Lessons learned from first brew

So my first beer didn't turn so great. In fact, it was bad. I've finally given up on it, and it's going down the tubes. But I learned some valuable lessons I believe, and have ideas on how to improve. Any suggestions or corrections are very welcome.

1: I did a full wort boil, but used large tea balls, which ended up packed solid, so I don't think I got the extraction I wanted. Next time: Use hop bags.

2: Forgot to order a hydrometer test tube, and couldn't come up with anything on the fly. So no gravity readings. Next time: Order hydrometer test tube with next order.

3: Cooled wort in an ice bath while stirring to whirlpool. Next time: I already ordered the copper for an immersion chiller.

4: Sanitized bottles in dishwasher on rinse cycle. It has been speculated that remnants of food in the dishwasher is why I have NO head retention and the soapy off flavor. Next time: Soak in star-san and hang on bottle tree.

5: Fermented in closet. Who knows what temp. swings there were. Next time: Better temp control with mini-fridge I snagged for free.

Does that sound like a winning combination to everyone?

1-i just throw my hops straight into the brew.
2-you can use the plastic tube the hydrometer came in for your measurements. with my first brew, i was trying all kinds of glasses and then reaized i could slap that bad boy into the tube it came in--just had to figure out how to get that little piece of foam out of the bottom.
3-an ic will work great...just get ready to fight for those last 30 degrees. it's easy to get it to 100, but down to 70 takes more minutes than you would think (especially in the summer months).
4-i swear by starsan.
5-to make really good beer, temp control is a must!


sounds like you are on your way to a better batch of beer.

just had to figure out how to get that little piece of foam out of the bottom.

Is it necessary to take that piece of foam out? If so, uh oh.

Get a vinator to help sanitize your bottles.

Sounds like what a lot of us do - wing it and end up with a good beer anyway.

By the way, do you have a hydrometer but not the measurement tube? You can just chuck the hydrometer in the brew itself and check that if you want. It's my usual course of action tbh!

charlesmartin said:

you can use the plastic tube the hydrometer came in for your measurements. with my first brew, i was trying all kinds of glasses and then reaized i could slap that bad boy into the tube it came in--just had to figure out how to get that little piece of foam out of the bottom.

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My friend and I had this thought, but he was tasked with the taking the reading, and didn't let the wort cool enough. The plastic tube melted before our eyes.:cross:

charlesmartin said:

3-an ic will work great...just get ready to fight for those last 30 degrees. it's easy to get it to 100, but down to 70 takes more minutes than you would think (especially in the summer months).

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Even during the summer here, my tap water NEVER gets above 55 degrees on cold. Maybe a deep well? Will this help cooling faster?

RobWalker said:

You can just chuck the hydrometer in the brew itself and check that if you want.

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It's comments like these that make me wonder if I'm qualified to drive a car, let alone make beer. That is SO simple, it never crossed my mind.

That was an extract brew by the way. I'm going all grain doing the BIAB method, so this should be FUN!

nothing wrong with the dishwasher to sanitize bottles as long as it has a sani mode ... I've (and many others on here) done many batches that way and no problems at all .. i doubt that was the off flavor ... just high heat tho ... no DW dertergent needs at all ...

I always pre-rinse my dishwasher i.e. no soap or rinse chemicals, before I run my bottles through the sani mode, then I just slowly rinse each bottle with a little Star San solution and place them back on the dishwashing rack to dry right before I bottle the brew. I have never had any problems using this method.

Fish826 said:

just had to figure out how to get that little piece of foam out of the bottom.

Is it necessary to take that piece of foam out? If so, uh oh.

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I had left mine in while also using it to check gravity. I rinsed it out very well after every use with water and with sanitizing solution. After about three weeks of use, I went to use it again and there was some nasty growth/mold in the bottom/in the foam! Ugh.

So after various methods of trying to get it out, I found that using a chopstick to push it up against the side of the tube and slide it out work pretty well. Now I am mold-free.

jr14 said:

4: Sanitized bottles in dishwasher on rinse cycle. It has been speculated that remnants of food in the dishwasher is why I have NO head retention and the soapy off flavor. Next time: Soak in star-san and hang on bottle tree.

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Rinsing or drying agents (e.g. Jet-dry) can kill head retention.

here's a thought for a cheap hydro tube also .. I am using this about all the time now ..

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/got-kids-need-cheap-hydrometer-tube-258081/

Zorin said:

I always pre-rinse my dishwasher i.e. no soap or rinse chemicals, before I run my bottles through the sani mode, then I just slowly rinse each bottle with a little Star San solution and place them back on the dishwashing rack to dry right before I bottle the brew. I have never had any problems using this method.

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I did the same. I ran the dishwasher empty on sani-rinse mode, then did my bottles on the same. No detergent. We don't really rinse our plates too well before throwing them in the dishwasher, so I think maybe there was some nasty stuff hidden in a corner, coating the inside of my bottles.

I like the idea of using star san and then the dishwasher rack to hold the bottles. That'll save me the money for a bottle tree.

sidboswell said:

Rinsing or drying agents (e.g. Jet-dry) can kill head retention.

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I have never used jet dry or anything besides soap in thus dishwasher in five years, so it wasn't that.

cadarnell said:

here's a thought for a cheap hydro tube also .. I am using this about all the time now ..

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/got-kids-need-cheap-hydrometer-tube-258081/

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Ha! I just went outside and found the broken water squirter from the dollar store. Nit exactly the same but close enough. It's kinda like a big syringe with no needle so the kids can suck up water and blast each other. About an inch OD. Works perfectly! Great idea!

You can also use a water balloon kit fill adapter, cheap, cheap...

Graduated cylinders are less than $5 at my LHBS.

We made a diy wort chiller for our last batch and I can't believe how fast the temp came down. We always do a sink full of ice sprinkled with salt. This time we got 20ft 1/2 inch soft copper and rolled into a spiral. We got some 1/2 in tygon tubing, a submersible fishtank pump and another bowl of ice/cold water. At first we replaced the water in the bowl with fresh cold water. Once the water came out of the other end fairly cold, we started just recirculating. It's a cheaper solution (we already had the pump) and I didn't want to run regular garden hose lines into my kitchen. It took a little experimenting to get the gravity/siphon to work just right, but it worked pretty good.

I thought I should mention that this was a northern brewer dry Irish stout extract kit. I also steeped the specialty grains the whole time the water was coming up to a boil. Do you think that has to do with the head retention problem? Too many fatty acids?

I'd say about 45-50 minutes steeping. Too long?

jr14 said:

I thought I should mention that this was a northern brewer dry Irish stout extract kit. I also steeped the specialty grains the whole time the water was coming up to a boil. Do you think that has to do with the head retention problem? Too many fatty acids?

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jr14 said:

I'd say about 45-50 minutes steeping. Too long?

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Didn't the instructions give a specific temp range to steep at? Usually around 155 or so for about 30 mins (a general guide, not law.) Above 170 you'll get undesirable tannins.

Certainly could have effected head retention, and taste.

DaddyP said:

Didn't the instructions give a specific temp range to steep at? Usually around 155 or so for about 30 mins (a general guide, not law.) Above 170 you'll get undesirable tannins.

Certainly could have effected head retention, and taste.

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Hmmm...I think that may be it. Soapy taste, very astringent, no head at all. Disappears like soda.