Kit O' Beer #2 - Canadian Blonde

Ok so brew #2 is underway. This one is a Coopers Canadian Blonde. Its from the "International" range of cans and as we all know, the best canadians are blonde. I changed out the regular Coopers fermentable ingredients for some alternatives the LHBS gave me.

The recipe:
1 x 1.7kg Coopers Canadian Blonde extract
1 kg Beer Essentials #15 Brew Booster
100g approx additional dextrose
1 pkt Safale s-04 yeast - 11gms

Changes:
#15 Brew Booster instead of Coopers Enhancer #1
110g additional dextrose - trying to boost OG a bit
1pk Safale s-04 11gms instead of the included Coopers brewing yeast 7gms

OG 1.036

Brew temp: 26C - ambient
Pitch temp: 29C - wort
Current temp: 22C - wort

Notes:
I thought the OG was a bit low at 1.035. I dissolved some more dextrose in hot water and added. After about 5 minutes I think it showed maybe 1 point difference.

I wanted to try using 700gm of dextrose and 500gm of light malt. This is what the CraigTube guy and a few others are doing. The LHBS was out of straight dextrose so sold me the prepacked Booster #15. It is basically the same mix as the Coopers Enhancer #1 so I didn't really get anywhere there.

I ended up buying a packet of dextrose from somewhere just in case it came in low OG. In the beginning I was just going to go ahead and add the extra, then I thought I would add the packet of # 15 and see first. I did this. Then added the ~100gm extra dextrose.

Yeast:
I also asked about a yeast alternative. Why not change 2 things right? I was thinking, nice big cold fridge full of fresh lively yeast compared to the foil pack that is stuck to the top of the can. Who knows how good a condition that is in.

This yeast is still suited for warmer times of the year so not a true true lager yeast but I know what I will be using come winter. I'm looking forward to brewing a few lagers late winter for next summer.

I used 11gms instead of 7gms. Those are packet sizes. I used 1 pack. Don't know if I need to do anything special if using so much yeast or need to expect flavor affects? Its definately working in there. Can smell beer already.

It occurred to me I don't know what a blonde beer is. An extra pale ale would be a good description. Less hoped than a regular pale ale.

My current favorite beer Little Creatures Bright Ale. Local boutique place that made the big leagues. I like it because it's lighter than their Pale Ale which is an indian pale ale and less hoppy. I can drink more than one of these in a sitting.

Started wondering about this blonde beer. Took a look around and found blonde beer is the basis of the bright ale which seems to be an extra pale ale. So I have the makings of my favourite beer using one of these kits. This may mean I am going to have to expand bottling capacity and a dedicated fridge might be in order.

We are into day 3 and temps have been 28C outside so very mild. Fermenter is a steady 21C. Room ambient 25.5C. Standing in a trough with a wet towel and a fan. Not adding any chill at the moment. I actually just looked at the forecast for today and it's 39C. Hmmm This will be interesting to see what the fermenter temps peak at. I have an early one work wise so I can take the edge off the temps if needed later. Mild temps again until Friday.

Blonde ale is NOT an extra pale. I have both styles on right now. The blonde is (or should be) more like a German Kolsch.

An extra pale ale is between a regular pale ale and an IPA. My extra pale is as hoppy as an IPA, but only 6.1% (as opposed to my 7.6% IPA)

What is the volume of beer you are making? I ask because I feel the need to make a pitch recommendation. Most homebrewers (including myself) tend to underpitch drastically. That will lead to problems. Yeast is cheap. I just pitch 8 gallons of yeast slurry into 8 bbls of a 23.5 Plato beer. That MF fermentented so clean I can't believe it. No fusel alcohols at all. A 10.25% stout drinks like a 5% porter... until it warms up...

Glad to know your first turned out great, Glass, and happy to know your are jumping out of the gate to make another.

thanks for that info. I was taking a punt there and was reading the description on that brewers software web site. The pale ale and the bright ale from the LC brewer seem very similar to me. I'm keen to try this kit and see if it is in the ball park for tasting like the bright ale. I have a kit recipe based on a blonde to produce a little creatures bright ale clone.

