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So just picked up 50g each of citra and galaxy hops. Beer has been fermenting at 20-22 degrees for four full days now. Bubbling has reduced significantly in the past day so thinking it would be a good time to add them.
 
ThePezDispenser said:
So just picked up 50g each of citra and galaxy hops. Beer has been fermenting at 20-22 degrees for four full days now. Bubbling has reduced significantly in the past day so thinking it would be a good time to add them.
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A couple of thoughts on that as discussed earlier in this thread. A bubbling air lock is not an accurate way to determine fermentation activity. Air locks can continue to bubble long after fermentation is complete just as they can not bubble while the yeast hard at work.

You may be close to final gravity but the yeast produce a lot of by product and off flavours during this process. For this reason you want to increase the temperature to around 23° for a few days and perform a diacetyl rest.

As a loose guide for an ale yeast with a 1050 wort, 7-10 days to ferment, 3 days for diacetyl rest, dry hop mid way through this rest and cold crash for the last 24-48 hours of your 3-4 day dry hop. That should equate to about a fortnight in the fermenter and you should expect about the same in the bottle before chilling and trying one.
 
DanWCE said:
A couple of thoughts on that as discussed earlier in this thread. A bubbling air lock is not an accurate way to determine fermentation activity. Air locks can continue to bubble long after fermentation is complete just as they can not bubble while the yeast hard at work.

You may be close to final gravity but the yeast produce a lot of by product and off flavours during this process. For this reason you want to increase the temperature to around 23° for a few days and perform a diacetyl rest.

As a loose guide for an ale yeast with a 1050 wort, 7-10 days to ferment, 3 days for diacetyl rest, dry hop mid way through this rest and cold crash for the last 24-48 hours of your 3-4 day dry hop. That should equate to about a fortnight in the fermenter and you should expect about the same in the bottle before chilling and trying one.
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Cheers for the response.

Yeah, I understand it wouldn't be a final gravity just yet, however was reading dry hopping prior to final gravity has it's benefits (i.e. less grasiness). You would suggest not worrying about this and sticking to the above.
 

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ThePezDispenser said:
Cheers for the response.

Yeah, I understand it wouldn't be a final gravity just yet, however was reading dry hopping prior to final gravity has it's benefits (i.e. less grasiness). You would suggest not worrying about this and sticking to the above.
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If you leave galaxy in there for more than a few days you'll definitely get grassiness
 
DanWCE said:
If you leave galaxy in there for more than a few days you'll definitely get grassiness
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Hence the twice as much for half as long comment earlier?
 
So now back up to the 23-24 degree mark. I don’t think cold crashing is an option for me, the best I could do is an esky full of ice or leave it outside on a 10 degree morning.
 
ThePezDispenser said:
So now back up to the 23-24 degree mark. I don’t think cold crashing is an option for me, the best I could do is an esky full of ice or leave it outside on a 10 degree morning.
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Don’t stress too much about cold crashing. Pop the fermenter in an esky full of ice slushy a few hours before you bottle to help the yeast and other bits drop to the bottom.

Any remaining bulky yeast sediment in the bottles will drop to the bottom once carbonated if you leave them in the fridge a couple of days before drinking them.

They won’t be crystal clear but it’s not important.

I’d aim to leave the fermenter alone for 14 days, then dry hop for 3 days, then bottle.

Almost impossible that it won’t be fully fermented after 17 days at those room temperatures, so don’t stress too much about taking regular hydrometer samples. The more you open it and put stuff in it, the more risk you will affect it negatively.

You want to give it at least 15 days before bottling for the yeast to clean up their by-products
 
FKASC said:
Don’t stress too much about cold crashing. Pop the fermenter in an esky full of ice slushy a few hours before you bottle to help the yeast and other bits drop to the bottom.

Any remaining bulky yeast sediment in the bottles will drop to the bottom once carbonated if you leave them in the fridge a couple of days before drinking them.

They won’t be crystal clear but it’s not important.

I’d aim to leave the fermenter alone for 14 days, then dry hop for 3 days, then bottle.

Almost impossible that it won’t be fully fermented after 17 days at those room temperatures, so don’t stress too much about taking regular hydrometer samples. The more you open it and put stuff in it, the more risk you will affect it negatively.

You want to give it at least 15 days before bottling for the yeast to clean up their by-products
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Cheers, mate. Decided to take a hydrometer sample and still at 1.011. Thinking the cooler temps may have slowed it up a bit. Today was the 8th day and happy to let it sit for now.
 
ThePezDispenser said:
Cheers, mate. Decided to take a hydrometer sample and still at 1.011. Thinking the cooler temps may have slowed it up a bit. Today was the 8th day and happy to let it sit for now.
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It’s probably not going to budge from that mark much if it’s an IPA. After another week and it’ll prob go down another point or two.

What yeast came with the kit?
 

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FKASC said:
How’s your homemade 3V frame going?
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Sturdy as *. I can sit on the top level and it doesn't budge (I'm only 70kg though). Only problem is it's less than a foot short of my shed ceiling so I can't use the 5 litre jug to fill it, have to go from the sink to the 5l jug to the 20l tank to the 5l jug to the 1l jug to the HLT on top of a *en ladder! 55litres takes about half an hour which is a pain in the arse but I do it the day before I brew so not a huge deal.

