brewing my first batch this weekend. 2 quick questions:

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joshk577

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I'm brewing my first batch of beer this weekend. I've read the Wiki articles, but just have two quick questions:

1) do I take my initial hydrometer reading before or after I add my yeast?

2) Wiki says to cool wort to 70 degrees before adding yeast. How do I know when to take it out of the ice bath? Or will I raise/lower the temp by adding colder water if wort is on the warmer side and vice versa.

Any help would be very much appreciated.
Thanks.

Josh
 
1) before

2) when your sanitized thermometer reads 70 or below. 75 is close enough.
 
joshk577 said:
1) do I take my initial hydrometer reading before or after I add my yeast?
Click to expand...
Yeast will not affect the gravity until after they start fermenting the sugars (several hours after you pitch). One thing to keep in mind though is gravity adjustment due to temperature of the wort. http://www.tpub.com/content/dieselgenerators/TM-9-6115-464-12/css/TM-9-6115-464-12_123.htm
joshk577 said:
2) Wiki says to cool wort to 70 degrees before adding yeast. How do I know when to take it out of the ice bath? Or will I raise/lower the temp by adding colder water if wort is on the warmer side and vice versa.
Click to expand...
It would take a long time to get your wort down to 70F in an ice bath. I'd say just get it down to about 100F, take it out of the bath, transfer to your fermentation vessel, add your water to get your desired volume, then let the temperature settle out to your preferred fermentation temperature before you pitch the yeast.
 
Thanks, guys. Your replies are much appreciated!
bertmurphy: Thanks for the link to the SG correction chart. It's ironic that the link you provided took me to a website for Diesel Generators because that's what I do for a living. I'm an Industrial Diesel Generator Technician.

This might sound like a dumb question, but I just want to try to get it right (as best as I can) the first time instead of ruining my first batch. I've read the Wiki on this site; I've read a book on home brewing; and I talked to some homebrewers that I work with. There are just little things that i'm not sure of: (Again, most likey dumb questions; just want to be sure)

1) How often should I stir the pot when boiling my Malt Extract (wheat; hopped and unhopped; most of it liquid, some of it powder), if at all??

2) I'm using powdered Yeast: should I stir it in my wort or just add it and let it sink to the bottom?? (both have been recommended to me by two different people)

3) How do I keep my long handled Stainless Steel spoon (to stir wort) sanitized during the time between boiling my malt extract and stirring in yeast??
Is it OK to use a (sanitized) Stainless Steel Spoon for these purposes??

4) (I can't remember the name for the device that goes in the top of the fermentation bucket; the indicator- 3 piece)... should i just add water (that I boiled, let cool, and covered) to it or something else (like a mix of water and sanitizer, etc...)??

Sorry to be a pest. Thanks.
 
joshk577 said:
Thanks, guys. Your replies are much appreciated!
bertmurphy: Thanks for the link to the SG correction chart. It's ironic that the link you provided took me to a website for Diesel Generators because that's what I do for a living. I'm an Industrial Diesel Generator Technician.

This might sound like a dumb question, but I just want to try to get it right (as best as I can) the first time instead of ruining my first batch. I've read the Wiki on this site; I've read a book on home brewing; and I talked to some homebrewers that I work with. There are just little things that i'm not sure of: (Again, most likey dumb questions; just want to be sure)

1) How often should I stir the pot when boiling my Malt Extract (wheat; hopped and unhopped; most of it liquid, some of it powder), if at all??

2) I'm using powdered Yeast: should I stir it in my wort or just add it and let it sink to the bottom?? (both have been recommended to me by two different people)

3) How do I keep my long handled Stainless Steel spoon (to stir wort) sanitized during the time between boiling my malt extract and stirring in yeast??
Is it OK to use a (sanitized) Stainless Steel Spoon for these purposes??

4) (I can't remember the name for the device that goes in the top of the fermentation bucket; the indicator- 3 piece)... should i just add water (that I boiled, let cool, and covered) to it or something else (like a mix of water and sanitizer, etc...)??

Sorry to be a pest. Thanks.
Click to expand...

1. Make sure you stir well to avoid scorching it on the bottom when you first mix it together. After that, it doesn't matter at all if you stir or not. If it's "thick", you may want to stir occasionally just to ensure it's not clumping on the bottom and scorching.

2. Either rehydrate it in warm (80-90 degree) water, OR sprinkle it on the wort. If you add it dry to the wort, don't stir it in. Let it soak up the wort itself and then it'll know what to do.

