First brew next weekend.

Well I just ordered the rest of my brewing stuff. I will be doing my primary in a plastic fermenter and transferring into a 6 gallon carboy for my secondary. I also just bought "The joys of homebrewing" to help me out. I have 7 lbs of Amber LME, 2 oz of Domestic crystal hops, and brewers yeast. Should be a basic amber by the time I'm done(hopefully). Any tips for a first timer?

Thanks
Dan

Clean, sanitise, relax. Keep the carboy out of the sun.

David kinda summed it up, but if you don't feel confident then try to find someone who's brewed before (to hold your hand and point out where you're about to go wrong). I did. He was a great help.

I was out-brewing him within 6 months. That was in '93. Now he comes over looking for HB (my son-in-law).

david_42 said:

Clean, sanitise, relax. Keep the carboy out of the sun.

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I am doing all my fermenting in my garage where it is a steady temp of 65-68 and dark as night all the time. I figure this way if I do happen to have a blow off it isn't going to ruin my apartment Not sure about the winter but I would imagine it would get cold enough in there to try a Lager.
I imagine the book I ordered will probably tell me but I might as well ask. 7lbs of extract syrup 2 oz of hops is what I have. What's the ratio there? Should I use the whole 7 lbs? All 2 oz of the hops? or do I need more or different hops to mix in?
I also just discovered that I forgot some supplies. I need a bottle brush and carboy brush as well. If anyone has any ingredients that might make this better, let me know since I am placing an order anyway...

Thanks

Dan

There are some things you can do to make this a better beer...

First, read all you can BEFORE you brew:

here's a good place to start http://www.howtobrew.com/intro.html

If you want to start a little further along the Homebrew path, read section 2, Brewing Your First Extract and Specialty Grain Beer... that will give you some good tips on how to make this an even more wonderful American Amber Ale... however, what you have WILL make beer!!!

Look at the BJCP guidelines for Amber Ale for some info about this style... http://www.bjcp.org/styles04/Category10.html#style10B

I'd suggest maybe another 1.5 oz of the Crystal hops as they are lower in AAUs... 1.5 oz for 60 minutes, 1 oz for 20 minutes and 1 oz for 2 minutes should bring you up around 32 IBUs (it depends on the AAU% of your batch of hops)... the 7 lbs. LME should give you around 1.050 OG and that would be a nice balanced beer IMO

Also, check out ProMash http://www.promash.com/... this is a WONDERFUL program IMO and I use it for all my recipe formulation... use the free evaluation and see if you like it... there are other programs as well, so look around and chose the one you like best


Hope that helps, and Welcome to the wonderful world of Homebrewing!!!

mikey

Mykel Obvious said:

There are some things you can do to make this a better beer...

First, read all you can BEFORE you brew:

here's a good place to start http://www.howtobrew.com/intro.html

If you want to start a little further along the Homebrew path, read section 2, Brewing Your First Extract and Specialty Grain Beer... that will give you some good tips on how to make this an even more wonderful American Amber Ale... however, what you have WILL make beer!!!

Look at the BJCP guidelines for Amber Ale for some info about this style... http://www.bjcp.org/styles04/Category10.html#style10B

I'd suggest maybe another 1.5 oz of the Crystal hops as they are lower in AAUs... 1.5 oz for 60 minutes, 1 oz for 20 minutes and 1 oz for 2 minutes should bring you up around 32 IBUs (it depends on the AAU% of your batch of hops)... the 7 lbs. LME should give you around 1.050 OG and that would be a nice balanced beer IMO

Also, check out ProMash http://www.promash.com/... this is a WONDERFUL program IMO and I use it for all my recipe formulation... use the free evaluation and see if you like it... there are other programs as well, so look around and chose the one you like best


Hope that helps, and Welcome to the wonderful world of Homebrewing!!!

mikey

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That helps a ton. Thanks. I am trying to read as much as I can but learning some of the formula's and the Acronyms are a bit daunting. Hopefully it will come out good. I've always wanted to brew my own but never had the space. I'm really lookign forward to it. I'm inviting a couple friends over who have brewed in the past to help out.

