Lessons learned with your first brew?

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bfinleyui

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Everyone in sports always talks about how a lot of football teams improve the most between the first game and second game. I feel like that's true for brewing as well.

Just bottled my first brew, and the lessons I learned are as follows:

#1 - If you've got anything other than yeast and hop pellets (for me, it was a spice pack with some orange and cloves), best to do the filter into the primary bucket before pitching the yeast. I didn't filter it at all, and it lead to a lot more air in my auto siphon, due to the end getting clogged with debris other than yeast cake. Ended up with about 4 gallons after issues both going into and out of the bottling bucket, mostly due to debris.

#2 - Get the bottling bucket as high as possible, gravity is your friend.

#3 - Don't forget to sanitize the bottle caps. Had to uncap 6 after realizing I hadn't dropped them through the starsan bath.

#4 - Drink a beer while working. Forgot that part, and it wasn't nearly as fun.

So, what were your lessons that you learned after your first go-round?
 
When siphoning from ferm to bottling bucket, I propped the ferm at an angle with a reasonably thick book before I started. Preferably a bible, just for irony. So glad I did this, no faffing about with the last 1/2 litre or so
 
Do an ice bath for the hot wort in BK rather than topping off with all cold water in FV per instructions. Wort was still around 90F after top up. Had to age it more to get off flavors gone.
 
you always need bigger pans. if it's your first time brewing, your pans aren't big enough.
more ice. no matter how much ice you have, get more.
don't use iodine, well let me clarify. use iodine carefully. i didn't pay attention to the instructions and ended up turning everything orange... lame.
 
Trust the info on here moreso than the lhbs. They just wanted me to buy what they had. So after that it was learn first,then shop.
 
"Belgians are fermented warm" doesn't mean they don't need temperature control. Learned it after my second batch, when an especially violent fermentation took the temperature 15 degrees above ambient, to almost 90 degrees. Salvageable for a saison strain, but too high for an abbey ale strain. Almost a year later, it was still an undrinkable fusel bomb and had to be dumped. Since then, every batch is controlled at least until after fermentation has ceased, period.
 
Keep fermentation temps under control. That is the fermenting beer temp - NOT the ambient air temp or water temp in your swamp cooler.
 
1. Use a much larger brew pot.
2. Boil outside. I tried boiling inside on my range top, and then realized the steam condensing on the vent above my stove was probably going to drip back into my wort. I cook a lot - yuch! I jerry-rigged a solution but I think that brewing outside with propane will lead to faster, cleaner boils.
3. Get more ice than you think you need - or buy a wort cooler.
4. Invest in a system to control fermentation temperature. I've decided on a chest freezer and temperature controller.
5. I decided to keg right away; I'm glad that I did. I lost pressure on my korny keg after the first carbonation, but learned how to seal it better. If I want to bottle down the road then I'll use a bottle gun.
6. Take your time. Don't rush. Don't worry. Have a home brew; I can say that now - see below:

See my post: "Just tasted my home brew (again)."

Update: And one more - use a wet yeast and learn how to make a starter. Research proper yeast amounts to pitch as well.
 
1. Don't sweat the small stuff. As long as you're following best practices and proper sanitation it'll all be okay.
2. Don't get drunk.. that way you don't chase the strainer you dropped in the bucket by going arm deep with my unsanitized arm.
 
Don't add an alcohol booster just for the ale of it. Also don't start you're First brew at your buddies house at 9 o'clock at night. his wife will not appreciate it when you leave at 5:30am. On the same note I had better luck boiling with gas than an electric eye.
 
Don't add an alcohol booster just for the ale of it. Also don't start you're First brew at your buddies house at 9 o'clock at night. his wife will not appreciate it when you leave at 5:30am. On the same note I had better luck boiling with gas than an electric eye.

hahaha... sounds like a good time though.
 
Another thing to add is a fermentor of 5 gallons aint' light!

Next time, I'm going to move my ferm to its cupboard home where it will be for the next three weeks, then add cooled wort and top up water (extract, obviously), instead of adding my liquids in the kitchen and then hiring a JCB crane to move it to the cupboard.
 
Never try to ferment something that says "fruit cocktail" on it. It doesn't end well. :)
 
Temperature control, especially during primary, was the first lesson.

The incredible value of the blow-off tube, or more precisely what happens when you don't, was the second.
 
You can not boil 5 gallons of wort in a 5 gallon boil kettle.
 
Don't put a lid on boiling wort!!

Definitely with you on this one! I was trying to get my wort to a boil on my stove top so I put a lid on it. I walked to the garage to wash out my carboy that was filled with star san and on my way back in I saw my precious wort foaming all over my counter. Man what a massive clean up! Still the brew turned out excellent my first try :)
 
DON'T FEAR THE FOAM. I spent way too much effort trying to drain and dry the StarSan out my carboy and other equipment. After reading up on the issue on this forum, I now quickly sanitize all my equipment while mashing, have a beer, and keep a spray bottle and small bowl of StarSan for quick resanitizing and I don't worry about the foam or if my carboy is dry.

I love this site!
 
Just brewed my third batch today, and American Amber Ale and so far ithink I've done well.I guess we will find out once my first batch is ready to drink.

Ive read allot on HBT and have watched numerous videos (craigtube) ,and various brew videos witch have helped me. All my brews have been partial extracts, but plan to go mini mash once I feel I'm ready.
 
