First Brew Not So Good

He is the deal, I bought a homebrew kit, co2 keg kit and a German Altbier.

After steeping the grains I was to bring the water to a boil before adding the malt extract and then boil for 60 minutes. I could not get the water to boil after about 50 minutes I put a lid on the pot and then it started boiling so I added the malt extract at that point and boiled for 60 minutes. I wanted to get a Fat Tire flavor so it was suggested to add 1oz of Fuggle hops to the last five minutes of the boil which I did. I also added the priming sugar to the boil since I’ll be kegging the beer and carbonating it with co2.


I cooled to 80 added additional water and brewer’s yeast and put in fermentation bucket. Put the lid on with airlock and let sit 5 days. Siphoned into secondary fermentation bucket and let sit 7 days. After 7 days I siphoned beer into keg, hooked up co2 and set pressure to 25 psi and was going to let sit a couple days and turn down to 10 psi. I checked the pressure after about 20 hours and the co2 tank was empty due to a leaky release valve on the keg lid. Although i checked it a couple hours before and it was still at 25 psi so it got about 18 hours of carbonation with the leak. Got a new lid, more co2 and hooked everything back with no leaks. I let it sit 28 hours or so and turned down to 10 psi.

Tried the beer and it’s not the best tasting beer I’ve ever had but drinkable.

My questions are, could waiting the 50 minutes for the water to boil before putting the lid on the pot caused any problems. Second question is, did the first 18 hours of carbonating the beer count even though it was leaking at the time.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Mike

Sounds like you didn't allow it enough time to ferment/age. Only 12 days, right? I just racked a Summer Ale clone to keg after 21 days last week...and it was still not ready. After allowing it 7 days in the keg, it's much better now...but could use some more time still.

Did you take any hydrometer readings? Opinions on here vary, but the majority of us will tell you to disregard any fermentation instructions included with beer kits. Depending on the type of beer, strain and health of yeast, and temperature during fermentation, your beer can be done in anywhere from 4 days to over a month. It sounds like yours needed more time, but the only way to know is to measure the gravity with a hydrometer.

So I recommend spending a little time in this forum as well as the extract brewing forum, and having another go at it. Don't worry, most of our first batches were less than awesome. Good luck!

krumb said:

Sounds like you didn't allow it enough time to ferment/age. Only 12 days, right? I just racked a Summer Ale clone to keg after 21 days last week...and it was still not ready. After allowing it 7 days in the keg, it's much better now...but could use some more time still.

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Correct 12 days to ferment. That's what the directions said to do. After the 12 days there were no bubbles in the airlock. Don't know if that really means anything.

2bluewagons said:

Did you take any hydrometer readings? Opinions on here vary, but the majority of us will tell you to disregard any fermentation instructions included with beer kits. Depending on the type of beer, strain and health of yeast, and temperature during fermentation, your beer can be done in anywhere from 4 days to over a month. It sounds like yours needed more time, but the only way to know is to measure the gravity with a hydrometer.

So I recommend spending a little time in this forum as well as the extract brewing forum, and having another go at it. Don't worry, most of our first batches were less than awesome. Good luck!

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I guess i'd better learn how to use my hydometer.

Thanks!

joesixpack said:

Correct 12 days to ferment. That's what the directions said to do. After the 12 days there were no bubbles in the airlock. Don't know if that really means anything.

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Nope. Doesn't mean much other than a gas is making it's way out the airlock. (which is by no means an indication of fermentation).

I just did the German Altbier by Brewer's Best as my first brew, and can't hold onto the stuff. Everyone wants some, don't I get to drink any? Great choice on the beer style.

I am not so sure about the waiting time and the additional hops. An extra ounce is a whole lotta hops if you're not exactly sure what how the beer is going to turn out.

I know I let mine sit two weeks primary, two weeks secondary, 3 weeks in bottle.

