First Time Brew - Woodfordes Wherry

This is my first time brew and I started the primary fermentation last wednesday so I'm guessing she should be ready in the next few days. The beer hasn't been bubbling through the air lock but there looks like there is residue up the sides of the barrel and moisture on the inside of the lid so i'm hoping all is well. When would you suggest that i take my first hydrometer reading? The original gravity reading was 1.036 which I understand was a little low. Could this be due to not mixing the malt enough initially? 

Also any advice on transferring my beer into the pressure barrel would be much appreciated. 

Cheers,

Sam
 

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  • HBO_StaffHBO_Staff Administrator Posts: 2,115

    The Wherry is a great starting point and produces a very good beer, your gravity reading does sound low but it could be not quite accurate for various reasons, as long as you made it to the right quantity then the alcohol content will work out as intended by the manufacturers, there is not much to go wrong with this. A brew wont always bubble as how vigorous it ferments depends on a few factors such as temperature etc, but the froth and moisture are a good sign it is fermenting. The best way to tell how the progress is going, is as you say with your hydrometer, take a reading sometime soon and then compare again in 24 hour intervals. Once the reading is nice and low, and constant below 1014 for Wherry, without changing, then it is ready for moving over to your keg.

    The trick with transferring a brew in to a barrel is to try and keep the end of the syphon tube not too far under the surface of the liquid, so you are drawing the brew from the top, as far away from the sediment as possible. Try to keep the end of the tube under the liquid, if the tube is in and out, it interupts the flow and mixes the beer up. The other end of the tube (in the barrel) ideally wants to be as low as possible so that your brew is not splashing more than necesary, as it is best not to mix with air too much if possible. The more careful you are, the less sediment will be disturbed and the less sediment in the barrel so the clearer the finished brew will be. The last bit in the fermenting vessel just needs to be left and discarded, but this is allowed for in the quantity.

    Then prime your barrel with white granulated sugar, and make sure the lid makes an airtight seal, put a little Vaseline or similar on the thread to ensure an airight seal, and then leave to condition and carbonate for a few weeks, the longer you leave it the better the taste will be as it improves

  • mozzamozza Member Posts: 41
    Thanks for the pointers! I will take a hydrometer reading tomorrow and let you know.
  • mozzamozza Member Posts: 41
    The reading today was 1.012 which is sounding pretty good. I also had a cheeky taste from the trial jar and its tasting like beer, slightly acidic but definitely not like vinegar. So far so good! I will take another reading tomorrow and If it stays the same I'll transfer it. 
    There seems to be quite a lot of sediment suspended in the beer and particularly on the surface. I picked up a siphon tube with a sediment trap from wilkinsons in the week so I'm hoping this will help reduce the sediment going into my pressure barrel. 
    I will keep you posted! 
    Cheers!   
  • HBO_StaffHBO_Staff Administrator Posts: 2,115
    edited December 2012
    You will find that the sediment will stay on the bottom of the vessel if not disturbed and because the end of the tube stays under the liquid it shouldn't draw any bits from the top.The taste at this stage will be a bit unusual but it will start improving once barrelled and primed
  • mozzamozza Member Posts: 41
    Just barrelled and primed! Used some beer enhancer instead of sugar. I did have trouble tightening the cap enough as when hand tight I turned it upside down and water was dripping out. So I wrapped the threads in PTFT tape and tightened using a pair of grips to make sure it is compressing the rubber seal. Is this normal with HBO standard pressure barrel injector caps?
  • HBO_StaffHBO_Staff Administrator Posts: 2,115
    It is very important to make sure the cap is airtight, and they can be a tight fit, we recommend to lubricate the thread with a little Vaseline or similar as it helps it screw down tightly and compress the seal under the lid. There are spanners which fit screw caps specifically for tightening and removing the caps, although usually wrapping in a cloth and turning hard does the job. If the barrels are particularly cold it can make them a little harder to fit too
  • mozzamozza Member Posts: 41
    That useful to know. I didn't want to break the thing! Thanks for all the pointers again. I will leave a review of the beer in a month or two. I'm going to get another on the go today (simply Yorkshire bitter)
  • mozzamozza Member Posts: 41
    The wherry has been secondary fermenting for a week and I've put her in the conservatory to condition and its been in there for about a week. As its Christmas I had a taste :) was really nice in taste even at this early stage however only a slight head and a slight fizz. Is this normal at this stage?
  • HBO_StaffHBO_Staff Administrator Posts: 2,115
    Absolutely, it is very common in the early stages for a brew to still be quite flat and lack carbonation, it may also not be clear as this will take longer too. Sometimes a brew will taste good early on, other times it can be quite strong tasting in the early stages, but by leaving it to condition for a few weeks the best flavours will develop and the carbonation will develop. The beer will also go nice and clear with more time if it hasn't already
  • mozzamozza Member Posts: 41
    That's great, for a moment I thought there could have been a slow leak in the pressure barrel. Will leave its go a month and have another taste :)
  • mozzamozza Member Posts: 41
    Tried it again this week and it tastes great. It now has a slight head which dissipates when it's been sat in the glass for a while. It's a very smooth ale now. But I'm still inclined to leave it another month and try again
  • KnitnBrewKnitnBrew Member Posts: 4
    This is my first homebrew and I just got it started. My original gravity reading is 1.062 (taken in a trial jar, because I forgot to take it before I pitched the yeast).
    If the final gravity is supposed to be 1.014 then my ABV would be about 6%. Not quite what I had in mind. Why would my OG  be so high?
  • HBO_StaffHBO_Staff Administrator Posts: 2,115
    edited April 2013
    The OG does sound a little suspect, it would usually be around 1.045 or similar, it could be for a few reasons. If the final gravity reading reaches around the 1.014 mark then you know it was a rogue reading, if it doesn't and is higher it may suggest a problem with the hydrometer. The kits such as Woodfordes are pretty much fail safe and the results are constant, so you shouldn't worry about it, as the ingredients are all in the kit so there is nothing to go wrong. If adding any additional sugars in any form then this would increase the alcohol content
  • KnitnBrewKnitnBrew Member Posts: 4
    Thanks. 48 hours later and I took a reading today and it's down to 1.020. Phew...that's putting my mind at rest.
  • HBO_StaffHBO_Staff Administrator Posts: 2,115
    it's heading in the right direction, just check it in say a day or two, and it should begin to slow and then stop until you have a constant reading for 2 days in a row, probably around 1014. It can then be moved to bottles or a barrel and primed and sealed up
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