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Fermenting Fridge

MikeyGMikeyG Member Posts: 21
in General Home Brew Chat
Hi , finished my fridge yesterday , the only issue is the Coopers fermenter is too tall to go in it ! ....rookie mistake ....measure twice, cut once ..so as to speak .. ;) ....so I've had to remove the lid and cover with cling film for now, whilst I look for a smaller barrel/ bucket to fit ...
Ok , my Mexican Cervdsa has been in since Monday lunchtime ( 3 days ) , my hydro reading looks like this ...
The fridge looks like this .....


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    MikeyGMikeyG Member Posts: 21
    please let me know your thoughts and improvement ideas ... :)
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    HBO_StaffHBO_Staff Administrator Posts: 2,115
    Great pictures of your set-up - it looks like the Cerveza is round 1.015 or so as far as we can see, so just a bit further to go and it will be ready for bottling or barrelling.

    The fermentation set up looks great, and shows the heater in there, so used in conjunction with your temperature controller should be a great way to keep your temperature constant and ensure consistent brews no matter what the time of year.

    No doubt you will also find it very handy to keep your bottles or barrel at the right temperature whilst the condition and carbonate too
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    MikeyGMikeyG Member Posts: 21
    Do I keep the bottled brew at the same temperature for 6 weeks or so ? Then chill before drinking ?
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    HBO_StaffHBO_Staff Administrator Posts: 2,115
    Often people keep the brew warm, around 20 degrees C for a week - this helps the priming sugar to dissolve and create secondary fermentation - then it can be stored for a few weeks to help it clear and allows the full flavours to develop. The longer you leave it the better the flavours are generally. If you want to serve it chilled then it can be chilled in a fridge before drinking, try to keep the bottles upright so any sediment which has settled is not disturbed
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    MikeyGMikeyG Member Posts: 21
    Thanks for your words of wisdom ... so .....just bottled my first batch ( Mexican Cervesa), got 26 bottles so happy about that , stored than in the shed which is a steady 20.5 deg ....now it's just a exiting game , will leave them to settle and open my first on the 20/09/16.... Now onto something else ..not sure what yet ....maybe a PA?.... :)
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    HBO_StaffHBO_Staff Administrator Posts: 2,115
    Fantastic, it will now condition and the flavours and carbonation develop, the longer the better. There are quite a few pale ales to choose from, some of them are excellent but quite strong such as the Youngs American Pale Ale, the range is here with more info on each:

    http://www.home-brew-online.com/search/pale-ale#t278:t279

    Budforce may be offer some unbiased suggestions, he knows a thing or two about beers
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    BUDFORCEBUDFORCE Member Posts: 275
    HBO_Staff said:

    Budforce may be offer some unbiased suggestions, he knows a thing or two about beers

    What are you trying to imply??? :o

    haha.


    Depends what kind of beers you like, but you hinted at a pale ale so:

    The Young's American style kits are the very top of the range I think, but they are have quite a strong flavour punch.



    Young's American IPA:

    http://www.home-brew-online.com/beer-kits-c1/american-craft-brewing-beer-kits-ipa-american-beer-kit-p1487

    This one I have in primary right now (due to bottle tomorrow) is what I would consider a true IPA flavour, it has a strong citrusy hop punch but also all that malty and bitterness behind it. If you are not used to IPA's though, it may be a bit of a shock to the system!




    Young American Pale Ale

    http://www.home-brew-online.com/beer-kits-c1/american-craft-brewing-beer-kits-apa-american-pale-ale-beer-kit-p1486

    This one on the other hand is lighter, has a more fruiter and possibly stronger hop hit, but less of the maltyness and background flavour punch. This is probably my all time favourite.




    Coopers - Brew of A IPA

    http://www.home-brew-online.com/beer-kits-c1/coopers-premium-selection-brew-a-ipa-p2396

    If you are looking for a more budget kit, I'd recommend this one - you will need to add your own sugar though. But these Coopers kits for the money are really great, not as good as the above, but when you factor in that it is half the price can't complain at all. They also do a Pale Ale equivalent, which I have yet to try, but I'd bet that one is also pretty good (will be in my next order).




    The Bulldogs Brews kits are also fantastic, but... I find they take a bit longer to clear. Where as the Young's kits will clear in about 4 weeks (1/2 weeks warm, couple of weeks cool) and will be about as good as they will be in say, another 4 weeks, the Bulldog kits need longer, and are better after 8 weeks then they are at 4 (does that makes sense?).

    The Festival kits also seem to be popular and my old man loves the Festival Razorback IPA. I think they are nice, but I don't think it has quite the flavour punch of the above kits.

    Avoid the St. Peters Ale kits, they are a well known brand and their beer (as in the stuff you buy bottled in the shops) is really good, but I do not rate their beer kits, I just find them all pretty bland plus the kits don't make 40 pints so end up more expensive then it seems.

