mgortel
Well-Known Member
I've been waiting all week for today....here I sit at work with a plan to leave early so I can head home and brew my first batch of beer! Hopefully all goes well....I chose a Krolsch kit for my first brew....even though I am a big fan of Stout.....that will be my second batch.
Anyway, I have a full case of Guiness Draught waiting for me...I will be "forced" to drink it along with another case before my first batch is done....since I need the bottles...
Anyway, I am making a list of what I need to do in order with timing, etc....since I am so anal retentive.
So a couple of noobie questions I thought of:
1) Do I need to boil the water that I will be putting Starsan into for sanitizing...or can I just use it right from the tap....any advice?
2) My kit has pelletized hops.....will putting them in muslin bags during brew reduce the amount of solids in it when it ferments or will it just go through the holes? Any advice here?
3) Should I strain when I pour from kettle into fermenter? I heard it clogs the strainer in funnel anyway and if I am careful I can leave alot of the hot and cold break, hops, in the brew pot cause they will settle.
4) Forawd thinking question: I will be putting fermenter in basement....on the floor. Once my beer is ready to be transfered to bottling bucket...I would need to lift fermenter up onto a table in order to rack into bottling bucket (i.e. for syphon)....will moving the bucket up to table stir it too much...i.e. should I set bucket up at level I need it at the beginning of fermentation so that I dont have to move it.
Sorry for the long post....I am an engineer and by nature quite anal retentive.......
I will let you guys know how it goes....hopefully I won't have any "entertaining" stories for you....i.e. screw-ups
Anyway, I have a full case of Guiness Draught waiting for me...I will be "forced" to drink it along with another case before my first batch is done....since I need the bottles...
Anyway, I am making a list of what I need to do in order with timing, etc....since I am so anal retentive.
So a couple of noobie questions I thought of:
1) Do I need to boil the water that I will be putting Starsan into for sanitizing...or can I just use it right from the tap....any advice?
2) My kit has pelletized hops.....will putting them in muslin bags during brew reduce the amount of solids in it when it ferments or will it just go through the holes? Any advice here?
3) Should I strain when I pour from kettle into fermenter? I heard it clogs the strainer in funnel anyway and if I am careful I can leave alot of the hot and cold break, hops, in the brew pot cause they will settle.
4) Forawd thinking question: I will be putting fermenter in basement....on the floor. Once my beer is ready to be transfered to bottling bucket...I would need to lift fermenter up onto a table in order to rack into bottling bucket (i.e. for syphon)....will moving the bucket up to table stir it too much...i.e. should I set bucket up at level I need it at the beginning of fermentation so that I dont have to move it.
Sorry for the long post....I am an engineer and by nature quite anal retentive.......
I will let you guys know how it goes....hopefully I won't have any "entertaining" stories for you....i.e. screw-ups