Help with this newbies recipe.

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automatauntaun

automatauntaun

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I recently picked up my first two beers kits. Both are northern brewers extract smashing pumpkin ale kits.
I am doing the first one by the book.
But for the second I wanted to exparamint. With help from a local brew club member he helped me put together additives to the northern brewer recipe.
Please leave feed back and suggestions if you see anything that looks like a super bad idea:
Norther brewers extract kit smashing pumpkin ale
Specialty grains: 0.5 lb briess caramel 40
Malt extract: 3.5 lbs amber malt extract
Dry malt: 1.0 Pilsen dried malt extract
Hops: cluster at start(1 oz), hallertau ( 30 mins 1/2 an ounce),
Germen tettnang( last 5 mins 10 grams)
Any suggestions and help would be appriceated!
Thanks in advanced!
 
Not really sure what you're looking for... is that the entire recipe you're listing, or just the additions your brew club member helped you add?
Unless that's the entire recipe, which doesn't look quite right, we don't really know what it started with so it's kinda hard to critique.
 
Sorry, my bad.
The following is what the northern brewers recipe.
Specialty grains: 0.5 lb briess caramel 40
Malt extract: 3.5 lbs amber malt extract
Dry malt: 1.0 Pilsen dried malt extract
Hops: cluster at start(1 oz)
wyeast 1050 american ale
pumpkin spice.

thats everything that the box recipe came with and how my first batch will be done
for the second kit it will be exactly the recipe above but with these additions.

hallertau ( 30 mins 1/2 an ounce),
Germen tettnang( last 5 mins 10 grams)
and the yeast will be replaced with White labs wpl060 american blend.

I know a lot of friends who said they are home brewers said this is stupid to do cause this is my second beer. but i figure if it works out i will learn something. and if it blows up in my face... i will learn more :]
let me know what i can adjust for best results and if their is anything i am doing that is a super red flag.
And thanks again!
 
For one of the two pumpkin beers you are making, I would take about 64 oz of canned pumpkin, bake it for an hour at 350, and add it to the boil with 15 min left. It *is* a pumpkin beer, right?!

Then you can judge for yourself whether adding pumpkin makes sense for your beer. I like to add it; others just spice it.
 
I wanted to add pumpkin ( well butternut squash ) but that requiers buying more six row barley. but! at THIS RATE ( i have run into issues with needing another car boy and my turkey fryer banjo burner not being suitable for what i need.) I will probably do that. but as for the hops additions? their not high alpha hops. so i'm hoping to get something light a citrusy and floral notes.
thanks for the advice! any more? like are the hop additions at a good time? are the ok selections?
 
automatauntaun said:
I wanted to add pumpkin ( well butternut squash ) but that requiers buying more six row barley.
Click to expand...

No it doesn't. You can simply bake the pumpkin at 350 for ~30 or so minutes (until it begins to caramelize/brown) and add it to the boil, or the mash/steep. You could use a bit of a base malt (I'd go two row and not six), to make it a partial mash, but there's really no need to as there's nothing in the pumpkin that really needs any conversion beyond what baking it does..
 
hmm, well. again this will be my second beer. so i'm trying to keep it simple. But i am later on gonna add squash. the reason i will try to add what they recomend is to see how their recipe plays out. but once i've done that i will play with it more! thanks so much!
 
Looks like you're supposed to have two of those 3.15 lb extract jugs per kit according to NB site. I thought that looked a little light.

I agree this type of spiced beer is probably not a great one for learning what different hop additions will do. You don't want to clash or compete with the spices too much (although a half ounce of hallertau at 30 and 1/3 ounce tettnang late is probably not that big a deal). Brewing the same way with 2 different yeast strains would be interesting.

