1st Batch !!!!

What's up everyone.. I have been doing some research and really want to get into this hobby. Just ordered my kit and it came but they forgot my ingredients kit. I think it should be here this weekend. Anyways its aTrue Brew Amber Ale kit. I am really hoping to get a good first batch and do a couple more extract kit before upgrading to grain. I am also in the process of reading "How To Brew". All advice is welcome..

I Have just added some pics of the progress I have made in my 1st week. Feed back will greatly be appreciated.

Here she is.... A week later and I start... with HBT on the back!!!



On the stove top. This electric stove took way too long. will have to deal with it for the next couple batches but I will deff be upgrading to a Propane Burner.







On the Ice bath, This actually worked really well and cooled quicker than I thought. At one point the temp went to the mid 70s right b4 i pitched i brought it back to 90 (is this ok???)




As you can see I made a little mess!!





FV!!






Trying to maintain upper 60s to lower 70s temp. Started with a fishtank heater which worked ok until I removed it from the water and broke it. Now I am using heat wire which is used to keep pipes from freazing. I got the parts which is sealed inside the water container (not pictured) and its actually working really well.

Also giving my bottles a nice bath to make it easier for de labeling.. I have them in their for close to a week ( since i have to wait anyways) and its working Great






While I wait, I try some diff Beers.. This was a good one









Thank You all for looking...

Welcome to your new hobby/obsession!!

If you don't get your kit, how far away from Monroe, CT are you? You could swing up to Maltose Express and pick up another kit. www.maltose.com

I called you guys weds because i was snowed in and wanted to go get a kit and guess you guys were closed due to the storm, but I was there this past saturday and did the mistake of not picking anything up. I will deff be there these next weeks to get my second kit and a 6.5 carboy. Would love to go tomorrow but it's my lil girls bday and I will be super busy.

Read a few threads here for some rules of thumb. Sanitize. Boil. Primary for 3 to 4 weeks at not too high a temp. Don't fiddle with the brew while it ferments. Bottle/keg when ready, and leave it condition another few weeks. In the meantime, get another few brews in the pipeline so you don;t have so long to wait as your progress in the hobby.

B

welcome.. that was my first brew too... (sure plenty of folks) It was an ok beer.. It would have been better if I had the advice that is pushed here... let it sit in the fermentation bucket for at least 2 weeks instead of the.. I think 1 the instructions say... and after you bottle don't even think about trying one for 3 weeks.

Bpts_finest13 said:

What's up everyone.. I have been doing some research and really want to get into this hobby. Just ordered my kit and it came but they forgot my ingredients kit. I think it should be here this weekend. Anyways its aTrue Brew Amber Ale kit. I am really hoping to get a good first batch and do a couple more extract kit before upgrading to grain. I am also in the process of reading "How To Brew". All advice is welcome..

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I just orderd my kit also. Will come nexed week. I am going to my home Brew store today and get an ingredients kit.

Roger

Thanx for the advices everyone.. the advice and threads on this site is great.. How To Brew is kid of making me somewhat nervous because its so critical about everything... I will deff have to read the book once or twice more..lol..

Hope everything turns out great. Did my first about two months ago... The obsession WILL start. All i have in my fridge is homebrew. I will NEVER buy another beer from the big three!

I am also new to the hobbie and just starting to learn the basics. Im using several mr beer kegs and kits. All have come out awsome. Its going to be hard for be to brew bigger batches beacuse im the only beer drinker in the house and 5gallons might be to big of batches for me. So far im having a lot of fun with this hobbie. im also learnig more then ever about beer

I wanted to start with a Mr. Beer but knew that I would want to upgrade to 5 gO Nd future all grain.. so I just bought the 5 gal kit from the start.. I am also the only beer drinker and on top of that I am big into the gym so the 5 gal will last me a while. I plan on sharing with friends so that's the reason I am hoping I get good at it so I can be like "look at what I did"

Thanks to a little get together I now have enough bottles.. super excited!!
Ps. The Budwiser American Ale bottles are really good.

Kit finally got in yesterday and I am hoping to brew it on Friday night after the SWMBO n lil one goes to bed..

Do NOT put your beer in Bud bottles Have a great first brewday!

One other tip; do not try to drink boiling wort!

Do NOT put your beer in Bud bottles Have a great first brewday!

One other tip; do not try to drink boiling wort! You will be tempted.

I just made my first brew this past Saturday. It was the same exact kit that you are making...True Brew Amber Ale kit. It was fairly easy, just follow the directions in "How to Brew" and not the ones that come with it. I hope both of ours come out good! I'm already hooked.

Connman said:

Do NOT put your beer in Bud bottles Have a great first brewday!

