First batch @ 10 days, pics and hydrometer reading

Well my first batch was an extract with steeping grains. I knew next to nothing(still do but have read the online How to Brew book and have spent many hours on this fantastic site!

Anyway, the recipe was a Belgian Wit kit from a local shop and consisted of the following:
4lbs wheat malt extract
2lbs Pilsen malt extract
1/2lb belgian aromatic malt
1/2 oz bitter orange
3/4 tsp coriander seeds
3/4 oz willamette bittering hops
1/2 oz willamette flavoring hops
1/2 oz saaz finishing hops
White labs WLP 400 belgian wit yeast

I think process went well, I was very careful on temp & to sterilizing but did not start the yeast a day or two ahead of time as I've since read you should with liquid yeast. I also did not take a OG as I was told by the shop it wasn't necessary and did not have a hydrometer at the time.

How does everything look @ day 10? I'm going to take another reading tomorrow and see how it changes as I'm not certain what the FG should be. Taste is kinda bitter but not bad.

Leave that sucker in the fermenter another week and then bottle. It looks good but that foam (krausen) on the surface is a sign that the beer may not be done fermenting yet. Congrats on what looks to be a successful first brew!

+1

Being that I'm a newbie and was very nosey I took a look today being very careful to sanatize everything. The hydrometer reading was still the same but I still have a nice layer of foam on the top. I'm assuming this means it's still fermenting(as you guys suggested to give it a week) but I was surprised the hydrometer reading was the same as last thursday?

Leave it alone anyway. After the gravity stops dropping (FG) the yeast will still work at cleaning up the byproducts of fermentation cleaning up off flavors and clearing the beer. The 2 main schools of thought are to get to FG and bottle or to wait a month or so. I split the difference and bottle after about 3 weeks.

Well I bottled it on 6/15 taking your advice to let it go another week. The krausen was gone at that point and everything seemed to go smooth. The beer was a little more bitter than I expected but it's hard to tell as it was warm and had no carbontion. Is this potentially an off flavor or could it clear up in bottling?

cbehr said:

The beer was a little more bitter than I expected but it's hard to tell as it was warm and had no carbontion. Is this potentially an off flavor or could it clear up in bottling?

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Your beer will taste very different and likely much much better after a couple three weeks in the bottle and chilled. RDWHAHB Diagnosing "off flavors" at bottling time is way premature.

ps...best to stop mucking around in your brew so often, no point in taking a gravity reading if you still have kruesen on top. Opening your fermenter daily to have a look is not good practice...yea I realize a noob feels they have to do something...but let it be.

You need to bottle condition at about 70 degrees for at least 2 weeks and probably 3 weeks, maybe more. The flavors will change, sometimes quite a bit between bottle day and when fully conditioned.

I had one that I tried a bit early at 2 weeks and didn't think much of it. At 3 weeks it was much better and at 3 1/2 weeks became on of my favorite batches. Sadly it is now long gone.

My spiced wheat beer tastes pretty nasty at bottling but really starts to get nice after about 4 weeks in the bottle @ 70F and then another 3-4 days in the fridge.

Good deal guys, I was hoping to hear this!!

I am being more patient with my two batches one in primary and second racked to secondary with apricot puree after two weeks. As I've read a good bit on here I am learning patience is key, althought it is very difficult I must say.

cbehr said:

Good deal guys, I was hoping to hear this!!

I am being more patient with my two batches one in primary and second racked to secondary with apricot puree after two weeks. As I've read a good bit on here I am learning patience is key, althought it is very difficult I must say.

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The key to patience is to have at least 2 or 3 fermenters full at any given time! Once you have established your "pipeline" and always have homebrews ready to drink there will be times when you totally forget you even had another 5 gallons sitting in the closet!