3. You don't have to sanitize the spoon until AFTER the boil. The boiling wort is ok with not sanitizing the utensils, since the boil kills any nasties. But once you turn off the burning, anything that will touch your wort like spoons, thermometers, etc, will need to be sanitized. Some people keep wallpaper trays out on the counter, filled with sanitizer, and just put the utensils in there and grab them out when needed. You'll need to sanitize the fermenter, lid, airlock, etc, too.

4. The airlock is fine with just water, but lots of people use vodka. That way, if a little bit of the "inside" liquid drips back into the fermenter, it's not going to hurt the beer.

You're not a pest- that's what we here for! We love helping new brewers join the obsession!

We love thinking about beer, talking about beer, drinking beer, brewing beer, judging beer, and talking about brewing beer. So ask any questions you want!
 
I put my spoon in the wort with 10 min left in the boil. Then I leave it there for the rest of the process (including stirring it while it is cooling off), and never pull it out/leave it on the counter. Then I don't have to worry about sanitizing again.
 
I use Star San solution in my airlock.

I also leave my spoon in the wort and never leave it sit on or in anything that isn't sanitized. I typically leave it in th boil pot while cooling then put it right into the fermenter.
 
1 quick question as well from me whos only doing his second batch tommorow. is simple stirring after pouring wort into fermenter a good enough way to aerate? don't really feel like rocking the bucket
 
Thanks everyone!
When I pull my utensils, thermometer, airlock, etc out of container of sanitizer, will touching them with my bare hands contaminate them (more importantly: my mixture)? Should I take precautions against this... like wearing nitrile gloves or something?? Or will the sanitizier that's left on said objects kill anything that transferred from my hands??
Thanks.
 
Try and keep your hands off surfaces that could come in contact with the beer. That being said, if you have sanitizer on your hands, nothing is going to be transferred. Contact time is 30 seconds, so if your hands have been in contact with the sanitizer for 30 seconds, your OK.

A couple of other comments:

- Don't bother taking the SG at the start. Trust the kit. If the wort is not mixed properly, you will get a wrong number and start worrying. It's also another potential to contaminate the wort. I rarely measure the SG. I do partial mash, and check the SG of the mash to determine my efficiency, and how much sugar it has, but for the rest of it, I just calculate the SG. The couple of times I've measured it. it has agreed with my calculation.

- Don't fret the pitching temp. Anything under 80 is OK. Just fill the fermenter, close the lid and leave it for several hours before pitching the yeast. Continually opening the fermenter and taking the temperature is yet more potential for contamination. Eventually you will start rehydrating dry yeast and making starters with liquid yeast, but for now, I would just sprinkle it on top of the wort and leave it.

- Getting oxygen into the wort is critical. Make your best effort. Close the top, and really swirl/rock the fermenter so that you get a froth on the surface. It is more critical for higher gravity beers; the risk is a stuck ferment.
 
I just did my 1st batch myself. I was suprised by how smoothly everything went. One thing I did that really helped me get organized: Post-it notes. I had my recipe handy, but I also had all of my ingredients laid out on a table in order, with post-it notes attached telling me at what point to add. Also, don't forget to start your timer! I almost did.
 
There are several different software suites that are excellent for keeping track of things like that. These types of software help you keep track of your recipes, what you've brewed, what you want to brew, your ingredient inventory, your process, etc. In general, you want to document every thing you did on all your brew days so you can have a basis for all your future brews. Most of them will outline exactly what you need to do on brew day, provide timers, checklists, and the like. Take a look at what beersmith provided for me for my last brew day http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1742878/Wee_Heavy_Brew_Sheet.htm

I use beersmith, but there's lots of other software out there. They'll become your best friend before you know it:

http://www.beersmith.com/
http://www.promash.com/
http://www.beertools.com/
http://freshmeat.net/projects/qbrew/
 
Thanks, Calder.
I'm making my first batch today.
Like I said, I'm using wheat malt extract; mostly liquid & some powder (powder is extra in order to get my 6%).
I have just one Final question for this stage of the process:

How much water should I use in my pot (for the wort) when I boil/mix in the extract??
Any rule of thumb? What is best?
I have a 5 gallon pot.
Thanks, everyone.
 
My 1st batch is in the fermenter & the air lock is bubbling
:ban: :rockin:

After I put it in the fermenter & added cold water, it took several hours (like 3) to cool down to below 80 degrees. I put the lid on tight & covered the plastic lid with plastic wrap (in order to cover the hole for the air lock).

I added cold tap water (hard water) to the wort in order to get my 5 gallons (as I was told to do by the guy at the homebrew store).
Doesn't the water need to be boiled (sterilized)?? Will the tap water ruin my (future) beer????
 
