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bigmanbt

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Alrighty. So I just have a few questions about my maiden voyage on the brewship. I made a Two Hearted Ale Clone and I'm pretty sure I did everything according to plan. (Don't know if you needed the recipe for my question at all, but decided I'd share)


Steeped 1lb Crystal in 2.5 gal at 160 for 10 mins
Added an extra half gallon of hot water to allow for reduction and added LME.
Boiled and added:
Centennial 9.97 AAU(60)
Centennial 9.97 AAU(20)
Centennial 9.97 AAU(5)
Cold break in about 15 mins down to 92 degrees. Added to 72 degree water. Hung out at 82. Rocked vigorously for 5 mins.
Pitched liquid California Ale Yeast that I swished slightly just before pitching (I was told not to shake it vigorously or I would baptize myself with it)

OG is 1.060...recipe said aim for 1.068...sounds good to me.

But now, as I'm reading it sounds like I should have made a starter first since this has such a high starting gravity? It would kinda suck if I should have, because the guys at Adventures in Homebrewing (Taylor, MI) told me that it was not necessary to make a starter (and they knew what recipe i was going for before discussing this). But they were making a pretty sweeping statement.

Should I have made a starter? Granted, I'm asking this question after only 20 hours. Don't see any bubbling yet.

Also a question about the airlock: I'm using the cylindrical airlock with the little thingy that goes over the exhaust tube and then cover the cylinder with cover. #1 I did not put the cover on the airlock last night, but probably not a problem. #2 I get home from work today and it appeared that the water on the outer part of the airlock was lower than the water on the inside and appeared to be DRIPPING into my fermentor! So I opened up the fermentor lid a tad to create equilibrium, adjusted things, and now it about even. Is this teeny tiny bit of water going to mess anything?

Also, I just realized THIS SECOND that NOTHING WAS SANITIZED!!!!!:mad::mad::mad: I was sold some stuff at Titgemeiers in Toledo and didn't realize that it was a cleanser until just now. So i freakin used light detergent to cleanse everything and then used what i THOUGHT was a no rinse sanitizer. It's LD Carlson Easy Clean No Rinse.

Damn it.....

So that means every time i dipped my stir spoon or thermometer into my wort, i was addign bits of no rinse cleanser. Thoughts?
 
Just HAD to open it. There is NOTHING going on in the fermentor. It looks like a brown lake where foam once existed. Is my batch dirt/soaped/unsanitized out of success?
 
I'm no professional and I've only done a couple of batches myself but I think you need to sit back, crack a cold one and relax.

If it makes you feel any better, for my very first batch I used a friend's BLC (beer line cleaner) to "sanitize" all of my Dad's old equipment that had been sitting for years. I then rinsed all of the equipment with tap water and proceeded on with the brewing. It wasn't until I started reading more on sanitation and learning more on the forums did I realize that I hadn't sanitized at all...Fermentation started nearly 48 hours after pitching and didn't last very long..in the end I had a drinkable beer..far from great, but drinkable.

So, take it easy, I'm sure it'll turn out in the end.
 
The no rinse sanitizer (depending on which it is) was recently changed to just a cleanser by the FDA. I used it almost exclusively as a sanitizer before the change in standards and used it for a while after the change. I have yet to have an infected brew. I believe the appropriate acronym here is RDWHAHB! :D

As far a the brown pond water, that's normal. Give your yeasties time and little privacy! ;) They'll thank you for it with yummy beer!

Terje
 
All good things take time, a couple batches ago a my cream ale took almost 40 hours to get going. As for the sanitizer, even if it's not perfectly sterile the yeasties are pretty tenacious buggers and can generally overwhelm minor invasions during primary. I'd think if you cleaned it well otherwise you shouldn't have anything to worry about.
 
Thank you all. I know I'm way overdue for some RDWHAHB. And i thought I would be able to be chill about it. But I'm finding myself being waaaaay over anal about everything in the brew process. That's all I needed guys: someone to put their hand up and say "hey man, it's cool."

Thanks :)
 
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