First Brew and went all grain, few questions

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NapTimeBrewing

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Hey all. Let me start by saying thank you to all the active members here. When i decided ( after reading for months ) to start making my own beer i found this site and have learned an overwhelming amount from all of your experience.

So i decided that for my first brew i would tackle all grain out of the box and make an american amber ale. With expectations in check, i just felt that this direction was what really interested me in brewing in the first place and therefor to just go for it.

Brew day went fairly smoothly. OG rating shows 60% efficiency. I hope in time to improve my technique but can live with these results first go.

My first question is when to transfer (apprx) into secondary? Does all krausen need to dissipate before transfer or should i rely on SG reading to drive me?

Im sure ill have more questions in the near future but just wanted to get your take on this one to start. Fermentation has been active for 1 week in sealed ale pale. Cheers and thanks in advance.
 
There is no need for transfer to secondary. Leave it alone for three weeks. Check to see if the gravity reading is the same over three days and package.

Good beer takes time.

Hope you enjoy your first batch :)
 
NapTimeBrewing said:
Hey all. Let me start by saying thank you to all the active members here. When i decided ( after reading for months ) to start making my own beer i found this site and have learned an overwhelming amount from all of your experience.

So i decided that for my first brew i would tackle all grain out of the box and make an american amber ale. With expectations in check, i just felt that this direction was what really interested me in brewing in the first place and therefor to just go for it.

Brew day went fairly smoothly. OG rating shows 60% efficiency. I hope in time to improve my technique but can live with these results first go.

My first question is when to transfer (apprx) into secondary? Does all krausen need to dissipate before transfer or should i rely on SG reading to drive me?

Im sure ill have more questions in the near future but just wanted to get your take on this one to start. Fermentation has been active for 1 week in sealed ale pale. Cheers and thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

Some might say it is unnecessary to secondary most beer. I secondary my lagers and anything I might allow to age out. I also secondary my IPAs when dry hopping. I just use a standard 3 week period for initial fermentation. I take hydro samples after two weeks and find that my beer has fermented out but feel that an extra week or two allows the yeast to clean up after themselves and settle out. This is easier said than done unless you brew regularly and have plenty of homebrew to hold you over.
 
Just in case you want to transfer (there's an ongoing debate as to whether it's necessary or not, I think this forum is trending toward "not"), krausen dropping out is a good sign, but sometimes the krausen sticks around for a while. Don't remember the last time I did a secondary, but I wouldn't touch an average beer for at least 10 days before moving.
 
Thanks all, i appreciate it. If im being honest i have to admit that as my first brew im a bit anxious, haha. I have been reading that many people dont endorse a secondary ( unless actually doing a second femnetation ) so this is good feedback. I also think at some level i want to "see" the beer in a carboy as its currently in a ale pale. OG was 1.055. I dont believe this to matter but thought id mention it in case. Thanks again. What a great hobby! Only regret is that life didnt afford me the time 10 years ago to start.
 
Carboy or bucket does not matter. Carboys are nice since you can watch the yeast dance and the air lock probably will be sealed better, so you can watch the bubbles.

After a while you will get bored watching yeast do their thing and bubbles are overrated.
 
NapTimeBrewing said:
Thanks all, i appreciate it. If im being honest i have to admit that as my first brew im a bit anxious, haha. I have been reading that many people dont endorse a secondary ( unless actually doing a second femnetation ) so this is good feedback. I also think at some level i want to "see" the beer in a carboy as its currently in a ale pale. OG was 1.055. I dont believe this to matter but thought id mention it in case. Thanks again. What a great hobby! Only regret is that life didnt afford me the time 10 years ago to start.
Click to expand...

What you need to do is think of your bottles as a bunch of small carboys. If you really want to see the beer in one, get a Corona empty and use that for bottling. Just be sure to keep it in a dark location while you aren't looking at it as light will cause a reaction with the hops to make it smell skunky.
 

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