Try and keep your hands off surfaces that could come in contact with the beer. That being said, if you have sanitizer on your hands, nothing is going to be transferred. Contact time is 30 seconds, so if your hands have been in contact with the sanitizer for 30 seconds, your OK.

A couple of other comments:

- Don't bother taking the SG at the start. Trust the kit. If the wort is not mixed properly, you will get a wrong number and start worrying. It's also another potential to contaminate the wort. I rarely measure the SG. I do partial mash, and check the SG of the mash to determine my efficiency, and how much sugar it has, but for the rest of it, I just calculate the SG. The couple of times I've measured it. it has agreed with my calculation.

I took the measurement on Friday's brew night and then scrached my head a bit before I realized I forgot to stir well.

- Don't fret the pitching temp. Anything under 80 is OK. Just fill the fermenter, close the lid and leave it for several hours before pitching the yeast. Continually opening the fermenter and taking the temperature is yet more potential for contamination. Eventually you will start rehydrating dry yeast and making starters with liquid yeast, but for now, I would just sprinkle it on top of the wort and leave it.

I would try and put in the an ice bath till about 80 then put the wort in the bucket. Adding the cold water to top off should get you down to pitching temp.

- Getting oxygen into the wort is critical. Make your best effort. Close the top, and really swirl/rock the fermenter so that you get a froth on the surface. It is more critical for higher gravity beers; the risk is a stuck ferment.

I ran my Aerater for 30 min and was amazed at the amout of foam created. Put the drops in to control the foam.
 
I know I know i'm super paranoid but yesterday when I brewed my second batch when it came time to transfer wort to fermenter I put on a pair of rubber dishwashing gloves and held my hands in a bucket of star san for 2 minutes.
 
My 1st batch is in the fermenter & the air lock is bubbling


After I put it in the fermenter & added cold water, it took several hours (like 3) to cool down to below 80 degrees. I put the lid on tight & covered the plastic lid with plastic wrap (in order to cover the hole for the air lock).

I added cold tap water (hard water) to the wort in order to get my 5 gallons (as I was told to do by the guy at the homebrew store).
Doesn't the water need to be boiled (sterilized)?? Will the tap water ruin my (future) beer????


In all the beers that I made using Mr. Beer I have always just added tap water. I did the same in my first 5 gallon batch. Never had a problem. Water in my area is very good though.
 
joshk577 said:
Doesn't the water need to be boiled (sterilized)??
Click to expand...

I disagree with anyone that says you don't need to boil the water added to top off the fermenter. Just because we can drink it straight from the tap doesn't mean that it does not contain contaminates. Boiling the tap water is an easy step that can only improve you beer. Why risk not doing it?
joshk577 said:
Will the tap water ruin my (future) beer????
Click to expand...
Unless you are trying to brew a style of beer that needs a specific water type or have large amounts of chlorine in your water I wouldn't worry about it. A lot of tap water actually contains minerals that support good yeast health.
 
I have good water as well. Next time, though, I think I will boil 3 or 4 gallons of water & store it in used, but clean & sanitized, 1 gallon containers (like empty spring water jugs).
Do you think that storing the sterilized water in such containers would be OK?
Any thoughts?

My yeast is at work, so I know I did it correctly, BUT I'm very worried (paranoid) that contaminates got in... Even though I took EVERY precaution.
Anyone know how long sanitizer keeps its effectiveness while in 5 gallons of water in my bottling bucket?? I kept it full of sanitizer/water throughout the brewing process in order to sanitize everything right before I used it.
 
Don't be paranoid. Beer brewing is supposed to be fun, and chances are your beer is gonna be great. Just wait 'til you drink it, you won't be thinking about your sanitization methods then :) You'll get your process dialed in and from there it will only improve.
:tank:
 
Now that I've stopped worrying about whether or not I got contaminates in my wort (paranoia), I'm excited. And the brew process was lots of fun!
My air lock is really bubbling away now & I can't stop thinking about the finished product.
I was looking for a hobby, but my work schedule is kind of prohibitive; I couldn't take up a hobby that required a lot of time on a REGULAR basis. Then I stumbled upon home brew.
Sure it takes time on brew day & bottling day, but other than that the yeast is doing the work.

I'm so glad that I chose home brew as my hobby. I just hope that it stays fun & exciting.

Thank you, everyone, for the help; the advice. I'm sure that I'll be reaching out for help when bottling day is near, but for now, thank you for helping me on brew day & for reminding me to have fun!

Josh
 

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