Many problems with first brew..How to tell if it is ok?

Yakima 728
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
T

Tiako

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 7, 2009
Messages
218
Reaction score
0
I had an insane amount of problems from the very start. The first one being that the stove could not get 3 gallons of water to boil which caused problems with the malt. I had to cover it to get it to boil then leave it 2/3 covered to keep it at a high temp. So I had malt sitting right at 209 degrees F for a long time. Then after this when I tried to chill it by putting it in the sink with ICE it still took hours to cool. And the final problem being that I forgot to put vodka in the air lock. Right now I am about 6 hours in and not sure what to do. Is it ok to go back and put some vodka(It is 6am at this point) in the airlock?

The only thing I manage to do right is keep all the temps right.
 
Tiako said:
I had an insane amount of problems from the very start. The first one being that the stove could not get 3 gallons of water to boil which caused problems with the malt. I had to cover it to get it to boil then leave it 2/3 covered to keep it at a high temp. So I had malt sitting right at 209 degrees F for a long time. Then after this when I tried to chill it by putting it in the sink with ICE it still took hours to cool. And the final problem being that I forgot to put vodka in the air lock. Right now I am about 6 hours in and not sure what to do. Is it ok to go back and put some vodka in the airlock?
Click to expand...

Go ahead and fill the airlock now, and don't worry so much. Worst Case scenario you will have a slight burnt flavor from scorched malt if it actually did get scorched.
 
Im sure everything will be fine. Its easy to worry about so many of the little things, especially if you read these forums and listen to all the problems other people go through. Vodka in the airlock is not a neccessity, it will just help keep bacteria out of your wort. If you feel the need to put some in your airlock now, it couldn't hurt. I would just relax, have a couple brews and let the yeasties do their job now! :mug:
 
Tiako said:
I had an insane amount of problems from the very start. The first one being that the stove could not get 3 gallons of water to boil which caused problems with the malt. I had to cover it to get it to boil then leave it 2/3 covered to keep it at a high temp. So I had malt sitting right at 209 degrees F for a long time. Then after this when I tried to chill it by putting it in the sink with ICE it still took hours to cool. And the final problem being that I forgot to put vodka in the air lock. Right now I am about 6 hours in and not sure what to do. Is it ok to go back and put some vodka(It is 6am at this point) in the airlock?

The only thing I manage to do right is keep all the temps right.
Click to expand...

Go ahead and put the vodka into the airlock now.

As for the boil, or lack thereof, you will probably be ok. You may end up with some off-flavors because of the lack of a rolling boil and having partially covered the brewpot, but since you used malt extract, it's not nearly as big of a deal as it would be if you had used grains.
Relax, give the yeast time to do its thing, and look forward to enjoying your first beer in about six weeks or so. Chances are it'll be great, because even if it's not perfect, YOU MADE BEER!
 
Go ahead and fill the airlock now, and don't worry so much. Worst Case scenario you will have a slight burnt flavor from scorched malt if it actually did get scorched.
Click to expand...

Yeah it did burn their are marks at the bottom of the pot and there was some black stuff floating around. Not too many marks though..

I was curious can I boil 2 gallons and add 3 gallons of cold water to cool it off. Because I can't get 3 gallons to boil but I bet 2 gallons would.
 
Sure, use Beer Calculus to help work out the adjustments. You might need a few more hops...
Beer Calculus . homebrew recipe calculator
It is pretty self explanatory.

I wouldn't worry about the little scorching you found. I had that problem a couple of times with no ill effects so I think your odds are good.

Now, and this is important, THERE IS NOTHING MORE YOU CAN DO for this beer. So don't worry. You just have to wait.

It will be good.

Good luck.
 
On beer calculus type in the recipe the way you made it and record the results,
IBU,HBU, especially.
Then change the boil volume and tweak the bittering hops until it matches pretty close.

Brew, relax, enjoy.
 
I want to try another easy beer for my next one again. What is the cheapest and easy beer to brew for the first few batches?
 
Ambers are about as simple as they come. Extract, hops, and water.
Northern Brewer has a good one, as does the Wine and Hop shop (my LHBS) and they'll ship.

Or find a recipe.
 
I also put my wort in the freezer to cool it off. Didn't know that was a no no :(
 
I wouldn't worry about the temp. I live at 6500' so even when I get a boil its at about 204. My first brew I didn't even use an ice bath to chill the wort, it took forever (like 5 hours), pretty tasty though. You're beer will be fine, and delicious. Even if its bad, you made it, so it will be fantastic.
 
