. Co2 is a great protective barrier to fight against contamination. During fermentation, take a look at your glass carboy...I hope you're using glass...and see all that clear space above your fermenting wort. That is pure Co2. The only time your yeast needs oxygen is when is begins to ferment. So when you rouse your yeast...that Co2 that enters the fermenting wort...is not going to hurt it. I advise to only rouse your yeast a day or 2 towards the end of fermentation. It actually does help it along and ferment out a bit more. Give it a shot, it won't hurt it...I've been doing it for 13 years.

 

[ibrewthereforeiam]

By the way, when I say rouse your yeast...leave your carboy on the ground while you shake the top of your glass carboy back and forth...that will give it a good stir and should do the trick.

 

[bonkersdan]

Also I'm assuming as I dont have a sample jar or a tap on my FV, I'm guessing my best way to measure the gravity again will be to sterilise my hydrometer and put it directly into the brew?

 

[PD]

or get a long turkey baster from the supermarket to enable you to get a sample of your brew out quickly

 

[LeithR]

The difficulty with just dropping the Hydrometer into the brew is that you will be reading it at an angle and they are not that easy to read anyway, the best way to read them is to get down to the same level where the hydrometer emerges from the brew in the sample glass. Having said that there are folk on the forum who drop the hydrometer into the brew and leave it there til the end just using it as a bit of a guide to how the brew is progressing. Its kind of up to you, there are few hard and fast rules to this game. :thumb:

If you can its worth investing in a Bottling bucket (a brew bucket with a tap on it) I wouldn't be without one. :thumb: :thumb:

 

[ibrewthereforeiam]

Sample it when you are transferring it to your next container. You'll know when it's done fermenting when it stops bubbling. If you are fermenting in glass, you can visually check to see if all the krausen dissipates.

 

[bonkersdan]

I've just got a very basic setup at the moment, just one fermenting bucket!

 

[ibrewthereforeiam]

I've just got a very basic setup at the moment, just one fermenting bucket!

Well hey...that's a start. I wouldn't recommend fermenting more than a few beers in a bucket because over time, when you're cleaning it you can scratch it easily. There sometimes will develop small scratches that you probably won't see and bacteria loves those scratches, that's why I recommend glass to ferment in. Those glass carboys are cheap enough it will make it worth every penny. I've had mine for 13 years and they haven't broke. Glass is also great in the sense that you can really see if it is still dirty.

With your bucket...just let it sit until it bubbles every 30-45 seconds. It should take about a week for an average starting gravity beer. You shouldn't have to lift the lid. Everybody has different methods but that's just what I would do.

 

[bonkersdan]

it's on day 5 now and the fizzing and bubbling seems to have slowed right down! have sterilised my hydrometer so think I will check it today!

 

[ibrewthereforeiam]

it's on day 5 now and the fizzing and bubbling seems to have slowed right down! have sterilised my hydrometer so think I will check it today!

Did you check it? If not, you can still wait another few days to make sure it's good and ready. Transferring a beer with eagerness can ruin the beer.

 

[bonkersdan]

It's on day 9 now, checked it on weds and the gravity was 1022, checked it again on friday and it was 1012!

 

[ibrewthereforeiam]

Hey man, I'd say it's about done then...at this point in fermentation, I tend to rouse the yeast and let it sit for another couple days and then transfer it to the secondary.

 

[bonkersdan]

I dont have a secondary vessel, am thinking I'm gonna have to syphon it into a funnel lined with muslin and straight into the bottles!

 

[godfrey]

I picked up some white plastic food safe buckets from a fast food joint

they had 10 litre and 20 litre buckets with lids I got free

just had to give them a good wash and sanitise them before use

 

[bonkersdan]

now that is a bloody good idea! guess I could split the brew between several buckets!

 

[bonkersdan]

Just been to a friend's cafe and got 4 20 liter plastic cooking oil containers with screw top lids, just gotta give em a bloody good wash out! RESULT!!!!!