First Brew Day! Any Final Advice?

Greetings Everyone!

I received the Midwest Supplies Everything + A Carboy Kit for Christmas. I also received a 7.5 gallon brew kettle, and immersion chiller and with the Kit I received the Autumn Amber Extract Kit.

I have read through John Palmer's "How to Brew", and been reading these threads for several months.

Before I do the actual brew in a few days, I plan to do a "Dry Run" to familiarize myself with the process, equipment, and to make sure my stove can boil 5 gallons of water.

Does anyone have any last minute tips for a n00b to have a successful and enjoyable brew day?

Cheers and many thanks!

Jarod

Nothin' to it but to do it! Have a great brew day!

Notes, lots of them, step-by-step. Eventually it will be second nature but for now it's all new and a plan with lots of notes is essential. Cheers, and Happy Brewing!!!

hamiltont said:

Notes, lots of them, step-by-step. Eventually it will be second nature but for now it's all new and a plan with lots of notes is essential. Cheers, and Happy Brewing!!!

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+1 And have a back-up plan to partial boil, it is really tough to get 5 gallons to boil stove top. If you have to partial boil, use about 1/2 of your extract in the boil, add the second 1/2 after the boil is complete and you have turned the flame off...MIX WELL. Cool with your top off water BEFORE adding to the carboy if you are using one for primary.

Have fun, don't stress and warn the household that it's going to smell like a brewery in there while you're "cookin"

Do your instructions call for a 5 gallon boil on an extract kit? Unless you have a commercial stove with a whole lot of BTU output you will not get a boil on 5 gallons.

You've got a mini-mash kit right? Some liquid malt extract and some grains to steep correct?

The only dry run you need is to boil water in your aluminum pot for a half hour and then dump it if that's what you have.

MuchoGusto said:

Do your instructions call for a 5 gallon boil on an extract kit? Unless you have a commercial stove with a whole lot of BTU output you will not get a boil on 5 gallons.

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I have a regular gas stove that boils 6 gallons without a hiccup. The key is to have one big burner.

Yep, the recipe kit that came with it has the LME and specialty grains to steep. The instructions do not call for a 5 gallon boil, but 1.5 to 2 gallons for steeping and adding LME, but say if your pot can handle larger volume to do so. Would it be wise to use the full 5 gallons if possible?

Here's the instuction sheets:

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/media/downloads/16/Autumn Amber Ale instructions.pdf

Cheers and Thanks!

Jarod

Since you got all the gear for Christmas I would run to your local outdoor supply shop ie cabellas, bass pro and look at camp chef burners. I got my first one for about 60.00, and the leg extenders for a few dollars more. Trust me after trying to bring 5 gallons of water to a boil on your stove then keeping it at a boil for 60 min you will understand the importance of a 200 BTU burner. Plus the wife will love that this hobby does not tie up her kitchen stove for 4 hours.

Even though I firmly believe in full batch boiling - I wouldn't try it on the stove. It's a pain in the alternative word for "donkey" and if you boil over - you will have fun cleaning it. Otherwise, have fun!

ChandlerBrewery said:

Even though I firmly believe in full batch boiling - I wouldn't try it on the stove. It's a pain in the alternative word for "donkey" and if you boil over - you will have fun cleaning it. Otherwise, have fun!

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I didn't think that the boilover was any worse to clean up than the gallon of beer that spilled on the floor when the spigot on my bottling bucket wasn't closed. :cross:

Make sure you have a way to control the ferm tamps.