23 Litres is the volume although we ended up at ~25L by the time I added the extra dex.

I pitched 11gms Safale s-04 into this one. The coopers kit comes with 7gms so I figured I am in front.

I was wondering if extra yeast has some downside like cloudiness or taste? I think the fermenter was going ballistic there for the first 2 days. Nice Krousen ring and good aromas. Seems quiet now. Just waiting for end of day 4 and I'll pull a sample of an SG reading.

yes yes been reveling in the taste and enjoyment of DIY beer. Surprised it is so good a result. Needs a bit more carbonation and better head retention. More time in the bottles also would help with this. Would like to see maybe a month or more before drinking any. So that means you need a couple of batches on the go so you can get that time in the bottle.

after this xmas I understand the easy drinker. It's nice to have flavorsome beers but it's also good to have easy drinkers that clean the palate. We found our selves buying a mix of boutique beers and also what I'd call premium or international lager. James Boags is the most popular ATM. From tasmania, so it sells on clean and pristine water etc. I realized that beer is my Budweiser or Millers Draft. When I need a break or am just darn thirsty they go down good. The lager I brewed is the same, bit stronger flavor but not much now it's had a couple of weeks on it. There was also a Boags clone recipe I found. That would be lighter and sweeter.

I've already got a list of brews I want to do. Pilsner is big on my list but I am going to plan carefully for that one. Waiting until winter to brew for drinking next summer. I'm prepared to be patient for that one.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Glass

thanks for that info. I was taking a punt there and was reading the description on that brewers software web site. The pale ale and the bright ale from the LC brewer seem very similar to me. I'm keen to try this kit and see if it is in the ball park for tasting like the bright ale. I have a kit recipe based on a blonde to produce a little creatures bright ale clone.

23 Litres is the volume although we ended up at ~25L by the time I added the extra dex.

I pitched 11gms Safale s-04 into this one. The coopers kit comes with 7gms so I figured I am in front.

I was wondering if extra yeast has some downside like cloudiness or taste? I think the fermenter was going ballistic there for the first 2 days. Nice Krousen ring and good aromas. Seems quiet now. Just waiting for end of day 4 and I'll pull a sample of an SG reading.

yes yes been reveling in the taste and enjoyment of DIY beer. Surprised it is so good a result. Needs a bit more carbonation and better head retention. More time in the bottles also would help with this. Would like to see maybe a month or more before drinking any. So that means you need a couple of batches on the go so you can get that time in the bottle.

after this xmas I understand the easy drinker. It's nice to have flavorsome beers but it's also good to have easy drinkers that clean the palate. We found our selves buying a mix of boutique beers and also what I'd call premium or international lager. James Boags is the most popular ATM. From tasmania, so it sells on clean and pristine water etc. I realized that beer is my Budweiser or Millers Draft. When I need a break or am just darn thirsty they go down good. The lager I brewed is the same, bit stronger flavor but not much now it's had a couple of weeks on it. There was also a Boags clone recipe I found. That would be lighter and sweeter.

I've already got a list of brews I want to do. Pilsner is big on my list but I am going to plan carefully for that one. Waiting until winter to brew for drinking next summer. I'm prepared to be patient for that one.

---

S-04 is a good yeast. Not very attenuative normally, but gives good English style esters and results in a really clean beer because it is very flocculent.

Dosage for that yeast is 50 - 80 g/hl. I would recommend doubling your yeast pitch for that much beer. That will definitely not be overpitching, and with this yeast especially will not result in cloudiness. Just try to get the temp down for a few days after fermentation to get the junk to settle out.

Ok so here we are at the time for the first reading. 4 Days in the fermenter now. The fermenter temps have been around 23C - 24C despite the wild fluctuations in the outside temps.

Original Gravity was 1.036.
1st reading was 1.016 (@23C Day 4).

