Time to stop lurking about and make some beer

Well, I have lurked around for a month now, I just finished putting my True Blue Belgian Ale in the fermenter.

3.3 lbs unhopped LME
1 lb light dried malt extract
1 lb light dried malt extract
1 lb wheat dried malt extract 1 lb Belgian candy sugar
Half lb of Malto Extract
Half lb pale grain malt
1 lb vienna grain
1 lb Belgian pilsner grain

Northern brewer 1 oz
Styrian Goldings 1 oz
Czech Saaz 1 oz

White Labs 530 Belgian Abby yeast

I tried to BIAB with my grains. I am not sure that there was enough grains to even try this, but it was easier than I thought. I think my next batch will be a lot more grains and attempt a full five gallon BIAB. The beginning gravity was 1.064.

Ok, now all I can do is wait.

Saaz in a Belgian. I love it. I put Saaz in all my Belgian brews... There is just something about that hop that makes a Belgian beer taste right. That looks like a great recipe. Let us know how it turns out.

Ok, now all I can do is wait.[/QUOTE]

Welcome to the hardest part of home brewing. So far for me at least.

Well it has been almost 48 hours, I would think this beer would be blowing the top off the fermenter. Just a few bubbles, seems like it is hardly fermenting at all? I hate the wait, I used a liquid yeast, maybe I should have made a starter? Oh, well, no worries..

Vcb

Well, I woke up this morning, my blow off tube had become clogged and the lid of my Fermentor was blown off, I just replaced the lid and went to work.

Should I now be worried about foreign stuff in my beer? Will this effect the taste?

Hi again. I got home from work and it looks like the foam pushed my lid off for a second time, don't know how long the brew has been sitting with the lid askew. I guess this may end up a wild beer? Now I am worried, I think I will have a homebrew and start a new batch?

Does anybody think this beer will turn out like it should?

If it tastes and smells horrible, it is probably infected. If not, no biggie. Next time, three options:

1 Brew a smaller batch
2 Ferment in a larger container (6gal better bottle?)
3 use a larger blowoff tube

NewBrewB said:

If it tastes and smells horrible, it is probably infected. If not, no biggie. Next time, three options:

1 Brew a smaller batch
2 Ferment in a larger container (6gal better bottle?)
3 use a larger blowoff tube

Click to expand...

Thanks, but, a smaller batch means less beer, owww, I don't like that.
I am using a 6.5 gallon comical.
Blow off tube has to be the problem, that and I need to find a way to make the lid secure.

This morning it still smelled good just lots of foam. I have brewed only 6 or 7 batches, but I have never seen a batch produce so much foam.

Does anyone think this foam will eventually drop into the beer?

Thanks.

I took the SG reading today, it is down to 0.015, my calculations say it should go down to about 0.011. I will take another reading in about three days. I tasted it and it was very good, had a strong orangey tast which I was told that the Belgian Ale yeast will create.

I think this is going to turn out pretty good.

If it keeps pushing the lid off, it would be pushing air OUT, not in... I seriously doubt that anything got INTO the brew with all that CO2 pushing out of the fermenter. You have about a 97% chance that everything will be fine. Try to relax. I suspect all will be OK.

I finally pulled a glass of this beer, it is very tasty, but? It has not cleared very well and there is no head. I tried to force carbonate at 30 psi then dropped the pressure to about 7 psi. I waited 6 days before drinking. The beer seems to have carbonated but no head, the beer is drinkable but life is better with a little head.

How do you make a beer with a good head?

If the beer is properly carbonated, but has no head, then it is probably your glass that is causing the problem. Detergent, skin oils, or anything else on the surface of the glass can kill head retention. A quick test of this is to pour a beer into a disposable plastic party cup ("solo cup") and see if the head improves. If this helps, then you may need to re-wash your beer glassware. I know some people suggest using salt water to remove residue from the glass, but I just wash with very hot water (no soap) and air dry my beer mugs. I also usually give my mugs a quick rinse with cool tap water right before serving to make sure there is no dust, etc. on the glass before I pour the beer.

Do you ever frost the glasses/mugs?

Vinnyb722 said:

I am using a 6.5 gallon comical.

Click to expand...

Ah, I think this is why you had problems with the lid blowing off. Your fermenter was so comical that it just played a prank on you.

Lol! I believe your right. These small comicals are always blowing their lids.