Don't forget to add the priming sugar before you start bottling.:drunk:
 
Just because the airlock is making bubbles does not mean your beer is still fermenting. A hydrometer is your friend. Use it for the gravity readings to check fermentation.

First, in the same vein- if you're topping off with water, your gravity reading will be inaccurate. If you're using an extract recipe, the recipe is more likely to be accurate than your gravity reading. That's the way of the world.

Second, get an auto-siphon if you don't have one. Makes racking easy.

Third, get a vinator if you don't have one. Makes sanitizing bottles easy.

And fourth, which I didn't learn until much later when I started getting into all-grain, but I wish I'd known my first batch - easy way to get an accurate gravity reading with a partial boil beer - if you know your volume post boil but before top off, take a gravity reading before you top off. That gravity reading (expressed as gravity points), multiplied by current volume, then divided by the volume you're topping off to, equals your gravity after top off (again as gravity points). 2.5 gallons of wort at 1.080 means 2.5(80)/5=40, meaning if topped off to 5 gallons the gravity will be 1.040.
 
seriousbeef said:
When siphoning from ferm to bottling bucket, I propped the ferm at an angle with a reasonably thick book before I started. Preferably a bible, just for irony. So glad I did this, no faffing about with the last 1/2 litre or so

Put the 90* threaded elbow in the inside of your bottling bucket, and you will only leave approx 6oz of beer in the bottom with no tipping!

Place a few gallons of top up water in fridge when you start your boil, use this to drop your temp after you hit approx 150* from the ice bath. After adding 2.5-3 gals you will be right around 70* and ready to pitch and have yur 5gals topped up. Takes me 10-15 min to cool to pitching temps this way.

Set all you additions out in the order they are added.
 
seriousbeef said:
Another thing to add is a fermentor of 5 gallons aint' light!

Next time, I'm going to move my ferm to its cupboard home where it will be for the next three weeks, then add cooled wort and top up water (extract, obviously), instead of adding my liquids in the kitchen and then hiring a JCB crane to move it to the cupboard.

Better bottles, my friend. This is all :)
 
1. Temperature control is key.
2. Don't let someone drop a pen in the fermenter.
3. If your beer tastes like cider after 5 days because you failed 1 and 2, bottle before the house smells like vinegar and pray to the beer gods.
4. Get a bottling wand or suffer
5. Funnels are our friend
6. Putting sugar in bottles might be recommended to beginners on many kits and by some shops, but it is painful, especially without a friend (5), gets sugar everywhere, and is a lot harder than just adding a sugar solution then stirring.
7. Blow off tube - Use 'em, or at least have one handy.


Some things i have learned since then (might be useful to newer brewers than my young self)
1. It gets easier, and the beer gets better (especially with 1 above well considered)
2. Try ingredients from different suppliers; something you don't particularly love might not be down to you (more true where LME kits are concerned)
3. Get a fermenter with a spigot already on it to save the bother of later buying one to make life easier and save time (or use a turkey baster and practice syphon skills in the bath with water and your swimming trunks - I chose the former).
4. Using a bottling bucket (racking finished beer onto priming sugar) will take some stress out of bottling and ensure more even mixing of carbonation and yeast deposits throughout bottles.
5. If wanting to use secondaries, use your plastic primary fermenter as a bottling bucket!
6. Don't tell friends and family drinking your beer what's wrong with it before they have tried it; they will not know what you were going for and they'll generally appreciate the free pint!
 
1. Invest in at least an immersion chiller. Ice baths are a pain in the ass!

2. Invest in a hydrometer. Guessing when your beer is done is a pain in the ass.

3. Join an home brew community. Going it alone is a pain in the ass.
 
metanoia said:
1. Invest in at least an immersion chiller. Ice baths are a pain in the ass!

2. Invest in a hydrometer. Guessing when your beer is done is a pain in the ass.

3. Join an home brew community. Going it alone is a pain in the ass.

I would agree with all of those except the last one. I personally enjoy the whole being process. Even though I'm only doing partial extracts, I still enjoy steeping the grains, adding the hops, and everything else. It's what makes it fun for me. It's easy and fun!
 
1. RELAX! On my first brew I was so worked up about every little detail. It turned out well but it's a lot more fun now.

2. Enjoy a few beers while brewing. Everything is more fun with a few beers!

3. Keep in mind that as long as everything is sanitary it will turn into beer.

-werd
 
evolcoms said:
I would agree with all of those except the last one. I personally enjoy the whole being process. Even though I'm only doing partial extracts, I still enjoy steeping the grains, adding the hops, and everything else. It's what makes it fun for me. It's easy and fun!

I mean a community like here, HBT. It really helps to have other brewers to bounce ideas off of, and to tell you RDWHAHB when you're just starting out and worried about the silliest things.
 
Just thought I'd clarify some terminology here. It's extract with steeping grains,partial extract is another expression for partial mash. Both are different processes.
Having said that,getting the right crush for any kind of grains will help not only efficiency,but keep that floury,misty stuff suspended in the fermenting beer to a minimum.
Temp control within the middle range of the yeast will give better results. The lowest possible temp for a given yeaast ime is a bit too slow,just a step above stalling if it dips down for some reason.
Clean & sanitize everything that touches the beer/wort,no matter how small or insignificant it may seem. Bactria/funguses don't need a lot of room.
 
Blow off tubes are invaluable. Came home to some of my first brews Krausen on the ceiling last night!
 
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