What are you brewing?

[nzbrewer]

Since this is the most popular thread on the RealBeer.co.nz forum I thought I would start it here just to see what happens

[Scarrfie]

I reckon you are going to have yourself a tasty beer there and your processes look good okay. I have tried the oats thing in the boil and I am not sure it adds much, but then I was doing grain not extract.

[Crusader-Rob]

Whats the Oats in the boil supposed to do??

[Thies]

i took some wort out before i added the yeast, and put the hydrometer in, it measured , allowing for temp difference 1040. What could I have done, or should I do , to get a higher reading ? Steeped the grains longer, add more malt or something else?

[Hillman]

More malt extract, I would say. If you don't want to use a whole other tin then getting some dried malt extract will help you make to measure.

And you don't need to stir in the yeast -- the yeasties will multiply and do their thing themselves. The one step you didn't mention is aerating the wort before pitching the yeast. I used an oxygen bubbler for a fish tank to do it but you can just shake the fermenter. It reintroduces oxygen and helps the yeast get going. It sounds like you've got a good ferment going though so not to worry. RDWHAHB and all that!

[Thies]

thanks all. after 6 days I took another reading, as the bubbles have slowed down a bit, about once every 30seconds. OG was 1.040, and now it read 1.016.  Will it drop down more ? Now 7 days the bubbling has slowed down even more, once a minute. I've moved it to a warmer spot to see if it will pick up again , and get the reading down more. Otherwise i guess i am ready to bottle soon?

[Scarrfie]

Patience my friend :-) Airlock activity means it is still fermenting. I just leave mind for a couple of weeks to the yeast get some time to condition the beer.

[Thies]

from what i've read so far it's to increase smoothness and creaminess, give it a few weeks and i will let you know !

[Robert McLeod]

I had the kids all day and night Saturday so the missus let me brew all day Sunday. Put down a oatmeal chocolate coffee stout and a SMaSH golden ale with NZ pils and wai-iti.

Both bubbling away with S-04 doing its thing.

[Thies]

Right, my homebrew#2, a chocolaty porter,  is bottled. Give it about 4 weeks, if I have the patience, before i try. Time to make homebrew#3. I am wanting to make a dark smoked ale. I found an extract + grains recipe on the net, here it goes;

1kg smoked malt, 220grams of english brown malt, 220 special roast, 3kg dark malt extract, 60grams willamete hops, 60grams vanguard hops, liquorice root,  ale yeast.   

Learning from mistakes from the previous one I have a few questions. How or what do i need to do to make sure I get a little more alcohol? The last one, the porter style, is only around the 4%. I assume it is 4% , started with an OG of 1.040 and finished with 1.014. Should I use more malt, or steep the special grains for longer ? Any helpful tips ?

[Nathan McKEnzie]

Hi out there, I have just done my first all grain brew a pilsner urquell and I used a wyeast bavarian lager 2000 . I pitched over 24hours ago (no starter) and tem is 9c. How long is lag time or when do I need to do something ??

[Karl Hayes]

Hi Nathan.

I'd start getting worried after 36 hours. You're at the bottom of the fermentation temperature range for 2000 and no starter; this will mean it will be slow to start.

Did you activate the pack of yeast before pitching? Did the pack swell up? What's the manufacture date on the yeast packet?

Best of luck

[Nathan McKEnzie]

Hi Karl,
Yes pack swell up and date 6th of feb 2013. Still no action and I think I am just past 36 hours.