Another Last-Minute Jitters Thread

[DemonIAm]

So, I'm brewing my first batch this Sunday. I have a 5gallon DME + Grain kit for Dark Starr Stout.
I've got two 5 gallon brew pots, deluxe hb kit from 5th Season, and will be doing this on the stove. I grabbed a grain bag as well for the kit.

The only thing that I know I will need is ice (for the tub chill) and water (since my city water is less than optimal).

I've researched the process over and over, and still have that "you're gonna eff it up" feeling in my guts.

I guess my biggest issue is that one 5gal brew pot will not hold the water, extract, and the grains. Would it be possible to half the water/DME/Grains/hops and cook as 2 separate batches and then combine them in the fermenter? Or am I totally over thinking things?

I can't even accept RDWHAHB as an answer yet..

 

[commonsenseman]

I'm just a newbie, but I believe you can do a partial batch by using all the ingredients in only 3 gallons of water or so. Then, top off with tap water to the 5 gallon mark before pitching the yeast.

 

[JLem]

you can either split the batch like you said or do a partial boil like commonsenseman said. Either way will work, though with slightly different results. The partial boil will end up with slightly less hop utilization due to the concentrated wort. Splitting the boil and the ingredients will give you closer (the same?) hop efficiency, but is a bigger pain in the ass, especially if you are trying to control two potential boil overs and then have to deal with chilling two kettles.

For your first batch, I would recommend doing a single boil (with as much liquid as you can) and then topping it off to the final volume in the fermenter. As you become more comfortable with the process you could try the split boil process.

Regardless, RDWHAHB and have fun brewing it up.

 

[BrewDocND]

Yup, just partial boil and add cool water to top off (this will get you to 5 gallons and cool your wort off). I use $.79 gallon jugs from the grocery store.

During that first brew you're gonna read the instructions 50 times, not understand some things, forget to smack the smack pack, freak out over your steeping temp, boil over, sanitize like a crazy person, forget to add whirfloc/irish moss/etc., get nervous and pitch your yeast too hot, break a hydrometer, clog up your airlock with krausen, spray beer all over your floor when bottling. And you know what, you'll still make beer. Just have fun.

(*all mistakes I have made at some point. Wort turned into beer every time)

 

[Captain Damage]

+1 to the partial boil. While it's true there will be slightly less hop utilization going from a 5 gallon boil to 3 gallons, the difference (for that beer) is just on the edge of human perceptability. Given that there are a whole bunch of other variables that can also change hop utilization and perception, it really won't have any meaningful affect on your beer, other than making your brew day easier.

 

[DemonIAm]

OK, here are the abbreviated directions received from S.H/F.S. Anything I should do differently? I dunno, adding that much water just seems like it would come out watered down, and not nearly as flavorful.

1. Clean & Sanitize.. Smack the Pack, let swell..

2. Pour 2.5 gallons of water into brew-kettle & heat. Put all crushed grains (2.5 lbs) into 1 grain bag, & knot. When water reaches 150-165* Begin to steep grains. Keep temp steady & steep for 30 min. Remove grain bag, let bag drain without squeezing the bag.

3. Bring wort to a rolling boil. Pour in 1/2 (2.5#) of dry malt extract. stir.

4. Add 0.50oz of Perle hops. boil for 45min.

5. Add 0.80oz Perle hops. Boil for 25min.

6. Add remaining extract (extra 2.5#) to the boil, stir till fully dissolved. Boil for additional 20 min. (90 min boil time total from steps 4-6)

7. Terminate boil. chill wort to 70*. Siphon wort to sanitized fermentor.

8. Add clean water to bring final wort volume to 5 gal. Do not let final gravity fall below 1.046. Thoroughly shake to aerate wort.

9. Sanitize yeast pack. pitch. plug & airlock.

10. Store @ 62-70 for 2 weeks, until spec grav of 1.011 has been recorded, or if the s.g remains constant for 5 consecutive days.

I'll probably get started in 2 hours. Let me know if I should change anything up, or do a double boil, by splitting everything. *shrug* I'm not relaxing enough yet.