Then again, it's your beer!
:mug:
 
Thank everyone. I know the hops addition is kinda silly but I wanted to see what would happen :]
As for the squash I will try that as well.
I did pick to different but simaler yeasts so we will see!
 
so my gravity was, and let me know if i'm reading this wrong, 1.044
CB88D78A-437A-4170-9EDA-D3649090CA34-40487-00003BC802FEB88B.jpg

and my temp, again i am guessing as to the fermentometer, is 78?
3E14CAC7-FEAE-418A-952B-4CADE968688D-40487-00003BC80632E63B.jpg

I'm storing it in a dark room in my basement with a cover over it in a closet and the temperature down their is about 77-79 throughout the day.
is this a good idea?
 
automatauntaun said:
so my gravity was, and let me know if i'm reading this wrong, 1.044http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u22/countpicula/beers/CB88D78A-437A-4170-9EDA-D3649090CA34-40487-00003BC802FEB88B.jpg[IMG]
and my temp, again i am guessing as to the fermentometer, is 78?
[IMG]http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u22/countpicula/beers/3E14CAC7-FEAE-418A-952B-4CADE968688D-40487-00003BC80632E63B.jpg[IMG]
I'm storing it in a dark room in my basement with a cover over it in a closet and the temperature down their is about 77-79 throughout the day.
is this a good idea?[/quote]

You're reading it right. The biggest thing I see is the temperature. That's really hot for an american ale. The first batches I brewed were fermented too hot. The beer was good, but controlling temperature is probably one of the most important things you can do for your beer. Do a quick search on temperature control, and you'll see what I mean. Now that you have the process working for you, just control the temps on your next batch and you'll be fine. Again, the beer was still good, but controlling temperature (e.g. fermenting 1056 at 64F) is what takes your beer from drinkable to great. If you change only one thing, I would say it is that.
Click to expand...
 
Ok, so the instructions said to pitch the yeast at 78. ( i can't tell if the 78 being blue is better then it being green as it was before i pitched the yeast. Still can't find how to read the fermentometer.)
So, should i put the pumpkin ale is a cooler place? it said to put it somewhere warm and dark?

Also Chickypad , I did have two of them. I forgot to mention that. And one was a late addition thats why. my bad.

But, yes I know controlling the temp is a big deal. I am just getting so many different opinions. not here necessarily.
In my kit instructions, from friends and then here. This is a pumpkin ale. brewed with White labs wpl060 american blend.

Should I try and get it cooler or hotter? and should I have pitched it at a lower temperature?
Also, how the hell do you read the fermentometer?
tomorrow I'm gonna fill my secondary with hot water, use my candy thermometer and then see what the fermentometer reads, but if anyone can give me a guideline for this thing that would be great as it came with no direction for the fermentometer.

Also thanks to everyone for my crazy questions. I'm a big cooking guy, and am used to things like sushi, souffle and cream brule where their are EXACT windows of temperature to have or do something. I know this is just batch 0 and some beers are more a ball park estimate. but i'm a bit...obsessive.
Anyway i'm trying to say thanks.
very appreciated.
 
That's reading 78* looks like. During fermentation there will be a bit of a gradient so the center could be a few degrees warmer. White labs says 68-72 optimum for that strain, although they have a similar range for 001 and I get better results going a cooler like low 60's. I'd try to get that down, although if it's already going strong it may not matter now. It may not be as noticeable in a spiced amber but you're at risk for off flavors fermenting that hot. I also never pitch hot, though I know a lot of instructions say that.
 
chickypad said:
I also never pitch hot, though I know a lot of instructions say that.
Click to expand...

I have to second this. Many instructions say to pitch the yeast near 80 degrees and that's just not right. My experience has shown that it's actually better to chill your wort to a couple degrees below the desired ferm temp, pitch yeast and let the beer slowly rise to ferm temps. As for ferm temps, I've learned that the low end of the temp range for the particular yeast is a good place to start, and letting it warm to the middle of the range by the end of active fermentation helps the beer finish up without producing any warm temp off flavors. Look into using a swamp bucket/water bath, it's a really cheap, and easy way to keep temps where they should be.
 
NordeastBrewer77 said:
I have to second this. Many instructions say to pitch the yeast near 80 degrees and that's just not right. My experience has shown that it's actually better to chill your wort to a couple degrees below the desired ferm temp, pitch yeast and let the beer slowly rise to ferm temps. As for ferm temps, I've learned that the low end of the temp range for the particular yeast is a good place to start, and letting it warm to the middle of the range by the end of active fermentation helps the beer finish up without producing any warm temp off flavors. Look into using a swamp bucket/water bath, it's a really cheap, and easy way to keep temps where they should be.
Click to expand...

