Confusion with my homebrew

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larrysbooze

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I am trying my first homebrew, and I am a little confused. I made the Wort and put it in the clean water, have it in a carboy with an airlock to keep it closed. I tried to sanitize everything well, but i just used dish soap (dawn i believe) and it has been bubbling for the last 2 days (which means it should be good right?

It just stopped bubbling today. It has an odd smell when i open the airlock, kind of sour or something then smells like alcohol. Just wondering if this should be okay. I took the airlock off once or twice to clean it out because it was getting nasty looking.

Also, I am completely confused as to when I am supposed to put it into bottles. Everything I read (Papazian's book, my homebrew kit book, and online) all say different time schedules. Should i begin putting this beer in bottles now (after 3 days or so) or in a week?

Sorry I'm new to this and have no one to ask the simple little questions to. I'd appreciate any help on this!
 
Dish Soap is probably not the best way to sanitize, but I wouldn't toss it yet. Beer gives off weird smells and what smells sour might be fine.

Bubbling airlocks are good.

I would wait at least one week to bottle. Do you have a hydrometer to check gravity? Even so, wait a week.

Hope this helps.

Also check out the stickies at the top of the beginning brewing forum for more information.
 
No hydrometer yet, it is my next purchase. Thanks for the help, I am so clueless about this stuff, every source seems to say something different.
 
Was that smell sour...or was it kinda like a just extinguished match...all sulfuric?

Bottling can't be timed. I can brew the same recipe multiple times, and never bottle it at the same time..... +1 on the hydrometer. Seems like you've got the books with ya, so when your hydrometer says fermentation has stopped, you can bottle. I typically wait a week after that...but its your first batch..go nuts.

*edit* you posted no hydrometer before i posted. oops. no biggie. what did ya brew? If its a standard extract kit most first timers do, you can bottle in 3 weeks. You also can get one and test it before doing so. Not having the OG isn't hellpful, but I betcha if you tell us the recipe we can tell ya the FG you're going for.
 
Wait 3 weeks while you get a hydrometer ;) This way you will make sure that you go thru full fermentation and let the yeasties clean after themselves.
 
it was the "true brew" amber. very busch league from what i hear! but i wanted the easiest possible one for my first batch.

the smell i would say is that of a 40 oz malt liquor that has been in the sun for a week or so. id say a hint of sour

are you saying keep it in the carboy for 3 weeks or put it in bottles?
 
Welcome to HBT!
Sanitizer and hydrometer really need to be your next purchases.
Do not bottle 3 day old beer no matter what! Yeast takes a while to do its job and if you rush it your beer will be terrible and explosive.
What a least 3 weeks before thinking about bottling.

While you are waiting you can do some reading about beer making. How to Brew - By John Palmer is a good place to start. Also, The New Complete Joy of Homebrewing by Charlie Papazian got many of us started.
 
There are quite a few different ways of thinking. Normally I'd be all about telling you to wait, but I understand it's your first beer and you are going to be anxious to drink it.

I am going to go against my normal advice only because of this and tell you to bottle after 10 days if there is no other signs of activity. Not any earlier. After that you should wait three weeks to try one, but you won't want to, so try one at 10 days and another at two weeks. See how the beer improves and you'll know why waiting is important, even though it sucks.

Next, invest in sanitizer and a hydrometer and read everything in the beginning brewing section here. How to Brew is also a great book.

Good Luck on the first batch.
 
1. Dish soap is good for cleaning, but it isn't a sanitizer.
2. Fermenting wort does not smell like beer.
3. Give it 3 weeks before bottling. And get some sanitizer.
 
If you don't want to buy sanitizer, you can use bleach. My friend has been using it for years, and he is a very good brewer. You have to make sure to dilute it first and rinse it thoroughly after. You can read about it in How to Brew.
 
Wait as long as you can. 3 weeks would be ideal keep the beer temp down in the high 60s to low 70s if you can and wait it out. Try to not remove the airlock again until the 3 weeks is up. Every time you remove the airlock there is an increased chance of infection. If you REALLY REALLY can't wait the 3 weeks go get another fermentation pail/carboy and brew another batch of beer! That should keep you busy until this one is actually ready to bottle.
 
