Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How long to ferment?
A. In beer making all time is relative to temperature. The warmer the brew, the faster the ferment the more quickly it will spoil once fermentation has finished, that is prior to bottling. The cooler the brew, the more slowly things happen.

Q. Air-lock not bubbling
A. This is the most common problem of all. Usually the individual assumes the brew is not fermenting so “Out she goes”. Fermenters do not always seal well and if not sealed, the air lock doesn’t bubble. First, assess the situation properly by taking a hydrometer reading or by looking for visual signs of what’s going on. If the brew is still fermenting, seal it as well as you can. If it is finished, bottle immediately. Don’t throw it out, as it’s quite possibly OK.

Q. Fermentation doesn’t start or stops early
A. Genuine lack of fermentation can only be caused by:

1. not adding the yeast or the sachet is old and inactive.
2. adding yeast over 40°C
3. temperature too cold, below 18°C can cause definite problems. Warm the brew by using a brew heater or some other method to 23-25°C. Brews will often stop in the later stages of fermentation in cold conditions.

Q. Add another yeast?
A. Many home brewers add another yeast because they think the brew is not fermenting. Often fermentation has already finished. The anxious brewers gaze at the air-lock and if it’s not bubbling, they assume nothing is happening. Fermentation is inevitable if the temperature is right, so use your hydrometer if there’s any doubt.

Q. Frothing through the air-lock
A. This is a common problem in hot summer conditions. Absolutely no harm befalls the brew; it only happens in the first stage of fermentation. Simply wash the air-lock and refill with water.

Q. Mysterious hydrometer readings
A. While a beer hydrometer can be used to monitor the progression of fermentation, most home brewers have definite problems in getting accurate readings. Where there is any doubt as to which reading is the correct one, take the lowest reading or in other words, that closest to 1,000 as the accurate one. Before taking a reading, spin the hydrometer a couple of times in the liquid.

Q. Bubbling won’t stop
A. Slow air-lock bubbling can continue for an extended period of time in the perfectly sealed fermenter. Ascertain the correct time at which the bottle by either using your hydrometer or alternately by the visual signs. Don’t use the air-lock to determine when to do anything. Home brewers all too often leave the brew in the fermenter too long because of slow air-lock bubbling. Brews spoil fairly quickly if not bottled at the correct time.

Q. Sediment
A. As commercial beer contains no sediment in the bottles, some home brewers become obsessed with achieving the same with their brews. It is impossible unless you keg it. There is always a small final sediment in the bottles of home brewed beer. If the beer is made correctly, the sediment should be similar to a coat of paint on the bottom of each bottle. The obsessed brewers leave the beer in the fermenter for weeks after fermentation only to find it has spoiled. They try to filter the beer, only to oxidise (allow to be affected by oxygen) or contaminate the beer, thus ruining it. The answer is compromise and understanding. Allowing your brew short but sufficient time to settle before bottling is the only way to produce good beer to measure accurately.

Q. Which sugar for the bottles?
A. This is a common question. Any fermentable sugar is fine; white, raw or even caster sugar will do the job; however, white is thought to be the best as it is easiest to measure accurately. Carbonation drops are now also popular.

Q. Bottles exploding
A. This condition can only be caused by excess sugars in the bottles after capping. You can create excess sugars in two ways.

1. You may have bottled too early, when there were still unfermented sugars in the brew. This can often happen when the actual brewing is during winter. In cold conditions, a brew can ferment reasonably while fermentation is active (generating a bit of heat) but can stop prematurely when the activity lessens. The remaining unfermented sugars will in time over gas the bottles.
2. You may have added too much sugar to each bottle. Some people are of the opinion that if one teaspoon to each bottle makes a good brew then three teaspoonfuls will make it even better – NOT SO. Crazily, some still believe that the alcohol content of the finished beer depends on the sugar you add to each bottle. You may have primed a bottle twice with sugar. It’s easy to do – If the odd bottle is inconsistent with the rest of the batch, you have doubled up.

Q. Overgassed beer
A. Certain bottles or even whole batches of your beer may at times become over gassed, while not necessarily exploding. This condition is also caused by one of the above mentioned reasons. Bottles that almost fill the glass or jug with froth can be brought under control by chilling the bottles to close to freezing point prior to opening.

Q. Flat beer – little or no gassing
A. True flat beer is only caused by the following factors: A insufficient or no sugar in bottles when bottling B bottles not sealed properly C very cold maturing conditions

Q. Poor head
A. If a beer refuses to form and then hold a good head, chances are the beer is either undergassed or insufficiently matured.

Q. Off flavours
A. Any off flavours in a finished beer is the result of contamination. This could be caused by the water you’ve used in the brew, poor hygiene or exposure to contaminants late in fermentation, or during bottling; If only the odd bottle tastes “off” then the problem is with your bottle hygiene or splashing during bottling. Should the whole batch taste crook, pay more attention to your method of brewing and sterilisation next time. For instance, a common contamination often comes at the end of fermentation. That is if you were to open your drum very late, then reseal it and leave for a few days prior to bottling, chances are there will be a white film on the surface of the brew when you go to bottle. This form of contamination can also appear in the bottles. It won’t do much for the flavour of the beer. Bottle as soon as possible after fermentation finishes.

Q. Hazy beer
A. All home brews will take a week or so to clear after bottling, but should then settle out to be crystal clear. If your beer refuses to clear after a reasonable time, ten to one it’s affected by one of the following problems: 1. Oxidization – This is caused by excessive exposure to oxygen during bottling. 2. Starch haze - This means a hazy state created by the addition of starchy additives to the brew. 3. Chill haze – Occasionally when a beer is chilled. It may become slightly hazy. This condition can occur with any beer. It is caused by a slightly higher than normal protein content in the basic ingredients. The beer is perfectly all right. There is no effect on taste, as it is a natural occurrence. Save these ones for black outs. By the way, chill haze is quite common and natural in wheat beers.

Q. Diet and diabetic beer
A. Both “diet” and ”diabetic” beer are really the same and should not be categorised with low alcohol beers. Low alcohol beers are basically normal beers with the alcohol percentage reduced. Diet and diabetic beers must conform to regulations and the main requirement is that they contain no unfermented sugars, no matter what the alcohol level is. In home brewing we assume that the fermentation (both primary and secondary) ferments all the sugars available; however, the yeast cells usually leave a small percentage just as you don’t eat all the crumbs on your plate. Some higher sugars are unfermentable. Special formulation and treatments are necessary to ensure that regulations are met, when breweries make diet beer. Home brewed beers will always contain some minute quantities of unfermented sugars: however, many diabetics tell me that well matured home brews give them fewer problems that normal (non-diabetic) commercial beers.