Sam Posted November 19, 2012 Report Share Posted November 19, 2012 (edited) Me too. The instructions say at 26degrees, which mine is, it can be done in 4 days and today's the 5th day, so I went for it. From 1045 to 1008, makes it 4.9%. Check tomorrow, hope my bottles turn up, but no harm in leaving it for a few more days. ETA: didn't taste it, got scared of putting something in the vessel. Edited November 19, 2012 by Sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonlpearce Posted November 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 19, 2012 Lol when I tasted it I poured it into my mouth without my lips touching the sample tube, so the rest got poured back in. Was just reading on the kit manufacturer website and they say minimum of 10 days in the FV, so a couple more n I'm good to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Posted November 20, 2012 Report Share Posted November 20, 2012 (edited) Taken last night. Does it look darker than yours? Are you even doing Ale?! (click for bigger image) Edited November 20, 2012 by Sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonlpearce Posted November 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 20, 2012 Im not doing an ale, mine is a pilsner so the brewing technique may be ever so slightly different, temperatures mainly from what i can tell... Here is a pic of mine from last night, kinda looks like piss but smelled n tasted good Thing is though even after releasing all the pressure from my FV, its still fermenting as the airlock is still bubbling away. I also had a read of the beer kit manufacturers website and they say mine should drop to around 1005 (5.1%). So im going to leave it another week in the FV to see how it goes. Gaz 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Posted November 20, 2012 Report Share Posted November 20, 2012 (edited) Mine is inbetween the green markers on the gravity thingy, so already developed quicker than yours. (its not a race!) I agree it smelt a lot better than at first (when I almost was sick into the barrel!). Need to get one of those tubes, as when ever I put the gravity tester in the liquid all the bubbles attach to it and you cant tell what the reading is! Did your kit come with it? Edited November 20, 2012 by Sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonlpearce Posted November 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 20, 2012 No my kit didnt come with one but you can pick them up from Wilkos for about £2. Its worth getting one as if your hydrometer is infected in any way then your not risking your whole brew. Agreed though yours seems to be moving along a lot quicker than mine, perhaps its because you pitched the yeast warmer than i did so it got going quicker, who knows... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Posted November 20, 2012 Report Share Posted November 20, 2012 Yeast develops quicker the hotter it is (within reason), my liquid was 27 when it was added, as I knew it'd make the process quicker. Of course, I sterilised my hydrometer before it went in, so should be ok. I'll pop to Dyas after work and check for one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Posted November 20, 2012 Report Share Posted November 20, 2012 Another measurement taken at 1008 again, so its ready, but still a bit cloudy. Bottling put off until Thursday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonlpearce Posted November 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 20, 2012 Looking good! You can probably stick some finings in before bottling, or once bottled dry store it then cold store it for a good few weeks and it should clear loads more. At least this is what i have read. I just took a look at mine and its definitely still bubbling away...think it may be a little to cool as it seems to be very slow in comparison! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Posted November 20, 2012 Report Share Posted November 20, 2012 Thanks, looks and tastes better than expected! I'm tempted to do just that, as I really want it to be bottled for a few weeks before christmas, which is when it will be consumed. It will be bottled for a few days in the warmth of the house then moved to a cooler place. Mine was still bubbling a little, and we're going to do it in 2 days, maybe 3, so that'll be 10/11 days brewing. The instructions say 5-7, so I'm double what they say at minimum! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonlpearce Posted November 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 22, 2012 Took another reading yesterday and it seems to be sitting steady at 1012, which according to instructions seems a little high still. Might chuck it in a bath of warm water for a couple of days to try n speed up the final stages as im bored of waiting now . It did however taste VERY yummy, so i can wait to get this primed and ready for drinking! Hoping to get it bottle over the weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonlpearce Posted November 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2012 Been at 1010 now for 2 days so if it's still there tomorrow it's time for bottling! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Posted November 23, 2012 Report Share Posted November 23, 2012 Mine is errr, still going. Reading today was 1002! Makes the final product 6.8%! It's still really cloudy too, so it's scheduled for Monday to be bottled up. But of course I'll take readings over the weekend. My bottler turned up as well, ad I managed to attach it to my pipe, so that'll make it much easier as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonlpearce Posted November 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2012 Haha that will be the extra sugar you put in! You will need to be careful of exploding bottles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Posted November 23, 2012 Report Share Posted November 23, 2012 I know! I'm tempted to leave it even longer to ensure the extra sugar has gone. But that is what the hydrometer is for. Maybe don't add sugar to the botttles? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonlpearce Posted November 24, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 24, 2012 If you don't add sugar to the bottles there will be limited fizz from what I can gather. Perhaps only put a small amount in... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Posted November 25, 2012 Report Share Posted November 25, 2012 Well, its still going. Much clearer but not as clear as I'd like, and its still got sediment floating, so needs to settle. It tastes a bit watery, but I hope that'll be sorted by the bottling and resting. Reading was taken again. 994! Making the brews current outcome a tidy 7.3%. Hoping it'll settle now and be ready on Tuesday. The bloke moves into the flat on Friday! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonlpearce Posted November 26, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 26, 2012 Sam i think the wateryness is due to the extra sugar, it gives a higher alcohol content but takes away from the overall flavour from what i can gather. I actually bottled mine over the weekend. Thats a mission in itself i tell you, 3 hours total start to finish. I stuck all the bottles in the bath and sterilised, then cleaned with a bottle brush, then rinsed, then tried to dry (need a bottle tree for sure), then added sugar, then added beer.... Here is the end result. All tucked up somewhere warm and dark. I stuck these pics on a homebrew forum and the advice i was given is to leave it in the FV for 2 weeks once fermentation had finished but move somewhere cold to clear, as its a little cloudy. It should clear up in the bottles still but i will have to pour carefully as there will be sediment which i don't want to disturb. So now its a waiting game - 2 weeks warm and around 2 weeks cold, then its time to Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Posted November 26, 2012 Report Share Posted November 26, 2012 Maybe, I hope it'll develop enough in the bottles to keep some flavour. If not, there is always the beer (next brew). Same idea for us, bottles in the bath, cleaned and dried as much as possible, then its production line time! Do you haver a bottler? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonlpearce Posted November 26, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 26, 2012 (edited) Yeah the bottler was invaluable in terms of the mess it avoided. I bought a second FV which i attached the bottler to, siphoned the beer into this then bottled from this. Pic of the siphoning. Edited November 26, 2012 by simonlpearce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Posted November 26, 2012 Report Share Posted November 26, 2012 Haha. I've just put the clever bit of the bottler into the end of the red hose. Flexible bottler rather than fixed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonlpearce Posted November 26, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 26, 2012 Yeah that should also work, i have seen that you can get taps for the siphon so i don't see how your way is any different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Posted November 26, 2012 Report Share Posted November 26, 2012 Whats the spring for on the pipe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonlpearce Posted November 26, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 26, 2012 You mean on the red part of the siphon tube? I haven't a clue... From what i can tell it has absolutely no job role what so ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Posted November 26, 2012 Report Share Posted November 26, 2012 Hydrometer is broken! Smashed bottom. Going to have to do an ours round trip to get one, so I can take a reading today and tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
