First ever home brew

[Pete.]

This isn't something I would have ever done except my daughter bought me a brewing kit for christmas so I figured I would get on with it, then she can at least come round in a week or two when lockdown is lifted and poison herself with a bottle

Anyway, I know literally zip about brewing except for what little I've read on here. Here's the kit I got:



I followed the instructions to the letter up to stage 6. The only problem I had was during the first 60mins cooking in stage 1, struggled to keep the temperature down at 66deg, it kept creeping up into the low-mid 70's so I had to do a lot of juggling with the gas flame and moving the lid about.





Now I have the bottle sitting on top of a dresser since Saturday. The instructions say leave it for 7-10 days but which is best? Do I bottle it at 7 days or leave it until 10 days have passed? What difference would the longer time make to the beer?



I got no idea how this is going to come out. The only thing I have to go by is that it's the same colour in the bottle as on the front of the instruction leaflet!

For all I know it might be only good for pickling onions, and maybe not even any good for that

Any tips or advice welcome!

 

[Barking Mat]

Ask @brewdexta ?

We chopped and pressed the apples in our garden a couple of years ago, just because we had apple's and a cider press.

We made cider, it was a bit of a weird hit, well undrinkable, then became vinegar.

Don't think I'll bother again.

Beer however, tempting.

 

[Shedendman]

God,that bottle, it so reminds me of my poteen or putchine days never,ever again
Well you got a choice,bottle it up when you feel its right to,you'll know in the end if its not worth pickling onions,OR,its good enough to get smashed out of your head on half a pint,rot your guts,and give you the mother off all hangovers for a week,might even end up being a good paint stripper

 

[123hotchef]

Ask @brewdexta ?

We chopped and pressed the apples in our garden a couple of years ago, just because we had apple's and a cider press.

We made cider, it was a bit of a weird hit, well undrinkable, then became vinegar.

Don't think I'll bother again.

Beer however, tempting.

u had fruit flys infest ya ferment then we often make cider and often make cider vinegar both are great the fruit flys carry the bacteria necessary to turn the brew into vinegar you know!

as for @Pete. when it really slows down bubbling in the air lock bottle and cap it

 

[Pete.]

u had fruit flys infest ya ferment then we often make cider and often make cider vinegar both are great the fruit flys carry the bacteria necessary to turn the brew into vinegar you know!

as for @Pete. when it really slows down bubbling in the air lock bottle and cap it

No mention of bubbling in the instructions. Is that plastic stopper supposed to have liquid in it?

 

[8ob]

I left mine a tad longer and it didnt seem to affect anything, the last lot I made I filtered twice before bottling and adding the sugar.The beer turned out perfectly clear.

Bob

 

[Pete.]

I left mine a tad longer and it didnt seem to affect anything, the last lot I made I filtered twice before bottling and adding the sugar.The beer turned out perfectly clear.

Bob

Was it the colour of cat sick after 5 days though?

 

[Nomad]

An ex does a lot of great homemade stuff, she seems to leave it until the bubbles slow down / stop coming through the airlock. Have fun

 

[Barking Mat]

No mention of bubbling in the instructions. Is that plastic stopper supposed to have liquid in it?

I think so.. But they normally are a 90° s shape?

 

[123hotchef]

No mention of bubbling in the instructions. Is that plastic stopper supposed to have liquid in it?

yes mate water

 

[123hotchef]

unless it is a special airlock i aint seen before

 

[daedalusminos]

Did you get a gravity reading? Worth doing now so you can determine ABV at the end.

 

[Pete.]

Did you get a gravity reading? Worth doing now so you can determine ABV at the end.

Nah I'm just using normal gravity 1.0

 

[Pete.]

I put some water in the stopper though it hasn't shown any bubbles through it in the last 10 mins.

 

[123hotchef]

Opps did u kill the yeast

 

[Pete.]

Opps did u kill the yeast

I dunno mate I cooled it down with 2 bags of ice in cold water in the sink. Took about 20 mins, then when the temp got to 20 put the yeast in.

Never check it for a pulse though

 

[123hotchef]

I dunno mate I cooled it down with 2 bags of ice in cold water in the sink. Took about 20 mins, then when the temp got to 20 put the yeast in.

Never check it for a pulse though

any bubbles today

 

[brewdexta]

Low to mid 70s for mashing should be ok, much above that and you could destroy the enzymes that convert starch into sugar.

If you didn't take a gravity reading, does it taste sweet? If so you are good to go and the yeast should go its trick. The yeast need oxygen in the early stages to grow to a decent colony before going anaerobic and weeing alcohol.

Boiling removes the oxygen from the wort so if it doesn't pick up after another 24 hours, pouring it from one stabilised vessel to another a couple of times may help.

 

[Pete.]

Low to mid 70s for mashing should be ok, much above that and you could destroy the enzymes that convert starch into sugar.

If you didn't take a gravity reading, does it taste sweet? If so you are good to go and the yeast should go its trick. The yeast need oxygen in the early stages to grow to a decent colony before going anaerobic and weeing alcohol.

Boiling removes the oxygen from the wort so if it doesn't pick up after another 24 hours, pouring it from one stabilised vessel to another a couple of times may help.

Can I decant it into a sterile saucepan and back out again. It's on day 6 now so might it be too late.

I checked this morning and there's a few bubbles in the air trap but nothing actively moving.

 

[Onoff]

You might want to try warming it up to see if the yeast will get going. You can get thermostatically controlled, gentle heat mats to sit the jars on. Going cheap/low tech then the airing cupboard is good*. Depending on how warm the house is too. My old Mum made any number of quilted demijohn warmers with a pull string to tighten them. When I've done 25L brews now I stand it on a bit of polystyrene and zip an old fleece up around it.

*If fermentation REALLY gets going it can froth up through the airlock!