New William's Brewing kit arrived today

It's been 20+ yrs since I brewed last. To say the least I am excited. I'll brew Fri eve after I activate the yeast slap pack Tues.

Those smack packs only need 3-3.5 hours to proof by swelling up. They're not quite the same as a starter. Think mini starter...

unionrdr said:

Those smack packs only need 3-3.5 hours to proof by swelling up. They're not quite the same as a starter. Think mini starter...

Click to expand...

Wish I'd read that before Tues! LOL. There's a sticker on the smack pack that says 1 - 7 days but I think you're right. It's swollen tight and my brew day is tomorrow. I hope there are no detrimental effects.

As long as it stays sealed,it'll be fine.

Well, yesterday was brew day. I have 5 gal sitting in the fermenter now. Hope to see some activity by tomorrow evening.

brewbama said:

Wish I'd read that before Tues! LOL. There's a sticker on the smack pack that says 1 - 7 days but I think you're right. It's swollen tight and my brew day is tomorrow. I hope there are no detrimental effects.

Click to expand...

What is the OG of the brew your planning? Smack packs are intended to show yeast viability and that is about it. The yeast are multiplying by an insignificant amount. If you're planning on brewing anything over 1.050 then you really need to consider making a starter. There are lots of resources online for yeast pitching rates, and a few pitching calculators out there. Under pitching isn't the worst thing you could do to your brew, but still a bad practice nonetheless

brewbama said:

Well, yesterday was brew day. I have 5 gal sitting in the fermenter now. Hope to see some activity by tomorrow evening.

Click to expand...

too late, lol. But check out mr malty as a pitching rate calculator.

It's at 1.016 now. OG was 1.044. I'll prime and bottle tomorrow.

With an OG of 1.044,it should get lower than 1.016. More like 1.010 or so. Wait a couple days & check it again.

Will do.

For safety, it's best to check gravity twice, 2 - 3 days apart. Bottle only if the readings are the same. If it's dropped, it's still fermenting = possible bottle bombs.

Good luck with the brew.

Thanks folks. It's been 20 yrs since my last batch. I appreciate the recommendations. I was following the William's kit by-the-numbers recipe but waiting and checking to ensure fermentation is complete is a good idea.

Hey brewbama! How do you like your Williams brewing kit? I've been looking at their home brewery kits and just curious about your opinion?

Good job so far on your brew! Can't wait to get mine going!

It has preformed well so far. I have a Brown Ale conditioning and a Holiday Ale fermenting. The Brown Ale should be ready to taste test this weekend.

The best part about the kit I bought is the large brew kettle with spigot on the side. It's size gives me reaction time to deal with a potential boil over and the spigot is useful for ensuring I don't get silt in the fermenter.

The fermenter and priming tank both have spigots as well. The fermenter spigot is positioned above the trub which means I don't have to siphon and the priming tank spigot helps when bottling.

Another great feature is the copper coil used to cool the wort quickly. I went from a boil to pitching yeast in less than 30 minutes by running cold water thru the coil.

The price was more than other kits but I believe the value in their design offsets the initial hit.

Looks like a really nice kit.

I think you just sold me on the kit! Especially having multiple brews going on at the same time.

brewbama said:

The fermenter and priming tank both have spigots as well.

Click to expand...

I've seen these in their catalog. It seems like the spigot on the fermenter would be a problem if using a swamp cooler. Seems like the spigot being under water for weeks could build up some nasties on the inside. Are you using a swamp cooler?

paratroop said:

Hey brewbama! How do you like your Williams brewing kit? I've been looking at their home brewery kits and just curious about your opinion?

Good job so far on your brew! Can't wait to get mine going!

Click to expand...

My dad has used them for close to 25 years now, and I just got my first kit from them a few weeks ago, I am bottling it (red ale) on wednesday!

It's not one of the companies that gets a lot of love (not really any hate either though) around these parts, but they have great customer support and provide their kits have always turned out great for us!

Thanks mm_johnson! Think I've officially made the descion, now I just have to get authorization from the wife!

I don't use a swamp cooler

I first used William's stuff 20 yrs ago. When AL finally legalized home brewing in May it was a familiar source for me.

The Holiday Ale is bubbling away in the fermenter.

Wait? When did they legalize home brewing in Alabama? I'm in ga so I have friends who still think it's illegal across the chattahochee.

paratroop said:

Wait? When did they legalize home brewing in Alabama? I'm in ga so I have friends who still think it's illegal across the chattahochee.

Click to expand...

This spring.

paratroop said:

Wait? When did they legalize home brewing in Alabama? I'm in ga so I have friends who still think it's illegal across the chattahochee.

Click to expand...

May '13

The English Brown Ale from Williams was a huge success. I tapped it tonight and it is an excellent brew. I'll definitely do it again

sorry for being a little late on this, but did you take pictures and how did the holiday ale come out? got anything new in the fermenter as of now!

FLfred said:

sorry for being a little late on this, but did you take pictures and how did the holiday ale come out? got anything new in the fermenter as of now!

Click to expand...

Talkin about late - I just now saw this. The Holiday Ale came out perfect. Nice spicy tones. Thanks for askin.

I have a Christmas Wit and my go-to Brown Ale on tap now with a Fireside Ale in the primary fermenter.

The Wit reminds me of a typical Belgium White beer with a kick. It was the most entertaining fermenting brew to date. When I racked to the secondary it was going crazy. Lot's of fun to watch the krausen on that one. It has also given me the prettiest pour so far with a beautiful foamy head in every glass. A great buzz in every pour to take the edge of so much family in the room at once. LOL

The Fireside Ale was going nuts in the primary which was fun to watch as well. It has been the most active in the primary of any I've done to far. I anticipate a high alcohol sit by the fire and contemplate life kinda brew. We'll see.