I've done it. . .

[Walrus81]

Just finished my first extract.

A 1 gallon test run

500g medium dme
20g goldings 40mins
5g goldings last 8 mins (ish)

safale ale.

Sitting in a warm cupboard until tomorrow.

I think that whenI added the yeast the mash was too cold, thermometer read under 40 degs.

So am I correct in thinking that if all is going well it should be bubbling nicely tomorrow?

Thanks.

[Walrus81]

Excellent,


I'll move it then. Topped the demi up with some hot water. Should not have made much difference ( not even 1 liter out of 4.5 cold).

What should I check to see that things are going swimmingly?

(Silly question here, does dark,medium orlight DME effect taste?)

Thanks again.

[Walrus81]

All is going well


Foam head has spilled out of air lock all over the floor.

When should I read og?

I'll rack in 5 days is (when fermenting has stopped) and prime.

Looks good, thanks for all your help Daab, oh yeah, biggest pot I found was 5L so used that to boil in.

Lovely smell of DME and hops in kitchen last night

[Walrus81]

Ok, so should you take OG, just prior to fermenting, ie just before yeast added?

Also will not bottle buck rack into another demijohn after a week ish.

I will let you know how it turns out!

[johnmac]

I remember when I started making kits in the early 80's and the instructions said "keep the fermenter in a warm place" and I quickly learnt that a warm airing cupboard would make something undrinkable.

I'm afraid that you may be learning the same lesson, Walrus.

[Vossy1]

Well done on your first brew W

[Walrus81]

Today just gets better and better!

1st extract bubbling nicely, went for a walk, picked enogh hops for my next brew! Not sure what type they are, I asked the person whos hedge but they don't know!

Free hops brying as we speak!

[Walrus81]

my thoughts exactly!

[Walrus81]

ok,

just had a look at the brew.

frothy head totally gone. No bubbles through air lock. Nic yeast deposit on bottom of demi.

Is this normal? Or has frementation stuck? Smells good via air lock though.

Any suggestions?

Thanks once again!

[Chiltern Brewer]

Today just gets better and better!

1st extract bubbling nicely, went for a walk, picked enogh hops for my next brew! Not sure what type they are, I asked the person whos hedge but they don't know!

Free hops brying as we speak!

Hello Walrus, as you're in Kent I guess you stand a chance of finding a hop that could have escaped from a hop garden? For drying small amounts of hops I use newspaper hop drying pockets more details are posted here.

Regarding your current brew by my maths your OG was farily low ~1033, so as Daab says in one gallon it could ferment out very quickly. Do check the gravity to be sure though.

[Walrus81]

Thanks for the tip. I dried the hops out on wire racks in the airing cupboard.

Went to take a hydro reading but it sank to the bottom at about 1010 ish so I've moved it into another demijohn with 16g of sugar to prime.

I'll wait a week or so until I try it!

[Walrus81]

Thanks for the tip. I dried the hops out on wire racks in the airing cupboard.

Went to take a hydro reading but it sank to the bottom at about 1010 ish so I've moved it into another demijohn with 16g of sugar to prime.

I'll wait a week or so until I try it!

[Chiltern Brewer]

The beauty of the newspaper pockets is that it stops the hops shedding resin all over your clean linen/towels! It's terrible stuff for staining anything that it comes into contact with, you have been warned...

Good to hear the brew is back on track. To build up some condition in the beer you could use some PET bottles in place of a pressure barrel. Just make sure that they held carbonated drinks and that you sanitise them. Alternatively get a crown capper, some beer bottles and some crown caps.

Let us know how it turns out.

[Walrus81]

home brew seems to be back on track, nothing happening in demihjohn since I racked it!

Is that normal?

hop were dried on baking paper!

Thanks for the tip though!

[Walrus81]

2nd demi = bottle.

all beer will be consumed in one hit.

so by transfering to this second demi have I killed my beer?