My First Brew, Help

lethaldog · Post by **lethaldog** » Wednesday Sep 06, 2006 7:50 pm

What was your recipe as if this is the fg then you have a very thick and heavy beer on your hands, i would also say that it would be well above the alc% if this is the fg, do you know what it started at?

Braden · Post by **Braden** » Wednesday Sep 06, 2006 8:01 pm

ok I took another reading, pic is below. Its definetly 1037 or there abouts. Its been fermenting for a week. Im sorta going by taste as to why there is something wrong, the taste is unbareable. I dont know what it started at, is it stuffed?

Braden · Post by **Braden** » Wednesday Sep 06, 2006 8:02 pm

as for recipe, i just followed the instructions on the kit that i got with my fermenter. Tooheys draught

lethaldog · Post by **lethaldog** » Wednesday Sep 06, 2006 8:14 pm

this should have finished at about 1.007 and it would have started in the vacinity of 1.040 so something is deffinately very wrong, im guessing it may be an infection of some sort but as its never happened to me i cant say exactly what. Would have also been over 5% alc

Braden · Post by **Braden** » Wednesday Sep 06, 2006 10:33 pm

hmm what could lead to infection? Should I leave it a few more days and keep testing it for changes?

lethaldog · Post by **lethaldog** » Wednesday Sep 06, 2006 11:05 pm

Not steralising properly, bad water, start water not hot enough to ward of nasties, opening the lid etc there can be a number of things

Boonie · Post by **Boonie** » Thursday Sep 07, 2006 6:58 am

Braden wrote:hmm what could lead to infection? Should I leave it a few more days and keep testing it for changes?

I have had 2 brews go off where I have used a Packet yeast...

I have reharvested yeast from a Coopers Bottle (50% strike rate so far) and one came out with the smell and taste I think you are getting. I knew it was off as I taste tested it before throwing in and it was goooooone.

My local reckons that the yeast had died and gone off.

I bottled one like yours where the FG was higher than norm in plastic 1.5 litre bottles just in case, and they frothed, stunk and tasted shite.

I know some blokes might get a shock.....but I would chuck it

if it is unbearable.

What I am doing now is putting my yeast in a steralised cup of water at 23 degrees with glad wrap over the top, leaving for 10 minutes, smelling it before tossing into my brew....just in case, and have had no probs since.

rwh · Post by **rwh** » Thursday Sep 07, 2006 10:15 am

Yep, definitely sounds like defective yeast. Even if it was infected, if there were any yeast in there the SG would have dropped to very near completion (1.010 or below) by now. What I reckon happened was you pitched the (dead) yeast, but because the fermentation didn't kick off, the yeast wasn't in control of the brew (because it was dead) which left the way open for infection. There are always bacteria and stuff in your brew; it's impossible to completely sterilise it. It's just that these undesirables are outcompeted by pitching in 10 billion viable yeast cells, which outcompete them for food. When the yeast is dead, the few cells of bacteria have time to double enough times to become a full blown infection.

Sounds like a chucker if it really smells bad (i.e. so long as it doesn't just taste like sugar solution).

Noodles · Post by **Noodles** » Thursday Sep 07, 2006 11:23 am

This is a sad state of affairs. Your first brew and it seems, according to the experienced brewers here, it is stuffed

All I can say Braden is don't give up. I'm sure your next brew will spot on, which means you've payed about $30 for your 2 and a half slabs instead of $15. Still plenty cheaper than the $80-$100 you'd be forking out at the bottlo.

velophile · Post by **velophile** » Thursday Sep 07, 2006 11:31 am

Braden wrote:ok I took another reading, pic is below. Its definetly 1037 or there abouts. Its been fermenting for a week. Im sorta going by taste as to why there is something wrong, the taste is unbareable. I dont know what it started at, is it stuffed?

<snip>

Have you checked your hydrometer in plain water?

You could be reading it OK but if the scale is out you won't know.

And the taste you say is unbareable. Is that too bitter, sour or what? I always taste the sample when testing SG. That way I know how the brew has changed while fermenting. Unfermented wert tastes pretty bad! nothing like the beer it becomes.
Time & patience are the brewers friend.