One other tip; do not try to drink boiling wort!

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Bud those bottles seam great. They are non twist, what's the reason??

But**

As long as they aren't screw off, you can use them.
Please remove all evidence they held bud!

Good Luck,
Bull

butler1244 said:

I just made my first brew this past Saturday. It was the same exact kit that you are making...True Brew Amber Ale kit. It was fairly easy, just follow the directions in "How to Brew" and not the ones that come with it. I hope both of ours come out good! I'm already hooked.

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Yeah I just finished reading how to brew extract part.. will probably hold off on reading the rest until I do my first batch.

bullinachinashop said:

As long as they aren't screw off, you can use them.
Please remove all evidence they held bud!

Good Luck,
Bull

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I read that they made great bottles in another thread, went out and got them... nice and strong bottles..
Ps ppl really hate bud on this place it seems.. not a fan myself

You'll never see an empty bud bottle at my house... Or a full one for that matter.
I typically like to use pliny bottles (i like the shape, and there 16oz)

The BIG Bud factory is only about 20 minutes from my house. I get sick to my stomach every time i drive by.

Never heard of Pliny??!!

Gee...could you send me a full Pliny bottle so I can see for myself?

Bpts_finest13 said:

Never heard of Pliny??!!

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Its a very hoppy IPA from Russian River brewing... BEST BEER EVER! (next to "hop stoopid" of course)

Most people hate Bud (although you wouldn't guess that from their sales)...I never liked it anyways, but I especially hated them and Miller-Coors once I saw a documentary called Beer Wars.

Good luck brewing Friday! Let us know how it goes.

Bottle looks Awsome and beer looks even better.. I gotta try one

Bpts_finest13 said:

Bottle looks Awsome and beer looks even better.. I gotta try one

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Good luck. Philly is about the only place you can get it away from the West Coast and that's only on tap. I think some places in NYC are trying to get it as well.

butler1244 said:

Most people hate Bud (although you wouldn't guess that from their sales)...I never liked it anyways, but I especially hated them and Miller-Coors once I saw a documentary called Beer Wars.

Good luck brewing Friday! Let us know how it goes.

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Thanx..
Not a big fan myself... but my father in law who I used to live with for over 2 years drinks at least 3 of them a night religiously... keep telling him to try other things but he stays buying buds.. the main reason I bought the ones I bought.. so he would have something to doing and I didn't need to buy reg buds on cans which he prefers..
Btw can I see BREW WARS On YouTube??

stevo155 said:

Good luck. Philly is about the only place you can get it away from the West Coast and that's only on tap. I think some places in NYC are trying to get it as well.

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Not cool!!

Nope..not on Youtube! It's called Beer Wars...I watched it on Netflix online. It's basically just about the big corporations trying to kill the small microbreweries. Not the greatest documentary, but informative at least.

Gosta look That up..
I asked YouTube because SWMBO showed me a documentary on YouTube called meet your meat...
About the MEAT FACTORY.. lol.. this sounds bad
Anyways make u want to be a vegetarian

Beer wars in nothing like that. Its informative and is one of the reasons i got started in brewing!

JoeBronco said:

Beer wars in nothing like that. Its informative and is one of the reasons i got started in brewing!

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Pretty much the same reason I got into brewing too.

Meet your meat? I wish I could believe it was about meat factories.

Lol.. look it up on YouTube

Posted pic of the start of THE OBSESSION!!

Good luck! Let us know how it goes. I told you before that the brew you have is the same I just made. It should be actively bubbling by morning. Mine slowed down almost completely after about 2-3 days which had me worried initially, but it's fine. I'm taking a reading tomorrow and Sunday to see if its done and then transferring to a secondary so I can make another style.

butler1244 said:

Good luck! Let us know how it goes. I told you before that the brew you have is the same I just made. It should be actively bubbling by morning. Mine slowed down almost completely after about 2-3 days which had me worried initially, but it's fine. I'm taking a reading tomorrow and Sunday to see if its done and then transferring to a secondary so I can make another style.

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What was ur OG.. couldn't get mines because I accidently dint pack mine properly and when I went to grab it today it was broken

Bpts_finest13 said:

What was ur OG.. couldn't get mines because I accidently dint pack mine properly and when I went to grab it today it was broken

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I took my reading when it was 80 degrees then converted using the chart that came with my hydrometer (the one that came with my true brew kit came broken). My conversion came to 1.045, and thats rounded down by about .0003. The kit says OG should be between 1.042-1.044 so I'm close enough I think.

Awsome.. guess I'm just going to just go with what they say and assume I'm there as well..
Will order a new one tonight..

REAL good activity after less than 12 hrs.. guess things are going good so far..