Newbie needs help!

So I just had my first brew day on Sunday. I am making an Amber Ale and I was very careful to sanitize everything, but one step I think I let out was providing oxygen to the wort before adding the yeast. Will this kill my beer?

Kill? No.
Be the best that it could be? No.
Be beer? Yes.

No. Fermentation will just take longer to get started most likely. I didn't now any better when I started out either, not because I forgot, but because I didn't know it would help to do it. After I would shake things up a bit, visually I recognize fermentation would start earlier than usual. Please don't shake it now though, it's too late.

No it won't. The *worst* that could happen from lack of oxygen is that you end up with high FG.

M_C

zachburks said:

So I just had my first brew day on Sunday. I am making an Amber Ale and I was very careful to sanitize everything, but one step I think I let out was providing oxygen to the wort before adding the yeast. Will this kill my beer?

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Probably not. When you moved the wort from the boiling kettle to the fermentor, you probably introduced enough oxygen to do the trick. Just be patient, and it will most likely turn out fine. And my first brew was an amber ale, too!

glenn514

Kill? No... Depending on the OG, yeast, and how you got it into the primary, it might just be a bit slower to start, and need more time to get rid of 'off' flavors.

How did you transfer the wort from the pot to the fermenter? Are you fermenting in a carboy or bucket? What's the OG? I would plan on giving it at least 2 weeks (3-4 being better) before taking a hydrometer reading, and tasting the sample. Once you have a confirmed FG (you need two matching readings 2-3 days apart) let the taste of the brew tell you when it's ready for bottles... Going with this method from the start will get you much better brew than rushing things. Learning patience with your wort, and yeast buddies, is also a valuable lesson.

I would suggest getting a solid oxygenation method for future batches. I'm on the verge of picking up one of the pure O2 systems for my own brewing. I'll have it before I brew my next high OG batch (the next one is just two brew-days away, about a month in human time)... So far, I've been using either the shake, hard pour, or fast pour methods... Getting good results, but I want to see how much a difference infusing the wort with pure O2 will make...

Damn, a lot of replies as I was typing this one...

How will I know it is ready to move from the initial fermenter to the carboy?

zachburks said:

How will I know it is ready to move from the initial fermenter to the carboy?

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I wouldn't rack to the carboy at all... I've stopped doing that (as have many others) except when needing to age on other items that do a better job off the yeast. Otherwise, leave it in primary for the duration. If you want to brew another batch before this one is ready for bottles, get another primary. OR, create a blow-off assembly and use the carboy (if it's only 5 gallons)... I've done that with my 5 gallon carboys, and kegs, and used them as primaries. I just wouldn't use a top cropping yeast in those. Then again, you would probably want at least a 6.5-7.5 gallon primary for that kind of yeast.

I am fermenting in a bucket then moving it to a glass carboy. I poured it from my pot, after cooling, into the bucket. I did not take an OG because I wasn't really sure how.

Golddiggie said:

I wouldn't rack to the carboy at all... I've stopped doing that (as have many others) except when needing to age on other items that do a better job off the yeast. Otherwise, leave it in primary for the duration. If you want to brew another batch before this one is ready for bottles, get another primary. OR, create a blow-off assembly and use the carboy (if it's only 5 gallons)... I've done that with my 5 gallon carboys, and kegs, and used them as primaries. I just wouldn't use a top cropping yeast in those. Then again, you would probably want at least a 6.5-7.5 gallon primary for that kind of yeast.

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So I shouldnt move it for 3-4 weeks then transfer it to my bottling bucket and go from there?

That's it, brew - wait three weeks - bottle - wait three weeks - drink. Repeat as necessary.

Do you have a hydrometer? If so, use a sanitized turkey baster to pull some of the wort out, when it's been at least two weeks on the yeast and take a reading... Then taste the sample. Give it another 2-3 days and repeat. IF it has no off flavors, and tastes really good, then plan to bottle when you can (following weekend is usually a good idea)...

Mix up your priming solution (measure the sugar by weight, factoring in the brew style, and temperature into how much sugar to use) when you mix it up. Rack the brew onto the solution and bottle. You'll want to do that within a short amount of time (an hour is usually the target form when the brew is racked onto the priming solution)... So have everything else ready before you rack.

Since you have the carboy on hand, I would suggest practicing racking between it and the bottling bucket. If you don't have an auto-siphon, I suggest getting one. It makes it a lot easier to get the transfer started.

Without knowing the OG, it's not going to be easy to figure out the ABV of the brew. With extract kits, you often come in on target, but if you added more water than it calls for, then your OG will be lower. If you added less, then it will be higher... I'm talking about quarts here, not small measures...

Pouring the wort into the bucket is how most of us started off. You should be fine with how much oxygen you introduced into the wort.

BTW, a 5 gallon glass carboy is an excellent primary for 3-4 gallon batches of either mead, cider, or hard lemonade...

I would also suggest getting another 2 primaries... That way, you'll be able to brew every two weeks (roughly)... With three in the rotation, you'll be able to leave bigger brews on the yeast for longer (as needed)... You can also use the carboy for aging brews on oak and such. If you want to dry hop a batch, do it right in the primary.

There's a lot you can do in primary these days that people would have told you to rack before doing (even a decade ago)... Look at some of Revvy's posts about long primaries... So far, I've gone up to 6 weeks on the yeast. I have two coming batches that could be on the yeast for two months (each) before going to next steps... Of course, we're talking bigger brews here, close to (or over) 1.100 for the OG...

I can't believe someone else hasn't said this already:

Relax, don't worry, have a homebrew!

Amber ale is a great choice for a first brew. If you don't like it, try it again later.