Braden · Post by **Braden** » Thursday Sep 07, 2006 12:04 pm

The hydrometer is perfect, checked it in water. The fact that is has stopped fermenting at 1040 was my first concern, then when i tasted it, it was very sweet and had a malt after taste. I was very careful with sterilising so i'd say it would be the yeast. Im going to cut my loses and start again with a coopers pale ale which leads me to my next question. Can I pour the malt and brewing sugar into a sawspan with 2 litres of water and boil until it is a liquid, then pour it into the fermenter, then add the rest of the water?

rwh · Post by **rwh** » Thursday Sep 07, 2006 12:38 pm

Braden wrote:when i tasted it, it was very sweet and had a malt after taste.

So in that case it just tastes like unfermented wort? If it doesn't taste off or sour or otherwise foul, I'd just pitch another sachet of yeast and see how that goes!

Can I pour the malt and brewing sugar into a sawspan with 2 litres of water and boil until it is a liquid, then pour it into the fermenter, then add the rest of the water?

Yep. Boil up the dry ingredients, turn off the heat and add the kit (if it fits in your pot, otherwise just chuck it into the fermenter). Then chuck the lot in the fermenter, top up with cold and pitch the yeast.

shane_vor · Post by **shane_vor** » Thursday Sep 07, 2006 4:00 pm

What he said!!!! Pitch new yeast and do it ricky tick!

velophile · Post by **velophile** » Thursday Sep 07, 2006 4:07 pm

Don't chuck it!

Pitch another yeast.

Maybe your original yeast just gave up. Doesn't matter, pitch again & wait.

lethaldog · Post by **lethaldog** » Thursday Sep 07, 2006 4:53 pm

rwh wrote:Yep, definitely sounds like defective yeast. Even if it was infected, if there were any yeast in there the SG would have dropped to very near completion (1.010 or below) by now. What I reckon happened was you pitched the (dead) yeast, but because the fermentation didn't kick off, the yeast wasn't in control of the brew (because it was dead) which left the way open for infection. There are always bacteria and stuff in your brew; it's impossible to completely sterilise it. It's just that these undesirables are outcompeted by pitching in 10 billion viable yeast cells, which outcompete them for food. When the yeast is dead, the few cells of bacteria have time to double enough times to become a full blown infection.

Sounds like a chucker if it really smells bad (i.e. so long as it doesn't just taste like sugar solution).

How do you explain the fact that apparently it fermented for over a week i think braden said, if the yeast was deffective would you get any action at all, let alone a week, im stunned by this one as i have never had an infection (That i no of

) and deffinately never had a deffective yeast, the symptoms deffinately explain your diognosis but there are a few things that just dont make any sense!

Braden · Post by **Braden** » Thursday Sep 07, 2006 5:48 pm

Well I bit the bullet, and as hard as it was I tipped 20 odd litres of potential piss down the drain. Im pretty sure the can was out of date. Im starting a new brew in a few hours. Coopers Pale Ale, one of my favourite beers. This time Im going to boil the ingredients together then add it to the fermenter. I brought coopers brewing sugar only to realise they recomend brew booster for the pale ale but I think it should be good.

lethaldog · Post by **lethaldog** » Thursday Sep 07, 2006 6:03 pm

Can out of date shouldnt matter and the brewing sugar is bassically sucrose ( normal cane sugar) use it and see how it goes but next time id go with malt or dextrose at the least

still should be a good brew though

Boonie · Post by **Boonie** » Thursday Sep 07, 2006 6:35 pm

lethaldog wrote:Hey boonie check out the recipe for chimay blue label i posted, it makes 15 litres and costs about $30 for the ingredients, considering you buy a 750 ml bottle for $20 i think thats pretty damn good.
Its herehttp://www.homebrewandbeer.com/forum/vi ... 1&start=20
Go to the bottom of the page

Just call me "fortnight".....thanks for the recipe Lethal.

Boonie

lethaldog · Post by **lethaldog** » Thursday Sep 07, 2006 6:40 pm

My pleasure boonie, i actually have one in the 2nd ready for bottling soon and it looks, tastes and smells awesome already, maybe ill just stick my mouth under the tap and rack it into my gut

Boonie · Post by **Boonie** » Thursday Sep 07, 2006 7:10 pm

lethaldog wrote: My pleasure boonie, i actually have one in the 2nd ready for bottling soon and it looks, tastes and smells awesome already, maybe ill just stick my mouth under the tap and rack it into my gut

I'm just a tad concerned about the tap it comes out of after being in your guts......is it Sterile??