Interesting....

Kgbow said:
The hops came in their own tea bags. So that should stop the sediment right? My worry was the hops won’t release all their flavour as I just plopped them in the bucket. Instead of making a hop tea and pouring them in.
Thanks for the recommendation though!
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I wouldnt make "hop tea" and then add that, I would dry hop it in the traditional way, just use the tea bags in the fermentor. suspend them from the top in some way so they dont just sink to the bottom.
 
Minbari said:
I wouldnt make "hop tea" and then add that, I would dry hop it in the traditional way, just use the tea bags in the fermentor. suspend them from the top in some way so they dont just sink to the bottom.
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Awesome! So i got it right then! Was worried the hops wouldn't saturate well
 
Ok, latest reading - Gravity @ 1.007 which is crazy as the beer is now supposedly at 6.8% ABV! (supposed to be 4.5%) Why is it so high?

Bubbling has settled down a lot but is still bubbling every now and again. Smells, amazing! Very hoppy. It's still very hazy and has a golden straw kind of colour. Tastes lovely and hoppy. Just like an IPA! I'm very happy with it. Has a slight TANG. Not vinegary at all. Just a tang. I'm curious if thats because its an extract? Or the extended period the hops have been left in? or finally the fact the alcohol content is so high as it was fermented at a higer temp (no temp control with this one). The instructions state 10+ days on this particular brew. Today is day 10. What do we think? Give it a couple more days and monitor?
 
it needs to be done before you bottle it. should get the same hydrometer reading at least twice, two or three days apart.

keep an eye on it. when you open it before bottling. make sure there is no mold or bacterial growth on the surface. that "tang" could be normal hop flavor or something else.
 
Did you measure your gravity with a hydrometer or refractometer?
 
Minbari said:
it needs to be done before you bottle it. should get the same hydrometer reading at least twice, two or three days apart.

keep an eye on it. when you open it before bottling. make sure there is no mold or bacterial growth on the surface. that "tang" could be normal hop flavor or something else.
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Will do! :)


Zambezi Special said:
Did you measure your gravity with a hydrometer or refractometer?
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Hydrometer, going to be purchasing a ispindle for my next brew
 
So tested today. She bubbles every now again but much more settled now. Tasting and smelling very nice! :) Homebrewy but still, It tastes like a light IPA. So I'm happy. SG is at 1.007 which is what it was three days ago now? If it's bubbling should I bottle now? Or wait? This is a confusing brew for sure! The massive start on the ferment v's the fact It wont seem to calm down haha Do we think its worth waiting another couple days?
 
Kgbow said:
So tested today. She bubbles every now again but much more settled now. Tasting and smelling very nice! :) Homebrewy but still, It tastes like a light IPA. So I'm happy. SG is at 1.007 which is what it was three days ago now? If it's bubbling should I bottle now? Or wait? This is a confusing brew for sure! The massive start on the ferment v's the fact It wont seem to calm down haha Do we think its worth waiting another couple days?
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If no change on gravity over the three days I'd say bottle her up :).
Co2 comming out of solution can cause the air lock to still bubble making you think fermentation is still underway.
 
Trialben said:
If no change on gravity over the three days I'd say bottle her up :).
Co2 comming out of solution can cause the air lock to still bubble making you think fermentation is still underway.
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Okie dokie! I'll bottle away! Any idea on how much to prime each bottle with? They didn't state in the instructions and the ABV is way higher than it should be on the sheet?
 
Kgbow said:
Okie dokie! I'll bottle away! Any idea on how much to prime each bottle with? They didn't state in the instructions and the ABV is way higher than it should be on the sheet?
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Yeah there is a priming calculator it looks like you put your packaging volume Max ferm temperature and how many volumes of co2 you wanna carb at and it'll spit out a number for you.
Screenshot_20220831-193946_Samsung Internet.jpg

The priming calc is in tools/calculators then scroll down until you find it:).
 
I just use 6 to 8 gr table sugar per litre in almost all my brews. Gives me the amount of bubbles I want :confused:
 
Kgbow said:
Okie dokie! I'll bottle away! Any idea on how much to prime each bottle with? They didn't state in the instructions and the ABV is way higher than it should be on the sheet?
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I wouldn't prime the individual bottles. Take your priming sugar and put it in the bottling bucket(fermentor)
 
Minbari said:
I wouldn't prime the individual bottles. Take your priming sugar and put it in the bottling bucket(fermentor)
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I know most people say so, but I had uneven carbonation that way and went to priming per bottle and I'm much happier with that.
Just go for 1 system for this batch and then maybe change for your next batch. Or stick with it. All up to you :cool:
 
Zambezi Special said:
I know most people say so, but I had uneven carbonation that way and went to priming per bottle and I'm much happier with that.
Just go for 1 system for this batch and then maybe change for your next batch. Or stick with it. All up to you :cool:
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Depends how you do it, i guess. I always boiled the corn sugar and added it after it cooled. Never had an issue with constancy.

If you have a reliable way to measure the sugar for each bottle, it will work. You just have to be careful. Plus measuring a really small amount 55 times is not happening lol
 
Minbari said:
I wouldn't prime the individual bottles. Take your priming sugar and put it in the bottling bucket(fermentor)
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When I bottle condition I usually dose the bottles individually. Too much oxidation from transferring to the bottling bucket. Plus small batches aren't 55 bottles :)
 
The little that I bottle, I use the carbonation drops and fill the bottles from the spigot of the fermenter. Takes about 10-15 minutes for a case of beer. Very simple and effective.

Agree with @Sunfire96 about the oxidation. And for me personally, the less I have to clean the better. Other than the bottles, all I have to clean is a 10" piece of hose.
 
Small batches here as well and sometimes big bottles :)
Not all my fermentors have a tap, I use an auto siphon with a plastic clamp on the pipe
 
Prime with 5oz CORN sugar for 5 gallons. If you don't have corn sugar from the home brew shop, use table sugar, but a lesser amount from a reliable calculator. Mix the 5oz of sugar with 2 cups water and boil for 5 minutes making a simple syrup. When it cools a little, put it in your bottling bucket. Bottle through sanitized tubing with a bottling wand on the end from the bucket which should have a tap on it. Bottle condition for 14 days at 68-70F. If you want lower carbonation, try one at about 11 days after putting it in the fridge overnight. If it is good, temperature crash the rest.
I use bombers. 27 is easier than 50 something.
I always wait 14 days for the fermentation to do its thing before bottling.
 
Sunfire96 said:
When I bottle condition I usually dose the bottles individually. Too much oxidation from transferring to the bottling bucket. Plus small batches aren't 55 bottles :)
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I always bottled from the fementor, so no o2 issues. With 5 gal batch, it is.
 
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