Ambient today was 35C Fermenter ran at 23C. Outside it was 38C.

This seems to be fairly substantial progress in just 4 days.

The colour and aroma of the beer appear ok. The colour is a nice golden yellow. There are no bad odours and the taste is ok but a bit bland. The appearance is something else though. There is a large amount of material floating in the beer. It looks gelatinous. There appears to be no gas in the liquid. On the previous beer there was some gas which was visible on the float when checking the SG. In this case there is none as yet.

The material settles fairly quickly. As the spigot is mabye 1.5 - 2 inches above the bottom of the fermenter, the only reason I'm seeing it is because it's suspended. I'll keep an eye on it.

leaving the test sample in the hydrometer for a while things settled a lot. I normally leave it 20 minutes and check again. This time, with the light on and when squinting I can see carbonation in there. The rate is decent. Its also clear the gelatinous material is the yeast culture because there is a slow steady bubble going on there. I think these things are supposed to be cloudy but we still expect some settling.

I'll remove the collar soon. I didn't bother for KoB #1. That may have contributed to the temporary odour is a thought just now.

Where did the odour go? I am using these safety caps. Not the ones with the bottles. Supposed to let off pressure if too high. I don't know how high it allows. Odour gone = gas displaced because it's been released as pressure builds up?

I'm just skimming your thread.....

Have you looked into the Brewpi? it's an Arduino/Raspberry Pi brew controller.

http://brewpi.com/

I'm looking into it. The $14.00 for 4 500ml Stella Artois is starting to break the bank

interesting. There are some cheap controllers out there that everyone in homebrew world seem to like. I think they cost about $35. Allows for tight control of refridgerators above their normal operating temps, so in the teens. The thing that device doesn't do is log the temps as you go. At least I don't think it does so that could be handy. Mostly for troubleshooting I suppose.

I have been looking around for a fridge. More a need of beer storage than temp controlled ferment. Budgets pretty tight. If new it would be small bar fridge around $300. Used it could be bigger for same bux. 200L would be ideal. Some thing a keg could fit in as well as other stuff would be spot on. I've seen a chest freezer get converted and using one of the controllers to keep it at beer serving temp. I don't know if that would work for me. 2nd hand chest freezers are plenty and cheap though so open to ideas.

$14 for 2litres of Stella is pretty good price. It costs about $18 here. I think. Been a while since looking. On exchange rate its probably worse. I used to go for cartons/cases of it when it is at $40. I don't think I've seen it below $55 over Xmas so it's become more expensive. It is also brewed here in Oz by Carlton United or Lion Nathan so basically its now rubbish beer. All the good brands got licensed to one of those two brewery companies which turned them all into wizz.

The trick is to keep an eye out for true imports. From time to time there are actually imports of some of the top euro brands. Word spreads quick. When there is some you you gots to be fast.

i want to add, everyone should home brew. ;)

Well Day 5 is done and dusted. Was milder weather today.

Original Gravity was 1.036.
1st reading was 1.016 (@23C Day 4).
2nd reading was 1.014 (@22C Day 5).

I don't know about todays temps. The Govt says it was 28C. I think it was 34C and my ambient was 29C with a ferment temp of 22C. Its possible I did not do a reset yesterday but I'm usually pretty good.

Observations for today. I pulled the Krousen (?) collar from the fermenter, this morning. I am not happy with how that went. My fault for not double checking everything. I went off and cleaned the collar and after maybe 5 minutes discovered I had not set the lid on correctly. The smell gave it away. I repositioned the lid but it was still not seated correctly and after maybe another 10 minutes the smell caused me to check again. I may have removed it too soon. Unsure.

I am also unhappy with the spigot/tap. It is not the same as the ones I have seen on YT for this kit and it does not disassemble as far as I can see. It is a spring loaded lever arrangement and not a rotating spigot. This means there is no real way to get inside and clean the guts. I also see that beer pools in amongst the lever bits which dries out. I've taken to pouring some water in there to flush it out after taking a sample but if stuff is pooling there its possible it could find its way inside.