You dont need a lid on the boil pot , so that had nothing to do with it.

joesixpack said:

I cooled to 80 added additional water and brewer’s yeast and put in fermentation bucket. Put the lid on with airlock and let sit 5 days. Siphoned into secondary fermentation bucket and let sit 7 days.

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Try leaving it in primary for 3-4 weeks, and skip the secondary. Use the other bucket for another batch.

My questions are, could waiting the 50 minutes for the water to boil before putting the lid on the pot caused any problems.

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You don't want to boil with the lid on. Pick up a gas burner, and boil outside. I used the stove for my first few batches, total PITA, the gas burner was a great investment.

There are volatile compounds that you WANT to boil out that only condense back in with a lid on. Namely, diacetyl.

Never boil the wort with the lid on, it traps nasties in the wort that are meant to boil off. My bet is that is where the problem is.

ohiochris said:

You dont need a lid on the boil pot , so that had nothing to do with it.

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It wouldn't come to a boil without a lid. I waited 50 minutes with no boil. 2 gallons is bit of water but i wouldn't thnk it would take 50 mionutes to boil.

TheSeether said:

There are volatile compounds that you WANT to boil out that only condense back in with a lid on. Namely, diacetyl.

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You're thinking of dimethyl-sulfide or DMS.

I have the same issue. My stove sucks. What I do is leave the lid on until the boil, then take it off partially for the boil. The nasty stuff still vents out. All my beer on the stove had been fine.

Cheers

joesixpack said:

After steeping the grains I was to bring the water to a boil before adding the malt extract and then boil for 60 minutes. I could not get the water to boil after about 50 minutes I put a lid on the pot and then it started boiling so I added the malt extract at that point and boiled for 60 minutes. I wanted to get a Fat Tire flavor so it was suggested to add 1oz of Fuggle hops to the last five minutes of the boil which I did. I also added the priming sugar to the boil since I’ll be kegging the beer and carbonating it with co2.

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Just want to check on something: did you add any hops at the beginning of the boil or just the 1 oz of Fuggles at the end?

I think this is very obviously green beer as others have suggested. Spend some time on here and read up. No need for the secondary and leave it in the primary 3-4 weeks. It needs to ferment and condition. You didn't give it enough time to condition. Chalk it up to experience and make another batch.

BloodSweatandBeers said:

I have the same issue. My stove sucks. What I do is leave the lid on until the boil, then take it off partially for the boil. The nasty stuff still vents out. All my beer on the stove had been fine.

Cheers

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That's what i did, put the lid partially on during the boil.

rjwhite41 said:

I think this is very obviously green beer as others have suggested. Spend some time on here and read up. No need for the secondary and leave it in the primary 3-4 weeks. It needs to ferment and condition. You didn't give it enough time to condition. Chalk it up to experience and make another batch.

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Can I drink it??? I doesn't taste that great but not that bad either. Like my son put it, "It's kinda good".

It's fine to drink. I would say instead of drinking it, let it sit in the keg for a couple weeks and then try it again. I bet it will be better then.

joesixpack said:

Can I drink it??? I doesn't taste that great but not that bad either. Like my son put it, "It's kinda good".

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Like the poster above said, it is fine to drink. It should be better (proabably a lot better) with age though.

Couple of things you'll learn about making beer...

1. Ignore the racking to secondary for 95% of the brews. 100% for fermenting, you'll want to rack for some flavor additions, or to get it off of other flavor elements.
2. Ignore the directions once they tell you to pour into the primary.
3. RDWHAHB
4. Pitch the yeast AFTER you put the wort into primary.
5. Leave the priming sugar out of the boil. IF you decide to bottle, and prime, do it in the bottling bucket.
6. Measure all solids by weight. This includes priming sugar.
7. RDWHAHB
8. When drinking your home brew, don't use frozen/frosted/ice cold glasses/mugs.
9. Time... 2-4 weeks is pretty typical for most home brew's... This is time on the yeast cake. Brews with a high OG (above ~1.085) can take longer.
10. Get a hydrometer, and use it to know when fermentation is complete.
11. Don't just use hydrometer readings to tell you when the brew is ready for bottle/keg... Taste it before you rack it...

