Beginner's beginner - help please

Ok, I've been looking through the threads all morning and can't find the concise answer I'm looking for. I'm a real beginner: My carboy & bucket are at home sanitizing as we speak. They were a friend's and had been sitting for a few years, so my LHBS suggested I sanitize overnight. I have all the equipment needed, but have a few questions before getting started. We're brewing a Canadian Lager (LME)... I bought the malt, a large & small bag of sugar and some brown powdery stuff that I add 1/3 of to the large bag of sugar (can't remember the name)and then add that to the bucket after I've boiled the water and followed the initial instructions. Some questions: When I dump the sanitizer from the bucket/carboy, should I rinse them with pre-boiled water, or is tap water fine? Once the bucket is filled to the recommended level, I cap it and stop it with the airlock? The bucket, when put in the closet for fermentation, should be elevated to allow for an easier transfer to the carboy, correct? How do I use the hydrometer? There's a thermometer strip on the side of the bucket; should I buy a food-grade thermometer as well for temperature? Can tap water (chlorinated) be used, or should I use spring water? If spring water, do I have to sanitize the water cooler jug before filling it? Can you tell I'm paranoid? I appreciate any input, folks. This seems like a great website full of experts willing to help. I'm excited about this hobby...... Beer is so delicious.

It's hard to read all your questions without paragraph breaks, some of us have old eyes.

But. You don't rinse after you sanitize at all. If you are using a product like iodophor, star san and one step.

And all the other info can be found in the beginner forum stickies....All the info you need is already on here.

Calm down, take a deep breath, and relax.

This is a great book to read, and it will answer your questions as well. How to Brew - By John Palmer - Introduction

Several things.

1. Take a breath
2. Use Paragraphs
3. RDWHAHB
4. Search for RDWHAHB
5. If your tap water is okay to drink then you can use it. Use store bought if you wish or pre boiled.
6. Read www.howtobrew.com
7. Put your brew day back a day or so until you are happy with what you are doing
8. RDWHAHB.
9. Read this

And read this...https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/stone-cold-lead-pipe-lockd-n00b-advice-54362/

(when did it become un stickied?)

Thanks for the links guys. I'll read away!

Revvy said:

And read this...https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/stone-cold-lead-pipe-lockd-n00b-advice-54362/

(when did it become un stickied?)

Click to expand...

It's linked in the FAQ sticky In bold at the top and marked important!!!!!

orfy said:

It's linked in the FAQ sticky In bold at the top and marked important!!!!!

Click to expand...

Gotcha!!! (You've been a busy gnome today)

What recipe are you brewing? My first beer included a "big bag of corn sugar" and it wasn't very pleasant.

Edit: Just re-read your post and see what you're making. I would suggest, and a few others might agree that you get a different kit or just change what your current kit is to exclude corn sugar as a primary ingredient. You'll have to replace it with more extract I believe but at least you won't have a bad first experience.

Well, this is exciting.

We're brewing a Canadian Lager (hopped).

Basic Instructions which we followed this time:

Sanitize.

Rinse (I'll go with no-rinse next time)

Boil 4 quarts of water in 2 pots.

Add sugar and Spaymalt to 1st pot of water, bring back to boil.

Pour into sanitized bucket.

Add malt to bucket.

Add water from pot #2 into malt can and pour back into pot #1 to rinse out the rest of the malt/spaymalt/sugar and pour into pot #1

We rehydrated the yeast while the above was being done.

Pour remaining water from pot #1 into bucket. Stir.

Fill to 1st bucket line with cold water.

Gently pour rehydrated yeast on top of pre-beer in bucket.

Cap bucket, plug with airlock. Wait.

After 24 hours (tonight 8pm, AST) stir the mixture. Gently?

Wait.

That was it. I was reading the How to Brew online manual and he made no mention of the sugar.

Anyway, we'd rather have crappy beer and the experience. We'll just learn from here.

Edit: I would appreciate any suggestions for a "truer" recipe that's just as easy to make, minus the corn sugar. I want to start as simple as possible & build from there.

Yeah, it will be beer but don't be disappointed if it ain't great.
What you have is about the cheapest kit you can get and involves the least input from the brewer.

It also will not be true lager unless you "lager" it.

Well done on doing your first beer.

OK, just a few points - Lager requires low and controlled fermentation temps, and I hate to admit it but I have no idea where or what NB is. (Maybe I need another beer).

You can use the yeast at higher temps, but it will have a few off flavors to it.
The don't panic short answer.
Sanitize everything.
Cool the wort to the fermentation temp before pitching the yeast.
Let it ferment at the best temp you can manage.
Give it time to ferment, condition, bottle/keg age.
Relax and drink it.

Kauai_Kahuna said:

OK, just a few points - Lager requires low and controlled fermentation temps, and I hate to admit it but I have no idea where or what NB is. (Maybe I need another beer).

You can use the yeast at higher temps, but it will have a few off flavors to it.

Click to expand...

IIRC, the prehopped Lager kits use ALE yeast, since they are for beginners.....SO don't worry about what he said about off flavors. this is your first beer, you will be fine.

Yeah. I expected it to not be great. I think for the next batch I will try the recipe in the How to Brew book. It seems a simple beginner's recipe, but will produce a truer beer. Looking forward to it.

NB is a long way from Hawaii. We are a polar ice cap melt away from being

an island though. New Brunswick....we're northeast of Maine on the east

coast of Canada. Lobster capital of the world. Acadians, they call most of

us. We were kicked out of NB and shipped off to Louisiana in the 1800's, and

our french evolved into they're Creole. Small history lesson. Here's a map if

you're interested:

Map of NB CA by MapQuest

Um, we drink more beer per capita than any other province in Canada. I

don't know if it's actually true, but I choose to believe it!!

Cheers.