Still a lot of floating material. Smaller size today than yesterday but still a lot there. Beer smells ok and tastes ok. bit bland but beer. Cloudy but clears to a haze which it is supposed to be I think. Still going to say no real carbonation happening here. Must try harder little yeast dudes.

ok, just thought I'd throw it out there. What I usually do like about [especially] the Arduino is it's open source code and open hardware. Endless configurablity.

$18 for 2L? Where the heck do you live?

Glass, can you take a pic or give a link to a pic(s)? I might have a cheap fix for ya but I need to see the specific set up before I open my mouth.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by steyr_m

ok, just thought I'd throw it out there. What I usually do like about [especially] the Arduino is it's open source code and open hardware. Endless configurablity.

$18 for 2L? Where the heck do you live?

---

I appreciate the ideas. I like those little units. I have a pi thats basically only being used as a media streamer and for checking what they are all about. If I can use on of those to control a drone to fetch me a beer.......

Sorry LT what am I fixing to fix?

The lid and the spigot.

okie doke. Thanks. I'll see if I can make a pic of the spigot. It's pretty cramped down in the trough that the fermenter is in. Maybe I can find an internet pic I can draw on.

The lid problem is down to me. It is a sit on lid. No screw on lid. I just didn't pay enough attention in making sure it was seated correctly. You would look at it and wonder how I did not notice as it was on a fair angle. I worried about getting air in there and sending it all bad.

I am pondering the sediment. There is a lot in the hydrometer sample and in the bottom of the cup I used. Much much more than in the last batch. Wondering how to settle it, if it means just waiting longer before bottling or if it is going to need racking before bottling or something else needs doing. Remembering we are only at day 5 - 6 and the last one was 14 days in the fermenter.

I am prepared to do nothing if doing nothing achieves something.

Question...are you taking your samples from the top or the bottom of the fermenter?

I'm like you dude, I'm willing to screw up in order to be better and learn.

I'm taking the samples from the spigot so the bottom of the fermenter. Its a tight fit but a measuring cup fits in under it to catch the goodness.

The spigot is about 1.5 - 2" above the base of the fermenter so plenty of room for sediment to settle. I mentioned some noticeable improvement of sediment between day 4 and 5 so doing nothing might be the answer.

Is there no way to take it from the top? I'd love to see a pic of this. You do have ways around this.

Ok so we have learned something important right about now. I have found some pictures of the spigot and guess what! It comes apart. Anyways this first pic shows the spigot and the line indicates where the beer is pooling when the tap is used.
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps8e9458af.jpg
Here is the pic showing the spigot is able to be disassembled.
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps06b984d4.jpg

So seeing as I did not break it down like this after the first brew, I'll hang my hopes on there being little to no residue from the one and only brew to date. I did have the tap open and soaking for a day or so. I got in there with a brush although it was a clumsy way to do it.

I learned something so it's not a loss. I looked before and could not find any info. Seems your questions brought the info karma spirit out to help.

I kept looking at those little ridges you can see around the circumference of the housing and thinking to myself this must come apart. These ridges are for grip surely? Seems they were exactly for that.

Is this the kit you bought? The spigot from the pic looks different but...?

http://us.diybeer.com/

Does the lid just snap on?

I wouldn't worry if it's not snapped on tight. Mine is just the garbage can lid and it's not sealed tight, no problem. As far as the spigot goes...you could always install another one but I'd just take the lid off and take my hydro samples out with a turkey baster.

yes the spigot on mine is different to the ones I've seen online but the one I have and images posted of, is available at their online store.

the lid just sits on but it only goes on one way so I shouldn't have been able to mess that up. Anyway. we learn something. I'd prefer not to dip anything in the mix.

been to the liquor store and they had Stella Atois cartons for $38. So 8L of beer in 330ml x 24 - Aussie brewed Stella Atois. But then I saw cartons of 24 x 500ml cans for $60 - Fully Imported. So 12L. Pro rata it's the nearly same $ per L but imported good stuff.

