Brew Number 2

Discuss making up beer kits - the simplest way to brew.
Post Reply
Orkney_Rob

Brew Number 2

Post by Orkney_Rob » Mon Aug 27, 2007 10:11 pm

The Coopers Australian Pale Ale is still maturing away, having only gone to the keg 10 days or so back... but I decided to have a sneaky taster. It isn't quite clear as yet, but it is tasting very, very nice!

Modified the kit a little by making it up with 500g Spraydry Wheat Malt, 500g Spraydry Light Malt and popped a wee bit of goldings in for a finish! I used the wee sachet of Coopers yeast to ferment and it did a fine job!

SG 1048, went to the keg at 1010 - really nice brew! I am going to try to save it for another couple of weeks before really cracking into it though to see what happens :D Knocks the stuffing out of Brew Number 1 already though, so I am hoping for great things!!!
Top
Orkney_Rob

Post by Orkney_Rob » Tue Aug 28, 2007 8:28 am

Yep - I am not expecting it to clear completely, just thought that it may an interesting addition! Early indications show that it is!!!!

I think the IPA which is Brew Number 3 has stuck at 1025 though! Started around 1050 and has gone nowhere for the last couple of days. Just given it a gentle rouse, if that doesn't work I have some yeast vit on order to try... and then I can resort to pitching some more yeast. First stuck fermentation I have had to face, and wasn't expecting it having used Safale yeast!!!! Hey ho, not to worry :)
Top
Chris The Fish

Post by Chris The Fish » Tue Aug 28, 2007 8:35 am

Orkney_Rob wrote: First stuck fermentation I have had to face, and wasn't expecting it having used Safale yeast!!!! Hey ho, not to worry :)
probably more to do with the fermentables than the yeast. Doesn't matter if you have gold label, all singing, all dancing, supa fabadooby yeast - if there is nothing for it to eat, it wont eat!

ive come to the conclusion (based on sound scientific assumption) that the older the muntons kit is, the higher it finishes.

you may get it to go a few points lower with vit and a repitch however ive had enough and have ordered some DBE, that really kicks fermentable ass! (it changes unfermentables into fermentables) anyhow, fingers crossed that all goes well and it gets down there (if it makes you feel any better my Brewers Choice IPA finished at 1020 using John Bull LME).
Top
Orkney_Rob

Post by Orkney_Rob » Tue Aug 28, 2007 9:03 am

So long as it tastes ok that is the main thing :lol:

Yeast vit should arrive tomorrow, so I will probably chuck that in there, throw in the Muntons Yeast since it is there and see what happens! Give it another few days and if there is no change I will keg it and hope for the best! May be a bit sweet... will just have to save it for any Glasgweigans visiting :D
Top
Orkney_Rob

Post by Orkney_Rob » Tue Aug 28, 2007 9:44 am

There was foam spilling from the top of the bucket by the time I finished aerating the brew, so I would have thought it would be okay... but I may need to refine my technique :lol:

I gave it a bit of a swirl without introducing any air (hopefully) so we shall see if that helps! Felt quite thick down the bottom!
Top
Orkney_Rob

Post by Orkney_Rob » Wed Aug 29, 2007 8:46 am

Rousing has done nothing for it - the yeast doesn't seem to come back into suspension when gentle stirring is applied, it must be a pretty solid cake down there!

Hopefull the yeast vit will arrive today - should I add another sachet of Safale with it, or the Muntons yeast that came with the kit do you think?

The beer is still sat at 1025 so I would like to get it to drop at least another 10 points before sending it into the keg ideally....
Top
Orkney_Rob

Post by Orkney_Rob » Wed Aug 29, 2007 9:54 am

Aaah - right, I am going to have to pop over to the shop and buy a bottle of pop then! PET bottles - don't have any in the house, they seem to get recylced too fast around here!!!!

Shall give that a go though, cheers Daab!
Top
Orkney_Rob

Post by Orkney_Rob » Thu Aug 30, 2007 5:14 pm

The yeast vit hasn't arrived yet - just had an email about the order asking whether an alternative to one of the items would be okay due to lack of stock... so I am guessing Monday/Tuesday before it arrives!

So having misread your suggestions I rehydrated the Muntons yeast in some of the beer, and it looked to be doing something in the PET bottle so I bunged it in. It has formed a bit of a head, and the gravity is slowly starting to drop, down 5 points in 24 hours. So long as it gets below 1015 or so I will be happy enough, but fingers crossed that it gets a bit lower than that!

Cheers!
Top
Orkney_Rob

Post by Orkney_Rob » Thu Aug 30, 2007 10:01 pm

Aye, I gathered that after proceeding! Really shouldn't be doing these things when exhausted :lol:
Top
Orkney_Rob

Post by Orkney_Rob » Sun Sep 09, 2007 10:00 am

Down to about 1005 last time I checked - hopefully it will have stabalised about there (there was looking to be less activity)... should have a reasonable amount of strength to it!!!!

All going well I may be kegging tomorrow, and getting the Almondbury on the go :D
Top
Orkney_Rob

Post by Orkney_Rob » Sun Sep 09, 2007 2:45 pm

Nah - Sparky Paul posted me some enzyme which really got it moving again! The repitch brought it a couple of points further on, but was not doing very much very fast. It did seem to get a nice viable yeast culture there though ready for the enzyme to do it's thing!

Gravity has dropped further to 1004, but the foamy head has really started to die back now so I suspect thats it. Will probably move it to the keg tomorrow.
Top
dan_olo

Post by dan_olo » Sun Sep 09, 2007 4:05 pm

Sounds like a great brew, I'll be interested to hear how this one turns out. I've always been a fan of wheat beers...
Top
Post Reply

Return to “Kit Brewing”