Super Noobie question (extract instructions) - Page 3

Jhoss · 02-05-2012, 12:40 AM

It's official, my bucket's been burping for a couple of hours meaning my first batch is underway!

Thanks for all your insights here people! I took my simple little LME kit and tried to "soup it up" a little bit. After some reading here's what I ended up doing.

4 lbs. prehopped Muntons IPA LME
1 lbs. Light DME
1 lbs. Amber DME
1 lbs. Dextrose
.5 lbs. Carapils
.5 lbs. Crystal 10L
Hops:
1 oz. Columbus (14.4% AA)
1 oz. Cascade (6.4% AA)
1 oz. Amarillo (8% AA)

I steeped the Carapils and the Crystal for 15 mins at 150 degrees but forgot to sparge in the heat of the moment....noobie remember.

Added the dextrose, the Light DME and half the can of LME. and hopped in the Columbus hops. added half the Cascade at 45mins, the other half at 30.

At 15 mins the rest of the fermentables...(Amber and the LME), and half the Amarillo. I saved half the Amarillo for the move to the second fermentor.
Cold crashed the 3 gallons to 88 degrees then added my other 2 gallons.

My OG is/was sitting easy at 50.

Jhoss · 02-19-2012, 03:10 PM

I started getting prepared to rack to secondary (look at me using brew lingo) today. Yesterday (Saturday) I picked the bucket up and set it gently on the countertop it was sitting under. Seemingly this slight agitation has restarted the fermentation as I've seen it bubble a couple of time this morning (Sunday). I havent seen the airlock bubble for a week now. Should I let it sit another of time or go ahead and rack it off?

**bottlebomber** · 02-19-2012, 03:56 PM

It didn't begin to ferment again. There is a lot of latent CO2 trapped in the beer, and agitating it makes some of it come out of solution, like shaking a soda. If you have taken 2 hydrometer reading 3 days apart and they were the same, then your beer is ready.

Jhoss · 02-19-2012, 06:53 PM

Thanks BB, I'm excited to get to play with my beer today!

**unionrdr** · 02-19-2012, 07:01 PM

The hydrometer reading looks like 1.054 to me. You read through the base of the meniscus,not at the top of it. The meniscus is where the liquid curves up the side of the hydrometer. You read through the base on an imaginary level line. And boiling pre-hopped extract is never a good thing. You'd have done better to use both pounds of DME in the partial boil. That's what I do to preserve the hopping (usually for bittering) in the pre-hopped LME. I add that at flame out to preserve the hop profile,& get lighter color & cleaner flavor.

Jhoss · 02-19-2012, 09:33 PM

Appreciate the help and I am liking the thought that you are right. My hydrometer check at "rack to secondary" phase I recorded as 1.014. The first ABV calculator I played with says 5.3. I took the swig from the hydrometer - holy hopfest batman! Hoping for a little mellowing to happen as she sits in secondary cause WOW! Its got quite a hoppy twang! Here she sits. And anymore suggestions...bring 'em!

**unionrdr** · 02-19-2012, 09:43 PM

Was the FG tested stable over a couple days? If not,it looks cloudy enough to where it may go down a couple more points given time. And the malt/hop flavors will def mellow over time,so no worries there.

Jhoss · 02-19-2012, 10:01 PM

No. As I plan on it sitting in the secondary for weeks before bottling I just took a single reading while racking. Hope your right about dropping a couple more - I'd like to be as close to style as I can even though its my first batch. I've got another kit coming this week (Morebeer.com's partial mash Stout), got the primary free so off we go on second adventure.

I do have a temperature question about the batch resting in the secondary. I can let it remain where it "primaried" at 72 degrees or take it downstairs into the low 60's. Any advice there?

**unionrdr** · 02-19-2012, 10:06 PM

No,leave it at 72F,that'll help it finish up if indeed it's not quite done yet. It'll clean up as it settles out clear or slightly misty. Maybe another week or so.

**emdiar** · 02-19-2012, 10:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jhoss

And anymore suggestions...bring 'em!

At the risk of being Captain Obvious, put that carboy someplace dark! And congrats on your first batch!