Finings and carbonating sugar...

[JNTaylor]

Hi,

Just new to homebrew (after a 15 year delay post university = bad experiences!).

On my second batch now, couple of issues with the first batch...

Firstly - using standard kit with dry yeast - Beer is 'Australian Draught' - Dextrose as brewing sugar. 1Kg [2.2Lbs) sugar aimed to give approx 4.6% final alchohol volume.

I was a bit concerned about temperature at first - it started at 25C (77F) and settled at 18C (64.4F) a couple of days later, seemed to be fermenting fine and after 6 days stopped bubbling.

Q1. The finings packet says to add one day before fermentation is complete - but I added when it had stopped bubbling. Does this make a difference? Why do they say add one day before fermentation completes? Won't this make it stop fermenting by making the yeast fall to the bottom of the carboy?

Even though it had stopped bubbling completly (now on 7th day), I tested specific gravity and it seemed to be at 1014 but the 'manual' said it should be around 1006 but it definately stopped bubbling... nothing for a few hours. So I ignored this and bottled.

Q2. When bottling I thought I'd get smart (and this was my error I think), and instead of using normal sugar, I added a teaspoon of 'Premium Brewers Sugar (maltodextrin, light malt and dextrose mix) to add more 'flavour'. Is this an issue? - I was very careful not to add to much, instead of 1 level teaspoon normal sugar, I used the same amount of 'premium brewers sugar'. This is for 640ml (US 21.6oz) bottles. 3 weeks later the beer is ready but it's basically 'flat'. Is this the wrong type of suger? should I have put normal sugar in?

Q3. The beer is super clear and tastes great except that it's a bit 'watery' of perhaps 'lacking in body/depth'. Any thoughts on this?

Your words of wisdom appreciated.

Thanks
James

[YamahaXS]

hi and welcome to the sport.

well my 2cents tonight are tempered by a pitcher of homebrew (just watched a cheesy movie with wifey... "reign of fire" hahah funny if you got the right drink in hand.).

your beer sounds like it tastes like it should since such a high percentage of your fermentable come from the dextrose.

list your recipe if you want more feedback, but in general i recommend:

6 - 9 pounds of malt extract.
2 - 3 ounces of hops
yeast. --->disclaimer: I like my beer strong, bitter and hoppy.

Dry yeast is fine IMO. you will get better beer with thte white and Wyeast liquid yeasts BUT dry yeast is okay too. Obviously you got a good ferment.

As far as bottling / carbonating goes:
just use corn sugar next time. The amount is insignificant to flavor profile.

Your bottles might be undercarbonated if the are too cold. I would say 64 F is too cold for an ale yeast. They will carbonate eventually, but I think you want to drink your beer BEFORE 2004. Move the bottles to a warmer spot and give them a 4-8 days.


ps: i don t know what you mean by finings.

[vendejp]

Maltodextrin is only 3% fermentable, so i wouldnt expect that to be good for carbonating.

[JNTaylor]

Hi

Thanks for that.

For a 25ltr carboy (6.6 UK gall) The mix was 1.7Kg (3.75lb) lager 'australian draught' in a can (which contains malt & hops ready mixed), 1 kg (2.2 lbs) dextrose, dry yeast (part of kit) and extra finishing hops (CL80 - whatever that is - in a large tea bag added to the mix).

Finings are what is called here (Australia) - the stuff you add to the mix one day before fermentation complete - it's geletine - and allows the impurities and yeast to stick together and sink to the bottom of the carboy. Make a clearer beer, apparently.

I'll move the bottles to a warmer place and see what happens.

Regards
James

[bigmf]

A couple of thoughts -

1. I never use finings. Nothing against their use, I just don't see the point. After bottle conditioning there will be a yeast sediment on the bottom of the bottle no matter what. I also find that ale yeasts are really good at settling out on their own.

2. The premium brewers sugar is ok to bottle with, but you should ask your homebrew shop owner how much to use for bottling. Also I find it much easier to boil the sugar in a little water and add that to the bottling vessel. I brew a similar batch size - 23 litres (5 imp. gallons) and the right amount of corn sugar is 1 cup.

3. All beer kits that tell you to add sugar will end up a little watery. To combat this you can use malt extract instead. You would use from 1.5x to 2x the amount of sugar required.

4. I'm stumped about the final gravity. If using corn sugar, you should fairly close to 1.000.

M.