please help a newbie on his first kit with a few questions..

[gished100]

Hi I have just bought a youngs brewbuddy lager kit with fermentation bin and syphoning stuff etc

1. Can I just transfer it into any screwtop bottle once it's fermented?
2. Should I just use household sugar?
3. It says that after the fermentation in the warm place and I transfer it to the bottles it then needs to go in a cool place. How cool is that? (My house is pretty warm all over and I don't have a shed)
4. How do I tell what alcoholic percentage my lager is? (apart from just guessing by how many it takes to get me drunk )

Sorry for all the questions but I am really wanting to get going and just want to be sure I know exactly what I am doing.

Any help greatly appreciated!

[Grantie]

Hi there : hope i can help a bit (though there's a nice varied range of opinions here so dont take my word for it !)

First,m welcome to the world of home-brew !

You can transfer it into any clean (sanitised) bottle once it's fermented but remember once you open it, you need to drink the lot - due to oxidisation.
Most ppl use brown 500ml glass bottles with a crown cap bottler / plastic PET bottles with screwcap or just plain 500 ml coke style bottles : just make sure the bottles and caps are clean and sanitised !

**note - if you put too much priming sugar in the beer for secondary fermentation and use glass bottles, remember they will gather pressure and can explode if over primed so only use glass on the first run if you are positive you have added the right amounts of priming sugar (in the ales i brewed so far, 1/2 teaspoon per pint is a good start) - though lager may be different....you're kit instructions should be explicit

You can use table sugar (tate and lyle) or corn sugar for the priming if needs be, but I would use brewing sugar or something better than table sugar for the fermentation...the kit should make appropriate recommendations. I use brewing sugar for priming too...

I makes ales,which condition fine in warmer temps, but i think with lager, yeah it's best to go somewhere cool to condition below 18 degrees would be good i'd say (loft ? under some stairs ? in a cupboard ? lol

Once you have made up your wort and all you need to do is leave it to ferment, take a gravity reading with a hydrometer, then compare this reading with the final gravity once fermentation is completed, this will give you all you need to work out your alcohol level.

There are a load of posts here on all these subject so crack a beer open and spend some time getting to know everyone else's techniques - DaaB has a helpful site located at http://www.18000feet.com/

One more thing : coopers make some great, £10 kits that are excellent for a first brew : I would recommend them as the instructions are excellent and easy to follow !

If you're still struggling let us know !

[Aleman]

1. Can I just transfer it into any screwtop bottle once it's fermented?

No it needs to be able to withstand pressure. If you want to use PET (Fizzy Drink Bottles) then they work reasonably well, As a benefit you can tell how well the carbonation is progressing by how firm the bottle is . . . . As the burst pressure is in the order of 200psi you would have to go some to over carbonate them enough to cause 'bottle bombs'.

2. Should I just use household sugar?

You can, but you will get a better flavoured beer if you use light malt extract or Beer enhancer. or even a 70/30 mix mat extract / sugar. When you prime your bottles then the qty of sugar is so small that using sugar is a sensible option.

3. It says that after the fermentation in the warm place and I transfer it to the bottles it then needs to go in a cool place. How cool is that? (My house is pretty warm all over and I don't have a shed)

Well by warm place it means somewhere between 18-22C and generally the closer to the cooler end you can get the temperature the better, as higher fermentation temperatures lead to higher alcohols being produced which can cause hangovers. Once bottled the beers need a period at this temperature to allow the CO2 to be produced that 'conditions' the beer . . . makes it fizzy. . . . .After this the beer does need to be stored in a cool place, ideally around cellar temperatures or 12C. The cooler you can keep the beer the longer it will stay at its best. it also allows the beer to absorb more of the CO2.

4. How do I tell what alcoholic percentage my lager is? (apart from just guessing by how many it takes to get me drunk )

Normally you would use a hydrometer which measures the 'density' of the wort, (as compared to water) You take a measurement before fermentation starts, and one at the end of fermentation. The difference is the amount of sugar converted to CO2 and alcohol, multiply (or divide??) the difference by a magic number (7.23~ IIRC it varies depending on the Starting Measurement) gives you the approximate alcohol by volume. (A 1.040 beer is about 4% Though )

[gished100]

what if I just put the bottles out in the garden although that's getting to temperatures of 3c - is that too low?

I think I'll have to try and work out that percentage bit you talked about when I am completely sober!!!!

[GTOrichie]

what if I just put the bottles out in the garden although that's getting to temperatures of 3c - is that too low?