 

[iron_city_ap]

I'll be brutally honest with you. YOU WILL EFF SOMETHING UP. Its perfectly fine. We all messed something up our first time, but more importantly, WE ALL STILL ENDED UP WITH BEER. Just take your time and think ahead to the next step in the process. If you are heating water to start steeping your grains, start thinking about steeping your grains. While the grain is steeping, start thinking about your DME addition (it sucks up moisture like you wouldn't believe so keep it away from water/steam until you add it), etc....

You can add some water (maybe a gallon) to your fermentor before you siphon the wort into it. If you know how much wort you have, you can be more accurate with the water you add before hand, but the reason for doing this is that you mix the water and the wort a little bit better than adding all your top off water at the end and then stirring. Its just a little technique and it doesn't matter if you do it this way or just top off and stir at the end.

Don't worry. You'll have beer. You will make some mistakes, but it'll be okay. Learn from any mistakes you make (they may be incredibly small) and from your process. Make or note any adjustments you may want to make, could be as simple as where you set stuff, and remember to do them the next time you brew.

 

[Mermaid]

I ended up doing split boil on the "Dead Guy" clone I brewed back in September. Quite by accident, mind you.
It was a partial mash. Ended up with more wort than I expected to being "off" slightly in my mash/sparge calculations, so when I started to mix the sparge wort into the mash wort I had my "oh sh*t!" moment, cleaned up the extra 5 ga. "lobster pot" we had hanging around, and split the boil into 2 3-gallon boils.
Was a lot more work to watch, stir, had to re-measure the hops so I would get the right amount into each pot, but the beer turned out fantastic.
As long as you keep sanitization in check (if you can, fill up a spray bottle with starsan/water mixture - it's a lifesaver) - turn off the heat when adding your DME, stir stir stir and stir some more - the yeast are pretty forgiving creatures and you will end up with beer.

Most important - enjoy the process! Take good notes, put on some music, and (again) relax. While my wort is boiling I sit at my kitchen table with my netbook, reading HBT, watch a little tv, and stir the pot every few minutes.

oh yeah... make sure you have a few rolls of paper towels, and maybe a large old beach towel or bath towel. I put the towel on the floor when I'm doing my wort chill (one of those plastic storage tubs used for storing xmas decorations, clothing,etc works great! holds water, doesn't leak, especially if you don't have a big sink). Towel on floor means less sticky mess I have to mop up later

It's a very addictive hobby.

 

[cervezarara]

Demon- the procedure given is actually pretty good and is for a partial boil with late extract addition. For partial boils, I feel this a good technique, even using dried malt extract. I still use the technique outlined in your procedure, even with partial mashes and get delicious beer.

I wouldn't complicate things at this point with two pots. Also, your partial-boil wort will cool a lot quicker than a full boil volume if you don't have a chiller.

Give that procedure a try, and I am positive you'll be very happy with the results.

RDWHAHB!

 

[cervezarara]

Oh, another thing. When you add the 2.5lbs DME toward the end, be sure to add it slowly and stir to keep it from clumping too badly. You may need to take it off the heat for a couple minutes. The room temp. DME will cool down the wort, so it will take some time to return to a boil. And it will want to boil over again as it does return to a boil, so watch it like a hawk at this point.

 

[Captain Damage]

^^^ stop the boil and your 60 minute countdown, and add the remaining DME a pound or less at a time. Use a whisk to dissolve each addition of DME before adding the next. Once you've got all the DME added, turn the heat back on. It will take a few minute to boil again, then continue your countdown.

This is the point where you're most likely to have a boilover (after all the DME is added), so watch carefully. When you turn away to take a phone call or pat your dog, that's when it will boil over. When it looks like it's going to boil over, turn the heat down. When it settles, turn it back up. Boilover comes from coagulating proteins, so you usually only have to worry about it happening once.

 

[DemonIAm]

alright, thanks for the replies. I got a little sidetracked, but now I am off.

 

[iron_city_ap]

Well, how'd it go?

 

[DemonIAm]

Well, I had 0 (major) boil-overs. Stove top worked great, hit my steep temp within a degree. My Spec Gravity was supposed to be 1.46, I was at 1.5, after adding probably too much water. Added the yeast, and now she's chilling in the shower for a few weeks.

