Beginner brew questions

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.

ummchase

New Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2013
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Have googled many of these but there is still a few I'm unsure of

1. Can I use a bottling bucket as a secondary? Do you still have to use the airlock on secondary?
2. Do you taste your brew when your done with fermentation to see if it's going to come out ok?
3. Are you suppose to aerate your worst before fermentation? If so can you do this just by pouring/stirring?
4. I just bottled my first brew and after a week I can see some sediment on the bottom. From searching online I have heard this is fine if not a good thing. Also that the cake on the bottom is actually good for you, just wondering if all this is true?
5. Since it is hard to measure the amount of sanitizer to put into a spray bottle can you just fill up a bottle with the sanitizer already mixed into your 5 gallon bucket?
6. I was going to try one of my beers every week after they been bottled to see a difference. Is one week enough or should I wait?

Sorry for all the questions but just trying to clear up everything I'm unsure of before I start my second batch! Thanks
 
ummchase said:
Have googled many of these but there is still a few I'm unsure of

1. Can I use a bottling bucket as a secondary? Do you still have to use the airlock on secondary?
2. Do you taste your brew when your done with fermentation to see if it's going to come out ok?
3. Are you suppose to aerate your worst before fermentation? If so can you do this just by pouring/stirring?
4. I just bottled my first brew and after a week I can see some sediment on the bottom. From searching online I have heard this is fine if not a good thing. Also that the cake on the bottom is actually good for you, just wondering if all this is true?
5. Since it is hard to measure the amount of sanitizer to put into a spray bottle can you just fill up a bottle with the sanitizer already mixed into your 5 gallon bucket?
6. I was going to try one of my beers every week after they been bottled to see a difference. Is one week enough or should I wait?

Sorry for all the questions but just trying to clear up everything I'm unsure of before I start my second batch! Thanks

1. No and yes,
2. Yes, you will take a gravity reading to verify its done and taste that sample, do not return it to the vessel
3.yes, pouring back and forth, stirring vigorously all to aerate well
4. Yes all bottle conditioned beer will have some sediment. Pour slowly and leave the little bit in the bottle or you might suffer dreaded yeast darts from consuming too much yeast!
5 measure out a known quantity of sanitizer and then fill your spray bottle from that. On brew day I like to have a 5 gallon bucket full so I can place various items in it that I need that day
6. 3 weeks at 70 is the recommended minimum of time for conditioning and carbonating. If you want to sample every week go ahead but that's one less good beer you'll have later;)

Cheers and happy brew day!
 
Have googled many of these but there is still a few I'm unsure of

1. Can I use a bottling bucket as a secondary? Do you still have to use the airlock on secondary?
2. Do you taste your brew when your done with fermentation to see if it's going to come out ok?
3. Are you suppose to aerate your worst before fermentation? If so can you do this just by pouring/stirring?
4. I just bottled my first brew and after a week I can see some sediment on the bottom. From searching online I have heard this is fine if not a good thing. Also that the cake on the bottom is actually good for you, just wondering if all this is true?
5. Since it is hard to measure the amount of sanitizer to put into a spray bottle can you just fill up a bottle with the sanitizer already mixed into your 5 gallon bucket?
6. I was going to try one of my beers every week after they been bottled to see a difference. Is one week enough or should I wait?

Sorry for all the questions but just trying to clear up everything I'm unsure of before I start my second batch! Thanks
1. Yes and yes. All my buckets have spigots. They are very versatile.
2. Yes. I keep a small cup on the floor (my bottling bucket sits on my dryer) to catch the errant drips from the bottling wand. Okay, I also put about four ounces of beer in the cup after the 12th bottle to sample.
3. I usually aerate my WORT before fermentation. More O2 = better beer. I pour my cooled wort into the fermenter from about 3' up. Then top it off with tap water from the same height.
4. Sediment isn't a bad thing. I've clarified my beer better, so I have less sediment (as WC Fields might say, leaving more room for beer...). I believe the yeast cake is similar to "marmite/vegimite". It may take your digestive system a little while to get used to the "critters" in yeast.
5. I use Starsan sanitizer and "guess-timate" how much to use. I use a sprayer to coat everything I use for brewing for a couple of minutes before I use it. A little too much isn't going to kill me. On bottling day I mix up about 1/2 gallon of sanitizer (half for the "vinator" and half to soak the bottle caps in). I use the remainder to fill up the spray bottle. I used to mix 5 gals of sanitizer at a time but it was a huge waste.
6. Yes this is a good way to ease your fears. Then after a few brews, you can stop doing it.
 
