COOPERS BITTER - first brew

[leverton10]

hi all, just wondering whether to keg or bottle this beer,

also wondering whether i need to skim off the excess froth on the top, or should i just wait until it clears to take hydro readings.

ive had it on the go since 3pm friday, it took around 18-22 hours before anything looked like it was happening. is this normal?!

seems to be going along nicely now, i've had a belt heater on it since saterday.

many thanks

Joe

[6470zzy]

I would suggest bottling for a first brewing experience

If you just started this beer on Friday then I don't think there is any need to take a hydrometer reading at least until 02 Oct, just out of curiosity what was the original gravity reading?

The 18 hours is a bit of a lag for the yeast to kick in, were you using the cooper's yeast? There are a lot of variable to consider in getting your yeast off to a good start. One of prime concern to me is that when using dry yeast I always rehydrate (in water only) the little buggers before I pitch them, that way you ensure that the yeast is in its most viable form before it goes to work. You might want to give Safale S-33 a try, I have always had good luck with that yeast, it generally starts for me within 2 hours and give a nice flavour profile.

Cheers

[trucker5774]

Hi Joe, welcome along.
It's quite normal to have a 6 to 24 hour delay in the start of fermentation. Leave the surface alone and resist the urge to fiddle Check it after 5 days or so and take a hydrometer reading, then check daily until you have stable readings for 48 hours. At this point it will have finished fermenting. Don't worry if you leave it a few days or even a week longer, it will be fine. The choice is yours for bottles or keg......just preference and what's available.

[leverton10]

thanks for the quick replies!

OG was 1042, i did re-hydrate the yeast with water but possibly didnt leave it long enough before pouring it into the wort? i poured the water in, mixed it around until it had dissolved and added it to the wort. i did use the yeast in the packet, i've heard that coopers yeast is some of the best.

just a few quick questions!!

1)is it possible to put some into bottles and the rest into keg?

2)should i leave the heat band on continously throughout that period?

3)any ideas on how long to leave for 2nd fermentation

joe

[trucker5774]

You can split between bottles and keg, probably better to keep the bulk in the keg and a couple of bottle to "monitor". The usual method is to keep in bottles or keg for about a week to allow carbonation. This is normally at the same as fermentation temperature (about 20C) then move to a cooler place to condition for 3 to 6 weeks.

[6470zzy]

If you are going to split the batch by using a few bottles and the rest keg...I find that it is convenient to use Munton's CarTabs or Coopers Carbonation drops for the conditioning sugar in the bottles. The Munton's leaves a few flecks floating on the surface of the finished brew but I can deal with that. I tend to think that you get a nicer carbonation if you can stand waiting 3-4 weeks after bottling before you crack into one of your beers, for me one week is fairly a weak amount of fizz but then again it is all up to how you like your beer.

Cheers

[leverton10]

thanks for the help

has anyone done this kit?

just wondered what the end result tastes like... in comparison to commercial bitter. i used 1kg BKE