I have read that going too cold can cause problems - can anyone confirm this as it would make things easier for me as I have a nice ABS storage bunker outside that I use in the summer for keeping the BBQ kit in and they are quite well priced if you shop around

I think I'll have to try and work out that percentage bit you talked about when I am completely sober!!!!

First thing get yourself a hydrometer, its a device used to check the amount of un-fermented sugar left in the brew and looks a little like a thermometer with a bulb on the end, they're not expensive and a must have for any homebrewer (personally I would not recommend just using the "but the bubbles have stopped" technique)

Next take a reading with the hydrometer before you add the yeast to get the starting gravity (refer to the leaflet that comes with the hydro that will explain how to use it to take a reading)

Once you notice that the brew seems to have stopped, take another reading with your trusty hydro and check that its at the correct level for your type of brew (if in doubt ask on here or your local homebrew centre for the recommended final reading but it should say on the kit)

At this stage you can use THIS to work out your approximate alcohol volume

[stevezx7r]

Hi gished100, my two penneth...

1. Can I just transfer it into any screwtop bottle once it's fermented?

I use ASDA PET bottles - they're cheap, about 17p per 2 litre bottle and they come with flat water so you can save on your water bills.

2. Should I just use household sugar?

When you make up your kit I would suggest using Malt Extract, which type depends on what your making i.e. light for lager through to dark for porter etc. I use normal sugar to prime the bottles - this amount does not affect the taste.

3. It says that after the fermentation in the warm place and I transfer it to the bottles it then needs to go in a cool place. How cool is that? (My house is pretty warm all over and I don't have a shed)

Personally, I brew the beer at around 21C (for bitter) and as low as possible ~5C this time of year for lager. Then, once it's done my bitter gets transfererred to somewhere a bit cooler 10 - 15C for as long as possible (3 weeks is the max I have been able to leave it alone but longer is better) and my lager gets bottled and put back to around the 5C area (this is called lagering and again the longer the better).

4. How do I tell what alcoholic percentage my lager is? (apart from just guessing by how many it takes to get me drunk )

You need a hydrometer for this task. They're about £3 in Wilkinsons and are invaluable in determining your alcohol content/fermented sugar content. I use mine like this. Mix the wort but don't add the yeast. Take a sample (you need a trial jar for this, again about £3) fill the trial jar with hydrometer in it and hold up the trial jar so you can see where the wort is against the hydrometer markings - it probably reads something like 1040 - this is your Starting Gravity or Original Gravity. Once fermentation is complete (to find that, take a reading every couple of days to track it's progress, once it's the same over 24 hours it's done). This reading, say, 1010 is your final gravity. Now 1040 (OG) minus 1010 (FG) divided by 7.5 (this takes into account the amount of sugar you will use to carbonate/condition your beer) = 4% ABV.

Sorry for all the questions but I am really wanting to get going and just want to be sure I know exactly what I am doing.

Keep asking and we'll keep answering.

Any help greatly appreciated![/quote]

Cheers,

Steve.

BTW, if I have any of this wrong, please feel free to correct me.

[gished100]

from the info I have got I am actually going to just put the lager in a box in the back garden once it's fermented.

I guess that it's better to be colder rather than warmer (not that I am really basing that on any of my own knowledge).

It's all quite exciting really.

Wish me luck!!!

[stevezx7r]

Good luck, but a word of caution, it might be a good idea to check the temps outside before putting your beer out as if it gets too cold the fermentation will stop.

Again, good luck !

[Grantie]

Good luck then !

I tend to agree though : It's been a bit nippy just now, I don't know if that will be harfmful for the beer - I keep mine in the loft to condition just now where it's just "cool" lol

let us know how you get on in any case !

[gished100]

I have decided to put it in the loft as it's pretty cool there.

I don't have a fermenter with a tap and I read that you shouldn't start a syphon by sucking on it!! How am I supposed to start the syphon then?

What is the risk of it al getting oxidised on transfer from the fermenting bin to the bottles?

Any tips? Thanks

[gished100]

I've hit my first hurdle already. I made up the kit but when I took the hydrometer out it was broken. Must have smahed in transit. Can I just tell whether it's fermented just by checking that the bubbles have stopped rising?
How long should it take?

[gished100]

cool. well I managed to get a hydrometer off a mate of mine who did cider before. I'm going to get bottles today.

Can I not just put the hydrometer straight into the fermentation bin? I don't have a test glass!