+1

I learned all this way too many batches in, and I still have some of the earlier bottles left. Very noticeable difference...it's night and day. For this batch, I wouldn't worry about it if you are actively fermenting. Once you have repeated the batch a few times, you will appreciate temperature control. The next few things I would focus on are:

1.) Start hunting craigslist for a freezer. Any freezer in the 5-7 cubic foot range will work for what you need. You can use a small fridge, but the freezer option works if you want to use it later as a kegerator or even a regular freezer for food or whatever. Those freezers are around $200 new, but you should be able to find one on CL for $75 to $100. The earlier and often you look, the better the deal you will find.
2.) Look for the ebay aquarium temperature controller thread on here. It will tell you how to build your controller for less than $50. They are easy to build for $50, but it takes a few hours. You'll learn a lot and will probably build a few before it's over. If you just want one, you can get the Johnson Controls model already build for around $80.
3.) Start making your own starters. Get a 2L erlenmeyer flask on Amazon for $15 and pitch a good portion of yeast. Heck, you don't need the flask, but they are cheap, and you can boil and cool in the same container.
 
Newgene said:
+1

I learned all this way too many batches in, and I still have some of the earlier bottles left.
Click to expand...

You n me both! :mug:
Taking care of the yeast, pitching enough of them and maintaining proper temps, is one of the most important things about making great beer. On the topic of pitching too warm, yeast, especially liquid cultures, get going right away. And the time that they produce the most esters and other flavor compounds is early on, during the lag and reproductive phases, so if they start off warm, they're more apt to kick excessive and/or undesirable compounds into the beer. IMO and experience, the most important time to control temperature is from pitch to high krausen, after that, letting it warm up a few degrees can even be beneficial, depending on the beer.
 
OK! So being the obsessive creature I am. I built a cooling tub.
03200776-A601-4045-8920-BF68B1CC1362-41095-00003CFFECD87CCD.jpg


It's wrapped in two cold towles. And the water temp is outside 20 ish?
The fermi meter last read between 68-70 and had seemed to stabilize.
Should I lower it still? Or is this good ( not sure if I'm shocking the yeast?)
Also it had started fermenting hard.
787003B7-8532-4EC7-B3D4-B6AD93B4BF22-41095-00003CFFEFC3296A.jpg

Picture of my mini krausen

Befor I moved it it was bubbling hard. Now it has stopped and the air lock actually bubbled in revers?
Anyway, what dose that mean?( bubbling in revers?) and how low should I go, hehe...
Thanks again everyone! All the input is really appriceated!
 
So everything seems to be under control. I have it in the bath, it's been solidly slowly fermenting. My
Only issue now is my air lock keeps getting pushed out and emptied.
I am contomplating usin the blow out tube. But thanks to everyone for all the help!
Once the fermentation slows down I have one last question.
Should I let it warm up once that happens? Or should I keep it cool?
 
Keep it cool. With most yeasts, I have great results keeping temps at 65 until bottling. And I always start with a blowoff tube. If it does not blow off, then it's an airlock. If it does blow off, ...you get the picture.
 
I should add that the only time to be wary of the blowoff tube is if you put it on while the wort/beer is warmer, then bring the temp down significantly with the tube attached, in which case you are at risk of sucking sanitizer into the fermenter with the temp change.
 
Sweet! Thanks everyone! I ended up getting a different air lock ( the bucket) and filling it with old' vlad. Stopped my evaporation issue. Keeping it cool in a bath. Gonna get a fridge for the future! Thanks so mug again! All the help is appriceated!
 
So, it's just about two weeks. Should I move it to the secondary? Or keep it in the primary? I have heard now of days people tend to keep it in primary for the whole of the fermentation.
 
So, thanks for all the help to everyone who posted. My pumpkin is in secondary now to clarify. And I am dry hopping it a bit with the hops from the recipe.
I had a question about adding items to the secondary.
I have a pumpkin I used as a keg last night that I baked today. I know if I added it to secondary it would rot if left inside to long.
But, could I It in a muslin bag for like 3-4 days to get some extra pumpkin essence? Or should I just work on next time adding some of the pumpkin at the beginning and the end of the boil?
 

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