Thanks!


Dan

Grain, my friend, grain. Adds a bit of mouth feel to the batch. All extract beers tend to taste watery, IMHO. If you want to stick to the amber theme, steep about a pound (I'd do two pounds) of a medium Lov crystal (grain, not hop) malt at 155 degrees for about 30 mins. You'll thank me later....

Spyk'd said:

Grain, my friend, grain. Adds a bit of mouth feel to the batch. All extract beers tend to taste watery, IMHO. If you want to stick to the amber theme, steep about a pound (I'd do two pounds) of a medium Lov crystal (grain, not hop) malt at 155 degrees for about 30 mins. You'll thank me later....

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I will do...thanks! This is why I love forums so much. You get a ton of experience without actually learning it trial by fire.

Thanks

Dan

It might sound corny but Im sure its happened before, that the night before my first brew (2 months ago) I couldnt get much sleep because I was so excited to get started. After having read so much and you feel you are overprepared, but since my first batch, I have read so much MORE that I know I wasnt.

My first batch I chilled the wort in a ice tub & poured into my carboy full of almost frozen water. This caused my temp to fall VERY quickly but almost too quickly as I wasnt all that ready with the yeast (and I wanted to pitch at the right temp). Next time I will do one or the other (ice bath / wort chiller) or pouring into icy cold water.

I also made sure to clean and sanitize after I used all the equipment. This might have been overcautious at the time, but it saved me time the next batch scraping out my carboy.

Other than that have FUN and get some sleep the night before

I was planning on an ice bath to cool the wort. I don't have any more cash for a chiller just yet. Hopefully it will go well and I will definitely have to make sure and get some rest. I will be pretty psyched come next weekend. I am hoping this is the beginning to a beautiful friendship between me, my brewing equipment, and this board.


Dan

Quick tip which I'm sure you know all about!

Over-santizing is not sanitizing enough =)

okay, only kidding. Just have fun with it man! I was extemely excited when I brewed my first beer. I had read so much crap on this forum, asked so many questions before hand and read the classic book The Complete Joy Of Homebrewing (of coarse) and I felt like a pro the first day!

My first batch was a Nut Brown and it turned out pretty good. I had a little issue when I moved my carboy to transfer to secondary and all the krausen crud on the side of the caboy got into my brew and created a little but of an unwanted bitterness, but it wasn't too bad.

Willsellout said:

I will be doing my primary in a plastic fermenter and transferring into a 6 gallon carboy for my secondary.

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I have a question about this.
I thought that a carboy used for secondary should be 5 gallons and that a six gallon carboy would leave too much space at the top, thus too much air.


Tommy

That's a matter of some controversy. Some argue exactly what you're sayings; others say that the small amount of fermentation that still is occuring is enough to produce a "blanket" of CO2 sufficient to prevent oxidation. Ideal in my mind would be to have a 6.5 for primary and a 5.0 for secondary, but it doesn't sound like usong a 6.0 for secondary is going to make any appreciable difference.

I've also heard both sides and went right down the middle with it. IF my first batch comes out wrong I will go with the 5 gallon Carboy. Thinking back I probably should have just gotton a 5 gallon. We will see I suppose.


Dan

One more question. You have to strain your wort if you are using raw hops correct? What do you guys use to strain your wort through when you put it into your primary?

Thanks

Dan

Good luck with your first batch. My first batch is in the fermentor (plastic 6.5 gal)since Saturday night. I'd say that all the advice I have seen so far is correct. READ READ READ, SANITIZE, and RELAX. So far, soo good. We will know for sure next week when it is bottling time.

Willsellout said:

One more question. You have to strain your wort if you are using raw hops correct? What do you guys use to strain your wort through when you put it into your primary?

Thanks

Dan

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I used a kit for my first brew and it came with a muslin (like cheese cloth) bag that I put my grain and the hops in just like a tea bag. It made it soooo easy.