It just looks like the spigot is really close to the bottom and that it might allow the yeast to get sucked out when it's turned on. My 6.5gal ferment bucket's like that too and it bothered me so much that when I installed the spigot on my trash can I raised it to about 4 inches from the bottom to keep that from happening when I was filling bottles. It doesn't bother me at all taking a hydro sample from the top, ya just gotta sterilize what ya use and make it brief.

Day 6

Original Gravity was 1.036.
1st reading was 1.016 (@23C Day 4).
2nd reading was 1.014 (@22C Day 5).
3rd reading was 1.014 (@23C Day 6).

Again the temps were a bit off. I was showing 30C ambient (temp in the brew room) while the Govt says it was only 28C outside. Fermenter at 23C

nothing much else to report. No noticable change in the beer. Still lots of floaters. Considering dropping in something to settle it a bit. I will see what the next 2 readings are and if we look like being done I'll drop in some gelatine or something. I really don't want this much sediment in the bottles.

I'm running the aircond in the house this morning. Not specifically to cool the house but it will have that effect anyway. We are expecting 36C today and 43C tomorrow. Seeing as I damn near burnt the house down last night. Don't fall asleep with something cooking is the lesson there. I need the aircon on to try and get the smell out. Smells like an ashtray of really bad cigars and I don' think its going anywhere in a hurry.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Glass

Day 6

Original Gravity was 1.036.
1st reading was 1.016 (@23C Day 4).
2nd reading was 1.014 (@22C Day 5).
3rd reading was 1.014 (@23C Day 6).

Again the temps were a bit off. I was showing 30C ambient (temp in the brew room) while the Govt says it was only 28C outside. Fermenter at 23C

nothing much else to report. No noticable change in the beer. Still lots of floaters. Considering dropping in something to settle it a bit. I will see what the next 2 readings are and if we look like being done I'll drop in some gelatine or something. I really don't want this much sediment in the bottles.

I'm running the aircond in the house this morning. Not specifically to cool the house but it will have that effect anyway. We are expecting 36C today and 43C tomorrow. Seeing as I damn near burnt the house down last night. Don't fall asleep with something cooking is the lesson there. I need the aircon on to try and get the smell out. Smells like an ashtray of really bad cigars and I don' think its going anywhere in a hurry.

---

Holy fuckin hell dude! I damn near nose spurted here, geeeeeez, that's some crazy shit.

maybe a bit of an exaggeration there but it was probably fairly close to going up when I woke up. Had a beeper thing to remind me at 30 mins but I slept through that and for another hour and a half. Anyhow a day in the adventures of Glass.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Glass

maybe a bit of an exaggeration there but it was probably fairly close to going up when I woke up. Had a beeper thing to remind me at 30 mins but I slept through that and for another hour and a half. Anyhow a day in the adventures of Glass.

---

We'd be great room mates, lol.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Glass

maybe a bit of an exaggeration there but it was probably fairly close to going up when I woke up. Had a beeper thing to remind me at 30 mins but I slept through that and for another hour and a half. Anyhow a day in the adventures of Glass.

---

I've done that... boiled off a pot of macaroni. Thing was smoking when I woke up. Place smelled like burnt hair for 2 weeks.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BrewTech

I've done that... boiled off a pot of macaroni. Thing was smoking when I woke up. Place smelled like burnt hair for 2 weeks.

---

Chilli beef here. All I can smell today and I've been away from the house 5 or 6 hours now is this smell. I think I reek of the smell. I was looking forward to some tacos and maybe some beans and rice. oh well. the last time I did that it was chilli beef as well IIRC. Had to chuck that cookpot out. Burnt though the handle. Actualy that is what it smells like now - burnt bake-a-lite which is what all the handles are made of.

