One thing you'd tell a NEWB

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coy

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Yep in antisipation for brewing my first batch..
I was curious to see; What would be that ONE thing you'd tell a newb just getting started?

good, bad or indifferent what is that one thing you think everyone should know. :D
 
1. Sanitation is critical. Keep your equipment clean and sanitized.

1. Fermentation temperature is more important than most people realize when they start.

1. Make a starter if you are using liquid yeast.

1. "Hydrometer" is not spelled A-I-R-L-O-C-K

1. Give your beer time. Time in the primary, time in the secondary (if you use one), and especially time in the bottle to carb up (as Revvy tells us--three weeks at 70 at a MINIMUM). Then more time to hit its peak after it's carbed up.

That's the one thing I would tell a noob.
 
I would say, dont get high on your own supply, oops wait that is for seling cocaine (scarface) lol
 
always keep reading and learning.

And don't be uber paranoid about infections like tons of people on this site are. Practice good cleaning/sanitizing practices and you're fine.
 
Plus one to the fermentation temps improving your beer ten fold. But at first, just do it. Don't worry about so many things at first. Take care of little thing as you go. Live, Learn and brew.
 
Watch the pot when it is coming up to boil after you've added the extract. Be super ready to reduce heat and stir.
 
Brewing beer is not as complicated as the internet would have you believe. Facts and people's opinions sometimes get confused, one for the other. Follow basic santitation rules, basic temp control rules, relax and be patient. You'll be drinking a fine beer created in your own kitchen in no time at all.
 
The Karate kid didn't bust out the crane kick on day 1. Be patient. Be patient and mehodical when you are going through every step in the process. Be patient before drinking the beer after you bottle it (its super hard at first because you are soo excited). Take your time. You'll do great.
 
If sanitizing with StarSan, don't worry about the bubbles. It becomes yeast food. Do not rinse StarSan off. If you do, you have just negated the sanitizer.
 
If you are making from scratch (IE not from kits) whether it be extract or AG, try a good simple recipe first. I might catch flak for this, but I tried to be all 'creative' and junk, and I ended up tossing (cringe) a few batches. Not that I did not learn, I certainly did. However, I feel that had I first done a few tried and true recipes, I might have been able to understand concepts like "base malts vs specialty malts", and the all important concept of "moderation". I think one of my first batches was 6 pounds of LME, 4 pounds of DME, a pound each of molasses, brown sugar, and honey. I boiled it for 15 minutes and added 2 ounces of Northern Brewer Hops. I ended up with beerish flavoured pop syrup. It still tasted like regurgitated slurpee after 3 months on the bottle.
 
If you can wash dishes and follow a recipe, you can brew awesome beer. Cleaning and sanitizing well will almost ensure that you brew a decent beer.
 
Are you saying sanitizing and rinsing is the same as not sanitizing at all? I'm not sure I buy that.

The owner/spokesperson for StarSan was interviewed by James Spenser on Basic Brewing Radio Podcast, and those were pretty much his words. Listen to it. I sanitize my carboy and hold it upside down to drain it. You will have a lot of bubbles in it, so I cover it with foil for 5-10 minutes, and let the bubbles subside. Then, I pour the rest out out. Anything that is left in there goes into the beer. I'm on my 13th batch, and I have not had an off-flavor of any kind. When I heard the bubbles were a non-issue, I just decided to relax, don't worry...
 
Are you saying sanitizing and rinsing is the same as not sanitizing at all? I'm not sure I buy that.

The water you rinse with has more potential to introduce bacteria than the Starsan. That's why you boil water before using for priming or a starter.

I know we all drink water from the tap... but personally, I would not likely bottle it from the tap, let it set at room temp for three months then drink it.

I agree it is best not to rinse Starsan.
 
I'm on my 13th batch, and I have not had an off-flavor of any kind.

Sometimes I rinse sometimes I don't. So far, so good after about 20-25 batches. Just wondering what the likelihood is that a batch will get infected from whatever bacteria is in clean water. Lots of people would make a Brewhouse or Festa Brew kit from spring, filtered or even plain tap water without boiling.

I guess in the end we all find a level of sanitation that suits us and stick with it. But I don't think it's true that rinsing Starsan with clean water = not sanitizing.
 
I made 2 kit beers, then went to AG, it was easy to do after reading the "how to's" posted on this website. The kit beers tasted stale, or "OFF" leaving me disappointed. My first AG was a simple Cream Ale. It came out so nice, I was SOLD. That was nearly 2 years ago and usually a 5 gal batch each week.
 
Sometimes I rinse sometimes I don't. So far, so good after about 20-25 batches. Just wondering what the likelihood is that a batch will get infected from whatever bacteria is in clean water. Lots of people would make a Brewhouse or Festa Brew kit from spring, filtered or even plain tap water without boiling.

I guess in the end we all find a level of sanitation that suits us and stick with it. But I don't think it's true that rinsing Starsan with clean water = not sanitizing.

I've been brewing beer since 1993 and use bleach and water for sanitation. I rinse all my carboys, tubing, racking cane, air locks, bottling wand, etc. with tap water before using it.

I've never had an infected batch.

RDWHAHB....
 
Can I say two things???