I am really surprised no one has stressed teh hydrometer. You should definitely buy a hyrdometer and check the gravity. When the gravity is the same three days later, fermentation is complete.
 
I am really surprised no one has stressed teh hydrometer. You should definitely buy a hyrdometer and check the gravity. When the gravity is the same three days later, fermentation is complete.

The hydrometer was mentioned a few times. He also said in his second post that it was going to be his next purchase.

I'd wait 3 weeks, personally, but I know it's hard to wait for the first batch. Actually, I have a blonde in the basement that is only a week old and I really want to check it out!

The hydrometer will tell you how much fermentables are left, or close to it. If you bottle before they are all used up, you could make bottle bombs when the yeast finally get around to eating it all. Better safe than sorry.
 
if you thoink no one has stressed the importance of the hydrometer you haven't read the thread. With only three days in the fermenter and apparent fermentation there is no reason to test gravity at this point. Having an original gravity reading would be helpful but pointlesss to worry about now. Patience will be rewarded.
 
OK, I have a hydrometer and star san sanitizer. Should i take a hydrometer reading now?
 
I'd say don't touch it for a few days. Nothing bad will happen if you leave it be, and it's likely that the yeasties are still working out a bit in there. After 3-4 days, take a hydrometer sample on 3 consecutive days (make sure you sanitize the turkey baster or whatever you use to take your hydro sample!!!). If all 3 readings are done, leave it for another 2 weeks or so then bottle.

2. Fermenting wort does not smell like beer.

+1 on this. Fermenting wort (sometimes even wort that's done fermenting but hasn't been bottled/kegged yet) can smell all sorts of nasty. Usually has no bearing whatsoever on the finished product.
 
I too just started brewing. And like yourself, I used a "True Brew, All Malt Pale Ale". What I have noticed with this extract is that I had an enormous amount of activity, "bubling in the air lock", for the first few days. But after the first few days, activity fell off fast.

Anxiously awaiting to drink my first brew, I wanted to immediatly bottle it and drink up! But, as I have done some searching and research, unfortunately that is not what is best. But, I have also been greatfull that taking a hydrometer reading to "check my fermentation status" also allows me to take a drink of my own brew! You just have to ensure that you are as sanitary as possible in whatever it is you do. And so far (compared to my friends first attempt at beer bottled SH**) it has turned out nicely :rockin:

I racked my beer for the first time off the primary at day 6 (after two days of no action). It currently sits in a glass carboy on day 8 and still waiting for the particles to settle so I can rack it again.

I also took another leap that generally homebrewers wait to take after they get a few extract brews under their belt and I brewed a mini mash/partial mash for my second brew. Its a honey brown ale and its doing great!

Good luck to you (and me) and happy brewing!! :mug:
 
OK, I have a hydrometer and star san sanitizer. Should i take a hydrometer reading now?

I feel your pain man! I know it is soooo hard to wait. When you do go to start testing remember, take a sample and test it separately DON'T FLOAT YOUR HYDROMETER IN YOUR FERMENTER! That will just be asking for an infection. Plus you should drink your sample after testing to see how it's coming along.
 
I recommend 2 days after final gravity or at least 7 days after fermentation starts for the primary, unless at 7 days it is still active. It should finish fermenting in 5-7 days so 7-10 days in the primary.

A minimum of a week in the secondary but an extra week won't hurt if you were careful when you transfered to the secondary leaving the sediment behind.

If after a week in the secondary you have a lot of sediment, I would recommend a tertiary. If you are not greedy when you siphon and leave as much sediment behind in the primary as you can, you will not need a tertiary.

Bottle and don't expect it to taste good for 3 weeks. Expect it to taste much better in 5-6 weeks after bottling.

Forrest
 
Thanks a lot for all the input, I think I am starting to understand the whole process much better!
 
Others have said it, but I would like to emphasize that while instructions may vary, more time is usually better with beer. If there is any worry, you can err on the side of more time. You can leave a beer in the primary 3 weeks (some do more), if you choose to secondary, you can leave it in there for a very long time, and in the bottle, most beers improve for months.
 
