No yeast activity

[RalphK]

what else are u looking for?

At the moment my budget is frazzled, but ideally a system like the Clawhammer BIAB only it must be able to be used on a gas burner, and a decent grain mill. That's it really.

 

[Rudibrew]

At the moment my budget is frazzled, but ideally a system like the Clawhammer BIAB only it must be able to be used on a gas burner, and a decent grain mill. That's it really.

i select the crush my grain option when ordering
my biab bag was a muslin bag that i also ordered and got myself a large pot at shoprite cheap;
i use my cooler box to mash,great at keeping the temp.
hope that helps...

 

[RalphK]

i select the crush my grain option when ordering
my biab bag was a muslin bag that i also ordered and got myself a large pot at shoprite cheap;
i use my cooler box to mash,great at keeping the temp.
hope that helps...

I bought a large pot on takealot and my wife sewed me a cotton bag to fit. I mash in the pot and just wrap it in towels and a jacket. Holds the temp well. I also take the mill my grain option. But I am a bit ocd and when I start a hobby I go all in, especially if I like it. So the other stuff is all long term upgrades. Thanks for the advice.

 

[Hawkbox]

You'll likely never have everything you want as there is always something new and shiny out there.

 

[RalphK]

You'll likely never have everything you want as there is always something new and shiny out there.

true!

 

[Craigerrr]

I know it is difficult but the more often you open the fermenter to take a sample, the more often you risk an infection, or oxidization that will ruin your batch. With a Cali Ale yeast, you need to give it 10-14 days. There is nothing you can do to change this. The best thing is to leave it for two weeks from the date you pitch the yeast, the yeast are still active "cleaning up after themselves" after final gravity is reached. Then when you check the gravity, you will just be confirming what the FG is supposed to be. I know it is hard to be patient but good things come to those who wait.

 

[Herm brews]

I second what Craig says above. Patience is my friend - I let my tiny 1.5 gallon batches ferment for 3 weeks, minimum, without any sample collection. Let the yeast do their work, and you will be rewarded.

 

[Zambi]

And to think that I was about the only one from Africa here
I also use beerlab for supplies. Difficult now as the borders are closed.
Furthermore, the advice above is solid: patience, patience, patience

And eventually you will also get your equipment together.
I'm sure that if you wait a bit, a fair number of people will stop making their own beer when the ban is over and a lot of that will come on the 2nd hand market.
Check out gumtree as well. Been seeing some interesting stuff on there.

 

[RalphK]

And to think that I was about the only one from Africa here
I also use beerlab for supplies. Difficult now as the borders are closed.
Furthermore, the advice above is solid: patience, patience, patience

And eventually you will also get your equipment together.
I'm sure that if you wait a bit, a fair number of people will stop making their own beer when the ban is over and a lot of that will come on the 2nd hand market.
Check out gumtree as well. Been seeing some interesting stuff on there.

Good advice, thanks! How are things in Zambia? I visited Livingstone years ago and loved it!

 

[RalphK]

I know it is difficult but the more often you open the fermenter to take a sample, the more often you risk an infection, or oxidization that will ruin your batch. With a Cali Ale yeast, you need to give it 10-14 days. There is nothing you can do to change this. The best thing is to leave it for two weeks from the date you pitch the yeast, the yeast are still active "cleaning up after themselves" after final gravity is reached. Then when you check the gravity, you will just be confirming what the FG is supposed to be. I know it is hard to be patient but good things come to those who wait.

Sound advice, thanks!

 

[RalphK]

I second what Craig says above. Patience is my friend - I let my tiny 1.5 gallon batches ferment for 3 weeks, minimum, without any sample collection. Let the yeast do their work, and you will be rewarded.

Thanks for the advice

 

[Craigerrr]

Sound advice, thanks!

Patience is probably the most difficult thing for the new brewer. I am just giving the advice I was given when I started out! I was just as impatient when I started. You will be doing the same in due time, offering "sound advice" to the rookies

 

[BarbarianBrewer]

And to think that I was about the only one from Africa here

Look what you started @Zambezi Special !

 

[RalphK]

Just an update on this: expected Final Gravity was achieved and the beer is now in bottles busy being carbonated and conditioning for 2 weeks. My next brew is in the fermenter

 

[Craigerrr]

Good to hear!

 

[Herm brews]

Good for you, RalphK!

 

[RalphK]

final feedback on this: Although I feel there are some issues with the beer it is quite quaffable.
issues: head retention is poor and it is under carbonated. I also think I used the wrong yeast for what I intended to create.

 

[Hawkbox]

Nice! You don't always nail what you're aiming for, but if it's drinkable and you enjoy it then no worries.

 

[BarbarianBrewer]

@RalphK , you mentioned earlier that you were bottling and in your last post you mention under-carbonation. I thought I'd throw out there a problem I had when I first started brewing. Most priming sugar calculators ask you what the current temperature of the beer is. This is usually lower than what you fermented at, especially if you cold-crashed prior to bottling. What those calculators should say ask is what was the maximum fermentation temperature of your beer. At a higher fermentation temperature there is less dissolved CO2 in your beer and therefore you need to add more sugar to achieve your desired carbonation level. Also, if you conditioned the beer in a cold environment (such as a fridge) then it will take much longer for your beer to carbonate properly. These are just a couple of guesses so if neither apply, just ignore them.

 

[Zambi]

I would suggest to bottle at least 1 beer out of a batch in a PET bottle (cleaned obviously).
It makes it very easy to follow carbonation