Are These Brown Floaters Normal?

Discuss making up beer kits - the simplest way to brew.
Lewie
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Are These Brown Floaters Normal?

Post by Lewie » Fri Mar 26, 2021 11:55 am

Hi all.
Not a complete newbie but very much learning.
As for the title of my thread, no, I haven't come to the wrong place :D , the brown 'floaters' I refer to are on the top of my brew.
It's a Wherry. It's been in the fermenter for nigh on 10 days.
The temperature of the brew is around 22c.
The hydrometer reading is 1010.
All visual activity appears to have stopped, only enough to move the bubbler water, no actual air being pushed out.
I've read that these kits get stuck. Is that why they now provide two of the little sachets of yeast?
Anyway, assuming the hydrometer reading is good I'm going to rack to a second fermenter.
My problem (or not) is the bits floating on top.
Never seen it before. Do I skim it off or just rack and hope it settles?
I took a picture but don't see a way to post it.
Cheers me dears
Last edited by Lewie on Fri Mar 26, 2021 8:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.

f00b4r
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Re: Are These Brown Floaters Normal?

Post by f00b4r » Fri Mar 26, 2021 11:59 am

There is a required post count (5?) before you can add pictures.
I will pm you, if you reply with the pictures I will add it.

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Re: Are These Brown Floaters Normal?

Post by f00b4r » Fri Mar 26, 2021 12:02 pm

Interesting that they have now bumped up the yeast amount but it looks like it has not stuck if you are getting that finishing gravity.

Lewie
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Re: Are These Brown Floaters Normal?

Post by Lewie » Fri Mar 26, 2021 12:53 pm

Thanks for the offer but no button to reply?
Perhaps that's restricted too?

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Jim
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Re: Are These Brown Floaters Normal?

Post by Jim » Fri Mar 26, 2021 2:20 pm

Yeah, private messages are also restricted; I think we know you aren't a spam bot by now, so I'll remove the restrictions.
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Lewie
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Re: Are These Brown Floaters Normal?

Post by Lewie » Fri Mar 26, 2021 3:34 pm

Thanks for the restriction lifting.
Here be eth the beast in question.
Looks yummy huh!!
IMG_0116.JPG

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MarkA
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Re: Are These Brown Floaters Normal?

Post by MarkA » Fri Mar 26, 2021 4:30 pm

That looks fine to me!

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Re: Are These Brown Floaters Normal?

Post by Lewie » Fri Mar 26, 2021 4:51 pm

Hi MarkA, what does the A stand for, vague? :lol: :lol:
Excuse my thickness Mark but as a relative new brewer could you tell me what it is?
Do I need to skim it off?
If not how do I avoid it racking to bucket 2?
Then, if I may, more questions.
Rack it off and wait a bit or can I bottle it now (say yes!)
It's 21 litres, what's the recommended way, bulk sugar the fermenter (how much)
Or bottles? I will be doing a mix of 333ml and 500ml bottles.
I thank you.
Last edited by Lewie on Fri Mar 26, 2021 8:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Jim
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Re: Are These Brown Floaters Normal?

Post by Jim » Fri Mar 26, 2021 4:58 pm

Looks perfectly normal - just about every brew I've ever made looked pretty much the same. Bits of dead or inactive yeast clumped together and possibly protein that dropped out of the wort and has been raised up by the rising gas during fermentation.

Just leave it behind when you rack if you can, but don't sweat if the odd bit goes through.
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WalesAles
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Re: Are These Brown Floaters Normal?

Post by WalesAles » Fri Mar 26, 2021 5:00 pm

Lewie,
Looks good to me too! =D>
Leave the hydro in the beer for another two days, if the reading is still 1010 you are ready for bottling/ kegging.
(you knew that anyway) #-o
If you are putting it into a second FV are you batch priming and bottling from there?
No need to leave in the second FV for any more clearing time.
It should drop nice and clear after 2wks warm, 2wks cold after bottling.
(you knew that as well) #-o

WA

Lewie
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Re: Are These Brown Floaters Normal?

Post by Lewie » Fri Mar 26, 2021 6:41 pm

Thanks all thus far.
Jim, did a Coopers Pale Ale and didn't see any floaters so I thought something was amiss.
Wales, I sort of knew about the hydro but you know what waiting is like, you sort of convince yourself it don't matter.
I will batch prime as I will be using sveral different sized bottles so I guess batch priming makes more sense.
With the iPA I used drops but read there's little point apart from convenience.
Another 4 weeks in the bottles? AAAARRRRGGGGGHHHHHHH!!
No, again, I sort of knew but not many of my iPA made it to full term but in a way it was good 'cause I could taste the difference over time.
Learning curve.
The iPA was pretty good by the way.

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Re: Are These Brown Floaters Normal?

Post by Lewie » Sun Mar 28, 2021 12:29 pm

Hi all.
The reason I am writing this is, does anyone see anything I may have done 'wrong'?

All was steady re hydro so time to bottle.
I racked off (can't they change that term :shock: ) to a second bucket.
Halfway through I added 100g of sugar that I had mixed with boiling water and simmered for 5 minutes or so.
Gave the ale a stir at that point and a stir when it had finished transferring.
Left it while I de labeled (easier than I thought) some bottles and sterilised them.
Came up and bottled the beast.

What a game that is with different caps and botlles, took me twice as long as it should have :evil:
Read that some think it is the capper, some the caps, some the bottles.
For me it's a combination but after experimenting I'd say more the caps.

I'm surprised how clear it is already, how long before carbonation so I can 'test' a bottle?

Any advice going forward with this one or for my next one, which is a 'Nelsons Revenge'
Cheers me dears

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Re: Are These Brown Floaters Normal?

Post by Nitro Jim » Sun Mar 28, 2021 2:36 pm

Lewie, I usually make my sugar mix the night before bottling so that it has time to cool down. I usually use 50g of sugar depending on what I am bottling. I then rack the beer/wort onto the sugar mixture avoiding too much splashing. I wouldn't dream of stirring as there is a possibility of oxygenation.

You need to leave the bottles in the warm for say two weeks and then move to a cooler environment for another two weeks. By then the beer should have carbonated and dropped clear. I always use at least one PET bottle to check how carbonation is going.

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Re: Are These Brown Floaters Normal?

Post by Lewie » Sun Mar 28, 2021 3:08 pm

Thanks for the reply Nitro.
The night before bottling?
Now that is waaaaayyy too much organization for me!!
I was careful re the stirring.
Your method obviously works but I just couldn't see how it could ditribute evenly without stirring.
Anyway, done now and I live and learn.
As for the amount, the range I read about was crazy. From 50g (yours, lowest I've seen), to 160g for lagers.
I basically plumped for a happy medium.
Perhaps 80g would have been better.
Apparently it's a 'taste' thing so only time will tell if it is a 'happy' medium.

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Re: Are These Brown Floaters Normal?

Post by themadhippy » Sun Mar 28, 2021 4:34 pm

when i used to bottle, for 40 pints id use 100g sugar mixed with 100ml boiling water,then using a 5ml syringe squirt a full syringe full of the mix into each bottle,if you want 5g of sugar use 200g sugar to 200 ml water and a 10ml syringe.
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