Newby question - (first of many)

[Treeman Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Treeman]

This is where I am at, the frame work of my brewing room was set up today, 22 mm pine cladding will go onto that and a insulated roof 4.1 m x 2.2 and 2.4 high.

I am so looking forward to being able to work out of the wind and cold, to have space.
20200918_201854 by David Frank Allen, on Flickr

[jannieverjaar Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close jannieverjaar]

Most just reuse another space, garage/ Lapa or something. Not you! This hobby needs its own room! Wow. Nice man. To be honest though my lapa should be relabeled!

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[JIGSAW Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close JIGSAW]

This is where I am at, the frame work of my brewing room was set up today, 22 mm pine cladding will go onto that and a insulated roof 4.1 m x 2.2 and 2.4 high.

I am so looking forward to being able to work out of the wind and cold, to have space.

Just gonna leave this here ...

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...0291885570722/

[Treeman Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Treeman]

My first beers have stood two weeks today from bottling.
I am surprised that I made beer and delighted that its not some disgusting horror, but a bit let down in other aspects.
The beer is very cloudy, but it did take 7 hrs to cool the wort.
The beer is week I will run a alcohol test a bit later, but I am thinking below 4 %.
It taste on the better side of "OK", but certainly not a "wow!" - I will drink it and its enjoyable,at least not a dump it matter, but its no award winner,
Will it get better with more time?, Only two weeks at the moment.

[jannieverjaar Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close jannieverjaar]

At 2 weeks you have a good idea of what you've got. It will still improve over the next month (NOTE - THIS FEEDBACK IS STYLE DEPENDENT ) but for most of the common beers the best time to drink it is between 2 weeks and 2 months. It will clear more in the next month. And some of the prominent hop flavor will mellow.

UNFORTUNATELY it sounds like you unintentionally made a lite. This happened to me once when i used rye and just got terrible extraction. There's no coming back from that! it wont grow more body or Flavor in the bottle. Chill them ICE cold and have them when its hot out, still better then buying it. And you can ponder on how to improve the next one.

PS. For SURE your next beer will be much better. You will inevitably make the comment "im never buying beer again, mine is much better"

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[JIGSAW Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close JIGSAW]

My first beers have stood two weeks today from bottling.
I am surprised that I made beer and delighted that its not some disgusting horror, but a bit let down in other aspects.
The beer is very cloudy, but it did take 7 hrs to cool the wort.
The beer is week I will run a alcohol test a bit later, but I am thinking below 4 %.
It taste on the better side of "OK", but certainly not a "wow!" - I will drink it and its enjoyable,at least not a dump it matter, but its no award winner,
Will it get better with more time?, Only two weeks at the moment.

Not gonna read the whole thread again, but what was your 1st brew? A kit+kilo, Partial extract, or full all grain ?

How is the carbonation now as i recall you said it wasn't great after a few days.

Let the beer condition another week ... should be even better by next weekend and then also put 1 or 2 away in the back of a cupboard to try in 2-3 months.

Lots of craft beer you buy from pubs are also not clear. Cloudy beer is NOT a negative.

PS: I was also not impressed with my 1st batch that came with my kit ... Today Im glad I kept going!

[Treeman Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Treeman]

[QUOTE=JIGSAW;30311]Not gonna read the whole thread again, but what was your 1st brew? A kit+kilo, Partial extract, or full all grain ?
*****************************
And to add to it all it now appears to be alcohol -10 % beer, week two and the beer was nicely carbonated and pretty good to drink, but tasted like low alcohol beer. I tested it fresh and after de-gassing - reads -10 % on the alcohol meter.
DESPONDENT>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> INDEED>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
what do I do with beer flavored soda water?.

[jannieverjaar Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close jannieverjaar]

Hold back. You cant use that %alc scale on the hydrometer on a final gravity reading. It wont work (dosnt work on starting gravity either, it assusmes you will finish at 1000 and that a large error on beer, fine for wine)

Take your og(original gravity) from before you pitch the yeast.
Take your fg(final gravity) this is the gravity after 2weeks of fermentation but the true way of determining this is if youve taken a sample 3 days in a row that have read the same gravity, ehile stil at fermentation temp.

Plug these values into a alc calculator.
The number it spits out is your %
Beersmith has one but there are many online

Sorry for the long explanation. Its most likely unnecessary but if not im happy

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[JIGSAW Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close JIGSAW]

[QUOTE=Treeman;30313]

Not gonna read the whole thread again, but what was your 1st brew? A kit+kilo, Partial extract, or full all grain ?
*****************************
And to add to it all it now appears to be alcohol -10 % beer, week two and the beer was nicely carbonated and pretty good to drink, but tasted like low alcohol beer. I tested it fresh and after de-gassing - reads -10 % on the alcohol meter.
DESPONDENT>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> INDEED>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
what do I do with beer flavored soda water?.

Easiest is to know you gravity readings ....

Then use this : (OG - FG) * 131.25 = ABV

You can add ± 0.5 for the sugar you add to the bottles for carbonation.

So example: 1.045(OG) - 1.008(FG) = 0.037*131.25 = 4,85625 + 0.5 = 5,35625 (So a ± 5.4% Beer)

[groenspookasem Banned Find all posts View Profile Close groenspookasem]

SG or specific gravity hydrometer measure the density of sugars in a water solution and is calibrated as such to be 1.000 in clean water
Alcometer is calibrated for ethanol solution readings.

Both have variances wrt temperature

[Treeman Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Treeman]

I can use neither to get a ABV after beer is bottled ?

[Toxxyc Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Toxxyc]

I can use neither to get a ABV after beer is bottled ?

In order to calculate the ABV of the beer, you need to take a reading before adding the yeast and then another reading when the fermentation is complete. The difference between those two readings is used to calculate the beer's ABV. The difference in the readings is a measurement of how much sugar was eaten by the yeast and turned into alcohol. Without the first reading, for the home brewer, it is impossible to know the real ABV. However, if you brewed a kit and kilo beer (from a can with a bag of DME or sugar) you can calculate a rough ABV from the "generic" values.

[SamlL Member Find all posts View Profile Close SamlL]

• Purchase a six pack of a beer or a bottle of wine of a known ABV.
  
  
• Drink said six pack over a leisurely hour or two, until drunk (ask wife to note)
  
  
• The next day, drink an equivalent amount of your beer over an equivalent time period and compare drunkenness. (again, ask wife to note)
  
  
• If less drunk, purchase a lower ABV and repeat steps 1-3. If more drunk, purchase a higher ABV and repeat steps 1-3.
  
  
• If you're just as drunk, congratulations, you've determined your beer's ABV!
  
  My wife tells me my beer consistently makes me "happier", so i know my beer is more than 4%ABV as per above method.
  cheers
  

[LiquidBread Member Find all posts View Profile Close LiquidBread]

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[JIGSAW Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close JIGSAW]

• Purchase a six pack of a beer or a bottle of wine of a known ABV.
• Drink said six pack over a leisurely hour or two, until drunk (ask wife to note)
• The next day, drink an equivalent amount of your beer over an equivalent time period and compare drunkenness. (again, ask wife to note)
• If less drunk, purchase a lower ABV and repeat steps 1-3. If more drunk, purchase a higher ABV and repeat steps 1-3.
• If you're just as drunk, congratulations, you've determined your beer's ABV!
  
  My wife tells me my beer consistently makes me "happier", so i know my beer is more than 4%ABV as per above method.
  cheers

I like that way of testing
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