John Bull Masterclass - Victorian

[carllancaster1977]

Hi All,

Yet another rank amateur here I'm afraid.

Purchased my first kit plus fermenter and keg etc.

As from the title a JBM Victorian ale

Followed the instructions, but when I sprinkled the yeast on top, not much happened.

I originally thought that maybe the wort etc was a little too cold but the Term was 19 deg as I used my thermometer to check.

Anyway, I fastened the lid, attached the airlock and waited....after a few days the airlock was going bananas with "farting noises" which I hope meants the yeast was doing the business but there was not much froth.

Is this normal?

Anyway, after about 7 days the bubbling in the lock stopped, so I transferred to my Keg, added priming sugar dissolved in a bit of water and finings.

There was a lot of "slurry" in the bottom of the fermenter, is this normal too?

Will I have quaffable beer? And how long do I need to keep this in the barrel before I drink?

I did speak to Diamalt who said that I should not expect too much froth and all was normal but to be honest I was not convinced.
Does anyone have any other experiences with this kit?

ANY help would be appreiated if you have actually read all of this post and not fallen asleep!!!

[Old Jake]

I too am fairly new to this game! Most of that does sounds normal but you didn't mention a hydrometer which you should have used to take a steady gravity reading over 2 to 3 days to ensure that fermentation had stopped! (the instrcution should tell you what the approx final gravity should be!) If it's not within a point or two of it then you might have a stuck ferment!

Sorry if it sounds patronising but I was cluless when I first started!!

Once it's in the barrel, you can keep it in a warm place for a week or so (at the same temp as initial fermentation) to let secondary fermentation occur and then to somewhere colder (13 degrees) although that can be quite difficult and the couple i've done have been kept at room temp and they turned out fine. As for how long before drinking, from the time it's barreled, you should allow 1 week for every 10 (original) gravity points. So if you started with an opening gravity of 1040 then it should be left 4 weeks.

Saying that, my last one was in the barrel a week before I started supping it. It's now been in there 3 weeks and it's getting nicer and nicer. The longer you leave it the better it'll be !!

Hope that helps!

cheers

OJ

[carllancaster1977]

Cheers for the advice, I have a hydrometer but did not use it as not sure how....although I will for my next effort...Sherwoods Orchard Cider for the missus...

Before you berate me for the non usage of the hydrometer, my thinking was that worse case scenario I get a slightly more or less strength beer? which for a small variation in % ABV would it make much difference...

Tell me its not all doomed!!!!

[Old Jake]

It's more the "explosive" factor it might introduce into your household if the ferment got stuck!!

I'm no expert on how much of a problem it is as most barrels have a pressure valve but again I don't know how effective they are! Anyway, hopefully yours has fermented properly and it won't casue any problems.

I'll leave the berating (and some decent advice on hydrometers) upto the other more knowledgeable member of the forum who no doubt will offer more advice!!

cheers

OJ

[carllancaster1977]

Well I'm off to the shed tonight to have a wee sniffter and try a bit.

The shed is still standing so unless there is beer covered walls on the inside then I'm lucky...

thanks for your help and will let you know what the result was...

[bitter_dave]

Tell me its not all doomed!!!!

Don't worry Carl, it's unlikely that it's doomed, and it sounds like everything you described is pretty normal to me.

It is better to use a hydrometer, but I understand your confusion at reading it - I was baffled by it when I started brewing. If you bottled the beer and didn't check the gravity with a hydrometer I'd be a bit concerned - partially fermented beer + glass bottle = explosive situation . If you racked your beer to the barrel a bit early the barrel will release excess pressure. The chances are the beer was fermented though, so don't worry.

If you need help reading a hydrometer for future brews give us a shout

[carllancaster1977]

Read a bit of text on how to use it and another website (oh err) had a Auto calc function...

If you could tell me when to read the meter I reckon I can figure the rest....

I think its once at the start of fermentation and again at the end?

Thanks for all your help chaps....

Tastiing will commence as will the Cider I just bought but since its had a caning on here as being crap I'm not hopeful! (Sherwwod)

[Old Jake]

Yes, take the opening gravity (OG) at the beginning and then I would wait a few days before taking another although I tend to just leave the sanitised Hydrometer in the bucket (as per a few other members advice) until the end. It can make it a bit difficult to read but it's good enough and it also means there's less fuss in sanitising it every time.

Once you get a stable reading over a two day period and it's within a point or so of the instructions then that's your final gravity (FG)!!

The alcohol content is then the difference between your opening gravity and closing gravity (ie OG 1040 minus FG 1010 = 30) divided by 7.5 (30 divided by 7.5= 4%abv).

Enjoy, it's a great lark!!!

cheers

OJ

[carllancaster1977]

Well I had a dabble....not bad...still unclear after 10 days....but did have head...a little chemically taste, maybe too much cleaner/not rised enough...

Sort of looked a little like it had a bit of egg white in....hopefully just needs more time...hoping to leave it for another 3 weeks of so which will hopfully make it more palatable.

Fingers crossed...