Brewing Now-Have Questions

Hey,
Just started the boil, a couple questions if anyone's out there:

1)Do I add aroma hops at 60 min, or a few minutes before. Basically, when during the 60 minute do I add them and how long should I let them boil before I take it all out to cool?

2)What does "pitching yeast" mean? My directions say to add the wort, then fill up the fermenter with filtered water to get the 5 gallons, then "pitch yeast". I have the yeast aerating right now. Do I just pour the yeast in then seal the glass fermenter with the cap and airlock?

PortugueseStallion said:

Hey,
Just started the boil, a couple questions if anyone's out there:

1)Do I add aroma hops at 60 min, or a few minutes before. Basically, when during the 60 minute do I add them and how long should I let them boil before I take it all out to cool?

2)What does "pitching yeast" mean? My directions say to add the wort, then fill up the fermenter with filtered water to get the 5 gallons, then "pitch yeast". I have the yeast aerating right now. Do I just pour the yeast in then seal the glass fermenter with the cap and airlock?

Click to expand...

Bittering hops are usually boiled for 60 mins. Flavor and aroma hops are added late, usually with 15 minutes or less in the boil.

Yes, once you wort is cooled, adding the yeast is called pitching. Make sure to aerate the wort too, after you pitch the yeast, because you have just boiled all of the oxygen out of it. Shake the **** out of the fermenter, or whip it to a frenzy with a sanitized stirrer. Seal it, and wait.

Bittering hops usually :60 minutes of the boil.
Flavor hops usually last :15 minutes of boil
Aroma hops usually about last :05 of boil

Cool your wort to about 70-75F. If you are diluting it you can use the cool diluting water to help get it down to temp. Get it below 80F as quickly as possible, within 15-20 min if you can. When it's 70-75 pour in fermenter and aerate it as well as you can and then put (pitch) the yeast in. Aerate more to mix in the yeast and that's it. Put airlock on and wait.

Do you have an extract kit?
Does it have any instructions with it?

Add aroma hops at the end. if it says at 60 min, then 60 minutes into the boil. Don't worry about adding extra time to the boil for your aroma hops.

Pitching yeast mean sprinkling the yeast or your starter over your cooled wort once you've transferred it into the primary.

Good luck!

Okay, about to add bittering hops now. We have the pellet kind. Do we just put them in the mesh bag and suspend? There's no other technique to prepare the hops right? Just put them in the bag?

you are probably done by now but you can just toss them in or use the bag.

read this: Beginner extract brewing howto
then, when you have the time, read section 1 of How to Brew by John Palmer

+1,000 on the "How to brew" by John Palmer. Lots of great info there.