total new commer!

[homegrownalan]

Hi all, i'm a total new commer to homebrewing need some help plz, i have a homebrew kit started it yesterday, it says that i have to get the brew to room tempreture before i add the yeast, how long will this take? have a thermometer but it isnt moving! does it have to read 18-21c? it will take months to get to that stage :cry: :wha:

thanks alan

 

[Wez]

Alan - ideally the yeast should be pitched pretty much straight away but also yes, at room temp 18 - 21c. What temp is it at now.

Welcome btw :thumb:

 

[homegrownalan]

hi, its reading 10-12c at the moment was going to give it till 2moz then add the yeast :

 

[Wez]

Thats cold - whats the ambient temp in the house? I'd move it near a radiator or something to get it up to temp....quick quickly too - you want to be pitching today if you can. While the wort is there not fermenting it won't have a protective layer of c02 over it so is open to infection .

 

[homegrownalan]

oh dam it!!!! i've just ran upstairs and placed it by the radiator, norm temp in house is about 20-25c hope i havent ruined it at my 1st attemp :pray:

 

[Wez]

The good news is brewing is quite forgiving - don't panic :thumb:

The trick with kits is to try to have them at pitching temp as soon as you've added the last bit of water. Did you use about 4 L boiling water to dissolve the extract and then top up to 23L?

 

[homegrownalan]

PHEW glad u said that :thumb: i added boiling water then topped it up yes, its now by the Radiator wrapped in my sons cuddly toys :lol: do i need to put the lid on the bin?

 

[bolty]

Probably best to move the toys away as they will act as a insulator and actually prevent the wort from heating up (the wort is not producing its own heat).

Also best to get the lid on to prevent infection.

Just my 2 penneth :thumb:

 

[Wez]

Yep - you need the lid on the bin - definately - make sure you sterilise that 1st too.

I'd watch the temp (sterilising the thermometer when you check the temp) and pitch the yeast when it's at 20c then move it somewhere that will maintain 18 to 20c

 

[homegrownalan]

thanks Bolty and wez, great advice i was starting to panic that i have wasted money and got it wrong, rather then save money by brewing my own :wha: how do i maintain a constant temp of 18-21c? do i leave it by the rad of maybe airing cupboard? next step on the instruction is to mix yeast in then wait for the bubbles to stop rising i have a hydrometer to help no when, then bottle it and leave in cool room for 14 days????? does that sound correct :idea:

thanks again for yr advice guys

 

[Wez]

The next steps should be

- Get the wort to 18 - 20c
- Sterilise Hydrometer and take a reading
- Add yeast and stir in with sterilised plastic or metal paddle/spoon
- Snap sterilised lid on
- leave 18 - 20c for 7 to 10 days (during this time you should get a vigourous initial fermentation which will probably pop the lid of the fermenter (thats normal just leave it open a crack when it does for the c02 to escape)
- when the main head (foamy) has gone after 3 or 4 days of fermenting you can drop your sterilised hydrometer in there so that you can keep taking readings
- when it reached FG (Final Gravity) it can be bottled with 1/2 tsp sugar per 500ml strong glass bottle
- leave at room temp for 1 week
- move somewhere cool (12c ish) for 3 to 4 week
- drink
- drink more
- fall over


It's difficult to maintain 18 - 20c exactly - most people just go with finding the right place in their house and stick with that.

Let us know how you get on - feel free to ask away

 

[homegrownalan]

brilliant thanks, one question, what would be the final gravity reading?

 

[Wez]

It depends on the OG (Original Gravity) did the kit give an expected OG? Which kit is it BTW?

Basically you take a reading just before you add (pitch) the yeast of lets say 1.050 as the beer ferments this will lower to maybe 1.014 or 1.012. The higher the OG the stronger the beer will be.

way to get a rough estimate of the actual abv of the beer is to divide the gravity points dropped by 7.45 so a beer with OG 1.050 and FG of 1.012 has dropped 38 gravity points. 38 divided by 7.45 = 5.1%.

It would be helpful to know what your OG is.