Day 7

Original Gravity was 1.036.
1st reading was 1.016 (@23C Day 4).
2nd reading was 1.014 (@22C Day 5).
3rd reading was 1.014 (@23C Day 6).
4th reading was 1.0125 (@24C Day 7).

Govt says we had best part of 33C today. My ambient was 32C. Fermenter was at 24C dead.

Observations for today are that in 24 hours this beer has transformed. It has had the warmest 24 hours so far. The beer is super clear. I would say there is a small amount of sediment left but it is an acceptable level now. I would accept that amount in the bottle. The change is dramatic. It may be that I have just flushed out some clogging the spigot and now it's flowing clean.

Aroma is light. It's beer but subtle. Taste to me is clean but bitter. Sharpish. I considered this bitter edge and the clarity and concluded we might be done even though I don't have 2 readings. I'm thinking all the fermentables are gone. The malt % was fairly low from what I've seen others use. Anyway I think I want to chill this down a little bit, slow it. Have a couple ice bottles in. Not looking to go too far. Just 1 - 1.5C.

Tomorrow is 44C and Sunday 41 so a couple of hot ones in a row. May be some respite by Monday. I will need to add some chill for the next couple of days just to stay steady. And I want to drop it 1 or so.

Generally, it's a good idea to allow the temp to rise a degree or so at the end to get a beer to finish fermenting and to allow for a diacetyl rest (lagers should always be raised to ale temps for at least two days for this). After that, crash it as low as you can for at least three days (0C is optimal, but probably not realistic in your case). I used to just stick the fermenter is the garage fridge, about 4C... thankfully had enough space to move all the shelves up to make room - made a HUGE difference in the quality and clarity.

Day 8 and as big Kev used to say "I'm excited".

Original Gravity was 1.036.
1st reading was 1.016 (@23C Day 4).
2nd reading was 1.014 (@22C Day 5).
3rd reading was 1.014 (@23C Day 6).
4th reading was 1.0125 (@24C Day 7).
5th reading was 1.012 (@24C Day 8).

We know Govt is unreliable at best. Fortunately Neuro is on the case and yes Pillage is more right than rampage. Especially if you are a Viking.

Neuro says we had best part of 42.7C today. My ambient was 32.5C. Fermenter was at 24C and a smidge.

I put in 2 frozen bottles late last night but added no more chilling today. Added some cool water as evaporation was higher than normal. Fermenter temps nice and steady for today.

Comments for today. Hot damn hot. Been out and sprayed water on the brick walls of the house, paving and so on. Was still 41C at 7PM. Need to find some temp buffer tonight for tomorrows 41. Seems to make a diff. Just messing about.

The beer is looking awesome. No bitterness taste detected today. Nice and sweet. When I first pulled the sample and took a long sniff, well I've been there before. Nice. Anyway bitterness is gone if it even was there to begin with. Maybe it was my taste buds yesterday. Super micro carbonation. Shining a light through it and there are many tiny carbonation bubbles visible. I thought there was no sediment left but looking close there is a very small amount. very small.

Am preparing to bottle. Cleaning the bottles. Need to grab another box of 15 tomorrow. I'll plan to bottle Monday or Tuesday night my time. I think I will have at least 2 steady readings by then. I am going to use different bottle caps on this brew. 50/50 coopers bottle caps and these other ones I used before. See if there is any different.

Ok thats it. A trough of water still proves to be pretty stable temp wise. Pretty amazing really.

Are you using the exact caps you used before or others just like them?

Just an aside....any of those plastic soda/pop/beverage containers will work with those caps, as long as they're new caps. Been there...drank that :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Libertytree

Are you using the exact caps you used before or others just like them?

Just an aside....any of those plastic soda/pop/beverage containers will work with those caps, as long as they're new caps. Been there...drank that :)

---

I didn't use the ones Coopers supplied in the kit on KoB #1. I bought some ones called Safety Caps. I think safety means they have that ring that separates from the cap when you undo them. Pretty standard. It stated on the packet that they would safely release excess pressure. They were white and I could write on them. Thinking that was a win win I grabbed some but I'm not actually sure what the safety part is. Anyway I've used the Coopers ones on ginger beer and they are solid. I had that GB I was trying to degas and the cap had deformed but held tight. No safe release of excess pressure going on there.

