advice

[tim]

hi guys, im new to home brewing, just wanting to know some things,

i have got a copper tun starter home brew kit that came with the mangrove jacks "munich larger".

the brew has been down for 6 days now, just took a SG reading and its at 1012, the sample is cloudy as well,

now i forgot to take the first SG reading before putting in the yeast, just wanting to know when it can be bottled, it says on the label that the SG should be around 1008.

Thanks 

Regards Tim

[Clinton]

Six days is generally too short for fermentation to fully complete, although it does depend on the temperature, yeast, malt used, etc. Let it sit for two weeks at the recommended temperature if possible. A two week primary fermentation period is usually the shortest I will go. This will also help with clarity.

[tim]

cool thanks, that is a lot longer than 5-7 days that says on the label.(but hey i will take advice from the experts)

i will leave it for 2 weeks then add finings to it 2 days before bottling,

also the sediment trap thingy the instructions said to put the opening facing upwards? is that a bit silly as when the sediment settles its going to go into the trap?

then come out of the tap when bottling? 

of course i did put it facing upwards as i was following instructions.

thanks 

also check this link out if you havnt seen it already

http://www.williamswarn.com/

[Druid]

Ferments can vary a lot with respect to how long they take to complete. The standard test to determine whether the ferment is finished is when you get the same hydrometer reading, 2 days in a row.

Don't be too hasty to bottle - your beer will benefit from leaving it in the fermenter for more time so that the yeast gets a chance to clean up any off flavours.

I wouldn't worry about the cloudiness - it's just yeast and it will drop out nicely in the bottle.

I think the sediment trap on the tap is designed to stop you sucking yeast and trub into the tap when you bottle - so you'll get a bit of sediment settling into it as it clears but you will be able to drain more off before it starts to disturb the yeast cake.

[Andrew Graham]

I made exactly the same kit this time last year. The target FG is 1.010 to 1.012 when you use the brew enhancer. 1.008 is if you use a kilo of sugar.

Good luck and don't be put off if it doesn't taste as good as you would like. Keep reading the huge amount of information available on the web, find what works for you and soon your friends will be lining up for a taste of your latest creation.

[Ralph]

Here is a good thread. Essential reading if you want good tasting beer rather than something that tastes like "homebrew"!

http://www.forum.realbeer.co.nz/forum/topics/simple-things-to-avoid...