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Has the fermenting finished?
Cross93
Member Posts: 7
in Beer Brewing
Hi,
So I started my Beer fermenting on Sunday the 27th of April. Towards the end of the week I started to see lots of froth and bubble which then calmed down after about a week and a half.
By this point I wasn't sure it it had finished as the room temperature was probably lower than it should be for fermenting and I had not bought a Barrel/Bottles to transfer it into and I was also going on Holiday in less than a week so the delivery would be too late.
I'm now going to order a Barrel to transfer my beer to but I'm still not sure if it has been a success... (especially with the time I left it)
How do I know it has worked?
What do I look out for?
Have I ruined my batch?
I will take a picture and upload it when i get a chance tomorrow.
Thanks
Jamie
So I started my Beer fermenting on Sunday the 27th of April. Towards the end of the week I started to see lots of froth and bubble which then calmed down after about a week and a half.
By this point I wasn't sure it it had finished as the room temperature was probably lower than it should be for fermenting and I had not bought a Barrel/Bottles to transfer it into and I was also going on Holiday in less than a week so the delivery would be too late.
I'm now going to order a Barrel to transfer my beer to but I'm still not sure if it has been a success... (especially with the time I left it)
How do I know it has worked?
What do I look out for?
Have I ruined my batch?
I will take a picture and upload it when i get a chance tomorrow.
Thanks
Jamie
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Comments
Do you have a hydrometer? If not I'd highly recommend adding one to your order if your situation allows. If you have one you will probably have taken a reading at the start but if not no matter, take one now then do the same tomorrow and if it's the same as today's and below 1010 (the figure will vary from beer to beer but probably around 1006) then fermentation should be complete.
If you don't have a hydrometer then you can only really go by whether you can see tiny bubbles coming to the surface of the beer or not. If that's finished then it's likely your primary fermentation is complete although with a cooler room it could have just stalled which is why I strongly recommend the hydrometer, that way you'd know. If the reading is higher than you'd expect then it's just stalled and needs restarting (a thorough stir and some warmth usually does the trick).
Hopefully this has given you a few pointers. You shouldn't have ruined your batch, I had one that took 56 days for primary. Whilst it's a little rough round the edges when I tested a bottle after 6 weeks in the bottle, it will mature into a fantastic beer, it'll just take a while. You may find yours takes longer for secondary than "normal" because the primary was so long but it's unlikely you've ruined it.
If you're at all in doubt, give HBO a call and speak to some one there. They're great, they're usually happy to discuss your beer and make suggestions or reassure you.
Cheers, Mike...
Cheers, Mike...
http://imageshack.com/a/img843/6312/q60w.jpg
http://imageshack.com/a/img842/6171/bqb7o.jpg
You don't want to leave the lid off it for too long and try not to breathe onto the beer, but scrutinise the top and see if any bubbles are coming up to the top. If there are streams of them (most likely under those clumps of bubbles floating on the top) then it's still going to an extent but really the hydrometer is the way to go.
Once you have one, sterilise it and place it in and see what it says. The reading should be below 1010 for beer but beyond that it depends on the type. The instructions for your kit may tell you what to expect once it's done. I've had from 1001 to 1010 (may be barrelled that one a little too soon, was my first) for my various beers.
Which kit are you making? What temperature is your brewing bucket sitting at? If you don't have one I can recommend the stick-on aquarium one HBO sell: http://www.home-brew-online.com/equipment-c40/stick-on-lcd-thermometer-p703 and it's under 2 quid. Would I be right in saying you're brewing in a shower cubicle? It looks that way from the photos, may be it's a touch cool in there? I can understand why you'd do that, in case of over flow, but may be your beer is a little cold in there and the final stages of primary fermentation are taking longer because of it. It won't harm it so don't worry, it just means it'll take longer. As I mentioned above, I had one bubbling slowly through the bubble trap for 56 days! It had a marathon ferment and I don't know if it's that kit or if it's because of the length of primary but it's also taking a long time to mature in the bottles. Even on a heat mat it seems to have been a little too cool as other people making the same kit have had it complete in a much shorter time than that.
There are a number of factors that can affect your brewing time but as long as you thoroughly sterilise and rinse all your equipment and are careful when you have the lid off there is very little you can do to completely spoil your brew.
Cheers, Mike...
The 2nd picture was with the flash on which might be why it looked that way.
I was fermenting the beer in my downstairs bath room (that we don't use and is clean haha). I didn't want to stink out any of the rooms in my house
Anyway now to decide if I want to bottle or keg it!
Yep, 1003 should be good. Since you're yet to decide whether to bottle or keg, take another reading tomorrow and if it's also 1003 then you're definitely good to go. Good idea using that room, no danger of damaging anything should it have bubbled over during primary.
You do need to bottle or keg it soon though, you don't want to leave a finished brew lying on dead yeast for too many days or, apparently, it can give it off flavours.
Cheers, Mike...
Ive ordered these so should be here in the next few days
Excellent, good luck with it. Now comes the hard part of brewing... Waiting for it to mature. It is well worth waiting for though. I tried one of my small tester bottles (thank you Becks) yesterday and it really isn't ready yet. Very rough round the edges, needs a few more weeks. I'm sure you'll be more patient than me though. If you do try a bottle and find it doesn't taste quite as good as you'd hoped, don't despair, leave it another month and try again and you'll probably find it's improved greatly. Before even contemplating opening a bottle give one a squeeze (this is one of the advantages of using PET bottles like you are) and if it's not solid (from pressure inside) then don't open it, it's not ready yet.
Cheers, Mike...
How much sugar should I use if my bottles are 1 litre?
Any way, I think 1 teaspoon per litre is generally considered to be about right but I'd wait for HBO staff to comment on that (or give them a call), I could be wrong, it's been quite a while since I used sugar. The drops are definitely the way to go IMO.
http://www.home-brew-online.com/carbonation-drops-c57/coopers-carbonation-drops-p542
or
http://www.home-brew-online.com/ingredients-c45/sugar-enhancer-c130/maxale-maxale-priming-drops-p1473
Cheers, Mike...
Now the waiting game begins...
I don't know if HBO would agree or not but from my experience with both types of drops (baring in mind the Maxale ones haven't been available here long so I've not actually tasted a beer carbonated with them yet, still waiting for it to be ready) I'd suggest using the Coopers for lagers (and possibly bitters if you like a fizzy beer) since they're about half a gramme heavier per drop and the Maxale for bitters, ales and stouts. But really, it's down to personal preference how fizzy you like it and you can always use an extra drop if necessary. I'd say the Coopers ones are easier to cut in half if you ever need to.
Cheers, Mike...