First Batch Ever!!!!!!!!

I just put my first batch of beer on. It's only a mix, but I can only move forward. Everything seemed to well, and I sanitized the hell out of everything, as per every conversation i've seen on this fourm.

I'll let everyone know how it turns out!!!

oops, messed up this post.

Right now things are proceeding well (I guess). There appears to be a good layer of foam on the top of the batch (about 1/2 inch or so), and my temperature is 22 celcius (canada Eh). If anything, it sure smells good!!!

Sounds like you're makin beer, eh...cheers!

I do have a question...............How often should I take a hydrometer reading. The hydrometer I have gives %, SG and something else I don't remember sitting here right now.

Anyway, How often in the big question??

Thanks,

Others may differ, but I've found that "never" is often enough. Good luck on the brew!

Igorstien said:

I do have a question...............How often should I take a hydrometer reading. The hydrometer I have gives %, SG and something else I don't remember sitting here right now.

Anyway, How often in the big question??

Thanks,

Click to expand...

You can test just before pitching, then again just before bottling to get your OG and FG. But then you're just gonna worry about the numbers. Sometimes I take gravity readings and sometimes I don't. I did today. I was shooting for 1.045-1.050. I hit 1.040, so now I fret about not making my target gravity and where I'm losing efficiency in my mash and whether I used enough grains and blah, blah, blah. If I didn't take any readings, all I would worry about is whether the beer will be good

Hey Kephren...quit worrying, relax, have a home brew

Igor, you can get all sorts of info as your fermentation progresses, but as mentioned, original and final gravity is all you really need, and that is more to see if the fermentation is finished than to calculate the alcohol. What kind of kit did you use? Baron's or Brewhouse or what?

I've been having good success by ignoring my beer as much as possible. Every time you lift the lid, you are opening your beer to the world and all its nasties. Put it in sanitized, leave it alone until it stops foaming, transfer to sani'd secondary and leave it alone some more. Something utterly addictive about this process.

take a gravity reading whenever you want to taste your beer - otherwise you're just wasting it

Well I haven't taken a reading yet, and I was home at lunch today and checked on it. All of the foam is gone and it is just slowing bubbling, so I think when I get home from work I will put it in the carboy and airlock it.

I take an SG reading before pitching yeast. I wait until the airlock bubbles slow down to around every 45-60 seconds. Then, I take another SG reading when I transfer to secondary, just for grins. I take a final reading on bottling day, before adding the priming sugar (DME in my case).

Sounds like you are on your way! Ain't it great?!

OK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All of my foam was gone and there were very small bubbles come to the surface in my fermenting bucket. So with some discussion with a friend at work, I transferred the liquid to the carboy and put an airlock on it.

The airlock is not yet bubbling like I thought it would. Should it be right away or take some time.

The SG reading at the time of transfer was 1.118.

Any suggestions, or comments??? Everything will be greatly welcomed??

Thanks very much!!!!

Igorstien said:

The SG reading at the time of transfer was 1.118.

Any suggestions, or comments???

Click to expand...

I would suggest that your SG wasn't really 1.118

You could be right, but that's what the meter said.

Anyway, on another note, I can see bubbles rising to the liquid surface in the carboy!!

Does 1.018 sound better.........WHOOPS!!

I always tage an original gravity reading after topping up to 5 gallons. I take a few more after the bubbling stops( slows down enough where I can get bored waiting for the next bubble) . When they run the same two days in a row, I bottle. I take a reading before I prime. This is the terminal gravity reading. The difference between that one and your original gravity reading, divided by 7.5, plus .2 is where your bragging rights lie. It's the difference between saying " this is 10 percent alcohol" and " drink this, it'll mess you up!" . Both mean the same thing, but it's nice to be able to sound a little scientific about it.

sudsmonkey said:

slows down enough where I can get bored waiting for the next bubble

Click to expand...

I used to do that, but they rushed me to the ER one day thinkin I was in a coma.

Igor, it sounds like you're makin beer. Now, go out and get another glass carboy, and get something else in primary!!!

Yes Sir!! Right Away Sir!!

I hate to keep bugging you guys and I really apperciate all the help you have given me.

As stated earlier, my batch in the secondary and the airlock is bubbling about every 4-5 second and my temperature is 23 celcius.

Does everything sound good???

Yes, everything is fine...don't worry, be happy, have a home brew.

I'd love to have a home brew, unfortunately, I need to wait for this home brew to finish.

OH WHY WON'T FINISH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WWWHHHHHYYYYYY!!!!

Well, if we knew where you were, Igor, we could have some homebrew delivered to you, or at least tell you where to go to borrow some. But, since you insist upon maintaining your anonymity, all I can say is: don't worry, be happy, have a store bought brew.

Igor, everything sounds fine. Now what's going to happen is the bubbler will be less and less active. Once you find that their is no more bubbling, you can start taking gravity measurements. Once those remain constant for a few days, then you know the fermentation is done. Then it's time to bottle, and that's easy as pie.