The white ones are one use only where the Coopers ones are multi use. I figured for 10 cent a cap I'd try them but they need benchmarking.

I will use half and half and see if I can detect any difference over time. I agree they are just the right size to go on all the soda bottles so if you want to bottle a 2L beer you can use a new cap if you need to.

Day 9. Weird weather

Original Gravity was 1.036.
1st reading was 1.016 (@23C Day 4).
2nd reading was 1.014 (@22C Day 5).
3rd reading was 1.014 (@23C Day 6).
4th reading was 1.0125 (@24C Day 7).
5th reading was 1.012 (@24C Day 8).
6th reading was 1.012 (@22C Day 9).

Temps hit the expected max temp of 41 at an unexpected 9:30 in the morning. Ambient was 33C. I setup for a hot day, expecting it to peak early to mid afternoon. Added some chill but temps came down sooner than I thought they would so the fermenter ended up a bit low.

Comments: nothing much. Aroma is still good. Taste I think is ok. We have 2 days with the same reading so I think we can go ahead and bottle now. I'll try and get that done tomorrow night.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Glass

Comments: nothing much. Aroma is still good. Taste I think is ok. We have 2 days with the same reading so I think we can go ahead and bottle now. I'll try and get that done tomorrow night.

---

No conditioning?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BrewTech

No conditioning?

---

Do you think I should try and push the fermenter temps lower for a few days first before bottling? I could probably get it down to maybe 18C/65F over the next few days while the outside temp dips. I don't think I could get it much lower than that.

Would I need to rack it to another fermenter for this?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Glass

Do you think I should try and push the fermenter temps lower for a few days first before bottling? I could probably get it down to maybe 18C/65F over the next few days while the outside temp dips. I don't think I could get it much lower than that.

Would I need to rack it to another fermenter for this?

---

Ice the fermenter as intensely as possible. If you have a way to make ice, you can do this. Get the fermenter as close to 0C as you can. It may take a ton of ice, but so what? Commercial brewers do this as an elemental step towards making acceptable beer. Therefore you should do it as a matter of course, being a homebrewer in pursuit of excellence.

Make it so!

(No you do not have to move the beer to do this, just chill the primary. That's what I do...)

how long would I need to do that? I don't think I can go 0C but I could give it a go and get fairly low. I could probably do it for 4 days perhaps but come Friday the temps are going back to 40C here. I don't think I would be able to get it much below 60F.

What happens when I bottle the beer? Can I let it come back up to ambient more or less or am I locked into keeping it that cold in the bottles from the time they are bottled? I've been keeping the bottles about 22-24 C for 2 weeks then moving them to the fridge.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Glass

how long would I need to do that? I don't think I can go 0C but I could give it a go and get fairly low. I could probably do it for 4 days perhaps but come Friday the temps are going back to 40C here. I don't think I would be able to get it much below 60F.

What happens when I bottle the beer? Can I let it come back up to ambient more or less or am I locked into keeping it that cold in the bottles from the time they are bottled? I've been keeping the bottles about 22-24 C for 2 weeks then moving them to the fridge.

---

The idea is to get yeast and other solid materials to settle out of the beer, so only the cleanest beer possible goes into the bottles. If you can only get the beer down to 60, I would just go ahead and bottle, carbonate and then condition them in the fridge.

Basically, I'm just trying to pass along what I've learned while brewing to you guys so that you will have ways to improve your process and overall beer quality. None of these steps are absolutely required for a homebrewer making some beer to drink (I did things exactly how you are for quite a while), but I had the advantage of pro brewers and advanced homebrewers in the club showing me ways I could improve my beer with a minimum amount of hassle and expense, so I'm just passing that info on to you guys.