    The Woodforde's kits are ok, but again just a bit bland.

    I've also currently on a Muntons IPA kit, which is pretty dissapointing so I wouldn't bother with that one either.
    Beer League: 1. Young's - American Pale Ale 2. Bulldog Brews - Imperial Red Bad Cat 3. Young's - IPA 4. Young's - American Amber Ale 5. Bulldog Brews - Evil Dog Double IPA
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    MikeyGMikeyG Member Posts: 21
    Thanks guys , Bud....i'd bought this yesterday prior to reading your post.... Will start it tomorrow and see
    how it tastes . I've opted for a bag of sugar rather that the normal brew enhancers , so I'm not sure if i need to add anything to enhance the taste ??
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    BUDFORCEBUDFORCE Member Posts: 275
    I've not tried that one so let me know what it's like.

    I've tried brew enhancers vs brewing sugar vs regular caster sugar, gotta be honest I don't notice any difference, I also think they are expensive for what they are.

    You could try adding some hops, dry hop pouch or hop "tea bag" if you like more of a hop hit, but sure it'll be fine on its own.

    I forgot to say earlier your brew setup looks really good. Should keep the temperature nice and stable which is probably the most important thing when it comes to home brewing. Also as it's enclosed should also help to keep out dirt and bacteria.
    Beer League: 1. Young's - American Pale Ale 2. Bulldog Brews - Imperial Red Bad Cat 3. Young's - IPA 4. Young's - American Amber Ale 5. Bulldog Brews - Evil Dog Double IPA
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    MikeyGMikeyG Member Posts: 21
    Thanks Bud ... I appreciate you thoughts ... I've bought another fermentation tank that fits the fridge better , and I can now fit a lid on it rather than use cling film . I still can't fit an air lock in the top ( no room ) .. So I can either leave the tank lid loose in the fridge or run a pipe ( with the air lock in it ) through a hole in the top of the fridge into the tank ... Any thoughts ?
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    MikeyGMikeyG Member Posts: 21

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    MikeyGMikeyG Member Posts: 21
    Adapt and over come ! ... :D
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    HBO_StaffHBO_Staff Administrator Posts: 2,115
    edited August 2016
    Great fix, that will do the trick! Some great suggestions from Budforce - just to clarify - Budforce is a beer connoisseur and source of knowledge and experience as he proved in his suggestions, based on quality not quantity! LOL. We've tried a lot of these beers ourselves but as a seller of them don't want to be seen as biased!
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    MikeyGMikeyG Member Posts: 21
    Morning , Budforce ....my IPA had fermented and ready for bottling (FG 1004) , do you add sugar or the pellets for priming ? will then leave for 2 week to clear and try a bottle ...does this sound ok ? .....
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    BUDFORCEBUDFORCE Member Posts: 275
    Either sugar or priming drops, I normally only put one priming drop per bottle, or about half a tea spoon of sugar.

    Normally I leave them 2 weeks room temperature then a further 3-4 weeks in the garage outside. But the longer you leave them the better, if you have storage space after a while you can brew them well in advance, I'm normally about 3 brews ahead so they get plenty of time to condition.

    Also some kits condition quicker than others.

    As a minimum if you can leave them 1 week room temperature then a further 2 weeks so 3 weeks in total, but any longer us a bonus up to about 8 weeks after that I don't notice much difference personally.
    Beer League: 1. Young's - American Pale Ale 2. Bulldog Brews - Imperial Red Bad Cat 3. Young's - IPA 4. Young's - American Amber Ale 5. Bulldog Brews - Evil Dog Double IPA
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    MikeyGMikeyG Member Posts: 21
    Cool thank you ...just picked up some more bottles for my IPA , and got cider to brew for Christmas ... Thanks for your advice it's much appreciated ..
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    lilyalvinlilyalvin Member Posts: 8
    It looks like a great one for bottling. I was in search but end up getting a chest freezer.
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    lilyalvinlilyalvin Member Posts: 8
    Brilliant work there. These bottles definitely deserves to be there. It's a reliable place for your bottles to chill out there. Cheap Beer Fridge is a great equipment I find online. And it take your beer to the next level.
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    MikeyGMikeyG Member Posts: 21
    Ok a little update ....my IPA is ready and my Mexcan Cervaza needs another week ...normally I'd be in amoungst the Brew sampling my work but ................
    We have a "Dry September" thing going on here in the UK for cancer research ....guess who got talked into signing up ??!!..........Yep .....fell for it hook line and sinker .....
    Soooooo.....not a bad thing really giving my Brews another 2 weeks or so to mature ..have given a couple of bottles of IPA to friends who say it's got a Newcastle Brown after taste ....
    I guess " I'll" have to wait and see .
    Speak to y'all soon ....

    Ohhhh..... Started my Christmas cider fermenting today ......thinking of adding a few Cinamon sticks ....anyone tried this ?
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