Quote:
Originally Posted by Paintchips37
So I decided to start brewing. Problem is I live in Germany and there are no brew stores around here and I don't know anyone who brews. So I just decided to give it a go!
|
The land of beer! Sounds like a fun place, minus the LHBS's.
Quote:
1. Brand new aluminum pot with my turkey fryer and didn't oxidize it.
2. No idea how crushed those grains were supposed to be.
3. Took about 50 minutes to cool my wort. Only cooled it to 80 degrees thinking that was a general temp and not the minimun...also had to add some warm water that was boiling earlier to bring it up to 5 gallons and most likely raised the temp to an undesirable level.
|
That shouldn't be a problem with the pot. If it isn't oxidized yet, just run a batch of water-only through it and boil for a little while before the next brew. As far as your grains go, was this an all grain batch, or a partial mash, or steeped grain recipe? If it is the latter, it probably doesn't matter much if you over-crush them. If you under-crush, you might miss a little flavor, but again it probably isn't much of a big deal. You'll definitely have beer!
Quote:
|
4. Forgot to sanitize the top of my pot lid when I put it back on for cooling
|
I don't worry about this so much...even if it condenses on the lid and drips back in, the wort is still hot enough to kill some bad stuff that might fall back in.
Quote:
|
5. Had to improvise and cool wort in bath tub by swishing it around, ensuring it was nice and oxidized before it cooled all the way. (Palmer says this provides a delectable hint of wet cardboard that floats on the front of your tongue and lasts through out the experience).
|
You do want to aerate the wort before you pitch the yeast- good on you! Aerating while the wort is hot/warm can be less than optimal, but I think it's still better than oxidizing the beer after it has fermented.
Quote:
6. Poured all of my trub and gunk into the fermentor. Even poured it out of the fermentor and back into the pot and back into the fermentor to get it all and oxidize it. Not realizing until the next day that that wasn't ideal.
7. Slightly cracked bubbler while trying to put it into bubble hole...fixed with duct tape
|
No worries here!
Quote:
|
8. Forgot to sterilize the outside of the yeast bag.
|
I think it is good practice to do this, but if not, it'll probably be fine. You introduced billions of yeast cells into the wort. Any bacteria or other crap that may have made it in will have to compete with billions of hungry yeasties...that produce alcohol that most bacteria doesn't like.
Quote:
|
9. Been fermenting at temps around 74-76 degrees.
|
Quote:
|
Now that I think I've identified most of my mishaps hopefully round two will run a little more smooth. I was going to put that we may have partook a little to freely in drinking beer while doing this for the first time but I don't think that's a negative. If we can't brew beer buzzed then I have no desire to continue this hobby. For one I think it may be impossible not to drink a beer during this process and two...well there is no two that first one pretty much covers it. ....
|
I'll have a beer or two during the brew session, but I definitely don't want to be drunk. A propane stove or burner in your kitchen is dangerous, and hot wort can severely injure you. My fermenters are glass, and I'm usually tired and have wet hands by the time I put the wort into them+ pitch yeast. Many items/processes in my brew-day can hurt me severely if I don't pay enough attention to caution. Just my .02 to be safe above all-else!
A story about my first Batch
Linear Mode
