Ever done a homebrew?

[ism22]

I scored a homebrew kit the other night and am giving it a crack. Any tips on making a good beer?

[Andrew Walker]

Craft beer and limoncello not enough for you Now you want to make your own as well I’m very concerned you may have a drinking problem At least you don’t play keno

[Big Dog]

Sterilize. Sterilize. Sterilize. Everything that comes into contact with the wort.
Keep the brew at a constant temperature, don't overheat it. 22'C max or it will taste like vegemite.
Sterilize. Sterilize. Sterilize.
Use filtered water. If you are using the canned brew base thoroughly mix it into your water (add hot water first and keep mixing as you ad cold water.
Put the yeast in a small jar of tepid water to get it activated for about 20mins. Lid on and shake it up for a few seconds. Pour it into the wort while the wort is swirling. This will speed up the fermentation process and reduce the possibility of rogue yeasts or airborn bacteria spoiling the brew.
Sterilize. Sterilize. Sterilize.
Airtight seal on the fermenter and secure airlock. Can take anywhere from 2 to 7 days to ferment, bubbles coming through the airlock will be your indicator.
I never bothered with specific gravity readings. When the bubbles stop, your brew is done.
You'll know if it's a good brew when you start bottling as it smells absolutely delicious. Takes 2-3 weeks to fully ferment in the bottle.
It's a good feeling sharing a good home brew and enjoying the fruits of your labour.

Did I tell you to sterilize?

[King Salvo]

Homebrewing 101: Step-by-Step Instructions

[King Salvo]

How to make great beer in 3 easy steps - Homebrewing made simple

[ism22]

Sterilize. Sterilize. Sterilize. Everything that comes into contact with the wort.
Keep the brew at a constant temperature, don't overheat it. 22'C max or it will taste like vegemite.
Sterilize. Sterilize. Sterilize.
Use filtered water. If you are using the canned brew base thoroughly mix it into your water (add hot water first and keep mixing as you ad cold water.
Put the yeast in a small jar of tepid water to get it activated for about 20mins. Lid on and shake it up for a few seconds. Pour it into the wort while the wort is swirling. This will speed up the fermentation process and reduce the possibility of rogue yeasts or airborn bacteria spoiling the brew.
Sterilize. Sterilize. Sterilize.
Airtight seal on the fermenter and secure airlock. Can take anywhere from 2 to 7 days to ferment, bubbles coming through the airlock will be your indicator.
I never bothered with specific gravity readings. When the bubbles stop, your brew is done.
You'll know if it's a good brew when you start bottling as it smells absolutely delicious. Takes 2-3 weeks to fully ferment in the bottle.
It's a good feeling sharing a good home brew and enjoying the fruits of your labour.

Did I tell you to sterilize?

Awesome thanks big dog!

I haven't been getting any bubbles unfortunately. However, I put too much water into the water seal and got a heap when I pressed down on the lid a bit (to check whether it's sealed). Hoping this batch hasn't spoiled but guessing I might have to try again.

[Big Dog]

Awesome thanks big dog!

I haven't been getting any bubbles unfortunately. However, I put too much water into the water seal and got a heap when I pressed down on the lid a bit (to check whether it's sealed). Hoping this batch hasn't spoiled but guessing I might have to try again.

How long has the brew been down? Can take a few days to start if the yeast went in cold.
If you can take the lid of carefully check if the surface is bubbly (slight frothiness). This is an indicator of fermentation.
If the wort is too cold, the yeast won't activate. If the wort was too hot it would kill the yeast.
Good luck.

[ism22]

How long has the brew been down? Can take a few days to start if the yeast went in cold.
If you can take the lid of carefully check if the surface is bubbly (slight frothiness). This is an indicator of fermentation.
If the wort is too cold, the yeast won't activate. If the wort was too hot it would kill the yeast.
Good luck.

Just walking home from my side hustle now (teaching swimming at a nearby pool) so will update you when I get back. However, I'd say it's been 2 days without any froth on top (not expecting any when I get home but might be surprised).

My thoughts are:

- The hot water coulda been too hot at the start as our house has particularly hot taps (the instructions said 'very hot water' so I let the tap run for a bit then put some in). Dunno the temperature but it'd scold you. 60'C or so maybe.

- On the flip side, it coulda been too cold. Canberra winter so the cold tap's very cold. It might just have taken a while to reach room temperature.

- It's inside our walk-in pantry and the house is heated to 23'C (stable). Is this too hot for a lager? I've read in some places online that ~15'C is better for a lager. Would have to measure the garage's temperature at night but we're getting a frost outside most mornings now so I'd have concerns about the garage temp being maybe 10'C or lower (and unstable).

[Andrew Walker]

Forget the home brew beer Izzy This is far more yourself

https://www.recipesfromitaly.com/hom...ncello-recipe/

[ism22]

Alas, no bubbles

Might give it a couple more days but it's sounding like I've murdered this one. Guessing there's no way to revive it once I decide it's gaaawn?

[Big Dog]

Alas, no bubbles

Might give it a couple more days but it's sounding like I've murdered this one. Guessing there's no way to revive it once I decide it's gaaawn?

I don't ever remember not having a brew ferment. Do you have a food thermometer? See what the temperature of the wort is.
I can't see a reason why you couldn't try another lot of yeast, you'd have a lot more sediment at the end though.

[Dr. Voodoo Man]

It sounds to me like you didn't sterilize your equipment properly.

[Dr. Voodoo Man]

Just walking home from my side hustle now (teaching swimming at a nearby pool) so will update you when I get back. However, I'd say it's been 2 days without any froth on top (not expecting any when I get home but might be surprised).

My thoughts are:

- The hot water coulda been too hot at the start as our house has particularly hot taps (the instructions said 'very hot water' so I let the tap run for a bit then put some in). Dunno the temperature but it'd scold you. 60'C or so maybe.

- On the flip side, it coulda been too cold. Canberra winter so the cold tap's very cold. It might just have taken a while to reach room temperature.

- It's inside our walk-in pantry and the house is heated to 23'C (stable). Is this too hot for a lager? I've read in some places online that ~15'C is better for a lager. Would have to measure the garage's temperature at night but we're getting a frost outside most mornings now so I'd have concerns about the garage temp being maybe 10'C or lower (and unstable).

Are you that bloke from Mosman?

[ism22]

I don't ever remember not having a brew ferment. Do you have a food thermometer? See what the temperature of the wort is.
I can't see a reason why you couldn't try another lot of yeast, you'd have a lot more sediment at the end though.

If it helps, the yeast bubbled up and gave me lots of froth at the start of the process. However, it was all gone after 24 hours.

I've got a food thermometer and a hydrometer so can give both a go this afternoon. I think there's definitely gas in there (and a seal) as the tube at the top bubbles when I push the lid down (I think compressing the rubber gasket slightly creates pressure). Maybe I'm just dreaming but I'm kinda hoping that I'm just never home so it mighta all frothed up and then settled down while I was away and be almost good to go now. I hope!

[ism22]

Good news just before our game. After a week of worrying about my homebrew not working, I tested it with a hydrometer and it's ALMOST ready (also tested the WIP beer and it's passable - just needs a few more days).

Went to a brewing shop today and got some more kit for the next batch too (where they talked me through the brewing process and helped me analyse how my current batch is going). I'm excited!!!