TC newbie and possible idiot !

[boingy]

You guys worry too much. I've been a sucker for 20 years, never had a problem.

[RatboyOllie]

Do I leave the heat on this now then until fermentation stops?

Probably a daft question, I guess the answer is "yes", i was just a bit concerned as the liquid feels warm to touch so hopefully there isnt too much heat, I just have it sat on one of those demi-jon warming plates?

I was working on the assumption itll take about 10 days to ferment, does that sound about right?

Cheers chaps

[RatboyOllie]

by the way, im thick, but im not that thick, i havent actually touched the liquid, just the fv !

[Duffbeer]

Do I leave the heat on this now then until fermentation stops?

Probably a daft question, I guess the answer is "yes", i was just a bit concerned as the liquid feels warm to touch so hopefully there isnt too much heat, I just have it sat on one of those demi-jon warming plates?

I was working on the assumption itll take about 10 days to ferment, does that sound about right?

Cheers chaps

It'll be fine, check the temp with a thermometer, if it's edging above 25c then turn the mat off for a few hours, as for time it's anyones guess, it can ferment out in as little as 3 to 4 days, hence the need for a hydrometer, it takes the guesswork out of things.

[RatboyOllie]

sorry, total newbie

what reading do i want on the hydrometer?

thanks a lot

[shandypants5]

For TC anything around 1000 is good, the lower it goes the drier it will taste.

[RatboyOllie]

i should probably start a new thread, i dont know, but as its part of my TC experience i guess its ok in here....

ive just bought a little bottler in anticipation of finishing my TC. Ive got a spare fv. How on earth do I go about attaching it, it didnt come with instructions and I cant find anything online or on here, maybe its straight forward? Im guessing i drill a hole in the fv and just fit it. Does anyone have any advice or previous experience? How high up from the bottom of the fv should it be etc? I'm a bit scared of drilling it because no doubt itll end up cracking.......

any advice, more than gratefully received !



Also, I have just taken a hydrometer reading. Now my hydrometer seems to be different numbers to what people are saying on here, it has a zero and appears to go to about -5 at the top, then the numbers below go up in increments of 1 being marked up every 10. According to my reading it is 15.

I have absolutely no idea what this means...........?

I am a proper duffer.

[Duffbeer]

Ollie, not sure what you mean by 'little bottler' that's a new one to me, I'm presuming it's some form of bottling rod ??

As for the hydrometer, many are scaled in different ways, if you can try to take a pic and post it here, for the time being put your hydrometer in some water at room temperature, water should read 1.000, take a note and then try it on your tc, if it sinks below the liquid level then it's ready...here or there...if it floats above then there's more fermenting to be done.

[edit1now]

Hydrometer: your zero line is almost certainly 1.000 a.k.a. 1000. The reading of 15 probably means 1.015 or 1015 SG. TC at 1015 probably needs a few more days to ferment. 1010 sounds good.

Little bottler: before you start drilling anything, decide if you want to use it as per the instructions, where you add the special tap to a bucket or FV; or as per my way, where I just use the stick with the cutoff valve on the end of a piece of syphon hose. I bottled two batches in one afternoon recently, with very little hassle. The syphon straw was clipped to the neck of the FV so it couldn't walk about, and the only thing I'll probably change would be to add an in-line tap or valve to the syphon tube so I can walk away safely. Last time I thought I'd cap the first 20 bottles before I filled the rest, parked the Little Bottler stick on the end of its syphon in a 2-litre jug, capped a few bottles, turned round and the jug was overflowing onto the kitchen floor. It had been just dripping fast enough through the cutoff valve...

Thinks...if you have a vessel with an existing tap, would any of the bits of Little Bottler fit, possibly adapted with different sizes of plastic tubing?

[RatboyOllie]

Cheers fellas

I specifically asked the guy in the homebrew store and he sold me the little bottler and an fv, he said i just needed to fit it, so to behonest i walked away presuming it was straight forward, having looked at it, it looks as though it should replace a tap, i.e an fv that has a prefitted tap, i guess you can unscrew it for cleaning purposes and this little bottler tap fits where the old tap was, well i dont have a tapped fv and he didnt sell them, grrrrrrrrr. I might just give hima ring coz there must be a way. i do like your idea though edit1now, im struggling to picture how I would use it. Do I attach the bottler to the end of my siphon, is that what you mean? I dont have a tap on my fv to connect to.

As for the hydrometer, a lot fo internet searching this afternoon has lead me to believe I have one that has the Oechsle scale. I belibe, please correct me if im wrong, but i just stick 10 in front of nay reading and its the same as the sg reading everyone is talkin agout, so my 15 is actually 1015 ?

[Marts]

For the little bottler just use one of the flat wood-drill bits to drill the hole and then a file or rough sandpaper to widen it to a snug fit for the little bottler's tap. Take your time doing it though as you don't want to end up rushing and enlarging the hole beyond the size of the tap.

Alternatively if the idea of any kind of DIY sets you off in a cold sweat then check with your LHBS - they may well be happy to do it for you.

[randomdave]

I suck the siphon, an the only side effect is i occasionally get a gob full of green beer. My siphon has a little plastic tube at the end a bit like a bic biro that you can pull out once the siphon has started. Been a lazy bugger i just leave it in and ive never had any problems.

As for the bottler I thought those things went on the end of a siphon an you just put it in the bottle could be wrong tho as ive never used one im a fan of simpleness. Bucket full of beer + siphon + quick suck = empty FV in no time.

[edit1now]

Ollie: here are a couple of pictures. Sorry I couldn't do them on Saturday night when you first asked - I was a bit pissed.

Syphon setup:


tap for shutting-off, and avoiding valuable beer on kitchen floor:


elbow:


Don't worry about the Kartell disconnects - they're just convenient; and don't worry about the elbow at the top of the syphon straw - that's to stop the hose kinking while syphoning, but it's not absolutely necessary. I would recommend the tap though

Syphon straw -> tube -> tap if possible -> Little Bottler tube.

You may need to warm-up the end of your plastic hose in hot water to get it onto the various rigid fittings.

[RatboyOllie]

Hey cheers for that, to be honest that looks like the exact siphon i have bought as luck would have it !

I also have the little bottle, so just a few connectors and i should be able to piece together that exact bit of kit without the need for drilling a hole ! Excellent !

At some point in the future I might just buy a fv with tap already in place but ive just spent up on a brewmaster top keg so for now, its not warranted.

Cheers, this is definitely my way forward i reckon,

thanks again edit1now !

[RatboyOllie]

Right im on day 7 of my first TC experiment and Im trying to think ahead.

I am going to rack into a demijon shortly and add an extra litre of AJ, then bottle.

That sounds ok doesnt it? Do I add the extra AJ just before I bottle or does it go in there a few days before? Any advice?

Presumably the sediment is going to be left in my original fv when i rack into the demi jon. Now............ can I just plonk another 4 litres in there? Will I need to add yeast and start all over again or will the yeast kick into action again and leave me with another round of TC in a weeks time?

I read somewhere on here about making a "starter" and now I cant bloody find it, but i think the idea was that you can use the yeast from your previous brew to start your next?

Have I finally lost it?