1st brew

[Screamin TE]

Hey all,
Just put down my 1st brew. i just brewed the lager that came with the home brew kit. Included the brew enhancer no1 and the packet yeast. Not a great move i know but it will give me a "control" to judge my subsequent brews off of. The fermenter has changed a bit from the old screw lid barrel with the air lock. Im assuming the 2 part lid is an air lock of sorts?

Anyway, its sitting in the laundry as the garage gets quite cold at night and had an og of 1041.

Cheers and beers,

Chris

[barrelboy]

Good on ya TE, always feels good to get the first one down. Did you note at what temp you pitched the yeast? What temps are you expecting at night and in the day?
Cheers BB

[Screamin TE]

Pitched it at what i thought was about 26 deg(according to the kit directions, this was ok). Im not too convinced on that stick on thermometer. Might have to get something a little more accurate. Temps inside the house are normally in the region of 16 - 20 deg overnight i estimate, garage would get to 10 - 12 i think.

[barrelboy]

The garage is the best option, low temps on lager are best but hey lots of good reading on this site about lagers.There are top lager brewers that will help you. But one thing to remember, you will read things and think I've done this wrong but don't worry - never chuck a beer unless it makes your mates sick!!
Cheers BB

[Oliver]

Hi Chris,

If it's a Coopers kit that you've got, which by the sounds it might be, the yeast that comes with the "Lager" can is actually an ale yeast. So if the temperature drops too low the fermentation will cease.

Ideally you'd ferment about 18C. 20C would be OK but try not to go much above that.

Down to 16 might be a problem for the Coopers yeast, but you can wrap a couple of blankets around the fermenter to keep some of the heat generated during fermentation in, and also reduce the fluctuations in the temperature of the fermenting beer even if the ambient temperature fluctuates widely.

Having said all this, let me know if it's not a Coopers kit!

Cheers,

Oliver

[Screamin TE]

Hey Oliver,
Yeah the kit is a coopers kit. Ive got a towel on standby to keep the heat in if it does get too cool but it seems to be hovering around the 20-22 mark. Any clear way of reading those stick on thermometers? Which is the actual temp? The blue part or the greenish/brown part?

Cheers and Beers!

[Screamin TE]

Just took an SG reading after just over 7 days brewing and it read at 1012. Not sure if this is good or not but ill give it another check tomorrow.

Quick question on bottling into say 500ml bottles. 1 or 2 carbonating tablets?

cheers and beers,
Chris

[speedie]

STE buy a cheap infrared thermogun from supercheap or the like
these are really good for spot checking from the outside of the plastic barrel
no need to open any more which reduceses infection risk etc
techno stuff of today sure beats what i had thirty five years back
speedie

[Tipsy]

Quick question on bottling into say 500ml bottles. 1 or 2 carbonating tablets?

1 1/2? With 500ml bottles I would consider bulk priming with sugar.

[squirt in the turns]

Quick question on bottling into say 500ml bottles. 1 or 2 carbonating tablets?

1 1/2? With 500ml bottles I would consider bulk priming with sugar.

Definitely the best way to get the exact carbonation level you want, but unless you rack to a secondary vessel to do this, you'll get loads of trub in your bottles from stirring sugar syrup directly into the fermenter. As it's your first brew, just prime the bottles. 2 drops will probably over-carbonate them, 1 might be enough, if you don't like your beer too fizzy. Alternatively, get one of those plastic priming measures from K-Mart ($2) and trim it to hold ~3/4 teaspoon, and prime with white sugar. Someone here (warra?) does this to get a lower carbonation level for 750 ml bottles.

[warra48]

I'd go for only one carb drop per 500 mil bottle. It will carbonate fine with that. 2 drops per 500 mil bottle will definitely overcarb, and potentially expose you to bottle bombs.
I've long been of the view the carb drops, and the priming measures give you carbonation at the top end of normal. It's the reason I've cut my measures down to no more than 2/3 of original.
I use BeerSmith's carbonation tool to calculate the total amount of priming sugar to use for the type of beer I've brewed. I weigh my sugar bowl before and after priming, so I know down to 1 gr per batch how much I've used. That's allowed me to cut my measures down to exactly where I want them. I use 3 different ones, one original for Hefeweizens and Pils, and 2 others cut down at a different rate.

[Screamin TE]

Cheers for all the tips gents!!

I just bottled into the PET supplied with the kit for now. I have a slowly wxpanding collection of 450mL Grolsh swing top bottles and some 500mL and 750mL crown seals. When i get a larger collection and a bottle capper ill start using the glass bottles. The brew smelt a bit funky when i was bottling it and when i tried some, it was quite bitter/sour so i hope it conditions up fine.

I plan on doing either a blonde or a pils for my next brew.