When you say you put it into the sink "with ice" , you did also fill the sink with water too, right? It is the cold water which will carry the heat away from the kettle.

I've never had a full ice bath take longer than a half hour to cool three gallons down to pitching temp.
 
No problem if you have room. Lots of northern folk put it outside.
The trick with a freezer I think is a) don't thaw all your other stuff and b) don't let any frost fall in.

An ice bath is better than the freezer, but on a rough night you improvise.

It will be fine.
 
dontman said:
When you say you put it into the sink "with ice" , you did also fill the sink with water too, right? It is the cold water which will carry the heat away from the kettle.

I've never had a full ice bath take longer than a half hour to cool three gallons down to pitching temp.
Click to expand...


This was 5 gallons and the only ice I had was what was in the ice maker. I did not understand when I did this that you should use a 16 pound bag.

Anyways everything is fermenting away and it gets faster every few hours. It is not overflowing like I see in youtube videos or pics but everything looks fine. It also seems to be getting much lighter in color. And the gauge on the bottle reads 74 ale. I assume this number will progress to a darker beer as time goes on?

Thanks for the help guys. I know you get a post like this everyday :fro:
 
Can you not tell if you have an infection until the end of the fermentation process?
I assume fermentation is suppose to smell sour..

Anyways here is what it looks like right now.
beerng5.jpg
 
Tiako:

All is well, or as good as it can be.

Now, the best thing you can do is to take your fermenter, put it in a cool dark place, and ignore it for two weeks. The yeast will reward you.
 
jds said:
Tiako:

All is well, or as good as it can be.

Now, the best thing you can do is to take your fermenter, put it in a cool dark place, and ignore it for two weeks. The yeast will reward you.
Click to expand...

Do you think I should use a second container? The instructions say I can do either or.
 
You're not doing it right unless it looks like this:

Porter_3.jpg




just joshin', it looks fine and should turn out great. Like previously stated, let it sit on the yeast for 2-3 weeks and you'll be amazed that you've made beer.
 
chefchris said:
You're not doing it right unless it looks like this:

Porter_3.jpg




just joshin', it looks fine and should turn out great. Like previously stated, let it sit on the yeast for 2-3 weeks and you'll be amazed that you've made beer.
Click to expand...


Oh noes :eek:
 
Tiako said:
Do you think I should use a second container? The instructions say I can do either or.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't suggest that for your first batch. Secondaries aren't necessary for most styles of beer. Just let it sit in primary for 3 weeks or so, and you should be good to bottle.
 
ArcaneXor said:
I wouldn't suggest that for your first batch. Secondaries aren't necessary for most styles of beer. Just let it sit in primary for 3 weeks or so, and you should be good to bottle.
Click to expand...

I am curious to why everyone suggests how long to let the beer ferment is different. I suppose too many people pull the beer to early. The directions do say 7-10 days but better to let it go two-three weeks right?
 
Tiako said:
I am curious to why everyone suggests how long to let the beer ferment is different. I suppose too many people pull the beer to early. The directions do say 7-10 days but better to let it go two-three weeks right?
Click to expand...

There's a bit of a discussion between flyangler, myself and the OP of this thread https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/questions-about-fermation-102031/#post1118143 If you start at post 6 you'll understand a bit why...It really nothing more than older prevailing wisdom clashing with newer info and experience...the eternal struggle to "teach old dogs new tricks."

Most of us have found the benefits of letting our beers sit for 3-4 weeks, usually by accident, though there is plenty of corroborating evidence from people such as palmer, that the yeast do more than just ferment the beer.

:mug:
 

Similar threads

K
Head ache beer
Replies
13
Views
876
mac_1103
mac_1103
B
No fermentation activity after 36 hours
Replies
21
Views
2K
BrewnWKopperKat
BrewnWKopperKat
B
Terrible brew
Replies
25
Views
1K
Craiginthecorn
C
Lollim96
Can someone please explain AG brewing in mash tune that don’t have elements? Like cooler tuns?
Replies
13
Views
1K
marx2k
M
L
Over primed with dextrose, want to avoid bottle bombs
Replies
6
Views
1K
beren
beren
BrewSwag 300

Latest posts

Back
Top