rikfxsts
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- Joined
- Jan 12, 2009
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So, I am making my second batch ever (my first was a brew on premise). I decided on an Oatmeal Stout kit from Midwestern Supplies. I made all kinds of mistakes! After reading a lot of posts on this site, and fumbling through the process, I have already learned a lot.
1) Started brewing late in the evening (didn't think it would take THAT long!)
2) All of the brewing seemed to go ok (steeping grains, hops, extract, etc).
3) Did a 5 gallon boil
4) Tried to cool down the wort in the sink full of ice. Ice melted in 5 minutes, and wort barely cooled! Took it outside (22degrees out) and lit a cigar/opened a few beers and waited.
5) My thermometer didn't go below 120 degrees. No way to see if wort was cool enough
6) When wort "seemed" around 80 degrees, I put in the dry yeast.
7) Through the wort back an forth between primary and cooking pot (by the way, didn't strain out ANY of the junk.
8) by 3am, and several beers later, pitched the rehydrated dry yeast, I thre on the lid, put vodka in the airlock, and tossed put it in the unused bathroom (70 degrees?) Saw bubbles in airlock about 1 per 2 seconds almost immediately. Continued for 24 hours.
9) No more action - thought I pitched the yeast too hot and killed it. Two days later, pitched another packet of dry yeast (didn't rehydrate, didn't disturb the beer). No action -
10) Never checked the Original Gravity, but supposed to be 1.040.
11) Racked to Secondary after a week (try to get it away from all of the trub I didn't remove on day one
12) Took gravity reading of 1.020 - tasted like beer to me...
13) One week later...looks like a carboy full of coffee
14) Planning on waiting one more week, before sending to the bottle.
I am thinking not sure what this is going to end up as. I am chalking up to a learning experience. The FG is supposed to be around 1.010. I will check before I bottle.
I am open to suggestions here. I am willing to see this through, just to see if I am missing any other tools. I already bought thermometers, made a wort chiller, bought some Starsan (instead of usng the one step), etc.
I want my next batch to be right. I am committed for the long term. Any thoughts on wheter this beer will be right? If I measure in a week and it is still 1.020, is it beer?
Thanks!
1) Started brewing late in the evening (didn't think it would take THAT long!)
2) All of the brewing seemed to go ok (steeping grains, hops, extract, etc).
3) Did a 5 gallon boil
4) Tried to cool down the wort in the sink full of ice. Ice melted in 5 minutes, and wort barely cooled! Took it outside (22degrees out) and lit a cigar/opened a few beers and waited.
5) My thermometer didn't go below 120 degrees. No way to see if wort was cool enough
6) When wort "seemed" around 80 degrees, I put in the dry yeast.
7) Through the wort back an forth between primary and cooking pot (by the way, didn't strain out ANY of the junk.
8) by 3am, and several beers later, pitched the rehydrated dry yeast, I thre on the lid, put vodka in the airlock, and tossed put it in the unused bathroom (70 degrees?) Saw bubbles in airlock about 1 per 2 seconds almost immediately. Continued for 24 hours.
9) No more action - thought I pitched the yeast too hot and killed it. Two days later, pitched another packet of dry yeast (didn't rehydrate, didn't disturb the beer). No action -
10) Never checked the Original Gravity, but supposed to be 1.040.
11) Racked to Secondary after a week (try to get it away from all of the trub I didn't remove on day one
12) Took gravity reading of 1.020 - tasted like beer to me...
13) One week later...looks like a carboy full of coffee
14) Planning on waiting one more week, before sending to the bottle.
I am thinking not sure what this is going to end up as. I am chalking up to a learning experience. The FG is supposed to be around 1.010. I will check before I bottle.
I am open to suggestions here. I am willing to see this through, just to see if I am missing any other tools. I already bought thermometers, made a wort chiller, bought some Starsan (instead of usng the one step), etc.
I want my next batch to be right. I am committed for the long term. Any thoughts on wheter this beer will be right? If I measure in a week and it is still 1.020, is it beer?
Thanks!