Isnt she pretty!!!!!!!

Its been 5 days since I brewed. Couldnt help sneak a peak today, starting to smell more like beer, still kinda fermenty, sanitizery and chemically smelling (made up all those words BTW) but more likke beer. She looked so sexy I had to get a nude shot of her
Cant wait to taste my first baby! I have actually been keeping her wrapped in a blanket durring the night to help keep temp constant. Shes been steady at 64 degrees, one less than i wanted but I threw her in the bathtub full of water at 70 degrees and now shes siting at 69. I think ill keep her at 69 tomorrow and 70 or so sat till I rack in into secondary and toss in more corn sugar and repitch more yeast.

ZamaMan said:

Its been 5 days since I brewed. Couldnt help sneak a peak today, starting to smell more like beer, still kinda fermenty, sanitizery and chemically smelling (made up all those words BTW) but more likke beer. She looked so sexy I had to get a nude shot of her
Cant wait to taste my first baby! I have actually been keeping her wrapped in a blanket durring the night to help keep temp constant. Shes been steady at 64 degrees, one less than i wanted but I threw her in the bathtub full of water at 70 degrees and now shes siting at 69. I think ill keep her at 69 tomorrow and 70 or so sat till I rack in into secondary and toss in more corn sugar and repitch more yeast.

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Why add corn sugar and pitch more yeast?

o4_srt said:

Why add corn sugar and pitch more yeast?

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I hope not in the attempt to drown out the sanitizer/chemical smell!

its per the receipe from the book. Its a duvel golden strong belgium ale, I dont know why didnt didnt have me throw in all the sugar durring boil...its only 8 OZ of corn sugar. After I add the sugar and pitch more yeast I ferment it more in the secondary and than move it to the keezer @ 34 degrees for 5 weeks than keg it for 4 weeks. This is all per receipe instructions.

oooooh shut up. it's his first batch. enjoy the ride dude you'll rememver your first for awhile. : D it look sgood. I"m ditre of seeing this site get absorbed by snobs ( i'm sure thats not what you guys ment but come on ) keep going!!! it's only gets more obsesibve and expesive from here ( ask my wife. : D ) . good jo b.

How would you go about adding the corn sugar to secondary? I'm a noob and get confused by certain rules. For example you aerate the wort before pitching yeast in primary. Since this addition will be After primary fermentation, do you need to aerate again? I would guess you boil corn sugar in water, put into empty secondary vessel and rack onto it... then pitch new yeast over all?

I would leave it in the primary, put the sugar in and forget the extra yeast. But im no expert, maybe someone can give a reason why to secondary and add more yeast.

Firebelly said:

How would you go about adding the corn sugar to secondary? I'm a noob and get confused by certain rules. For example you aerate the wort before pitching yeast in primary. Since this addition will be After primary fermentation, do you need to aerate again? I would guess you boil corn sugar in water, put into empty secondary vessel and rack onto it... then pitch new yeast over all?

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yo do not need to aerate the secondary, (excluding big beers) adding o2 would send the yeast into an aerobic state, causing them to want to reproduce. this is not the goal ever ( well most of the time) when adding more fermentables to the chamber. the fresh yeast is prob. unasecerry as there is billions of cells cabale of doing that.

krops13 said:

yo do not need to aerate the secondary, (excluding big beers) adding o2 would send the yeast into an aerobic state, causing them to want to reproduce. this is not the goal ever ( well most of the time) when adding more fermentables to the chamber. the fresh yeast is prob. unasecerry as there is billions of cells cabale of doing that.

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Even big beers should not be aerated in the secondary. They are way past the growth phase at that point. 12-18 hours after pitching is optimal.

1. For your first batch don't transfer to secondary at all
2. Save the corn sugar for bottling
3. If you insist on adding the corn sugar, make sure you boil it with some water first and let it cool to the same temp as you are fermenting
4. Constant temp is best, try to keep as constant as possible
5. Never aerate after the beer starts fermenting
6. Stop looking at the damn thing, close it up and let it go for a few weeks, three is good for your first batch.
7. I'm only trying to help and am not trying to be a snob.
8. Your first beer will taste good to you no matter what (within reason).
9. CHEERS!

I think he needs the corn sugar for the recipe to get the beer to finish to style if he's going for a golden strong. Quite an ambitious style for a first brew, I must say.

Simply boil the sugar in a few cups of water and let it cool down a bit. Then slowly pour it in and stir, but not violently. You can just swirl with a sanitized spoon. You don't want to aerate or agitate beer that's begun to ferment.

Also, there are no "rules", only good practices developed over several hundred years of brewing.

Bet of luck!!

You don't need to secondary and you shouldn't need more yeast.

It looks wonderful !

As if we are flying above the Clouds in the Sky !

Hector

Aerating after fermentation is going to oxidize your beer. Oxidation is what happens when beer goes stale. Best time to add the sugar is when your gravity drops to near terminal (~75% complete). This is usually around 5-7 after pitching. However, taking a gravity reading is really the only way to know. Boil the sugar in a small amount of water (just enough to dissolve the sugar) and allow it to cool. Once it's very close to the same temp as the beer go ahead and careful add it to the primary. Make sure you don't splash it a lot or you'll add oxygen (which we try and avoid at all costs after fermentation has started). Let this ferment for another week and then rack to secondary if you so desire.

Ooooo! You know what the kid did to the apple pie in the movie...well.. 8oz of dextrose won't really do much but dry it up some but do what you want because it's your baby!!

Looks good man, the first batch is the toughest to wait through. Im on my 4th batch now, but ive learned its best to get em fermenting right before i leave town, that way i dont have the option to stare at it and be impatient! lol.

I will say you have some good dedication, mine sits in my laundry room at room temp (72F) until im ready to keg. My real trouble comes once i keg. so damn tough to leave it alone... i love samples!

Those replies were really helpful, and I am extremely happy to have found boards full of knowledgeable people willing to share. Why not secondary on first batch Jonk? Mine is still hazier than I would like after 20 days in primary and it's a stout which I've heard improves with clarifying.. I know nothing but what I read/hear unfortunately.