1st homebrew- Happening right now

Can I cover my brewpot after I have poured cans of malt extract? Sorry if this has been posted a thousand times.

BearsWickedBrew said:

Can I cover my brewpot after I have poured cans of malt extract? Sorry if this has been posted a thousand times.

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No. Don't cover a boiling pot of wort.

Do not cover the brewpot while the wort is boiling! You will have a very messy boilover. Leave the lid off until you take the pot off the heat and the boil is over.

-Steve

ok..whew...good thing i asked

Is the only reason that i shouldnt...because of boilover?....I feel like this will take me another 2 hours to get this thing to foam..and then stop foaming...as the kit directions read.

Can i cover as long as I diligently stand by it? Or will this lead to off-flavors?

Stay very close. That steam that is escaping during a full boil is supposed to escape.

Boilovers are very likely with a covered pot and off flavors are more likely as well.

Once it gets rolling, get that lid off.

You could cover it to help get to a boil faster, but watch it carefully. Once the wort starts to get near the boiling point, the foam will expand quickly and boil over. Once the boil is established, then the foam will subside, but don't put the lid back on.

An open boil helps drive off unwanted flavors from the wort, so it is best to keep the lid off.

-Steve

I have kept a lid on 1/2 way. Lets the nasty flavors out and lets you boil with less flame or electric. This will help not burning the bottom of you pot.

I have never had a boil over - splash overs yes

thanks guys...i am going to try and hold off without the lid for the time being..also this is a pretty dumn question..but what if somehow an eyebrow hair/pet hair happens to find its way into the wort...as just happened...am i screwed? i did remove it with my spoon

BearsWickedBrew said:

thanks guys...i am going to try and hold off without the lid for the time being..also this is a pretty dumn question..but what if somehow an eyebrow hair/pet hair happens to find its way into the wort...as just happened...am i screwed? i did remove it with my spoon

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No, you're fine. It's going to boil for an hour, so any bacteria/germs will be killed. It's more important after the boil to be sanitary.

HAHA get this..i am walking back to the laptop to post that i boiled and im not foaming anymore...then BOOM..in the backgroun i hear this loud pop...

I had an empty bottle of Patron Tequila sitting on the ledge of the stove in the back...and the cork popped right off. Thank god it didnt fly into the wort

For my airlock..I'm not putting sanitizer in it..should I put
1)100% cooled previously boiled water
2) Half cooled boiled water half vodka
3) 100% Vodka

If you're not using sanitizer, use vodka.

BearsWickedBrew said:

what if somehow an eyebrow hair/pet hair happens to find its way into the wort...as just happened...am i screwed? i did remove it with my spoon

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I hereby dub your brew - "Hair of the Dog" ...unless of course that was a cat hair...then I got nuttin'.

haha well it was meant to be....My login name is Bearswickedbrew..because i have a black lab named Bear

As a sidenote to boilovers, I had my first "whrilpool" boil with my weizen about a week ago. It was nuts.

I need to partially cover my pot until the boil starts, then I pull it off and let it go after that. I got distracted for a few minutes, and when I looked back, I was *very* close to a boilover. I pulled off the lid, gave it a really good stir, then counter-stirred to settle the stir that I did because it was a really full pot. About 30 seconds go by, and then the damn thing starts spinning again! Not only does it vortex on it's own, it starts blubbing really, really hard from the center of the ever-deepening vortex. Another counter-stir to settle it, and it kicked back up again a minute or two later. Tapped the heat down a smidge and the vortex went away, but that was probably one of *the* coolest things I've ever seen brewing my beer. I've never seen a natural vortex form like that.

Also, bring your first brew, I highly reccomend a blowoff tube.

..I don't have the equipment for a blowoff tube...just your standard 3pc airlock.

I woke up this morning around 7AM to a nice steady bubbling...(like 1 bubble every 3 seconds, it had been in the fermenter for about 7 hours)..I'm using 6.5gal ale pale filled to the 5 gal mark...so I am hoping there is enough head room in there that the standard airlock will do

If i go home and find that the vodka in the airlock is gone...is it ok to pop the top...and fill back up to the half way mark?

BearsWickedBrew said:

If i go home and find that the vodka in the airlock is gone...is it ok to pop the top...and fill back up to the half way mark?

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yes, that's fine. The vodka is not a good environment for anything to live in, so it is actually better to keep it filled.

BearsWickedBrew said:

..I don't have the equipment for a blowoff tube...just your standard 3pc airlock.

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If you have a 3 piece airlock and bottling hose you can easily rig up a blowoff tube.

Ha! Thats Awesome....I guess I do have the equipment for a blow off tube...thanks Revvy.

Revvy said:

If you have a 3 piece airlock and bottling hose you can easily rig up a blowoff tube.

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You just saved me many Euro.....

Tim

I only suggest a blow-off tube since my first batch spooged all over after the first night. From now on I plan to have a blow-off tube on all future batches, at least for the first day or two.

I got home..no blow ups to report...still the steady 2 or 3 bubbles per second in the airlock..the thing looks like its on a motor.

I was surprised at the temperature tho when I got home. I am blasting the air conditioner and the thermometer on the bucket is registering 73-75. I used Muntons Dry Yeast, and this is an American Wheat kit form True Brew. I went out and bought a plastic container....I put the pail in the container..dressed it with a dark tshirt and added water to let the wicking begin. I am also freezing some water bottles at the moment to add to the water. I pitched the yeast about 20hours ago..airlock has been bubbling for about 13hours. Will the 73-75 that its been so far lead to off-flavors?