Home brewing kits ....

caff said:
You're right I am nervous about it but I appreciate that - I'll leave it alone.

I'll test it next week, perhaps 7 days after putting in.

Does the 'head' drop to the bottom indicate it's finished doing its thing?
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Leave it alone for 13 days. Day 13 take a reading. Day 14 take a reading and if consistent, bottle. I pretty much only take 3 readings now. Day one before pitching the yeast and then as described.

Anything with a lager yeast, 3 weeks then bottle. Take a look at the kit brewing sections of jims beer kit forums, excellent source of information :)
 
seabiscuit said:
If there weren't enough yeast floating around in the beer, how would your beer get carbonated in the bottle or barrel?
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You're adding what 6g of sugar per litre to the remaining yeast? Not 1 kilo.

Try it, prove me wrong. Make a batch, pitch your yeast then after 6 days add a kilo of sugar. I'm curious to see how much of that sugar actually gets turned to alcohol.

I'd rather you did it with your batch than mine. :D
 
We tend to do all grain now so we only add sugar for priming (phew, I think I escaped that one pretty well). :p :D

But yes, while it still might stress the yeast, if you add 1Kg of sugar per liter I think you're going to need turbo yeast at least. I still suspect that so long as you originally oxygenated the wort so that it can multiply, there's going to be far more yeast in the wort and trub than you originally pitched unless it's the most floculent yeast ever. And 1kg of sugar/brewing sugar/brew enhance is still less sugar than is in the can of malt extract you put in to start with.
 
I've been thinking about this tonight, and I can't see why you couldn't add sugar a few days after throwing it all in the FV. Fermentables are often added during fermentation in lots of brews.
 
Yeah I will ask the question as I said elsewhere, what you mention is adding extra fermentables. What if that brew kit enhancer is all you are adding, surely the fg would be nowhere near low enough by the end leaving you with a weak brew?

I'm almost curious enough to try it with a cheap spare kit I have :D
 
I don't know what's in the 'brew kit enhancer', but if you're just adding sugar a few days later to kit syrup, water and yeast then I can't see why it wouldn't work as it would if you added the sugar at day one.

The only way that it would mess up is if the yeast had someone died or become inactive (hence my original suggestion to warm it up slightly and add sugar as simple syrup (though obviously that'll also affect alcohol levels)).

I haven't done a kit for ages, but I can't see why the FG would be particularly low. :confused:.
 
Brew enhancers are a mix of dried spray malt extract and brewing sugar. So more sugars to ferment, but some of those are maltose to give more flavour along with some unfermentables in the spray malt to give more body.
 
My brew have been bottled a couple of months now, i have to say im not that keen on the Cerveza, but the Canadian Blonde is lovely
 
I did my second Cerveza, this time with tesco bottled water. It's better but after trying other drinks I've gone right off it. I've about 20 left to get through and I can't see me making it again.

Australian pale ale is lovely.
Pils is awesome.

This winter I'm putting on:

2 batches of Pils
1 Heritage lager
1 Traditional draught

As they are all 12-13 deg batches.

Then as it warms up a touch 2 batches of Indian Pale Ale.

That should see me through the year, leave months of conditioning time and if I start to get through it whack on a few Canadian Blondes :)
 
Kimi said:
My brew have been bottled a couple of months now, i have to say im not that keen on the Cerveza, but the Canadian Blonde is lovely
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yes can blonde is real nice :D
also how do u make your Cerveza?

try my way

instead of 40 pints brew 34
also added brew enhancer

taste real nice ;)
 
Well, had a gander at the beer I was worried about today and... my fears appear to have been well founded. It had indeed leeched the "taste of death", albeit milder than the barrel stank of it previously.

Still, I'm powering on with it! Two litre PET filled with carb drops and the rest in pressure barrel until Christmas. A quick taste test indicated a nice ale, with just a bit of the horrible bitter rotting veg stench at the end. I'm going to name it "Christmas Evil".
 
Just clearing another 8 litres, with some stuff that is meant to clear it so well, it won't do a second fermentation. But going to get that co2 stuff on payday.

I tried some of the root beer before bottling for second fermentation(which doesnt seem to be going well, but then the yeast is designed for homebre vodka so no second fermentation) and as well as being far to strong 10+% I wasn't to impressed with flavour, rubber taste that some root beers have, I like the non rubber tasting root beers.

Anyway going to have 4x 2litre bottles of 5%, so what flavours would you make them?
 
Right, I've been putting off starting another brew because of the complete pita of cleaning and sterilizing 40 bottles for far too long. What's that sterilization tool thing called that you fill with fluid and then just pump the bottle on a couple of times to sterilize it? Also after a good bottle tree for 1 pint glass bottles if anyone knows a good one?

Any suggestions for a nice Belgium style beer too?
 
well, my st peters IPA has come to the end so time for the coopers pale ale to start.

should i leave it kit form strength or add a bit more beer enhancer to boost the % up a bit. has anyone brewed this one and done that and did it alter the taste ? tried it in the shop and i really liked it but love strong ales. could be better to leave as a session 4% r.

also, ordered a cooper mexican cervexa and woodfordes sundew kit to try next. and a bottle drainer.
 
Skeeter said:
Right, I've been putting off starting another brew because of the complete pita of cleaning and sterilizing 40 bottles for far too long. What's that sterilization tool thing called that you fill with fluid and then just pump the bottle on a couple of times to sterilize it? Also after a good bottle tree for 1 pint glass bottles if anyone knows a good one?

Any suggestions for a nice Belgium style beer too?
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i have ordered th 80 bottle tree from the home brew company. £19. they also do the press down bottle cleaner/steriliser for an additional £18 which goes on top. i didn't order that as only have 24 bottles.
 
New primary fermenter on the way. After the death stench permeating my previous beer (which is perfectly drinkable when kept very cold, but horrendous if allowed to reach room temp), I've decided not to risk running a cider brew in the same fermenter, so now I'll have a beer set and cider set. Woohoo!

Hoping it'll only take a couple more brews in that first one to get rid of the terror. Lesson learned in terms of cleaning things immediately, right there.
 
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