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I would like to know does liquid malt give you a higher sg if so how much,

Higher compared to what?

Liquid malt gives the equivalent of 80% of the SG of LDME, as liquid malt contains about 20% water.

Thanks warra 48. I guess Iam comparing it with the stuff they give me when i buy a brew tin.the reason iam asking,I have abrew down now for 8days and it is still at 120 sg,temp 18-20 will it get to 110-112 it seems like it hase stoped fermenting very little bubble action.

Hi Bobby, the question you seem to be asking is - Will liquid malt give a higher FG (final gravity)?

Compared to dry malt extract it should give a similar FG as long as the 20% water Warra referred to is taken into account.

Compared to the stuff they give you, I assume you're talking about a bag of brew mix of some sort, then the answer depends on what is in the brew mix. If it has lots of dex, liquid malt will give a higher FG. If the brew mix has lots of maltodextrin the liquid malt will give you a lower FG. The fact that you often don't know what is in these bags of brew mix was reason enough for me to stop buying them.

In any case 1020 does seem to high unless you've got a stout, even a bit high for stouts. If you give us the recipe you used and the yeast we could help work out what FG you might get. You could also try gently swirling the fermenter to rouse the yeast, avoid splashing as this may oxidise your beer producing off flavours.

thanks earle,the brew i used was coopers tridtional draght mixed with morgans lager pale malt extract yeast was just top of can yeast,sg at time brew went down was 1.48 now nine days later it is still 118 came down alittle in two days but ferm has just about stopped do you think it will get to 111-112

Hi Bobby

Assuming that you brewed to 23L i would expect at least 1014. Remember that fermentation does slow towards the end, if it has come down a few points from 1018 then sounds like it is still slowly fermenting, but it wouldn't hurt to give it a gentle swirl if you haven't already. You just need to leave it a while for the yeast to resettle then before bottling.

thanks earle for your advice so 1014 is alright to bottle at . if stable,the book says 1010 but i cannot get them that low do some brews go even higher

Hi all. The FG of some of my stouts this year were bottled at 118, 120 and some other brews can be even higher. Earle if I recall correctly from another thread you generally leave your brews in primary fermentation for 2 weeks. Do you normally give them a "swirl" and if so at what stage.
Cheers BB

Hi BB. Stouts and some other brews will definitely have higher FG as you point out and I mentioned earlier in the thread. The coopers draught kit that Bobby is using would have a pretty standard gravity. I've done plenty of standard type kits + tin of liquid malt (usually with some extra bits as well) and I usually get at least down to 1014.

In terms of swirling, I can't say I've ever done it on purpose but it is pretty common advice for a stuck ferment. I usually leave ales 3 weeks in ther fermenter and lagers at least 4. When would I swirl, only once I became aware I had a stuck ferment which I guess could be after 1 and a half or two weeks, I would then leave for at least another week for the gravity to come down and the yeast to settle. My ale fermentation doesn't take 3 weeks but the time after primary finishes is for conditioning and to allow the yeast to settle so I get a clearer beer.

Yeast is also important, the packs that come with kits really are a bit small. The dry yeasts that I get from craftbrewer are twice as big, so could contribute to a better fermentation and less likelihood of a stuck fermentation. They say if you don't rehydrate a yeast that half dies as soon as you pitch it from shock, if you're using a kit yeast that means quite a small amount of viable yeast to do the job.

Thanks Earle for informative response. Your right about the kit yeast packs, they usually take a while to"fire up" when used dry. If I'm brewing alike brews after each other, or within a couple of days then I harvest from the yeast cake which gives almost immediate reaction when pitched and stirred in and provides a better outcome. This then provides extra yeast packs for later brews.
Cheers BB

Hi barrel boy you say use yeast cake i am a bit confused on this yeast cake i know it is what is left after a drew but iam not sure on how to reuse it and to break it down and how munch to put in your next brew.iknow there is a topic on this but i still dont understand it thanks .

Thanks earl that last brew did get down to 1014 fg .You bloks realy know your stuff can you recemend any good brews to try nothing to fancy thou.

I'm sure we can come up with something.

If you let us know what style you like and if you have any preferences regarding hops we'll be able to help you all the more. Not too fancy though.

Paul

Thanks for your reply Emnpaul. Just looking for a beer that tast tike beer.I am only using the tin mix yeast. and i think this is what iam tasting.I would like to know what other people are using and how.

Hi Bobby, what beers do you like drinking? 'Beer that tastes like beer' really depends on the individual. Cheers

earl i just like drinking tooyes druaght extra dry ok any drauft beer realy ihave acouple off brews down i will see how they go i guess

A lot of people on here would argue that TED doesn't taste like beer should, but each to their own and thats the good thing about beer - there are so many kinds. Draught beer isn't really a style of beer but a method of serving it 'from the tap', its more of a marketing ploy. As a beginner and kit/extract brewer its going to be difficult to get a beer that tasted like TED for a couple of reasons
-because of their 'clean' flavour profiles lagers (which TED is) tend to show up any flaws in the brewing process, ales and darker beers are more forgiving in this aspect
- unless you go all grain you may not be able to get a dry enough beer.

If I wanted to brew something like that I would use a light kit, a little bit of malt, a chunk of dextrose which when used instead of malt gives a 'lighter' body, a good lager yeast, good temp control that allows to you maintain a constant temp of 10Cish and even lower for lagering. Do a google search on this site and aussie home brewer and you may find a recipe.

Once Jello has sampled my stone & wood clone I'll post the recipe (don't want to bias his tasting). I think its something you could do quite easily.

Thanks Earl, looking foward to your stone and wood recipe

Sorry for late reply Bobby re yeast harvesting.This is what has worked for me. When bottling if I'm going to put down a like brew I'll swirl the fermenter to release some of the yeast case and draw off about a litre into a sanitized container (cordial bottle) and then stir it into the fresh wort. If I'm not going to brew for 2 -3 days I draw off the same and put into the fridge. On brew day I shake hell out of the container and bring to room temp and add teaspoon of sugar or glucose. Whilst preparing everything I often shake the container. When wort ready pour in and stir. This method has always worked for me. Trust it helps.
Cheers BB

Thanks Barrelboy,that explains things a bit more clearly for me i can not wait till i get some good yeast to try it