I would also advise ignoring the airlock.. Sure, it's great to see moving when active fermentation is going on... But don't worry if it takes a while to start moving, or it stops after a week, or so... Don't even look to check with a hydrometer for 2-3 weeks (depending on the OG)...

Most of this you'll learn either from reading posts here, or through experience... Easiest things you can do to improve the batches is to give the yeast time to do what they will do, and temperature control. Keep them in the right temperature range, and you'll have even better beer.

1 Fermentation Temperatures?

2 open boil (no lid) as has been suggested

3) WAY too young - that beer needs time! you can certainly drink it, but why not wait and see if it doesn't improve?

3a). next time, throw away the directions (peruse the forum here). 4 weeks in the fermenter (at correct temp), 3 weeks in the bottle (or at least 2 in the keg) Then the first sample. and that is young beer. Your's is not young, it's an infant!




molester!

Lid on/lid off, whatever it takes to get the boil on... On my stove, I have to have the lid on while getting up to a boil. Once there, I leave it cocked just enough to let steam out, but keep enough heat in to maintain the boil...

Of course, that will change once my propane burner arrives...

Hang Glider said:

1 Fermentation Temperatures?

2 open boil (no lid) as has been suggested

3) WAY too young - that beer needs time! you can certainly drink it, but why not wait and see if it doesn't improve?

3a). next time, throw away the directions (peruse the forum here). 4 weeks in the fermenter (at correct temp), 3 weeks in the bottle (or at least 2 in the keg) Then the first sample. and that is young beer. Your's is not young, it's an infant!




molester!

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I have a cornelius keg, should i add co2 for the two weeks if so how much psi?

joesixpack said:

I have a cornelius keg, should i add co2 for the two weeks if so how much psi?

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https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/keg-force-carbing-methods-illustrated-73328/

joesixpack said:

I have a cornelius keg, should i add co2 for the two weeks if so how much psi?

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One more thing, should i let my current batch sit in the keg at 10 psi for 2 weeks? What determines when the beer has been fully carbonated. I've heard 1 - 2 weeks at 10 psi. If the beer is carbonated in 2 weeks at 10 psi what stops it from continuing to carbonate? Don't you need to keep the co2 at 10 psi to dispense.

Thanks for all the help.

The beer is fully carbonated once it reaches equilibrium. Once that happens, it won't absorb any more CO2. You don't need to keep the PSI at 10 to dispense, but most of us run long lines so we don't have to drop the pressure to serve and then back up to keep it carbed.

joesixpack said:

I have a cornelius keg, should i add co2 for the two weeks if so how much psi?

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http://www.kegerators.com/carbonation-table.php

I don't understand why you added the priming sugar to the boil since you were force carbonating the beer? Sure it didn't make any difference, but just curious.

sudndeth said:

I don't understand why you added the priming sugar to the boil since you were force carbonating the beer? Sure it didn't make any difference, but just curious.

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That's what the homebrew store said to do. Maybe that'll be a new topic, priming suger or no priming sugar in boil if force carbonating.

joesixpack said:

That's what the homebrew store said to do. Maybe that'll be a new topic, priming suger or no priming sugar in boil if force carbonating.

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I would ignore them next time... If you're not going to prime with sugar, then have them remove it from the kit (and charge you less)... Far better to do that than put priming sugar into the boil, IMO...

I have the bags of priming sugar from my first two kits, before telling them I wasn't going to use it, so they didn't include it moving forward. Not sure if I'll ever use it, but I have it on hand in case I ever want to.

I also had them remove the bottle caps from the kits, since I use Grolsch bottles for my lower gravity brews (under 7.5% ABV)... Bigger brews go into Belgian style bottles... So, no need for me to have caps that I'll probably never use (besides, I don't even have a capper )...