There is so much information on the internet about home brewing that you almost end up wasting a lot more time than you need to trying to digest as much of it as you can while you weigh up how relevant it is to you.
A few key points I've learned over the last week or so:
1. Whether the fermenter is sealed correctly and airlock working is basically irrelevant. Having a 100% sealed unit is close to impossible and while obviously the better the seal the less likely bacteria is to compromise your brew, it's not the end of the world if the airlock doesn't bubble. Ultimately you can use visual indicators to check whether the beer is fermenting and you can use the hydrometer to check whether it is ready for bottling.
2. To calculate alcohol by volume you take your original gravity reading which is the hydrometer reading taken prior to pitching your yeast into the fermenter, minus the final gravity (which is when you bottle the beer) and divide it by 7.4 to get ABV. EDIT - there seems to be a few website which will calculate ABV for you but none of them seem to use the 7.4 method.
3. Dextrose added to the fermenter will simply help produce the alcohol but will no impart any additional flavours to the beer. So, if you only use a kit and dextrose you'll end up with a pretty bland beer and the accuracy of the process itself will have a bigger impact on its quality - i.e. sterilisation, fermentation and carbonation.
4. Dextrose can be substituted with Brew Enhancers which typically contain Dextrose and Malt Extract (amongst other things). These bring out more flavours in the beer.
5. The sugar you add to the bottles is used by the remaining yeast to create the carbonation - it is therefore a good idea to try to keep your filled bottles in the same place as where you brewed the beer.... preferably in a room with a consistent temperature and ideally around 20 degrees. Too cold, and the yeast won't work as efficiently. Too hot and it'll work too efficiency producing a poor carbonation. Find the right balance and your beer should pour with a good head and remain fizzy. After about a week you can move it into a cooler place for longer term storage.
So there are a few points about brewing in general and kit brewing. I'll add some more thoughts and links later....
A few key points I've learned over the last week or so:
1. Whether the fermenter is sealed correctly and airlock working is basically irrelevant. Having a 100% sealed unit is close to impossible and while obviously the better the seal the less likely bacteria is to compromise your brew, it's not the end of the world if the airlock doesn't bubble. Ultimately you can use visual indicators to check whether the beer is fermenting and you can use the hydrometer to check whether it is ready for bottling.
2. To calculate alcohol by volume you take your original gravity reading which is the hydrometer reading taken prior to pitching your yeast into the fermenter, minus the final gravity (which is when you bottle the beer) and divide it by 7.4 to get ABV. EDIT - there seems to be a few website which will calculate ABV for you but none of them seem to use the 7.4 method.
3. Dextrose added to the fermenter will simply help produce the alcohol but will no impart any additional flavours to the beer. So, if you only use a kit and dextrose you'll end up with a pretty bland beer and the accuracy of the process itself will have a bigger impact on its quality - i.e. sterilisation, fermentation and carbonation.
4. Dextrose can be substituted with Brew Enhancers which typically contain Dextrose and Malt Extract (amongst other things). These bring out more flavours in the beer.
5. The sugar you add to the bottles is used by the remaining yeast to create the carbonation - it is therefore a good idea to try to keep your filled bottles in the same place as where you brewed the beer.... preferably in a room with a consistent temperature and ideally around 20 degrees. Too cold, and the yeast won't work as efficiently. Too hot and it'll work too efficiency producing a poor carbonation. Find the right balance and your beer should pour with a good head and remain fizzy. After about a week you can move it into a cooler place for longer term storage.
So there are a few points about brewing in general and kit brewing. I'll add some more thoughts and links later....
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