Just primed and bottled my first batch

[BenVanned]

Welp. I just bottled my first batch. Made "5.5" gallons of Mild Ale Extract (didn't want to spend too much on my first brew). It came out to be a little less than 5.5 gallons. I bottled 12 16oz and i think 30 12oz bottles. It's alright though, heavier body beer sis a good thing. My last hydrometer reading was a little odd... potential alcohol was less than 5%... it appeared to be somewhere around 2.5% I think the yeast may have regressed and I was unable to rouse it. I've got a few worries about this batch.. Hopefully it will turn out to be a decent beer. Also I was trying to make use of an elderly novelty kit. My next batch will go smoother.

 

[SporkD2]

Congrats! I think everyone worries about their first batch.

What was the OG and SG?

 

[unionrdr]

All other things being equal,keep an eye on those bottles. If the yeast wake up too much,you could get bottle bombs. On the flip side,the malt extracts you used may've had a goodly amount of un-fermentables for coloring.

 

[RM-MN]

Forget the potential alcohol readings on your hydrometer at least until you better understand what they mean. Specific gravity is what you want to know. Your beer probably started with an original specific gravity (OG) of about 1.050 and finished with a final specific gravity (FG) of about 1.016. Those numbers would tell you how much alcohol was actually produced by the yeast.

 

[BenVanned]

I seem to be having difficulties reading the hydrometer period. 90% of this batch is going to my mother in law because she bought the bottles. They will most likely be doing their bottle conditioning at her house... Sooo... if there are bottle bombs it will be her problem lol. After bottling i found this nifty sludge of yeast colored nastyness at the bottom of the primary... i fear that maybe not enough yeast came in contact with the priming sugar or that i should have waited a few more min. before bottling.

 

[unionrdr]

Even though we get a layer of trub/yeast at the bottom of primary,there's still plenty in suspension to carbonate a beer,even if it racks clear. Been there,done that. No worries there. but being sure to get a stable FG is important.

 

[HerbieHowells]

Just to throw this out there, 2.5 ABV is within the ABV range for mild ale. If you gave the yeast enough time to do their work and were sure that your hydro readings were steady before you bottled, it is entirely possible that the yeast have just converted all of the fermentable material in your carboy, and you ended up with a nice all day drinking beer.

 

[BenVanned]

Even though we get a layer of trub/yeast at the bottom of primary,there's still plenty in suspension to carbonate a beer,even if it racks clear. Been there,done that. No worries there. but being sure to get a stable FG is important.

Yes. That is what I wanted to hear. Now the big question is... What to brew next... The misses wants something really light... I want to brew dark... just brewed amber... What ever it is it should certainly be higher ABV.

 

[unionrdr]

How about a pale ale with 2oz of hops?