Wilko Sweet Newkie Brown

[Neil1454]

Today temp has dropped to 24 and there is air lock activity. So fermenting seems to have started. Should I do anything or just leave it and let it do its thing ?

 

[terrym]

@Neil1454
Pitching at 28*C and fermenting at mid 20s*C is too high for most (but not all) beer yeasts including I guess your Wilko kit yeast, since you can get unwanted 'off tastes'. Did you read the instructions? Anyway in your case what's done is done, and the yeast looks to be active from what you have said. The norm for most kits (some lagers excepted) is to pitch and ferment at a temperature around 20*C. Personally I usually aim for 19*C. So I suggest you try to slowly get the temperature down to somewhere about that and then try to maintain it there until its finished. And when its properly finished plus a few days at 20*Cish put it in a cool place for a couple of days before you bottle. That will be around the 14 day mark. The cool period helps the yeast to drop to give you less yeast in your bottles. You will then need to put the bottles back in a warm (17-21*C) place for two weeks after bottling and priming to get the yeast to carb up the beer. After two weeks carbing back into the cool for about 2 weeks before sampling one. At that point you might be able to start drinking it in quantity but it might be better if left for another month or so. Your choice.

 

[Neil1454]

Thanks terrym. Yer I did read the instructions and misunderstood that you needed to actually pitch the yeast at the correct temp. I thought I just needed to place it in a cool area to get the temps to where they needed to be and then maintain the temp.

I've not seen any activity from the brew for a while now and it's only been a few days.
There is a layer on the top of the brew. But the pressure build up on the lid is not as much as it was and I've not seen anything bubbling.

The temp is at 20c and has been there for about a day.

Any help would be most appreciated.

Thanks.

Edit: Should I take a reading to see how much difference there is from the OG?

 

[terrym]

I've not seen any activity from the brew for a while now and it's only been a few days.
Edit: Should I take a reading to see how much difference there is from the OG?

Usually primary dies down after about 4/5 days but it could be slightly shorter or much longer dependant on several factors. And although it may look like its finished there's still stuff going on irrespective of what the airlock appears to tell you. I would still go along with what I suggested above. But if you want to try out your hydrometer I suggest you do that about day 8 or 9 or when the beer appears to be clearing which may be a couple of days later. My guess is it should be around 1.010. And if you want to be sure that primary has finished take readings on consecutive days which should be the same.

 

[Neil1454]

Usually primary dies down after about 4/5 days but it could be slightly shorter or much longer dependant on several factors. And although it may look like its finished there's still stuff going on irrespective of what the airlock appears to tell you. I would still go along with what I suggested above. But if you want to try out your hydrometer I suggest you do that about day 8 or 9 or when the beer appears to be clearing which may be a couple of days later. My guess is it should be around 1.010. And if you want to be sure that primary has finished take readings on consecutive days which should be the same.

Thank you for replying :)

Sure, I will go on your above reply.

I used the Gervin English Ale Yeast as I was pretty much following someone I'd seen on youtube who explained that this yeast is very good.
Pity on his video he never highlighted about the pitching temp. But hey-ho... lesson learned and all that.

So going on the fact that there was activity and there is a thickish scum looking layer on the top, it looks like there has been activity in the right direction then?

 

[terrym]

I used the Gervin English Ale Yeast. So going on the fact that there was activity and there is a thickish scum looking layer on the top, it looks like there has been activity in the right direction then?

Yes. The yeast you used is likely to have pretty much finished at the 3/4 day mark in view of the high initial fermentation temperature

 

[Neil1454]

terrym, when you say to move the beer to a cooler place before you bottle to help the yeast to drop. Would it be ok to move it out into the stone outhouse. Temps there will be quite a bit cooler, or will that be to cool?

Thanks

 

[terrym]

Some folks refrigerate their beer at the end before bottling, so subject to not allowing your beer freeze when winter kicks in, your outhouse should be fine. I bottled a brew this week after 15 days in the FV with the last two in my unheated garage and it was nearly clear, with a temperature of 10*C. Bottling clear or nearly clear beer means you don't end up with a thick layer of yeast on the bottom of the bottles, yet you still have enough yeast to carb up, it just takes a bit longer that's all.

 

[Neil1454]

SG: 1.34
FG: 1.20
1.84%

ABV has come out low. So I guess the yeast pitching at those temps did do damage

Thinking to just bottle a bit of it since it's my first brew and ditch the rest.

 

[terrym]

@Neil1454
This is a late reply which may not be of any use now, but could be of use in the future.
I assume in your last post you meant an FG of 1.020. This means you probably had a stuck fermentation, i.e. the yeast gave up before it had finished.
There are ways of getting stuck fermentations going again in here
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/...s-for-dealing-with-stuck-fermentations.74910/
And if you bottle beer from a stuck fermentation, there is always a danger the primary fermentation will restart and finish in the bottle, which adds CO2 to that produced by priming and that could produce overpressurised beer alias bottle bombs or gushers. So if you bottled some of your beer at SG 1.020 handle with care.