i must say that i’m ever so excited. today was my first time brewing. i got the ak47 pale mild. as a first timer i have some questions so far about the fermentation part.
(1) if the star san water in the bubbler air lock were to deplete, do i just make some more and toss it in and how many times would i might have to do this in general?
(2) with the instruction it said O.G. is 1.036 for my recorded O.G. i got 1.033. Abv 5% . so the question is: what should i be looking for as my F.G. something like 1.010-1.016?
Buy the cheapest vodka you can find for the air lock. You probably will not need to add any unless you go 3-4 weeks.
My extract beers always finish high. 1.020ish. Let it set for 1 week and check the SG. then check it again in a week. If it is the same go a head and bottle. If it changes, wait 3 days and check again.
The beer will be fine setting in the primary for 2 months if time doesn’t allow you to bottle when you think you should.
When you do get to bottling time, fill one plastic soda bottle. Squeeze the air out and cap it. the bottle will expand as CO2 is formed. No guessing what is happening inside the glass bottles.
thanks for the help with the air lock. its currently about half way filled and just bubbling away right now. the temp on the fermometer is showing 76-78 F. i just taped a digital probe on the outside and that is showing 74.6-74.8 F. my target is 65-75 F should i put some ice in the cabinet that its in to bring the temp down a little?
Definitely do what you can to get those temps down. 70+F is too hot for most ale yeast (not including saisons, etc). Find a cooler spot in your house. Get a minifridge to ferment in. Or search this site for ‘swap cooler’. You really want to ferment most of your ales between 60-70F. I prefer to stay between 60-65F. You’re gonna get some off flavors from being up in the mid 70’s.
Also, if the temp outside your fermentor is around 75F, the temp inside the fermentor could be closer to 80F. WAY to hot for the beer your making.
P.S. This is only really crucial for the first few days of fermentation. I only worry about temps (for ales) during the first 4-7days of fermentation. After that they sit at room temperature for a few weeks.
so been keeping a log and watching the temp .
10.15pm temp 78
12.12am temp 72
9.30am temp 65
2.14 pm temp 64
so at 10.15 i took off the cardboard box that i had over the car boy i originally thought it was going to be too cold in the garage. i then tossed in a bowl of ice to bring the temp down.
checked at 12.15 then added another bowl of ice into the cabinet. went to bed