Future batches that aren't a kit I plan to use a combo colander (spaghetti strainer) and a mesh strainer.

So got all my stuff and going to brew tomorrow. I have all the ingredients including the grain bag. I am going through the motions right now step by step. Although I am going to order another case of bottles, a bottle washer and a carboy cap(one didn't come with my carboy) next week. I hope to rack to secondary no later than the following tuesday and bottle a week or so after. I plan on setting aside a few bottles(22oz.) to age to see how they taste after a month or two. Should be interesting.

So right now here is my plan

I am going to activate my yeast with a pint of water (pre boiled) in a sanitized plastic bottle before I begin the boil.

1. Sanitize everything I'm going to use, as well as the kitchen tops.
2. Wear gloves after the boil whille I am cooling and transferring to the fermenter
3. boil 3 gallons of water beforehand and place it in the fermenter
4. bring to boil 4 gallons of water while steeping the grains (30 min at 150-160F)
5. Bring the heat off and add the 7 lbs of amber extract and dissolve
6. Bring back to rolling boil and add hops at 1.5 oz @40 min, 1.5 oz @15 and 1oz @5 minutes.
7. Take off the heat and put in sink and add ice to cool to below 75F
At this point do I stir to cool faster with my sanitized long spoon or cover and wait?
8. pour into fermenter and pitch yeast and cover.
9. Bring to garage and place airlock on.
On my airlock it came with a cap. Do I keep that on or off?

So what do you think? Any suggestions or improvements?


Dan

I wouldn't worry about boiling the three gallons of water you're putting in the fermenter. Most people don't, they just use either straight tap or, like I do, gallons of water from the store. There's a small chance of their being a nasty in the water that you would kill off by boiling, but the bigger risk IMHO that you are taking is removing all theh O2 from the water. If you boil ALL the water, you'll have to take steps to re-aerate your wort.

Plus, you want to fill the fermenter with this water AFTER, not before, adding your wort. You won't know ahead of time exactly how much will boil off - I suspect that your seven total gallons will boil down to about six, not five. You want to add water to bring it up to five gallons. The way you are doing it, you risk over-diluting your wort.

How cool is your garage? How much does the heat fluctuate? You don't want it to be too warm, and you especially don't want to have 25 or 30 degree fluctuations. If you have a basement, that's probably better; if the house is A/Ced, maybe a closet. The yeast may take off quickly if it's 85 or 90 degrees out, but for most ale yeasts you want to be closer to a consistent 70 if possible.

How long total is your boil going to be? Most basic recipes call for 60 minutes, and the ones that I have done (admittedly, not a crapload so far) have called for the bittering hops to be added at the beginning of the boil (i.e. for 60 minutes, not 40). Are you working off a recipe that calls for something different?

I hear you on the water thing. Good point and that saves me time. I did buy bottled water and it looks like I had my steps mixed up there.
About the hops: I was reading in the "Joys of homebrewing" it said to wait for the hot break to add the hops so thats why I was going for 40 minutes, but if that isn't correct let me know.
As far as my garage, I am lucky to be on the coast of Oregon. It rarely gets over 70 here and it actually keeps a pretty steady temp between 64-70 in the garage which from what I have read is within the range for ales. Although it doesn't fluctuate too much. My house, despite my best efforts stays at a fairly constant 73 degress and we don't have AC so the garage is the only place we have. Plus I didn't want to have to clean up if something blows.


Dan

Sounds good, you should be fine. I'm not the expert on the hops issue, I just know what the recipes I have done have called for. To be honest, I'm still a little fuzzy on the whole concept of the hot break. Good luck.

the_bird said:

Sounds good, you should be fine. I'm not the expert on the hops issue, I just know what the recipes I have done have called for. To be honest, I'm still a little fuzzy on the whole concept of the hot break. Good luck.

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Yeah me too. I will probably just add the bittering hops at the beginning and adjust the rest of the hops accordingly. I appreciate the info though. That saved me a lot of time.


Dan