first brew (train wreck?)

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mrh1965

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Nov 30, 2012
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Location
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I attempted my first batch today, things didn't go too well.

Let's see, I burned the extract as I was adding it to the water. Note to self: remove the cheap, thin-walled, kettle from the full-on burner before adding the extract. I guess I thought the extract would pour quicker (I did warm it) but it took a good 30 seconds to get it out. By which time it had started to burn.

While bringing this mixture to boil it foamed over. Given that I was standing literally right next to the pot, I'm glad it didn't scald me. The stove top was a mess, albeit nothing that 10 minutes of scrubbing couldn't fix, and I need a new shiny thing that goes under the burner now, but that's cheap enough.

Anyway, I added the hops and boiled for 40 minutes then added the flavoring hops and boiled for 10 more minutes. At this time, I added the aromatic hops and got my first good look inside the kettle -- holy cow, what is all this crap that has accumulated on the side of the kettle just above the waterline?

Then I cooled the wort, an interesting process that entailed a quick run to the convenience store for bags of ice. It took 45 minutes to get the temp down, but I got it there.

Pouring the cooled wort into the fermenting bucket was interesting. As if all the crap on the side of the pot didn't have me worried enough, man, was there a lot of gunk at the bottom of the pot. I just poured it all in to the fermenting bucket, why not.

So, it had been an interesting process to this point but I thought I was good. Then, after pitching the yeast, I tried to attach the airlock to the bucket top only to have the little rubber ring give way and plunge into the wort. Well, damn and double damn. I pulled the top off the fermenter hoping against hope that the ring would miraculously float on the wort. No such luck. So I had no choice but to go in the wort up to my (non-sanitized) elbow and fish around in all the muck at the bottom to get that ring out. Which obviously ruined everything.

So.. sigh. I'll try again in a few days or whenever I can get back to the shop and get another kit. Unfortunately, the shop is on the other side of town and this town ain't small. 2 hours round trip, on a good day.

Before I ruined the wort I had wanted to check my specific gravity but realized I didn't have a turkey baster, sanitized or otherwise. Now that it's ruined I went ahead and pulled a sample to find it was 1.025, at 64 degrees. The instructions say it should be around 1.045. How could this have happened?

Thank god for the good people at Newcastle, it's time for one.

:)
 
I wouldn't sweat the OG being off to much seems thats a common issue if you topped up water to get to the right amount. My first one was off to but from reading here it seems I should have stirred it up better before taking the reading. I left out the crap at the bottom of the kettle but still ended up with a ton of it in my fermenter. It still came out fine just transferred to a secondary and its FG was spot on. As for the rubber grommet I think I would have left it to many germs on your hands/ arms. I'd say let it go and see what happens. Worst case scenario you learned a lot, best case you still end up with drinkable beer. I'm still a noob myself and making plenty of my own errors. Only way to learn is to do it and my big problem was I was rushing instead of taking my time.
 
Worst case scenario you learned a lot, best case you still end up with drinkable beer.

That's what I figure. I didn't expect today to be smooth sailing, believe me. In theory it should have been but reality is always different, isn't it.

I'll just keep an eye on it.

As to the gunk in the bottom of the pot, now in the fermenter, I figured I'd get most of it out when transferring to the secondary fermenter. I put it in the fermenter because I thought it might contain sugars the yeast would want to eat. It just surprised me; I guess I assumed everything added in the kettle would have dissolved into the wort. Except for the final bit of hops, of course. Live and learn!
 
The junk in you're ferment is just proteins and hop particles, it will all style out during fermentation along with the yeast. When starting the boil you need to keep a close eye on it and kill the heat when you see it starting to foam up. When it stays going down you can turn the heat on again. Another method is to use a stay bottle on the foam when it starts to rise. The burned crap on the side of the pot is just hop particles and from the foam...totally normal. Keep it up, each batch you do you will learn from your mistakes and make better and better beer!
 
Read the multitude of threads of the secondary/no secondary method. 98% (or better) you don't need to rack. Chances are, you fall into that range.

Also, get some Star San, mix some up and fill a spray bottle with some. A lot of us always have a spray bottle of the stuff on hand. Never know when you'll need some and it can be easier/better than trying to dunk something into the bucket of it.
 
I think you have summed up the quintesential First Brew. It'll most likely be fine and over time you will refine your process, find efficiencies, and have everything on hand before the water boils. Add a couple of tools to the box and your going great.

Keep reading, there is a treasure of information here if you can stand to read through the bs.

Ive never dumped a beer yet. Although one did go back to the kettle to become a marinade but hey it is what it is and it is good!
 
Just wanted to thank everyone for their support and feedback. I know I have a lot to learn, and I'm doing my best, lemme tell ya. A lot of it will just be learning by doing, of course.

Anyway, I'm happy to say the fermenter was bubbling away this morning. I've got it in a "swamp cooler" setup, which I read about on this site, and am throwing a frozen water bottle in periodically to keep the temp under 70 degrees. Did I mention we saw high temps over 80 here in Houston this past weekend? Ah, winter. Cheers.
 
I think you'll be fine, just let it ferment for the next week or so, and just forget about it for a month, then bottle. Your gonna get some extract twang no doubt, but it'll be drinkable.......
 
In my experience it is both very difficult to mess up an extract beer, and sadly very easy. I know that's an odd mixture, but there it is.

Most likely you'll end up with a perfectly fine beer.
 
