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texashomebrew.com · 08-16-2006, 09:29 PM

Sounds like you are a natural. Everyone that tries it without an experienced homebrewer has problems like yours. I would not put carboys in an ice bath as they can crack with temperature ranges like that. Your lucky it didnt. that was the only mistake I saw that could have been bad.
Nothing will live in fermenting beer so dont worry about germs with the drips or dropping stuff in.
The hops should be fine and yes, a hoppy beer will have lots of leftovers in the carboy. I would pitch as soon as you can if it has not kicked off by 14 hrs or so.
Do you have an airlock on it?

ruppe · 08-17-2006, 06:20 AM

"One last thing... if you are pouring hot wort into a strainer or something, you will add oxygen to the wort and your beer will go stale faster than if you cooled it before getting any air into it."

I'd take this comment with a grain of salt. I don't know if he means boiling hot wort, but my semi-cooled wort always goes through a strainer into cold water in my carboy, to finish cooling, with no ill effects.

TBMaster · 08-17-2006, 07:31 AM

Thanks for all the advice folks.

To answer a couple of comments:

I'm not using an airlock just a plastic fermentation bin + lid (which is why I could put it in the bath wothout worrying about it smashing). Oh and the boil was done in a Electrim Bin.

Repitched on Sunday afternoon. Yeast took off in no time.

The krausen fell after about 24 hours later.

It does however seem to be bubbling away fairly merrily regardless.

I'm using the plastic lid on the fermenter as a guide. Each day I push it down and air escapes round the edges. Each evening it is suitably convex again under a reasonable amount of pressure. I reckon if I continue to repeat this process every day until it stops pushing the lid out it should be a good guide. Or is this nonsense??

When the primary is done I plan on sticking it in a Secondary for a fortnight (improved my kit brews no end).

Can I keep the yeast cake from this brew? If so how to you go about "farming" and storing it?

Evan! · 08-17-2006, 02:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Walker-san

If you are boiling a full 5 gallons (or more) you can't add more water to cool it down and an ice bath will not get the job done fast enough.

If you are doing partial volume boils (3 gallons or less) then there is no real need for a chiller. Ice water or an ice bath will work fine for rapic cooling.

One last thing... if you are pouring hot wort into a strainer or something, you will add oxygen to the wort and your beer will go stale faster than if you cooled it before getting any air into it.

-walker

Huh, good to know. I don't typically do 5-gallon boils.

TBMaster · 08-24-2006, 01:33 PM

An update.....

...racked to the secondary on Tuesday. Rather disappointed with it all.

Gravity is around 1.018 which for my money is too high.

Also the beer is red! Was expecting something fairly dark

It tastes very similar to my last kit beer....bitter but not at all hoppy.

Have racked to a second bin and added a good ounce of Fuggles for dry hopping in the hope that this will impart some more hoppiness to the beer. I guess I just need to learn to add more to the original boil.

Should I consider another repitch to the sceondary?

**Hercules Rockefeller** · 08-24-2006, 08:29 PM

I wouldn't worry about pitching more yeast, you should have so much yeast in there already that the amount from another packet would not make an appreciable difference. As far as hop bitterness / flavor is concered, adding the dry hop is a good idea, that should add some extra hop flavor. it will mostly add to the hop aroma more than the flavor, but that aroma will also complement what hop flavor is already there and should improve your beer. If you like a lot of hop flavor, consider adding a hop addition at 30 - 15 min left in your boil and that will add more flavor than bitterness.