10 Min boil?

The fact there's bubbles on hydrometer means there is dissolved CO2 in the sample ( proves some fermentation has occurred ) , how long are you sitting sample on the bench before testing it ?
 
I've used S-23 at temps up to mid-60 degrees F and pitched 5 gallons with one packet and gotten excellent, very lager-like beer. At temps in the mid-high 50's it might be slow and would benefit from a diacetyl rest before it reaches FG. At temps at 60F and higher, it's fast as hell, and doesn't require any diacetyl rest. I'll be done fermenting within a week or two depending on temp and will probably start to clear very well at about 3 weeks. After you're certain it's finished and it's starting to clear on it's own, drop the temp very low and let it clear and "lager" for a week or two (or until you need your fermentation chamber for another brew). ;)
 
So is that your hydrometer reading 1.040 at that measurement it's got a bit to go. It should finish around 1.010 or 1.008.
How long have you had it in the fermentor Now? One week from pitch date you should be at least 3/4 through fermentation even with only one satchet of yeast. Last question what temperature are you fermenting at?
 
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I've gone from .055 to .020 or less in as little as 3 days. My guess is that your fridge is just too cold. Maybe you're not getting an accurate reading or something but even at the lower ranges of fermentation temp, 3 weeks is too long and it's not very likely to get stuck at .040. You need to check the actual temp of your wort. It's likely lower than you think. S-23 will take some pretty high temperatures. Warm it up to 60 or so and see if it speeds up the process.
Your gravity reading may be high from the CO2 but the bubbles will dissipate pretty quickly and it shouldn't throw things off more than a few points at most.
 
Hey mate , I checked that photo again ....just to rule out the silly try filling your sample jar 2/3 full and leave it sit on bench for 15-20 mins and take another reading for me please as I suspect your hydrometer is sitting on bottom or tube
 
That's what I thought too fill that hydro sample right up to the top and let it warm up to hydrometer calibration temperature should be 20c
 
So for questions:
The batch has been fermenting for 22 days or just over 3 weeks
Fridge has been sitting at 12°

I checked the gravity again this afternoon (picture attached) its allot closer to what it should be but still not quiet there. I let it warm up to 20° before checking, I also made sure that there where as little bubbles on it as possible. Also as you can see its not as clear as it was yesterday? Is there a main reason for this when making HB?

Is there any harm in leaving it longer after the gravity has settled or should it be bottled and sealed to avoid contamination?

Thank you
 

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Big difference there mate , I read that as 1.013 which is getting very close to what it should be
Raising temps up to closer to 17 in last few days should help drop those last few points and encourage yeast to process the by products like diacetyl and sulphur smells
 
Once your lager has hit FG and finished the rest to clear these off flavours then drop it to close to freezing for a few weeks if you have the patience , (its called lagering ) or bottle when you have stable gravity readings allow to carbonate in bottle then chill for as long as you can
 
Thanks Mark,

So if I was to bottle for 2-3 weeks in the normal fridge (around 4-6°) this would also have a largering effect?
 
After carbonation it will , yeast need time to fart those bubbles out mate ....are you using the plastic bottles that come with the kit ? they get firm to touch when fully carbed and then they go in the fridge for lagering
 
Mark D Pirate said:
That yeast needs at least 12 °C to do the job , leave them warm and it'll happen faster
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Yes plastic bottles.

Oh right so I'll bottle them as soon as I get a FG then keep them in the pantry, after a few weeks when they are firm put them in the fridge to 'lager'.

Is lagering an ongoing thing? The longer in the fridge (after they have carbonated) the better?
 
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They will reach a level and go no further .
With a hoppy beer this will tend to fade and other flavours will meld better , try a bottle every week or so to see when you're happy to drink them .
Remember you are brewing to your own tastes mate , there is no right and wrong until you start entering comps
 
I find it makes the beer cleaner and crisper and Brighter from cold storage its worth it.
 
Lager literally means storage in German (think "locker) and refers to the time the beer traditionally would have been sitting in a cave over the winter and aging and clearing.
Once you have carbed bottles, the beer will benefit from a week or two in the fridge. Depending on the beer, it can get much better after an extended period of a month or two.
 
Ryanhuddo said:
Everywhere I have been looking online I haven't seen a 10 minute boil, mostly 60 minute, is this batch ruined before I even get to bottle it? are there pro's and con's to a lower boil time or its recipe dependent?
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I do all grain brews, except for high gravity beers. In which case I add some LME (Light Liquid Malt Extract). I add the LME at the end of boil with no issues (Not that I can tell anyway). So I'm not surprised you only need a 10 minute boil, as per instruction for your kit.
 
A ten minute boil is just fine as long as it's the beer you want to make. Ten minutes of boiling will kill off just about any bug that will be killed off by boiling, if you're doing only late-hop additions or brewing with extract, adding hop extract instead of isomerizing your own, bittering with hop tea, any number of scenarios will make ten minutes of boiling adequate. RDWHAHB.
 
Hey thanks everyone :)

So I have it in the Pantry bottled. Then I plan to lager it before drinking, patience is the key.

I have my next batch going on tomorrow after work, I am stepping it up and have bought the ingredients, as follows:

Fat Yak
Coopers Real Ale
1kg Light dry Malt
200gr Light cracked crystal malt
24gr Morgans Cascade hops
24gr Nelson Sauvin hops
Safale 05 yeast

Hopefully it turns out well, looking forward to getting this next one down!
 
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