Sonny's 1st Real Brew - A Dark Ale

[bullfrog]

It's funny you should mention music because my name is music-related. My first name is Jeremiah and as we all know, Jeremiah was a bullfrog...

[rotten]

Pitch 26Deg, at OG 1050.
a day or so fermenting quickly......
Now 22Deg, and SG 1024.

G'day Sonny.
You're still reading directions of the can aren't ya? Throw those away for starters.
Your current ferment temp is where you should be pitching, between 18-22c for ales is good.
I learnt after every brew (and still do, probably always will). You may have cooked your yeast, an experienced brewer should be able to help us there. If that's the case I'd re-pitch another packet, that's worse case scenario. Give fermentor a shake and see if it wakes up after a day or two, I have done this for at least 5 brews. OR leave it alone and check SG after a few more days, hopefully someone else can help more by then.
Cheers

[speedie]

Jeremiah did you search for that song dude?
i think the one you are referring too is a CCWR (john foggerty)

[earle]

Pitch 26Deg, at OG 1050.
a day or so fermenting quickly......
Now 22Deg, and SG 1024.

G'day Sonny.
You're still reading directions of the can aren't ya? Throw those away for starters.
Your current ferment temp is where you should be pitching, between 18-22c for ales is good.
I learnt after every brew (and still do, probably always will). You may have cooked your yeast, an experienced brewer should be able to help us there. If that's the case I'd re-pitch another packet, that's worse case scenario. Give fermentor a shake and see if it wakes up after a day or two, I have done this for at least 5 brews. OR leave it alone and check SG after a few more days, hopefully someone else can help more by then.
Cheers

I don't think you've cooked you yeast - it will take temps over 30 or more to do that (definitly avoid this though). 1024 is too high for a finish though, perhaps the sample had some concentrate from the tap in it.

Don't shake the fermenter, just a gentle swirl to rouse the yeast if necessary. Shaking and splashing risks introducing oxygen into your brew which could lead to oxidation.

Sounds like it needs more time. Once you can control your temps I find that ales can benefit froma longer time in the fermenter. I leave my ales 3 weeks from pitching to bottling.

[Sonny]

Hey thanks fella's. Good advice.
I will cry if this baby has anything go wrong with it, I love chocolate.

[rotten]

If it doesn't work you still have to drink it, otherwise you won't learn anything from it
I'm sure it'll be fine.

[Sonny]

Pitch 26Deg, at OG 1050.
a day or so fermenting quickly......
Now 22Deg, and SG 1024.

Today, Wednesday still nothing. Took a SG reading at a clean 1020. Temp today has dropped to 20Deg. So that's 22Deg since settling Sunday and now due to the cooler weather we've dropped.
I took a sampler (as you do) and this time the chocolate after taste has practically disappeared, and the roasty maltness is coming through stronger.
I did give it a smooth stir before going to work this morning, but nah, nuffin'.

What do I do now? I do have a spare Coopers Ale Yeast pack???

[Bum]

What do you mean "nothing"? Looks like you've dropped 4 points to me.

[Sonny]

What do you mean "nothing"? Looks like you've dropped 4 points to me.

arghh see! That's why you join a forum. Thanks

[earle]

I took a sampler (as you do) and this time the chocolate after taste has practically disappeared, and the roasty maltness is coming through stronger.

When I think about chocolate flavour in beer I draw a parallel to eating chocolate.
High cocoa chocolate is bitter, to get sweeter chocolate you add more sugar. It becomes a balancing job between sweet sugar and bitter cocoa. Thats why cheap chocolate tastes like shit - too much sugar, hardly any cocoa.

Anyway back to beer.
Your unfermented wort has the bitterness of the chocolate roasted grain and the sweetness of the unfermented malt so will taste more chocolatey. As the malt ferments it the taste becomes more bitter. If you want more of a chocolate taste in your beer you need to add something which will remain sweet after fermentation has completed. My latest dark lager has 150g Carafa (another type of choc malt) but also 300g caramunich which leaves a sweet flavour. It may still be a bit too much carafa but I tried one last night and after a month or so in the bottle it is smoothing out to a more chocolatey taste then when I tried it after only a week or so.

[Sonny]

Well look at this!
I've actually been here for two years, that means I've known Bullfrog two years as well. Good on you Bullfrog.

But let me just say, thanks to all here. Reading over this thread has just made me aware of how far I've come in understanding the basics of brewing and remember, I just did my first AG last week too.
That's two full years after opening my first tin, and I thought it would never happen.

Cheers to all of you guys, I know how to make a beer now. Maybe not exactly as one may plan for it, but it's still beer!

[rotten]

You may have been the first person I thought I could offer help too !!!

How wrong I was

[warra48]

Well look at this!
I just did my first AG last week.

Congratulations!
I did my first one 5 years ago, and it's still fun.

[big dave]

It's a slippery old slope Sonny. I don't think any of us actually started this caper thinking beyond the tins of goop, but look what happens!

[emnpaul]

Spot on Dave. Welcome to the dark side of the force, Sonny.

I started brewing when I couldn't afford $40 for a case of Toohey's Old. Now I eat sleep and breathe beer.