Where the previous posters disagree:

You CAN use a bucket with a spigot. Many people don't because it is one more thing that can go wrong. Also, I wouldn't use the spigot after any significant time with beer in it (it would be very hard to keep it clean while the beer is in there and impossible to re clean later). In a pinch I would use a bottling bucket, but again I wouldn't use the spigot.

I BELIEVE you can drink the sediment with no real health effects. However, it is likely that your body isn't used to that sort of thing. If you are anything like me, after two bottles you will feel a gurgle in your stomach. At that time you are going to want to start running toward the bathroom.

Other than these two clarifications, I agree with the previous posters.
 
Sounds like the yeast being "Good for you" is a bit of a Joke :). I would not recommend drinking it.
 
Thanks for all the responses, I really appreciate it! Happy home brewing 😃
 
nab911 said:
Sounds like the yeast being "Good for you" is a bit of a Joke :). I would not recommend drinking it.

Nothing wrong with drinking the yeast. There are a lot of brews out here where I live that are labeled "Naturtrub" (non-filtered before bottling). Like when you are drinking a Hefeweizen, you leave about and inch of beer in the bottle, swirl it and pour all if that goodness into the glass.

+1 just for saying beer darts :)
 
2. Do you taste your brew when your done with fermentation to see if it's going to come out ok?
Yes, I do. It's not necessary, but as was said above, you need to (or really, really should) take an FG reading, and that leaves you with a few ounces of beer that you need to dispose of somehow.

Note that in most cases, your sample at this point either tells you your beer is good or that your beer is not good yet. Unless it's really awful, odds are good it's going to get better after a few weeks aging and conditioning in bottles/keg.


4. I just bottled my first brew and after a week I can see some sediment on the bottom. From searching online I have heard this is fine if not a good thing. Also that the cake on the bottom is actually good for you, just wondering if all this is true?

Whether sediment is a good thing is a personal preference. There will be some sediment in any bottle-conditioned beer, but I prefer to keep this to an absolute minimum. I've managed to have a few with no detectable sediment with nothing more than some Irish Moss in the kettle, cold crashing, and careful racking.

The sediment, at least the yeast component of it, is good for you in principle. In most cases, I suspect it's a pretty minimal benefit. More often, I find that the taste is not desirable, and I hate cloudy beer...


5. Since it is hard to measure the amount of sanitizer to put into a spray bottle can you just fill up a bottle with the sanitizer already mixed into your 5 gallon bucket?

I would recommend mixing a properly measured quantity. Mixing a larger batch and filling from there is one option. Another is to measure by weight, which you could do right into the spray bottle if you have an accurate scale. It's a lot easier (and more accurate) to measure a few mL than a quarter teaspoon.

It's not essential to measure exactly, but most sanitizers are ineffective if you use too low a concentration and can be irritating if too high. It's good practice to measure everything carefully, even if not absolutely necessary.


6. I was going to try one of my beers every week after they been bottled to see a difference. Is one week enough or should I wait?

You can, and it's fun, but it does reduce the number that you'll really enjoy (once you get past the thrill). I'd wait at least 2-3 weeks. Let them sit in the fridge for 2-3 days before opening for best results.


Sounds like the yeast being "Good for you" is a bit of a Joke :). I would not recommend drinking it.

There's no harm in drinking it, unless you have specific unpleasant responses. I don't usually drink it because I don't like the flavor, but it's most likely somewhere between good for you and harmless, healthwise.
 
I would recommend not using a secondary, especially as a new brewer. Just leave that beer in the primary for as long as you'd leave it on primary + secondary. Less chance of oxidation, less hassle.
 
3. Are you suppose to aerate your wort before fermentation? If so can you do this just by pouring/stirring?

If using dry yeast, aerating the wort is of no benefit. See http://www.danstaryeast.com/frequently-asked-questions

Look over the rehydration notes for dry yeast as well. It is easy to damage it when rehydrating....details of temperature and time are important. It works fine to sprinkle it on top.
 
If using dry yeast, aerating the wort is of no benefit. See http://www.danstaryeast.com/frequently-asked-questions

This is somewhat misleading and not altogether true as referenced in this article by the same manufacturer:
http://www.danstaryeast.com/articles/aeration-and-starter-versus-wort

About half way down the article it explains that any beer above 3-5% should receive additional aeration of the wort and since most brewers are making beers in excess of that threshold it is best practice to aerate the wort when pitching dry yeast.

