It's here! It's finally here!!

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

poconnell

Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2011
Messages
8
Reaction score
0
Location
New Braunfels
I just got my super-duper advanced home brewing kit from AHS...buckets looks suspiciously like plastic...but I'm ever the optomist..they even packed the stuff in biodegradable penuts that taste like rice cakes (my son just ain't right!)

Gonna churn out an Irish Summer Ale...very excited. Will probably cook next weekend...so, let me have it...any and all advice is welcome!
 
Welcome to HBT. Advice - don't rush it, let it ferment out fully, then condition for at least 2-3 weeks at room temperature, then enjoy and fire up another batch.
 
Have you read howtobrew.com yet? If not, read it. If so, read it again! :)

+1 to not rushing. Probably the most common mistake.
 
More often than not when you read peoples problems on here it is clearly due to the fact they rushed.
 
use common sense as far as sanitation. sticking your finger in it to test the temp is a bad idea. sanitizing anything that goes into the fermenting beer (wort) is a good idea. giving your son packing peanuts to eat while you're brewing is a decent idea, as they'll be very chewy, and will keep him distracted :D
 
I have to agree that the #1 thing to learn in home brewing is patience. That,& many times kit instructions are a bit rushed on ferment times. So searching the beginner's stickies will help a lot with common questions & problems.
 
Make sure you don't accidentally pitch your yeast at 120F on your first batch (speaking from experience here lol). Cool the wort to 100F-ish and then top off to 5 gallons with ice-cold water you've had in the freeze for an hour or so.
 
If you want to make really good beer with the first batch, control the ferm temp. It's easy to make a fuselly mess during summer with the temps high. Try to pitch yeast below 70F and then check out threads on using a swamp cooler to keep those temps at or below 70F.

Temp control and sanitization are probably the two most impt things w/in your power to enable you to make great beer.

swamp1.jpg
 
I just got my super-duper advanced home brewing kit from AHS...buckets looks suspiciously like plastic...but I'm ever the optomist..they even packed the stuff in biodegradable penuts that taste like rice cakes (my son just ain't right!)

Gonna churn out an Irish Summer Ale...very excited. Will probably cook next weekend...so, let me have it...any and all advice is welcome!

Congrats and good luck! Well, the buckets *are* plastic, so don't worry! Let us know how your beer turns out, and take everyone's advice about not rushing and sanitation. :mug:
 
Thanks all! I'm a country boy so I can work with plastic buckets...

I'm gonna keep my brewing equipment separate from our regular kitchen utensils. I've read How to Brew by Palmer already.

Patience...I'm not so good at patience...going to have to make mysefl be patient.

Thanks again and I'll post updates.
 
How big is that container? I've been thinking about using something as secondary containment for my primary (I'll be divorced if I have an "explosion" in my wife's closet). If I can use it to help cool the primary by 10 or so degress so much the better!
 
Please dont distract your Son, Teach him to brew... When your 80 and to old to lift the pots, he can provide the brew
 
...and have fun! If you're in it for the long haul each brew is a learning experience. If you screw up, there are a lot of people here who have done exactly (whatever it is) and can advise you.
 
Back
Top