Brew UK Forum | Beer Kits
Coopers Australian lager brew help
Im trying homebrew for the second time (the first time however turned out a complete disaster). There are just a few things im unsure about. What sort of temperature and for how long should the lager be kept while fermenting cos ive heard different things about this and also how much sugar should i put in to make it fizzy?
Thanks
Responses
Posted 1 year ago by Admin
Hi Barron22, Ideally lagers should be fermented with a proper lager yeast at 12c for 2 weeks then lagered (stored) for a further 2/3 weeks at 2c before bottling.
Saying that, most home brewers find that quite difficult and tend to ferment at room temp (around 20c) but this is why generally most home brewers make ales rather than lagers.
What went wrong with you last one and what did you brew?
Fermenting:
Conditioning:Pale with Styrians
Drinking:Cascade Pale Ale, Summer Lightning
Posted 1 year ago by Member
thanks for the quick reply
So how long would i have to leave the lager at 20C for the first stage im guessing not 2 weeks as its hotter. Then after that stage would i syphon it into another bin, add the sugar and then bottle it and leave it for another few days? Sorry im just trying to get an idea of the steps i need to take.
The last brew went horribly wrong it ended up tasting like cider and was cloudy although i must say if i didnt know it was meant to be lager it would've been an alright cider
Posted 1 year ago by Admin
Um yeah that doesn't sound great. I would suggest you got some kind of infection if it tasted more like cider.
Basically I would ferment at 20c until its complete. Will probably take about a week but use a hydrometer to check that its finished (ie same reading for a couple of days at about 1.012 or similar). Then I would bottle adding 120g of sugar / 40 pints. Leave at 20c for a few days then move to somewhere cool to clear and condition. Probably want another 4 or 5 weeks for a kit. It should then turn out pretty decent. Make sure you are really careful with the cleanliness though as that may have been the problem. Sterilise and rinse everything really well.
Keep us posted.
Fermenting:
Conditioning:Pale with Styrians
Drinking:Cascade Pale Ale, Summer Lightning
Posted 1 year ago by Member
yeah i think it probably was an infection cos i was using old bottles that didnt look very nice i thought i cleaned them well enough but obviously not. Thanks for the advise i'll let you know how it goes ive only just ordered the kit today though
Posted 1 year ago by Moderator
Ah, thats happened to me. I gave up with the bottles in the end as I put em through the dishwasher twice and I could still see crud in there. I now use swing tops and as soon as the beer has been poured I rinse and squirt a few drops of the ol' anti bacterial cleaner then when I need em I rinse out, sanitize and re fill. Done!
Conditionin' - LEB Pale
Conditionin' - Thwaits Nutty Black
Plannin' - A user upper!
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