Want to try a hop spider next brew coz those pellets cause so much trub.

How's things with your brewing atm?

Also welcome ThePezDispenser!
 
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Duckula said:
Also don't notice a huge difference between El Dorado and Amarillo hops tbh.

My attenuation has been crazy for my last 2 batches, 82% and 87% respectively.
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Serious attenuation

Yeah I find in large volumes, a lot of those American tropical hops taste very similar. Gotta use less to notice the subtleties

That sounds like a bit of a mare with the height of your ceiling. 55L batches tho
 
FKASC said:
Serious attenuation

Yeah I find in large volumes, a lot of those American tropical hops taste very similar. Gotta use less to notice the subtleties

That sounds like a bit of a mare with the height of your ceiling. 55L batches tho
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Nah it's only 20l batches still, but 55l is the HLT full which covers the mash, sparge and cleaning and any top ups needed. Gotta devise a new system for filling.
 
FKASC said:
It’s probably not going to budge from that mark much if it’s an IPA. After another week and it’ll prob go down another point or two.

What yeast came with the kit?
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Not sure of the yeast. Doesn’t seem to be any mention of it on the wrapper.

1.011 sounds normal, it’s just the can suggests 1.005 before bottling.
 
ThePezDispenser said:
Not sure of the yeast. Doesn’t seem to be any mention of it on the wrapper.

1.011 sounds normal, it’s just the can suggests 1.005 before bottling.
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At a stab it'd be Morgan's American Ale yeast. You're looking at 72 to 77% attenuation at an average but obviously it's not an exact science.

All I can say is have some fun experimenting and getting s**t-faced off it and trying to improve batch to batch.

Why so serious? Don't be. :)
 
Duckula said:
Sturdy as ****. I can sit on the top level and it doesn't budge (I'm only 70kg though). Only problem is it's less than a foot short of my shed ceiling so I can't use the 5 litre jug to fill it, have to go from the sink to the 5l jug to the 20l tank to the 5l jug to the 1l jug to the HLT on top of a ****en ladder! 55litres takes about half an hour which is a pain in the arse but I do it the day before I brew so not a huge deal.

Want to try a hop spider next brew coz those pellets cause so much trub.

How's things with your brewing atm?

Also welcome ThePezDispenser!
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I'm exhausted just thinking about filling that HLT! How far away is the shed from your best water source? Food grade hose contraption time?
 
Duckula said:
Nah it's only 20l batches still, but 55l is the HLT full which covers the mash, sparge and cleaning and any top ups needed. Gotta devise a new system for filling.
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Oh of course. I forgot that a HLT is a thing. Seems to intense to think it would cover your entire water requirements.
ThePezDispenser said:
Not sure of the yeast. Doesn’t seem to be any mention of it on the wrapper.

1.011 sounds normal, it’s just the can suggests 1.005 before bottling.
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Oh yep. It’s meant to only be a sessionable IPA but it’d still be surprised if reaches 1005 given malt extract never attenuates as much as all grain wort does. There’d also be a fair bit of caramel malt in there for colour which isn’t as fermentable.

I reckon the kit makers just tell you that to be extra sure that you don’t create bottle bombs and sue them
 
Haha. Yeah, the Morgan’s IPA. Too easy lads. I’ll give it a few more days and start the dry hopping.

Plan to have plenty of fun with mates getting through it so I have a reason to do a bit more with the next one. Hopefully get more hops into during a little boil and making it a bigger IPA. Fun times ahead!
 
DanWCE said:
I'm exhausted just thinking about filling that HLT! How far away is the shed from your best water source? Food grade hose contraption time?
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I'm on it, been eyeing off a 2 litre pyrex jug to replace the 1 litre. :$

It's about 30 metres or so from my kitchen sink to my shed, food grade hose is feasible but probably not economical.

Had 7 pints of the new pale ale since Friday night - got 32 from the batch and gave 8 to my brother in law who gets a mandatory skim of each batch for building the rig with me, so only got 17 left. Gotta slow down and make them last!
 
Duckula said:
It's about 30 metres or so from my kitchen sink to my shed, food grade hose is feasible but probably not economical.
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I think the time expenditure of filling the HLT with a 1L jug up a latter is not economical haha.

Either make a dip stick, or etch your HLT with volumetric markings and get some food grade hose (20m less than $50), run through an inline carbon filter from an outside tap and into your HLT through your valve.

Here's a good site on how to etch your brewing vessels - https://byo.com/project/etch-your-kettle-projects/
 
ThePezDispenser said:
Haha. Yeah, the Morgan’s IPA. Too easy lads. I’ll give it a few more days and start the dry hopping.

Plan to have plenty of fun with mates getting through it so I have a reason to do a bit more with the next one. Hopefully get more hops into during a little boil and making it a bigger IPA. Fun times ahead!
Click to expand...
you’ll be hooked real soon
 
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