 Brewing
questions
Where can I find information on the second fermentation
process to clarify my beer?
Should I add DME to Coopers Kits?
I'm not seeing any fermentation activity
in my English Pale Ale, what's wrong?
Q. Where can I find information regarding
the second fermentation process in order to improve the clarity of my beer?
I have already prepared two batches of American Lite beer and I want to
improve the clarity.
A. I recommend putting the hops into a steeping bag and tying
it off before placing into the pot. This makes discarding the spent
hops very easy. I also recommend the use of a carboy for secondary
fermentation. Most of the sediment from your ale pail should stay
in the pail when you rack the beer into the carboy. After fermenting
the beer in your Ale Pail, you will siphon it into a clean and sanitized
carboy. You then place a rubber bunge into the carboy opening and
your fermentation lock into the bunge . The beer stays in the carboy
for two weeks until you're ready to bottle. The minimal sediment
at the bottom of the carboy should stay in the bottom. When you're
ready to bottle, rack the beer into the bottling bucket and then bottle
as usual. Another important thing to remember to keep the sediment from
being disturbed is to make sure you don't move it on the day you plan on
bottling. These steps should help keep your beer more clear.
If your beer clarity still doesn't improve after trying the above steps,
you can try using gelatin . Add ½ teaspoon to ½ cup cold water
and soak for 1 hour. You then heat the gelatin solution until it
dissolves. When it cools, add it to the carboy before racking from
primary fermenter.
Q.The Coopers Kits on your site say you
can use them with Mr. Beer, but the cans say to add DME or sugar, but in
your directions for use with Mr. Beer it does not call for the addition
of the sugar. I have two Mr. Beer fermenters, should I split the
Coopers between two of them or use one full can of Coopers in one fermenter
if I do not add the additional sugar. Will it hurt to use the FULL
can in one fermenter?
A. The reason you add 4 to16 ozs.DME to the Cooper’s kits is to extend
it to make 5 gals. One can will make 3 gals. without the added DME.
One can of Coopers in a Mr. Beer fermenter is a little overkill as the
Mr. Beer makes just 2 gals. I would split the can between the two
fermenters and experiment by adding 1 lb. of DME to one of them and see
what you come up with. If you do add DME, you’ll need to bring some
of the wort water to a boil, add DME and boil it to sanitize for a few
minutes before chilling the wort down and continuing with the instructions.
Q. I'm not seeing any fermentation
activity in my English Pale Ale, what's wrong?
A. To verify that fermentation hasn’t begun, check for condensation
on the underside of your fermenter pail lid. Also check for a scum
ring around the pail above the wort. If neither of these is
present, use a sanitized long handled spoon to stir the wort vigorously.
Wrap an electric heat belt or a heating pad around the pail to see if you
can get it started that way. If there is no action in the airlock
for another day, pitch in another packet of brewer’s yeast (such as SAFALE
S-04 ENGLISH ALE YEAST).
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