I made BEER!!!

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thorongil

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Joined
Aug 29, 2007
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Location
Buckeye, Arizona
I feel like Tom Hanks in Cast Away upon making fire...


My fist batch is officially beer! :ban: Started the SNPA clone last Sat. night, had a blast and ended up with a wort with an O.G. of 1.052. My bucket has been keeping me company in my office in a water tub and bubbled away for about a week. Checked the F.G. today and am at 1.013 which is pretty much where I need to be.

I'm in Arizona, so I'm still a bit worried about the temp, but I kept the bucket covered with a wet towel with my ceiling fan on the entire time, and the water in the tub held at a constant 72 degrees. Dropped the thermometer in the brew today and it read 74, so I think I'll be fine.

I am indebted to you all (lurked for a few weeks before starting my batch) and to the great info on howtobrew.com. Here's to looking forward to the next batch! :mug:
 
Congratulations.

Now...get ready to set that beer aside in bottles and forget about them for about 3-4 weeks.

Then, go get the ingredients for your next batch.

If you keep yourself busy with your next batch of brew, you'll be less tempted to mess with, sample, drink up you current batch before it's ready.
 
Congrats! And brew season is getting closer; another month and that whole temp thing will be easier to manage. There's "stuff" out there to brew in summer as well to manage your temps. Fermentation Chiller, temp controlled freezers but for now, like BM stated, get the train rolling. That 1st batch goes really quick once ready ;)
 
now you in BIG trouble!!!! once the "bug" grabs hold,, theres no turning back!!!!
congrats my friend, enjoy your new found hobby!:mug:
 
Jesus BM, 3-4 weeks!!! I'm bottling my first batch tomorrow. I was planning 2 weeks to sample. Your killing me...:D

I'm starting a new batch on thursday. Maybe the Kolsch i'm doing will take my mind off it...

Cheers...
 
Congrats! May your water have the proper ph, your burner sufficient strength, and any family members give you the requisite storage space!
 
Bulls Beers said:
Jesus BM, 3-4 weeks!!! I'm bottling my first batch tomorrow. I was planning 2 weeks to sample. Your killing me...:D
...
Two weeks to "sample" is fine. So long as a sampling doesn't turn in to polishing off a luke warm 12 pack. ;)
 
its a great feeling isnt it. Now with the temps cooling off its time to kick it into first gear so you and your friends & family cant stay nice and buzzed all fall and winter
 
Chimone said:
its a great feeling isnt it. Now with the temps cooling off its time to kick it into first gear so you and your friends & family cant stay nice and buzzed all fall and winter

Indeed it is... and while I'm in the Phoenix area now, I grew up in Sierra Vista...
 
Congrats on the success!! Now, pick out the next batch!

Like Chimone said, the weather is changing. You (and me, with my swamp cooler) will be able to make more stuff, in the near future.

My boss gave me 2 smack-packs of Rudeshimer yeast (dated from Sept '06) and they are going into my next batch of mead. I already smacked one, and it puffed up, so I know it is still viable. 18 pounds of honey, 5 pounds of blackberries, some yeast nutrient, and enough water to make 6 gallons of mead.

steve
 
Go ahead and sample a few at two weeks, then wait two more weeks, and sample again. You should appreciate the difference between new/green beer and "aged" beer.
It is hard to be patient on the first couple of batches, but the taste does mellow and improve...as others have mentioned, build up your stock.
 
Congratulations! Don't rush that first batch. We all know how hard it is to resist, and that you will give in anyway, but you will also see how patience is rewarded. :)


TL
 
I'm trying to be patient, but having the fermenter in my office next to me where I work 10+ hours a day does not help :p

I did try a sip when I took the F.G. reading to make sure nothing was obviously bad, and it tasted pretty good (although green) to me...
 
I'd go visit Four Peaks in Scottsdale or Tempe in the meantime. A fine establishment. :mug:

Yeah, I'm ready for the weather to cool a bit. I'm tired of my $250 electric bill.
 
Nyxator said:
I'd go visit Four Peaks in Scottsdale or Tempe in the meantime. A fine establishment. :mug:

Yeah, I'm ready for the weather to cool a bit. I'm tired of my $250 electric bill.

Oh yeah, love Four Peaks... Problem is I'm about an hour away from either location. :( I'm just depending on the real SNPA to tide me over...
 
Was it a kit from somebody like AHBS or did you follow some other recipe?

I've got a SNPA clone in the fermenter right now that is from "Clone Brews"

Regards,
Al
 
Good on ya! First brew is nervous and tempting. I was looking into the closet every night to see if anything had changed. Two weeks till drinkable is hard, and three weeks till Great is even harder, but you will notice the difference. Cheers!:mug:
 
GIusedtoBe said:
Was it a kit from somebody like AHBS or did you follow some other recipe?

I've got a SNPA clone in the fermenter right now that is from "Clone Brews"

Regards,
Al
It was a kit thrown together by my LHBS. They described it as a SNPA clone...
 
Thrown together? If it is the kit I'm thinking about, it was very completely planned out. (Did you get it from Brewers Conection? Was the sales guy named Steve?)

steve
 
thorongil said:
It was a kit thrown together by my LHBS. They described it as a SNPA clone...

You mind sharing what it was? I'm just curious since none of the brews I've done have tasted like what they are modeled after.

Regards,
Al
 
GIusedtoBe said:
You mind sharing what it was? I'm just curious since none of the brews I've done have tasted like what they are modeled after.

Regards,
Al

I can make a guess;
6 Lbs light DME
1/2 pound Carafoam
1/2 pound Crystal 40
1 oz. Cascade at 60 min
1 oz. cascade at 15 min
safale S-05

steve
 
Steve is correct... and don't take "thrown together" to mean sloppy or bad work - my fault for a poor choice of words. Based on the smell alone I expect this to be a great clone of SNPA...
 
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