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I got the same fermenting away at the moment. Hope both turn out ok. Will keep you posted & maybe able to compare notes/results when bottled...

Sounds like the yeast is doing it's job fine.

Make sure the tube part of the airlock that seals in the "o"ring has no rough bits on it. That may cause air to escape.

I tighten the lid hand tight. Usually that is enough to make a good seal.

If after 1 day I see no airlock activity, I use a crude ...

I'd be buying another hydrometer to make sure your brew has finished fermenting before bottling.
I havn't bought one for a while but I think a cheapie is only around $10 from any HBS.

Well done NTRabbit, that's quite a year!
Could you give some more info on the MM Bourbon & Cola you made?(In this thread or a new one?)

Years ago a mate's dad was brewing beer but also made mixer drinks,
like Bourbon & Cola, Vodka & Orange, Bundy & Cola.
From memory... he just filled his fermenter ...

Just keep soaking them. Overnight or longer between scrubbings. For label removing etc, I use a water, bleach & dishwashing liquid solution.
Persistence will pay off with great looking bottles.

you can put the fermenter into a sink of cold water to drop the temp quicky

I would't stress...
Let the temp drop to where its required & let ferment as normal.
I'd leave the lid on, clean the ouside of the fermenter & top up the airlock.

I dont think infection should be a big worry even if the airlock got emptied by the froth, the brew would be letting off plenty of gass ...

Best to keep it constant.
If you can keep it in a area of the house which has a stable temperature, stick it there.
In our last house, we had a Huge cupboard in the center of the house which stayed about 18 degrees most of the time. I fermented my brew in there for years.

Use the search link at the ...

I used to. Maybe I'm just sensitive to it???

Now I use Neo Pink for a quick wash & sterilise.
No isues.

I've never heard of 'swappa' bottles...

$5 for 12 in a crate is great.
Turn them upside down in the crate & you won't need a drying tree/rack

Maybe it's just me but I get a burning feeling in my throat when I use Sodium met to sterilise my equipment. I'm staying away from it.

I'm just after a real powerfull bottle cleaner to get rid of very old & stuborn stains.
This stuff seems to do it. Old rusty looking stains have gone.

Well, I mixed up some solution & Its doing a pretty good job. Better than all other stuff I've used. Some bottles I'm letting soak again, but 2/3 of the bottles came up good after the first soak & scrub.
I'll use it again on my next batch of bottles I find.
Again, only for the initial clean. It is ...

yeah mate, they're the only kind I use.
Allways on the look out for the old ones to up my collection.
Last year I found about 30 of the old VB stubbies too up the bush. Just starting to scrub, soak, scrub, soak them & they're comming up great.

I store mine under the house where it's cool all year round.
Night temps maybe approx 8 - 10 degrees celsius, but how warm does the garage get during the day?
Even during winter we get some sunny days in Melbourne my tin garage will get pretty warm.

A few scrap bits of pine with holes drilled in it works fine for me.
Holds 33 bottles.
Cheap, easy to make, can be carried full of bottles & stores easy.
This thing has now been stained & varnished for protection.

hmm...

Yes, I agree with the caution of thorough rinsing. I would rinse, then do my normal wash, steralise, rinse routine after.

It seems to be fine in dairy application.
Rinse with water, wash with the acid solution & rinse with hot water & drain.
Then the system is right to have the milk we ...

The stuff Im talking about is sulphamic acid , the stuff in the link you have given is spelt different( Sulfamic acid ).
It could be the same stuff, could be different...?
http://www.tasmanchemicals.com.au/pdf/Dawn%20Powder.pdf
Point taken about safer stuff being around, but not many powerfull ...

Has anybody used sulphamic acid for cleaning old beer bottles?
It is stuff dairy farmers use to clean their milk plant. It removes scale & all sorts of other nasties.
Hopefully it will disolve snail shit & rusty looking stains from a heap of old long necks I've found a while back.
It's a dry powder ...

Silkworm,

You mentioned earlier that you have a cellar under the house...
What is temp range you get in yours?

We just moved into a house & it too has a cellar:)

I'm storing my full bottles in there obviously,
but I'm thinking of brewing down there too, since the temp should be fairly constant ...

I looked up the aldoheat site and saw the THF 0-40oC (brew/fridge). So is this all I need to put in an old sealable fridge /freezer that dose'nt need to work?

Big Al,

You will need a fridge/freezer that still works.

It looks like you plug your fridge/freezer power cord into the new thermostat ...