Congrats! Should turn out fine. My first batch was similar to yours.. to much worry that took some of the fun out but not enough to stop my second batch the next weekend :rockin:
I didnt use a swamp cooler until my 3rd batch and used a home built wort chiller and liquid yeast starter with my home made stir plate on my 4th batch.
I also only did 1 lb of dry extract for the 60 minute boil and added the rest at 10 minutes left. look up late extract editions for more info.
Welcome to the obsession.
 
Congrats! Should turn out fine. My first batch was similar to yours.. to much worry that took some of the fun out but not enough to stop my second batch the next weekend :rockin:
.

Funny, as I'm already thinking about doing another batch this coming weekend, maybe an Irish Red Ale, and have been making a list, in my mind, of what I'll need.
 
Irish red sounds good.
Make a checklist before your next brew. It will help you remember your extract and hop additions and times. Many have pitched their yeast and then found hops or something sitting on the counter.
 
Irish red sounds good.
Make a checklist before your next brew. It will help you remember your extract and hop additions and times. Many have pitched their yeast and then found hops or something sitting on the counter.

I've not found hops after the boil is over (or wort chilled and in the fermenting vessel). I have found things like Irish Moss or nutrient wasn't added during the boil before. Batch turned out just fine though. I make it a habit to have small containers/bowls of the hop additions ready before the boil starts. I also add the nutrient and Irish Moss to the correct hop addition container so that I don't have to worry about that. If I don't have a hop addition that lines up with those items, then I simply have another bowl/container with those in it. Either tape on the side, or small slips of paper also help you to remember which hop addition is for when. Unless you're doing additions of the same amount, at steady intervals (like hop bursting) that is.
 
I lay put my additions on order also and not forgot anything ... So far.
My worst mistakes is ferment temp on first 2 batches and pitching my stir bar with the yeast on the last batch. Guess I need to buy some extra ones. LOL
 
I make it a habit to have small containers/bowls of the hop additions ready before the boil starts.

That's what I did. Palmer suggested it and it seemed like a good idea. There's so much to keep track of! Ingredients, tools, etc. So a suggestion like that was welcomed.
 
That's what I did. Palmer suggested it and it seemed like a good idea. There's so much to keep track of! Ingredients, tools, etc. So a suggestion like that was welcomed.

Didn't even know he recommended it... I just put the hops into containers when I stopped making kits that were using pre-packaged amounts of hops (which was really early on for me). Then it was either a bowl, or I would measure out my hops into amounts I normally used, and vacuum pack them for later. Real easy there since they stay sealed up until you open them to dump in. :D
 
Yep, sounds pretty close to my first time...except I managed to get wort ALL OVER my kitchen floor somehow on my first and I waited to go swimming in my beer until my third.

You'll be glad to know that the more experienced we get, the more beer we think we can consume while brewing. That pretty much keeps us all on the level, more or less. Take it from me, there are thousands of ways to screw up!
 
Update: I racked the beer, per the kit instructions, the other day. Should be ready to bottle in another 8-9 days.

Ultimately, how will I know if it's all infected and whatnot? That's pretty much my main concern at this point. Should I taste it before I bottle?

I'm also concerned that not much happened fermentation-wise. When I racked it the SG was 1.013, I believe. The airlock did bubble and carry on while in the fermenter but only for about 24 hours then it stopped, which was a little depressing. The house smelled so good while that was going on!

After I bottle this, I'll start another batch. I think I've learned a lot both by doing and all the feedback. I have an Irish Red Ale kit from Midwest on the way, it sounds good and is certainly well reviewed. Also got a nylon bag for the hops to keep the mess down a bit.
 
A couple of batches ago I dropped the cap to the yeast vial into my wort, I just let it sit in there, figuring the angry lil' yeasties would eat anything that was on there.

Good luck on that first brew! It's a beginning to a hoby that will last a lfetime...

- B916
 
Update: I racked the beer, per the kit instructions, the other day. Should be ready to bottle in another 8-9 days.

Ultimately, how will I know if it's all infected and whatnot? That's pretty much my main concern at this point. Should I taste it before I bottle?

I'm also concerned that not much happened fermentation-wise. When I racked it the SG was 1.013, I believe. The airlock did bubble and carry on while in the fermenter but only for about 24 hours then it stopped, which was a little depressing. The house smelled so good while that was going on!

After I bottle this, I'll start another batch. I think I've learned a lot both by doing and all the feedback. I have an Irish Red Ale kit from Midwest on the way, it sounds good and is certainly well reviewed. Also got a nylon bag for the hops to keep the mess down a bit.

You'll know if it's infected. Ever leave (forget) a cup of coffee or something sitting for a long time? It develops this skin on top of it and smells really really gross. Same thing with a beer infection. I have not personally experienced an infection as of yet but many of the threads here have good examples. Basically if it develops a wispy furry layer on top, smells bad, tastes bad/sour, then you'd have an issue. I've honestly read of people doing worse things than you (scooping spilled yeast off the floor and still pitching it, no issue) and still having decent beer.
 
Thanks for the replies! I guess I'm worrying too much, LOL. I did search the site for infected beer, saw some nasty photos. Mine never looked anything like that! Can't wait to bottle.

:mug:
 
I'm sure it's fine. If your gravity hit 1.013, it'll taste like beer, for sure. Leave it alone for a while, and start on the next batch--you'll finish that first one before you know it!
 
Just as a FYI for the future should something like this happen before fermentation starts(dropping things in).

Just sanitize a strainer and pour all of your beer through it. The yeast will thank you for the extra oxygen anyways.
 
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