First Brew

I just completed my first brew and I am totally hooked!

I think everything went pretty good... But before the boil I was totally unprepared...

Besides the plastic fermenter, etc. I was pretty much ready to go except I discovered that my kettle could only hold 4 gallons. I suppose I could have done a partial boil, but being a first timer I didn't want to risk a catastrophe. So off to the store I went...

Everyone there was pretty cool to me. I asked them about their kits and they helped me pick out an American Pale Ale recipe kit. When I asked about brew pots, he suggested I buy an 8 gallon one with double-sided walls and a ball valve fitting. It also has a fitting for a thermometer. Twas a bit more than I wanted to pay but I considered the long term and I thought I was good first upgrade to my gear.

Anyway, got the kit, got the kettle... warp speed home.

Unpacked the kit, clean/sanitized my equipment ... Super excited!! ... And then I realized I didn't pick up any water...

Fast forward ...OK so now back from the market, water in the sweet new brew pot, getting ready to steep my specialty grains... and realize... I have no muslin bags. A little defeated at this point, I turn to Google to see, if by the love of everything holy, there was a closer HBS near me. Prayers answered, and it was 10 minutes away. I need to get out more...

The boil went pretty good with the exception that I couldn't get one burner on my stove to put out enough juice to boil all that water. I decided to try turning on 2 burners and positioned the pot to sit over both. It worked. The other issue I had was... the utensil I used to stir the wort was a little uh ... short. Burnt my fingers a bit but I bet it's gonna be worth it in the long run.

I learned a few things on my first brew:
1) Be prepared
2) Don't Panic
3) Be patient

It's been in the fermenter for about 9 hrs now. No activity yet but I'm sure it'll happen soon.

Sounds like your a quick learner. The three things you listed are golden advice. Congrats!!

Sounds Great! Welcome to the obsession.

Thanks for the tip! I'll definitely write out a supplies list next time. Happy New Year all.

just so you know... that "be patient" one is going to be sorely tested for the next 7 weeks.

and welcome to the fun

In truth I wish it was already bottled in my fridge... I'd poked my head in and it's bubbling away. I think I'm going to run out and grab another fermenter today.

unionrdr said:

It always helps me to make a list of everything I need if I'm going to the lhbs for supplies. We're all like kids in a candy store as soon as we walk in! So a list helps one to stay focused. Otherwise,it sounds like you're on your way to some good beers!

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^^^^ this about the list.

really important because without it the money seems to fly away really fast.

JCW said:

In truth I wish it was already bottled in my fridge... I'd poked my head in and it's bubbling away. I think I'm going to run out and grab another fermenter today.

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oh boy, this one's hooked big time.

and, for what it's worth, after my first brew I went out and bought three cases of one gallon carboys so i could have at least SIX batches going at any one time if i wanted to.

so far, i've only got up to five at a time.

welcome to the abyss

JCW said:

In truth I wish it was already bottled in my fridge... I'd poked my head in and it's bubbling away. I think I'm going to run out and grab another fermenter today.

Click to expand...

Welcome to the addiction lol I'm only on my 4th brew but it's sooo much fun!

I went over my notes and have a couple questions:

1) The directions said to add the 6 gallons of water, then add the grain and steep for 1/2 hour or until the temperature reaches 170. I had issues with one burner not putting out enough btu's to even reach a boil and the temp took awhile to rise to 170. I concentrated more on the water temp and steeped for 50 mins. Because I steeped longer than 30 mine will it have a negative outcome on the final product?

2) I pitched the yeast at 75 degrees (halfway between tempertature range in directions) then aerated the five gallons for 15 min. Should I have aerated before pitching and should I have pitched at a lower temp?

Thank-you for the reply. I hope it turns out ok.