This type of mis-information is similar to liquid yeast packages that state there is no need for a starter when brewing a typical 5 gallon batch of beer. It has simply been shown that making starters is one of the most beneficial things that can be done to ensure proper pitch rate and is referenced in many technical books about brewing. Even White labs is guilty of it as shown in the book "Yeast" by White/Zainesheff as they discuss the benefits of making starters when using liquid yeast.
 
Yeah this whole thing has been misleading the last few days. I does not hurt to aerate and takes less than a minute so might as well do it. Nothing like skipping a 1 minute activity to mess up 2 months of waiting.
 
That white layer in the bottom of your bottle is brewers yeast. You can buy brewers yeast at the health food store and it is good for you as it is full of B vitamins but the yeast at the health food store is dead yeast while what is in your bottle is live yeast and sometimes it reacts with your body to create gas or it can in some people create diarrhea. Some people get used to the yeast and it ceases to give them problems while others never seem to get over it. YMMV
 
This is somewhat misleading and not altogether true as referenced in this article by the same manufacturer:
http://www.danstaryeast.com/articles/aeration-and-starter-versus-wort

About half way down the article it explains that any beer above 3-5% should receive additional aeration of the wort and since most brewers are making beers in excess of that threshold it is best practice to aerate the wort when pitching dry yeast.

This type of mis-information is similar to liquid yeast packages that state there is no need for a starter when brewing a typical 5 gallon batch of beer. It has simply been shown that making starters is one of the most beneficial things that can be done to ensure proper pitch rate and is referenced in many technical books about brewing. Even White labs is guilty of it as shown in the book "Yeast" by White/Zainesheff as they discuss the benefits of making starters when using liquid yeast.

Keeping it simple is probably the best place to start. There are always exceptions and the article cited here speaks to one. Aeration can be important. It is important to liquid yeasts.

From boiling pot to fermenter bucket is aeration, and so is adding make-up water. That being said - two minutes of aeration with a paddle is not much effort to be sure. Just don't get hung up on it when using dry yeast as you begin to learn the various processes. A good recipe has these things figured out already and uses larger packages of dry yeast for heavy beers. :mug:
 
Keeping it simple is probably the best place to start. There are always exceptions and the article cited here speaks to one. Aeration can be important. It is important to liquid yeasts.

From boiling pot to fermenter bucket is aeration, and so is adding make-up water. That being said - two minutes of aeration with a paddle is not much effort to be sure. Just don't get hung up on it when using dry yeast as you begin to learn the various processes. A good recipe has these things figured out already and uses larger packages of dry yeast for heavy beers. :mug:

I agree keeping things simple are a good place to start but I am not a fan of people that make statements that don't really promote best practice or are simply not really correct or fact.

IMVHO, aeration is one of the very key things for yeast health and fermentation process and really is quite simple to do without any equipment or extra time.

Will the beer ferment? Yes. Will the beer turn out good? Most likely. I like to try and point people in the direction of beginning using best practice so the habit of doing so continues on through their brewing evolution. If you start out learning how to do things properly the learning curve becomes much quicker and easier as you become more experienced. Nobody likes to learn from mistakes although most people do...............
 
Though i can agree that there could be a perfect process that will work for all beers, the unnecessary in certain situations is nontheless.... unnecessary.

BTW - Best process for aeration that applies in general to any yeast and any wort involves a $400 investment. You need to get an oxygen tank and special nozzles to reach a goal that applies to only a few beers. Only needed in special circumstances. A ridiculous prospect for an average homebrewer. Best practice for what - something not needed ??

Ignoring aeration is perfectly appropriate in most dry yeast recipes. That does not mean that aeration is never important. As coaches and mentors to new brewers, we should not not steer everyone to a particular isolated concern for aeration.
 
Ignoring aeration is perfectly appropriate in most dry yeast recipes. That does not mean that aeration is never important. As coaches and mentors to new brewers, we should not not steer everyone to a particular isolated concern for aeration.

If I skimmed the articles correctly, Danstar is telling us that for 3-5% beers, there's no reason to aerate. In that case (and if it's true), aeration is just an opportunity for infection. The ideal "Best Practice" would be doing everything that needs to be done and nothing that doesn't.

Generally, I would say it's fine to keep things simple at first, but don't mislead yourself (or another noob). Just be honest, "It would be best to do X, but it's something that can wait until you're more comfortable with the basics."
 
If I skimmed the articles correctly, Danstar is telling us that for 3-5% beers, there's no reason to aerate. In that case (and if it's true), aeration is just an opportunity for infection. The ideal "Best Practice" would be doing everything that needs to be done and nothing that doesn't.

