Hello fellow brewpeeps.
I dived into the world of brewing this past Monday with a brew kit that my lovely wif..... err Santa Claus gave me for Christmas.
I don't have all the fancy gadgets that some of you veterans have, but it seems to be a pretty good starter kit from what I've read.
Few quick facts before I ask a few questions:
* It's a brew tub, NOT a carboy.
* I did brew from an ingredient kit with dry hops
* I didn't take an initial gravity reading because the instructions failed to mention that part...
Just wanted to say that time got away from me while I was brewing my initial batch. I let the mixture cool on the stove for about 10 minutes before adding to 4 gallons of cool water in my fermenting tub. I sanitized both my hands and the spoon I was using and mixed it all together (so I know it wasn't hot, just lukewarm) but I didn't have a cooking thermometer (also not in the instructions or with the kit) so I would imagine the initial WORT was about 85-90 degrees farenheit. I then pitched my dry yeast pack (gently stirred twice), said a quick prayer to the beer gods, sealed the tub and placed in my spare bathroom which keeps at a good 65-68 degrees.
It has been about 48 hours now and I have seen minimal activity in the airlock. While I know from reading in this thread that this isn't exactly a bad sign, I guess I was just looking for some validation that everything is alright.
Do you guys think I killed the yeast if I introduced them at 90 degrees?
Is it safe to open the lid and take a peak?
Should I pitch my spare yeast packet just to make sure?
Also, was wondering if you will gain a higher ABV by letting your brew sit in ferment for longer than the instructions say... instead of 7 days, was thinking more like 3 weeks/??
Thanks for the help in advance!
I dived into the world of brewing this past Monday with a brew kit that my lovely wif..... err Santa Claus gave me for Christmas.
I don't have all the fancy gadgets that some of you veterans have, but it seems to be a pretty good starter kit from what I've read.
Few quick facts before I ask a few questions:
* It's a brew tub, NOT a carboy.
* I did brew from an ingredient kit with dry hops
* I didn't take an initial gravity reading because the instructions failed to mention that part...
Just wanted to say that time got away from me while I was brewing my initial batch. I let the mixture cool on the stove for about 10 minutes before adding to 4 gallons of cool water in my fermenting tub. I sanitized both my hands and the spoon I was using and mixed it all together (so I know it wasn't hot, just lukewarm) but I didn't have a cooking thermometer (also not in the instructions or with the kit) so I would imagine the initial WORT was about 85-90 degrees farenheit. I then pitched my dry yeast pack (gently stirred twice), said a quick prayer to the beer gods, sealed the tub and placed in my spare bathroom which keeps at a good 65-68 degrees.
It has been about 48 hours now and I have seen minimal activity in the airlock. While I know from reading in this thread that this isn't exactly a bad sign, I guess I was just looking for some validation that everything is alright.
Do you guys think I killed the yeast if I introduced them at 90 degrees?
Is it safe to open the lid and take a peak?
Should I pitch my spare yeast packet just to make sure?
Also, was wondering if you will gain a higher ABV by letting your brew sit in ferment for longer than the instructions say... instead of 7 days, was thinking more like 3 weeks/??
Thanks for the help in advance!