1.) Don't rush anything. Beer takes awhile to make. Expect a month at the minimum!
2.) Just relax, stop thinking you ruined your beer. 95% of the time, the ending product is really good or drinkable at the least.
 
I've been brewing beer since 1993 and use bleach and water for sanitation. I rinse all my carboys, tubing, racking cane, air locks, bottling wand, etc. with tap water before using it.

I've never had an infected batch.

RDWHAHB....

That's a long time to be brewing. I used bleach the first couple of batches too. Once I heard about StarSan I didn't look back. Just dip (or even use it in a spray bottle with distilled water - lasts a month or so) and let sit a minute or two. I use it for everything. I find it is less work than having to rinse everything. Brewing does take a while, so I like to shave off work where ever I can. It does cost more than bleach, so if that is an issue, use bleach. I cannot speak for idophor. I have never used it. I think it too is a no rinse situation.
Rinsing with tap water does not mean you WILL get an infection or off-flavor, just that there is potential to introduce what ever is in the water to the beer. Using StarSan and not rinsing lowers that potential.
Since you have never had an infection in 16 years (A long time!) and I have never had an infection in only one year (12 batches) might mean that no matter what we use the potential is very low.
 
My advice would be: K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple, Stud). Save the dry-hopped, triple-fermented cherry Russian Barleywine contest entry for a future batch. Couple cans of extract, yeast, and hops will do it. My only exception would be to use liquid yeast instead of the russian roulette pack under the lid.

Oh yeah, use Star San, stick some in a spray bottle, and spray like crazy.
 
Dont take any hydro readings for at least two weeks+. If fermenting in buckets resist the urge to peek. If you want to see whats going on get a carboy or bb.
 
Yep in antisipation for brewing my first batch..
I was curious to see; What would be that ONE thing you'd tell a newb just getting started?

good, bad or indifferent what is that one thing you think everyone should know. :D
How can you have 55 posts and never have brewed a batch? What are you just a marketing knob, pushing your signature links? Please explain.
 
dont bottle your beer. it is a pain in the ass. start off kegging and then bottle later if you feel like you have to. there are too many ways to screw up bottleing and it adds an extra month onto your grain to glass time.
 
Relax and pay close attention to the instructions. And brew another batch in 4 days to a week if you dont you will bother your first batch and want to open everything up and check on it.

And have fun
 
Wow alot of good information. looks like the #1 thing to do is relax and be sanitary. :ban:

Hows the saying go in the book.. "relax, have a home brew" or something close to that. ;)

and what does - RDWHAHB mean?

How can you have 55 posts and never have brewed a batch? What are you just a marketing knob, pushing your signature links? Please explain.

LMAO that's funny right there. I've never been called a marketing knob(?) and I didn't add my signature till around posts 45 (last wed/thursday) or something not really sure.
I've been hanging out in the label/logo area responding to posts there since I'm a designer it drew me to it. other than that I've mostly been reading.

I didn't know people payed that much attention to post counts. Second time in a week it's been mentioned.:confused:
 
One thing I don't see mentioned alot for beginners is: be comfortable and familiar with your brewing area.

The first time I brewed, I never used my 2nd kitchen and I ran into all types of problems with room and logistics so I had to make changes on the fly.
 
The Karate kid didn't bust out the crane kick on day 1.

:off: Yes, but would he of even busted out the crane kick if Bobby Brown hadn't taken out his knee?

:off: The new version of the Karate Kid comes out June 11, 2010 :confused:

Wow alot of good information. looks like the #1 thing to do is relax and be sanitary. :ban:

Also, make sure you're fermenting at the proper temps. It doesn't matter how sanitary your equipment is, and how relaxed you are, if you're fermenting at 85 degrees.
 
One thing I recommend is have a trusted friend sample your brew before you try to introduce it to people. Like a parent who thinks their kid can do no wrong, you won't be able to critique your own brew because you will be blinded with love of your new baby. I knew my first beer was a little off, but it wasn't until my buddy tried it that I realized how many mistakes I made and I was then able to taste the off-flavors and realize what caused them.

While I agree it's good to relax and enjoy the process, I don't think we brew beer to have mediocre results. If you don't think something is right then use the search function because somebody has run into the same problem, no matter how obscure you think it is.
 
If you are as absent-minded and scatter-brained as I am, there are 2 important things for brewing.

A checklist of supplies (because if I don't use one, I inevitably forget)

and

A journal to write down my recipes and procedures in.


I refer back to methods and results of said methods and make adjustments from my notebook, I rely on it quite a bit. And its nice to see how my knowledge improves with each batch as I read through. =]

These two items keep everything stress free and fun filled while I'm doing my favorite activity.

Cheers :mug:
 
I have a note book ready. I read that earlier.. I may just keep a database for it in my computer.
I've arranged a designated place for my fermintation that I can controll the temp well. My garage is either cold or hot so I have a little office of the garage, that can be controlled. If it gets to hot I open the door to the garage, if it gets too cold I turn on the heater. it's shut off from the rest of the house which is nice.


Would me using bottled water benefite me..
I have a feeling my tap water may be to chlorinated? I'll be contacting the water company later today to see what the chemical balance is.
 
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