Generally, I would say it's fine to keep things simple at first, but don't mislead yourself (or another noob). Just be honest, "It would be best to do X, but it's something that can wait until you're more comfortable with the basics."

When I get my sanitation done, I always toss a whisk in there with the batch and I also have a sanitized plate. I use that whisk for aeration I don't really think there is really much chance for infection there.
 
Generally, I would say it's fine to keep things simple at first, but don't mislead yourself (or another noob). Just be honest, "It would be best to do X, but it's something that can wait until you're more comfortable with the basics."

Sorry for the confusion. Did not mean to mislead. Meant to inform the normal dry yeast user with one of the details that so often results in general disinformation on yeast/aeration requirements. When using dry yeast at the proper pitching rate, aeration is not a factor. The commercial recipes have built this into the pitching rate and thus the recommendation.
 
When I get my sanitation done, I always toss a whisk in there with the batch and I also have a sanitized plate. I use that whisk for aeration I don't really think there is really much chance for infection there.

Not much chance, no, but there's some chance. Small enough that if it's beneficial, it's a good tradeoff. But if there's no need to add the risk, it'd be wiser not to.

Jethro, I think we're on the same page, I meant to be agreeing with and expanding a bit on your quote. I think it's very important to be clear about when a step is unnecessary versus when it's of minor importance. In the former case, no one should do the step; in the latter, it'd be best to do it, but for simplicity you can get away without it.
 
Alright, I am starting to side with you guys. If Yeast is dry, just pouring it into the fermenter is aeration enough. If Yeast is wet, aerate.
 
I wouldn't use a bucket for a secondary- it has a way too wide headspace. It doesn't have anything to do with a spigot or not.

Either skip the "secondary" (more properly a bright tank where the beer sits for a time to clear), or use a properly sized carboy. I'd suggest skipping the transfer to the bright tank and just leave the beer in the fermenter for two weeks and until it's clearing, and then bottling. Transferring risks oxidation and infection (due to headspace issues once fermentation ends), so I would recommend not doing that.

Aeration is typically done, even for dry yeast. Is it strictly necessary each and every time? Probably not. But it won't hurt, will probably help, so just do it as a matter of course.
 
Aeration is typically done, even for dry yeast. Is it strictly necessary each and every time? Probably not. But it won't hurt, will probably help, so just do it as a matter of course.

Thank you Yooper! This was basically my point exactly. It should just be part of the process.
 
I do think that we are on to something for a general recommendation, but we are not quite there. We are trying to generalize to the point of creating problems that are not anticipated. I watch my 25 YO son brewing in his first few attempts. And when I do that, I can see where the contamination factors (among many other issues) are.

One of the things that I like best about the beginners forum is what we learn through responding with various well-intended recommendations. I have learned every time. Duboman's input here is a great example.

I agree that we do need to be clear on what is necessary and inform on what is of minor importance for special circumstances.

I have thought about a better way to answer the dry yeast aeration question, but it does not involve a blanket requirement for doing something other than pouring the wort into the fermenter and then adding make-up water. Satisfactory aeration comes by default here, is sufficient with exception for high ABV and a faulty dry yeast recipe, and after watching my son is something extra that is more of contamination risk than secondary transfer. ng

BTW, I like secondary transfer as a means of avoiding excessive flatulation. :D
 
I have thought about a better way to answer the dry yeast aeration question, but it does not involve a blanket requirement for doing something other than pouring the wort into the fermenter and then adding make-up water. Satisfactory aeration comes by default here, is sufficient with exception for high ABV and a faulty dry yeast recipe, and after watching my son is something extra that is more of contamination risk than secondary transfer.

Good point. I always aerate (to some degree) incidentally to swirling the wort and top-up water. Since I don't boil the top-up water, either, it hasn't lost its dissolved oxygen like the wort has.

(Er, let's not debate whether I should boil the top-up water or not... :p)
 
Nothing wrong with drinking the yeast. There are a lot of brews out here where I live that are labeled "Naturtrub" (non-filtered before bottling). Like when you are drinking a Hefeweizen, you leave about and inch of beer in the bottle, swirl it and pour all if that goodness into the glass.

http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/brewers-yeast-000288.htm

Nothing wrong with drinking yeast at all.

On top of having a number of health benefits, the high amount of selenium (particularly in Belgian strains of brewer's yeast) is known for benefits in men's health in particular.... if ya know what I mean ;)

About the only drawback of consuming brewer's yeast, at least for me, is bad gas. And I do mean *bad gas* but not everyone has that issue.
 
Back
Top