absolute newb here! please help!

ok first let me explain my situation. i am currently brewing my second batch of beer. the first batch was the one that came with the coopers brewing kit and it turned out almost decent. the problem was that there was so much damn gunk in there because i did not rack it to a secondary, and the way the coopers fermenter is designed it allowed a lot of gunk into my beer. most people didn't like it and it was very discouraging, almost made me give up right there.

So i am on my second batch, it is the brewers best weissen bier kit. i made a couple of mistakes while brewing. first off, i scortched the brew pot really bad, and i dont know if it will matter, but i know when u scortch food u can taste it in the end. also i put the hop pellets directly into the brew which caused an excessive amount of trubb through out my beer. i should have used the bags.

I racked my beer once so far, and i made another mistake. i used the spout on the coopers fermenter to just allow the beer to pour into a glass carboy with a funnel. will this ruin my beer? Im not to familiar with this, but i think allowing this much oxygen into the brew will cause something.

Also I bought a kegging system to force carb for clarity, but i do not have the means to use it right now, so i bout 4 of those mini kegs. I did not buy the co2 for it, i will just use gravity because i will drink it all in one sitting. does any one have anything to tell me about using these kegs with gravity? as far as clarity, head, and anything else i should know?

sorry about the long ass post but i am so close to giving up and i need some advice bad.

bignick said:

ok first let me explain my situation. i am currently brewing my second batch of beer. the first batch was the one that came with the coopers brewing kit and it turned out almost decent. the problem was that there was so much damn gunk in there because i did not rack it to a secondary, and the way the coopers fermenter is designed it allowed a lot of gunk into my beer. most people didn't like it and it was very discouraging, almost made me give up right there.

So i am on my second batch, it is the brewers best weissen bier kit. i made a couple of mistakes while brewing. first off, i scortched the brew pot really bad, and i dont know if it will matter, but i know when u scortch food u can taste it in the end. also i put the hop pellets directly into the brew which caused an excessive amount of trubb through out my beer. i should have used the bags.

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Scorching will definitely be noticeable in the end product. Whenever you are adding extract to the kettle, remove it from heat and then add the extract. make sure it is fully dissolved before adding back to heat.

You can get away with throwing loose hops into the wort, they will settle out in time. But using a racking tube or auto-siphon will allow you to transfer the wort to the secondary or bottling bucket without the trub.

I racked my beer once so far, and i made another mistake. i used the spout on the coopers fermenter to just allow the beer to pour into a glass carboy with a funnel. will this ruin my beer? Im not to familiar with this, but i think allowing this much oxygen into the brew will cause something.

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Also adding O2 to wort after fermentation will impart a cardboard like flavor. Use a racking cane and a length of tubing to avoid oxygenating the wort when transferring.

Also I bought a kegging system to force carb for clarity, but i do not have the means to use it right now, so i bout 4 of those mini kegs. I did not buy the co2 for it, i will just use gravity because i will drink it all in one sitting. does any one have anything to tell me about using these kegs with gravity? as far as clarity, head, and anything else i should know?

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If you just use gravity you are going to have a very flat beer, you can condition using a hand held CO2 pump. If that doesn't work you can always add some priming sugar to the wort before transferring to the kegs. It won't be perfectly clear but it will taste a whole lot better.

sorry about the long ass post but i am so close to giving up and i need some advice bad.

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will the cardboard like flavor go away if i allow extra time for conditioning, and will the scortched flavor and cardboard like flavor ruin my beer completely? i dont wanna bottle/keg another batch and end up having nasty beer.

bignick said:

will the cardboard like flavor go away if i allow extra time for conditioning, and will the scortched flavor and cardboard like flavor ruin my beer completely? i dont wanna bottle/keg another batch and end up having nasty beer.

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It is likely that either one of those can make a beer taste pretty bad, although there is no guarantee of that. The only way to tell is to bottle it and let it age then see what is tastes like.

bignick said:

So i am on my second batch, it is the brewers best weissen bier kit. i made a couple of mistakes while brewing. first off, i scortched the brew pot really bad, and i dont know if it will matter, but i know when u scortch food u can taste it in the end. also i put the hop pellets directly into the brew which caused an excessive amount of trubb through out my beer. i should have used the bags.

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i burned the bottom of the pot on my first brew. no burned taste.

thanks for the help, i just hope i will someday get a batch right without screwing up like 5 different things.

Yeah add the extract a little at a time and stir well. I always dump my hops strait into the boil, and then pour the whole brew into my fermenter through a kitchen strainer, this both removes the hops (I use leaf hops) and helps w/ oxidation.

Re: racking: you should be able to use your spigot if you find some tubing that fits it tightly. You are basically trying to keep it from splashing as it goes into the next vessel. Make sure to sanitize everything. Personally, I have no problems with cloudy beer and I don't use a secondary at all, I just leave the beer in the primary for a few weeks and it clears up fine. Using irish moss will help you have clearer beer too.

knowledge is power and u guys know a lot. but thanks so much for all your advice. i will buy some irish moss and some tubing. also i am trying to find a place where i can keep my fermenter so that i dont need to move it before bottling.

also i just tried a little of the beer, and it actually tasted pretty good. it has given me some hope that i will brew great beer someday.

and if anyone uses the 5l mini kegs and primes them and uses gravity to dispense, please let me know if it is a good way to do things. i would much rather fill three of these kegs and bottle some then bottle a whole batch of beer.

oh and do u guys know if using gelatin in these little kegs would help for clarity because the spout is located towards the bottom, and i want every bit to settle as fast as possible.

Dont let other people discourage you. I made a great batch of beer and gave a friend a few bottles. I came back a few months later and they were still in fridge. It kind of hurt but i was like whatever, thats the last time I give you some home brewed beers.

Redskins838891 said:

Dont let other people discourage you. I made a great batch of beer and gave a friend a few bottles. I came back a few months later and they were still in fridge. It kind of hurt but i was like whatever, thats the last time I give you some home brewed beers.

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I would drink them.

NHRACER said:

I would drink them.

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I did. He is a die hard miller lite guy. I should have known better.