AZ_Brew_Dude
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- Aug 7, 2007
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Hello all - here's a few more questions for you while I'm waiting for my first batch to finish fermenting:
1.) It seems like the comments on this site are universally positive for the Better Bottle products. However, I went to the LHBS and the comments I heard for the BBs were almost universally negative - the consensus was that the BBs "try to be the best of both worlds, but end up being the worst of both worlds" (referring to plastic vs glass for the other noobs). I'm thinking I might pick one up for a secondary fermenter and check it out myself. Anyone care to speak up with their personal experiences?
2.) Does anyone have any experience with the Wine Thief (link below). It seems like a neat way of drawing a sample and taking a hydrometer reading in one step.
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/ProdByID.aspx?ProdID=4356
Another neat product I noticed was the auto siphon. Anyone have any experience with that?
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/ProdByID.aspx?ProdID=4766
3.) It's now been 4 days since I put my first batch into the fermenter. I started noticing activity in the airlock in as little as 3-4 hours. But it's not as active as some of the descriptions I've read. Maybe a bubble or two every 10-20 seconds. Is that the right amount of activity? Also, as far as I can tell, there's very little krausen on the top. Can someone attempt to describe how much the airlock should be bubbling and at what frequency? I'm brewing an ale, and the temperature is constant around 70F.
4.) Finally, I didn't realize aeration of the wort was important. It sounds like pouring the wort from the brew pot is bad since that'll disturb all the stuff that has settled to the bottom. But siphoning it won't aerate it much. Whats a good technique? I was thinking of siphoning from the brew pot (after the wort has cooled), and then sticking the other end near the top of the fermenter to have the wort splash as it fills the fermenter - so gentle sucking on one side, rough pouring on the other. Is there any reason that'd be a bad idea?
Thanks in advance for the advice and tips!
1.) It seems like the comments on this site are universally positive for the Better Bottle products. However, I went to the LHBS and the comments I heard for the BBs were almost universally negative - the consensus was that the BBs "try to be the best of both worlds, but end up being the worst of both worlds" (referring to plastic vs glass for the other noobs). I'm thinking I might pick one up for a secondary fermenter and check it out myself. Anyone care to speak up with their personal experiences?
2.) Does anyone have any experience with the Wine Thief (link below). It seems like a neat way of drawing a sample and taking a hydrometer reading in one step.
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/ProdByID.aspx?ProdID=4356
Another neat product I noticed was the auto siphon. Anyone have any experience with that?
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/ProdByID.aspx?ProdID=4766
3.) It's now been 4 days since I put my first batch into the fermenter. I started noticing activity in the airlock in as little as 3-4 hours. But it's not as active as some of the descriptions I've read. Maybe a bubble or two every 10-20 seconds. Is that the right amount of activity? Also, as far as I can tell, there's very little krausen on the top. Can someone attempt to describe how much the airlock should be bubbling and at what frequency? I'm brewing an ale, and the temperature is constant around 70F.
4.) Finally, I didn't realize aeration of the wort was important. It sounds like pouring the wort from the brew pot is bad since that'll disturb all the stuff that has settled to the bottom. But siphoning it won't aerate it much. Whats a good technique? I was thinking of siphoning from the brew pot (after the wort has cooled), and then sticking the other end near the top of the fermenter to have the wort splash as it fills the fermenter - so gentle sucking on one side, rough pouring on the other. Is there any reason that'd be a bad idea?
Thanks in advance for the advice and tips!