Of course you can test it. We live off well water. There should be a company in the area that sells the filtration equipment. They can get your water tested for contaminants. If you want a more specific breakdown like for brewing you want to send it to Ward Labs.
I’ve only had my water tested a couple of times in 19 years living here. I tested it right after we dug the well for contaminants, then again when we replaced the well pump 10 years later. Each time douching the liner with bleach and letting it run for a while before drawing the sample. I’ve tested it once again just recently for the heck of it but honestly once it’s sealed up with the well pump installed and capped it can’t get contaminated.
Now you’re talking about an open spring and that’s different. It could easily become contaminated. You’d definitely want to boil the water to make it potable.
HHHMMMM, glass or plastic fermenter, SS would be the best choice to me, I don’t have one… yet. Glass works well, AND as you’ve read, can be dangerous ifn you aint paying attention. I have both glass and plastic carboys, I have migrated to plastic. Kettle, very simple, want to do 5 gallon batches, git a 10, you can easily do smaller ones, not bigger though. Hydrometer is the most common and will ALWAYS work, where as a refractometer has its fault after alcohol is in the solution. Sneezles61
I have gotten my first batch of brew ever in the fermentor! I used deer park spring water by the gallon this time around until i can get my spring on my farm tested. How active should your airlock be a 24 - 36 hours into it? Mine never gets a break! Looking at some videos on youtube, i wonder if it isnt over active. It bubbles at least once per second, if not twice on average.
Sounds like you have a healthy ferment going. Also sounds like you might need to have a blowoff tube handy.
Don’t sweat it. Yeasts are all different and behave differently. Try to keep the beer at the lower end of your yeast’s temperature range (it’ll be written on the package.)
It’s almost like it fermented at a lightning pace. Its basically done now. 48 hours into it, the krausen has settled and the airlock is bubbling very slow. I thought it was a more steady kind of process, not a really vigourous ferment then the rest of the time is settling down?
That was Danstar Notty then? 70 is fine. But most yeast is cleaner (and a bit slower) at the lower range of temps, 60 would have been perfect. Still, It sounds like a pretty good first batch. Let it clean up for a week or so. If you can, make sure gravity is stable, then bottle. You’ll be happy with the results.
You just said secondary… meaning you’ll get lots of opinions. Secondary is optional. Some of us do it, some don’t. Look up threads on here and decide for yourself.
Yes i see what you mean, i did a quick search and found opinions on the secondary fermentor. I was going transfer it to the 5 gallon, that frees up my 6.5, then do a batch of American wheat which is only supposed to be 2 weeks in primary.
Yeah seems you got your self. Some healthy yeast going. Like what frenchi says. Keep your blow over hose ready. Me had blow over. Sticky stuff. All over the place. What i do now use a blowover hose. Untill acitve fermenting stops than switch to airlock
I like to do secondary. Just to condition the beer as well than i can keg once a keg space comes free again in my kegurator. Make sure got all ways four kegs in my kegurator. Three on tap one spare once on keg empty. Transfer beer from secondary to keg
Many of the opinions about secondary are all-or-nothing. Some say they always transfer, others say never.
I’ll transfer to secondary when
I want to re-pitch the yeast into another batch
I’m making additions like fruit or dry-hopping
I just need/want to free that primary for another batch.
So good plan making room for the American ale.
Bottling day gets pretty tedious, especially alone. It’s the main reason so many home brewers get kegs. Do you have an assistant? 2 batches (~100 bottles!) at once will make for a long day? Definitely doable, but maybe split them up. Timing for bottling is very flexible. When the kit says bottle in 2-weeks, it really means, “wait at least 2 weeks before bottling.”
If you had another 6.5 gallon bucket, you could use it to keep the sanitizer between the two batches, and to dunk the bottles right before filling. Plus, you could use it as another primary fermenter too… More brew gear!!!
I will have some help on bottling day, and have set an entire day aside for it. Being a first timer, i don’t make any other plans because i dont know how long it will take. Good information…
The yeast in the fermentor can be reused as long as the collection is sanitary. Have a couple of sanitized quart jars ready. When the fermentor is emptied reseal with the sanitized air lock. Yeast harvest can be immediate or the next day. The beer left on top of the yeast will protect it just like it was protected when all the beer was above it.
Swirl up the contents of the fermentor. Let it sit for about 15 minutes for the heavier trub to begin settling. Then fill your jars. Loosely cap for CO2 to escape.
Just a quick run down on harvesting. Ask any question.
