First 5 Gallon Batch

So I've been doing Mr. Beer for about 2 years. I received a 5 gallon kit from Midwest for Christmas and I'm working through my first batch. I've been aspiring to get the 5 gallon setup so I can move on to real beer, but life's been getting in the way.

Tonight is brew night on my first batch. Overall the process is slightly more complex than Mr. Beer (Specialty grain, partial boil, etc.) but I find it very enjoyable. I've only experienced a few issues so far. Here's what I've learned:

1. Lid on = good recipe for boilover. Luckily I caught it within seconds and didn't cause too much of a mess. Should I throw my lid away?

2. The muslin sack that comes with it is insufficient. I need to buy a few nice re-usable ones.

3. I haven't gotten to that part yet, but I believe that I'll buy a crash chiller for my next batch.

4. Don't spill your specialty grains when pouring them into the sack. If you do, your going to boil them for a while, so they'll probably get sanitized. I scooped them up and stuck them back in the bag Don't tell anyone that might drink this stuff in the future.

5. I 've heard "Relax, have a homebrew" as the key to brewing. I may have gotten this wrong by drinking 3 microbrews instead. Imperial stouts the lot of them. We'll see how that turns out. (FYI Northern Coast Imperial Stout is a bit hoppy for me, but Victory Imperial Stout was within reason. I'm by no means a hop-head, but the Northern was just too much. I went out to get Sierra Nevada's Narwhal, which is in my top 3 beers, but they ran out yesterday. Insert sad-face here.)

6. Having a wireless thermometer is very handy. I bought it for grilling and it also works for brewing

Anyways, 16 minutes left on the boil. I'll try to post back here as I encounter post-worthy events.

Nice! Mr. Beer in the dust and the training wheels are off!

#1 - Yep. I learned that too the hard way early on.

#3 - If you are at all handy you can make one on the cheap(er) from a coil of 25 or 50' box store copper.

#5 - If Narwhal gone is a bad thing, if you have it in your area check out Founders' Imperial Stout - it just hit the stores here and is fantastic. (BTW, I've yet to crack a beer while brewing, I know it's a requirement, but I know if I did I'd forget something important, like boiling the wort and stuff. )

#4 you don't boil your specialty grains if you spill them. Just put in the sack, steep, remove sack (It's ok to squeeze your sack if you want) then start your boil. Nothing pre-boil has to be sanitized, the boil does that for you.

Monkfish: I was debating making my own. I was thinking of setting up a circulation system that dumped the heated water into a cooler filled with frozen water bottles. I think I saw that somewhere. I could hook up a fish tank pump and a switch on the outside to make it nice and easy.

Grem: You are correct sir, they were steeped, not boiled.

It's now about 10 hours after I got everything all sealed up and I learned a few more beginner's tips:

#7: If you are using a bucket for primary fermentation, put the lid on first, then the airlock. If you put the airlock in first, you'll get a face full of water when the lid pops on.

#8: The bubbles in the airlock are loud enough to wake me up. I was going to put the bucket down in the basement, but my wife reminded me that I mentioned people having problems with fermentation if their bucket is in the basement. Our basement is finished and heated and doesn't feel too much colder than the rest of the house, so I think it would be fine next time, but this time we decided to put it in my closet up in our bedroom. I wound up carrying it back down to the main floor at about 4AM because the bubbles were keeping us up. Bright side: active fermentation is active.

#9: If you live in an arid climate, be prepared to add a touch of water to the airlock from time to time as it splashes out a bit and evaporates. I topped mine off with some water that I boiled this morning.

#7: If you are using a bucket for primary fermentation, put the lid on first, then the airlock. If you put the airlock in first, you'll get a face full of water when the lid pops on.

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Put the airlock into the bucket lid first because otherwise you will push the grommet into the wort and have to fish it out somehow. Just don't put the liquid in until the lid is sealed.

1. Lid on = good recipe for boilover. Luckily I caught it within seconds and didn't cause too much of a mess. Should I throw my lid away?

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I use the lid to help me get to boil but I keep a thermometer in the pot to see when it is near boil. About 10 degrees before boil I take the lid off. Gotta watch it though, the temperature rises quickly.

2. The muslin sack that comes with it is insufficient. I need to buy a few nice re-usable ones.

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Nylon paint strainer bags work well. I rinse mine in the sink, hang to dry, and then shake out any grain particles left so it is ready for the next brew session.

4. Don't spill your specialty grains when pouring them into the sack. If you do, your going to boil them for a while, so they'll probably get sanitized. I scooped them up and stuck them back in the bag Don't tell anyone that might drink this stuff in the future.

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I raise grain on my farm. You'd be surprised what the grain goes through before it ever gets to you.

Don't get rid of the Mr beer keg. I did my first all grain beer on the stove top 2 days ago an it is fermenting in there as we speak.

I also do 5 gallon batches but think Mr beer great for experimentation