First Brew Day Tomorrow

I made the two hour trip up to Midwest today to prepare for my first brew day tomorrow. They were an EXTREMELY helpful bunch. Of course, I'm sure they are used to answering my noob questions. I was very impressed with their patience as I asked A LOT of questions wanting to make sure I'm doing things correctly.

On the way I stopped at Cabela's and picked up a 30 qt. stainless steel turkey fryer pot. This way I can use it for partial or full boils. I was going to get aluminum, but they were out and on backorder(4-6 weeks). Yes, I have read the debate between the two.

I'm planning to make tomorrow my first brew day. Super excited!! Wish me luck.

On the menu.....nut brown ale.

Sorry for the silly post. Just excited.

Hey there. You are a ahead of me! I'm just beginning to gather equipment to do my first. I got a book on brewing equipment for Christmas and am ready to get started. Good luck to you!

Good luck on the brew!! Just wait till tasting day... thats really exciting!

feel like a 5 year old on christmas eve, don't you? I have about 10 batches under my belt, and honestly feel this way the night before every brew day. good luck, and let us know how you do!

Thank you, I will let you know how it goes, and yes I do feel like one of my two children (5 year olds) on Christmas!!!!

:fro:

Good luck! I'm sure it will turn out great

The only thing I'm worried about is that we are going out of town on Wednesday night and coming back Thursday. I'm wondering if I'll miss that airlock bubbling for the first time.

I know, dumb thing to worry about. But still................

Get ready for the longest few weeks of your life! Brew day is the easy part. It's the waiting to see how it tastes when finished that is hard.

John

Better to go out of town rather than pacing and waiting for the beer to do something . I did my first batch on Christmas eve and am glad I didn't come back until Sat. Though I still have at least a week and a half to go and now I'm getting antsy.

Yeah...the waiting is going to be tough. But (hopefully) it will all be worth it in the end.

Hehe...yesterday I spent a few hours scrubbing, rinsing, and sanitizing three cases of bottles that I got from a local bar. I know it will be a few weeks before I need them but, as you said, I was getting antsy.

Good luck.. and remember patience will pay off. I tested my first batch way too soon because I could not wait

Good luck. Take your time and enjoy the process.

Nothing better than the first time sipping the first brew you made. Good luck! Make sure to relax and enjoy it!

Make sure you remember to take your hydrometer readings. In my first few batches, that was the thing that I would always forget to do. Good luck and enjoy. It really is the best hobby ever.

A couple of questions for tomorrow. I did a test boil on my stove and it took 3 gallons 52 minutes for a rolling boil in my 30 qt. pot. Towards the end the thermometer that hooks to the side of the pot would slide down and touch the inside of the pot. Not really a big deal now, but how much could it mess with the reading if I'm trying to keep it at a certain temp? Any suggestions on how to fix it?

If this recipe kit came with hop pellets, then should I worry about using a bag to boil them or will they just dissolve into the wort?

Thanks in advance.

Nah...You're thinking too much. After 52 minutes I'm sure you are boiling with only 3 gallons. Also, I have been brewing for years and the first time I used a hop bag was today since my wife bought it for me for Christmas. It was OK, but I have survived without it for sooooo long. The residue will end up in the bottom of your fermenter. No worries. Enjoy it.

Ahhh....Missed the original point on the thermometer. I wouldn't worry about it at all. You could try and calibrate it, but I am sure it is fine.

Thanks bruck. I'm positive that I was boiling. What I'm wondering is....say I need to steep grains at 150 degrees for a certain amount of time. If my thermometer slides down and touches the inside of the pot, then I'm sure this will give an inaccurate reading.

I suppose I won't be away from the pot long enough for this to be a big deal anyway. Just thought I'd ask.

Thanks for the encouragement...I'll stop back and let everyone know how it goes. Hopefully I'll be able to make a post saying how smoothly everything went and how the fermenter is locked down and the yeasties are doing their thing.

bennyd said:

A couple of questions for tomorrow. I did a test boil on my stove and it took 3 gallons 52 minutes for a rolling boil in my 30 qt. pot. Towards the end the thermometer that hooks to the side of the pot would slide down and touch the inside of the pot. Not really a big deal now, but how much could it mess with the reading if I'm trying to keep it at a certain temp? Any suggestions on how to fix it?

I would take your readings while the thermometer is in the middle of the pot. You will have a slight temperature differential at different levels of the pot. Now, it the heat is turned off (say you are steeping) then the temperature will balance somewhat. But while the heat is on, there can be a considerable difference in temperature at different levels. That being said, if you are trying to keep a consistent temperature, IMHO you do not have to be hyper vigilant to keep it within steeping/ PM ranges.

If this recipe kit came with hop pellets, then should I worry about using a bag to boil them or will they just dissolve into the wort?

Click to expand...

I agree you can get buy without the hops bag, but for roughly 35 cents, I love them. It saves mess and clean up.

Thanks again bruck...I was typing my reply when you poste yours.

Thanks bigb....you bring up another question that I have but never thought to ask.

If I'm trying to steep at 150 or so, I need consistent heat. Are you saying that turning the heat off is the best way to do this? Or just turn the heat down?

I just turn the heat off. Others may disagree, but IMHO you do not need to keep it at exactly 150 degrees. Personally, I keep it within 5 degrees of target. It really seems to take a long time for the temperature to drop significantly in my experience. So if I wanted 150, I start at 155 and turn the heat back on at say 148.

Thanks for the explanation. I won't have to worry about it tomorrow, but next up is a Honey Bee Ale. I will need to worry about it then.

bennyd said:

A couple of questions for tomorrow. I did a test boil on my stove and it took 3 gallons 52 minutes for a rolling boil in my 30 qt. pot. Towards the end the thermometer that hooks to the side of the pot would slide down and touch the inside of the pot. Not really a big deal now, but how much could it mess with the reading if I'm trying to keep it at a certain temp? Any suggestions on how to fix it?

If this recipe kit came with hop pellets, then should I worry about using a bag to boil them or will they just dissolve into the wort?

Thanks in advance.

Click to expand...

If you got one of the 550 degree thermometers with the little triangle mount, you should be able to pinch it just a bit so it won't slide. Also, I've found that you can manipulate that little triangle so that your thermometer will sit at a 45 degree angle so you can take a temp at the center of your pot as well as near the wall of your pot.

Don't forget to calibrate it! The little hex nut on the back is for calibrating. Stick it into a glass of ice water and see if it reads 32 degress. If not, you can use that hex nut to make sure it does!

Felt I should toss that in there!

Great info. Thanks!