At 7.2% the beer should be super conditioned! Weaker beers don’t last…

However, it also depends on the temps in your loft, if it gets hot in summer then that might have done it some harm…

Could be fantastic, when can we come and try it…???

If you use a bottling stick attached to the tap, it’s cleaner, easier, and you will minimise oxygenating the ale. you may get a bit of yeast sediment lodged in the tap which you can flush through into a half pint glass for a cheeky drink while you bottle…. 😛

edit. my og of 1048 above should have been 1045.

The loft is always cooler than the house, I am hopeful now. Like you say, can’t do me any harm to try

Peterfile I take your point about the secondary fermenter, but I batch prime, and it’s become habit!
Never increased temp after fermentation has finished – always gone straight to cold – is this to ensure that it ferments as close to dryness as possible?

I batch prime too, but just do that in my bottling bucket come bottling time (I don’t bottle straight out of the primary fermenter.

Apparently, when fermentation is almost complete (ie you’re within a few points of your target FG) raising the temp helps the yeast finish up, and I expect part of that will be greater attenuation.

Bottling bucket?
What’s one of those?

Just a fancy name for another fermentation bin 😉

Ahhhh, cheers

I would say the secondary bucket is useful for beginners. Personally (and I’m still very much a beginner), I find it easier to transfer to a second bucket and then use a jug from that to bottles but it does stir up the beer a bit.

I’d also add, (for beginners), that carbonation tablets are easier than adding sugar with a teaspoon to each bottle. Little sugar tablet in packs of 100, great.

I’m sure the more experienced guys are shaking their heads sadly now. 😉

Not at all, it’s all about the beer; how you get it into the bottle/keg and prime it is really only between you and your ale 🙂

Different people have different methods but when you settle on one that works for you, that’s fine

I use some siphon tubing and a bottling stick / little bottler when fermentation has finished, to get the beer into a second fermenter. I then add isinglass finings (use Auxiliary Finings or none at all if you’re a vegetarian, isinglass comes from fish) & leave for a couple of days, then siphon into bottles (clean ones!) again using the siphon tubing and bottling stick. Sometimes I add 110g of brewing sugar an hour before bottling, but mostly I forget and I have to prime each bottle after filling. 1/2tsp per bottle. That’s my method, I’m sure other people will have other methods.

If your fermenter has a tap, you should be able to fit the bottling stick straight into the tap, which makes it even easier

my beer is now fermenting nicely 🙂 yeast went in Sunday tea time.

the recipe is as follows:

Dirty Celebration Ale (American IPA)
to make 21L, OG 1057, FG predicted 1011, 5.97% ABV
Colour 17.2 EBC, bitterness 66.7 IBU.
60 minute single step infusion mash at 67degC, 60 minute boil

3.95kg pale malt
510g Munich I
330g Caramalt
211g Carahell
210g Wheat Malt
100g Crystal 120
100g Torrefied Wheat

20g Chinook leaf hops at start of boil
20g each of Amarillo, Cascade & Centennial 15mins from end of boil
20g each of Amarillo, Cascade & Centennial 5mins from end of boil
20g each of Amarillo, Cascade & Centennial at end of boil. Leave to steep for 15 minutes
5g Irish Moss 10mins from end of boil

Safale US05 yeast pitched at 20degC