Fermenting Your First Beer

Before you start fermenting your first beer you’ll need a clean fermenter. Using a fermenter with both liter and gallon markings will make measuring a breeze. This 30L plastic fermenter is ready to go with a pre-threaded hole which makes attaching a tap (included) for siphon-free bottling and racking an easy process, just drill it out the hole. Also included is a Fermometer-brand thermometer stick to keep your brew at the desired range. If your homebrew supplies are ready to go learn how to start fermenting your first beer below.

Primary Fermentation

Within a day or two of brew day, fermentation begins. As the yeast convert malt sugars into CO2 and alcohol you will see bubbles come through the airlock. The specific gravity will steadily drop and a cap of thick tannish foam called krauesen forms above the beer.

You may want to store your brew in an area that is easily cleaned, a particularly violent fermentation could cause a bit of a mess. Violent? Yes, violent. As with anything that builds with increasing gas levels, explosions can occur. Explosions are most common if your airlock fills with gunk essentially stopping the flow of gas out of the carboy. If your krauesen starts filling your airlock. You may want to initiate a blowoff set up.

Roughly one to two weeks from brew day, fermentation ends. Bubbles coming through the airlock become very slow or stop entirely, the specific gravity is stable and the cap of foam starts to subside.

Start fermenting your homebrew by visiting The Hoppy Brewer in Gresham to get your: Fermenter.

SRC: Learn more about fermenting your homebrew at: http://howtobrew.com/book/section-1/fermenting-your-first-beer/choosing-your-fermenter