First timer, fermentation ??

mrkevin

Haven't brewed beer for about 30 years , so to say I'm rusty is an understatement . The brew is at a nice temperature and appears to have a healthy crusty topping, my only concern is that I have no bubbling going on in the air lock, it's been on the go for 48 hours now. Sorry if this has been posted before.

sine_nomine

Don't worry about there being no activity in the airlock, I hardly ever have any movement in mine.As long as you see a Kreusen ring building up on the side of the fermenter then just sit back and read the newspaper or something.                                         

mrkevin

Thanks for that, 72 hours now, at what stage should I be taking a hydrometer reading and what would an ideal reading be?

marko

Usually after 5 or 6 days its ready to take a reading. You'll know when its ready cause it will look like there's no activity in the vessel, ie no more foam and no bubbles popping up on the suface. If there's still signs of foaming and bubbles just give it an extra day or 2 till its settled down.

What kit is it your doing? It should tell you a guide as to what gravity to aim for. Most kits are around 1.010 to 1.014, something like that.

mrkevin

I'm doing the Wherry kit and after 4 days there is still some activity going on, I'll check again in another 2 days.

Obviously I'm new to all this but I must say that I'm looking forward to my first pint, any recommended kits I should consider??

Thanks for all the kind comments

HBO_Staff

Let it keep fermenting and try a reading in a day or two, it sounds to be going just nicely. We recommend the 'Ultimate Brewery' range, made with some of the finest ingredients you can get, with a good selection of beers and lagers, they are well worth a try, here is just one of them;

http://home-brew-online.myshopify.com/collections/all/products/ultimate-brewery-classics-surfers-reward-cornish-ale

mrkevin

6 days now, still a few bubbles , probably best to leave it a couple more days I think? Smells great!!

HBO_Staff

you're right, give it a few more days and it will be there, it's best to be sure it's stopped fermenting before bottling/barrelling

mrkevin

What would happen if you were to barrel it before fermentation had stopped?

HBO_Staff

If a brew is still fermenting when transferred to a barrel it means that it is still producing gases, after you then prime a brew with sugar and seal the barrel up, the priming sugar will create secondary fermentation and there will also be the gases from the primary fermentation being produced too. These gases which usually pressurise the barrel would then produce more pressure than usual, which could over-pressurise the barrel. Most barrels have a safety valve which will vent excess pressure if needed, but if for any reason it didn't work the excess pressure could cause a problem. Because a barrel will usually vent excess pressure this is not normally an issue, but if bottling then the excess pressure has nowhere to escape and this is when bottles could potentially fail.

If a brew is still fermenting it will also not be as clear as it would at the end of fermentation with more yeast suspended in the brew, so your finished brew would take longer to clear and may be cloudier when poured

mrkevin

Thanks for the advice, visually the brew has very small bubbles rising to the top so I guess it won't be long before I shall be transferring it to a barrel. I look forward to my beer saving me money, never realised brewing beer could be fun, already planning my next brews, might try some lager and cider for the mrs!

HBO_Staff

Best to keep her happy too! there is free Brew Enhancer with every beer and lager in the Simply range at the moment which is great valkue and makes some good beers and lagers too, and free brewing sugar with the BrewBuddy refills including cider;

http://home-brew-online.myshopify.com/collections/brewbuddy

http://home-brew-online.myshopify.com/collections/simply-beer-kits

 

mrkevin

I left it to ferment for 9 days then transferred it to a barrel. Cannot believe after 9 days its as clear as a bell and tastes as good as anything I have sampled in a pub, very happy

HBO_Staff

That's great news, the quality of home brews often suprises people, we're pleased it turned out so well!