I just recently did the True Brew Amber kit as my first attempt, too, and after talking to people here it seems that I didn't leave it in the primary for as long as I should have. It won't come out bad if you don't leave it longer, but mine came out a lot hoppier than it should have.

Definitely learn to use that hydrometer and take readings; it's something I should have done. It's always good to learn from your mistakes, but it's also good to learn from other people's mistakes. ;-)
 
It's hard to do, but a few more weeks will greatly improve your beer.

What I would do is get ready for a second batch as soon as the bottling is done. That way you can have a second batch ready to condition while you start enjoying the first ones. Eventually you will be able to resist drinking your beer before it is truly ready.
 
I feel your pain man! I know it is soooo hard to wait. When you do go to start testing remember, take a sample and test it separately DON'T FLOAT YOUR HYDROMETER IN YOUR FERMENTER! That will just be asking for an infection. Plus you should drink your sample after testing to see how it's coming along.

If you sanitize your hydrometer there's no more chance of that causing an infection than there is your theif, your siphoning tube, your bottling spigot, or any other various contraptions that may contact your beer.
 
If you sanitize your hydrometer there's no more chance of that causing an infection than there is your theif, your siphoning tube, your bottling spigot, or any other various contraptions that may contact your beer.

The difference is that you don't leave your fermenter open to the air for an extended period while thiefing a sample and bugs don't crawl through a closed spigot (usually.) You are right that there is nothing inherent that makes a hydrometer more difficult to sanitize it is all in the way you use the tool.
 
There are quite a few different ways of thinking. Normally I'd be all about telling you to wait, but I understand it's your first beer and you are going to be anxious to drink it.

I am going to go against my normal advice only because of this and tell you to bottle after 10 days if there is no other signs of activity. Not any earlier. After that you should wait three weeks to try one, but you won't want to, so try one at 10 days and another at two weeks. See how the beer improves and you'll know why waiting is important, even though it sucks.

Next, invest in sanitizer and a hydrometer and read everything in the beginning brewing section here. How to Brew is also a great book.

Good Luck on the first batch.

+1 on everything McKBrew said. It's your first brew. You'll be anxious as hell to try it. 10 days fermenting, 10 days in the bottle is fine. It won't taste great, but it won't taste bad either.

I did exactly this for my first brew. Served it to my family at Christmas. They loved it - my MIL even asked for a sixer later.

For your next batch, wait three to four weeks to bottle, then three weeks in the bottle before you pop one open. It'll be so much better than rushing it.

Oh, and leave the airlock alone. You're just risking infection. The fermenter, blow off tube, and airlock all get kind of grody. Yeast is just that way.

Last tidbit - do a search for fermentation temps. You'll want to read up on that, and try to ferment at the low range of your yeast next time (I just guessed that you probably didn't pay a ton of attention to that this time around).

Good luck - this hobby is definitely addictive!
 
Hey guys, took a hydrometer reading with everything StarSanitized and my reading was somewhere around 1.012-1.014. Does that sound like it should be an okay reading for an Amber 5 days into Primary?
 
Hey guys, took a hydrometer reading with everything StarSanitized and my reading was somewhere around 1.012-1.014. Does that sound like it should be an okay reading for an Amber 5 days into Primary?

Sounds great! Now just wait another week or two, and take hydro readings a few days in a row to make sure they have stabilized before you bottle. Otherwise you could have bottle bombs.
 
Hey Guys- Just finished putting my Amber into bottles. It tasted delicious for a flat beer! Really appreciate the help.

I am pretty sure it is not infected. From what i understand I would know by a foul taste. The hydrometer reading was around 1.015-1.017 or so. I think that should be a good range.

Thanks again for all of the recommendations. I almost waited an entire 3 weeks. Put it in the primary on the 5th and bottled today 19 days later! Super excited to see how it is in a couple of weeks.

Thanks again!
 
haha don't worry I already have an IPA sitting in a primary as we speak! Trying to get a solid rotation of my own beer going.
 
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