How long will it take to see some yeast action?

Here's my photo-tour

Everything laid out, including a growler of that which is being cloned.

Drip drying the mesh bag. Wow that made the house smell good. The GF said it smelled like a barn, hehe

Finding out how delicious young wort is

I thought I would have lost more to evaporation than I did

I became impatient after the growler was emptied (it must have a hole in it or something..

Ice bath with 4 large bags + water. by whirlpooling the pot in the ice, the temps dropped to 70 in no time flat,

Most everything went smoothly

I had to get it this full to get close to my SG

 

[408Brewer]

You may want to connect a blow off to that thing, but I have to say it does look good.

 

[aidan]

Process looks similar to my own. Here's one simplification for you - don't bother siphoning, just pour it into fermentor. When you cool your wort the hops gunk should settle to the bottom (at least with pellets, not sure about whole hops). So you can just leave the gunk in the bottom of the pot. I use a strainer to make sure I get all the wort.

Edit: I didn't read 2nd page of this topic before posting and realising that you've already done your batch. Here's another tip for next time - use a glass straw as I find that the plastic ones tend to melt a bit.

 

[DemonIAm]

It's been 8 hrs since pitching the yeast, and I still see no visible action. how long before I need to worry? Yeast is all bedded down at the bottom of the carboy.

 

[sudsmcgee]

It can take up to 72 hours to see signs of fermentation (Thanks Revvy and good luck today!). I normally see it about 12-24 hours after I pitch, but some batches take longer than others. Don't worry about it, it will start eventually.

 

[JLem]

It can take up to 72 hours to see signs of fermentation (Thanks Revvy and good luck today!). I normally see it about 12-24 hours after I pitch, but some batches take longer than others. Don't worry about it, it will start eventually.

+1 - only after 3 days of no fermentation should you start to worry (and by "worry" I mean, "pitch another package of yeast"). Remember though too that airlock activity is not the same as fermentation.

Also, can't really tell from the photo if this is a problem or not, but you want to make sure your carboy received as little light as possible. If the room has a window, wrap the carboy up in a towel or sweatshirt or something. It would be a bummer if your first brew skunked while in the fermenter.

Congrats on your first brew!

 

[commonsenseman]

Looks awesome! So, how does boiling-hot wort taste?

 

[DemonIAm]

It's in a windowless back bathroom, so it should be alright. Is turning the light on to check it a bad thing, or should I peek in with a flashlight?

Looks awesome! So, how does boiling-hot wort taste?

It tasted like "If beer was candy", hehe. And for the record, no I didn't actually let the unsterilized straw touch my wort.

 

[JLem]

It's in a windowless back bathroom, so it should be alright. Is turning the light on to check it a bad thing, or should I peek in with a flashlight?

Turning the light on is fine - I was concerned with sunlight coming through a window.

 

[iron_city_ap]

You could cover/block the drain in the shower and let the beer sit in some water. It'll help keep the beer cool while it ferments and tries to heat up.

Sounds like it went great. I can't tell from the one picture, but is the lid on that pot while its on the stove? The left side looks like there is no lid, but the right side looks like it has a lid on.

 

[DemonIAm]

This morning, the beer was sitting at 66*, so it should stay comfy in there. I'm going to close off that room and leave the windows open in the attached bedroom. Should keep the temps pretty low, I hope.

The lid on the pot had just been vented to reduce the froth. I just happened to have the camera in hand as I opened the lid.

 

[DemonIAm]

I came home to a surprise that rivaled Pompeii.

It went over the shower curtain down the wall, in the sink, all over the floor. While cleaning it up, it actually took off some of the popcorn ceiling. Damn.

There was still a tower of foam coming out of the top, so I'm not going to worry about infection.

I used the hose from the auto-siphon wedged into the carboy stopper, and put the other end into a bucket of StarSan.

Should this be adequate?

 

[commonsenseman]

Ufda.

That should do the trick!

 

[JLem]

You may want to connect a blow off to that thing

:fro:

well, the silver lining is your yeast are just fine!

(I think I'll go hook up a blow off tube to today's brew now...)

 

[DemonIAm]

Smart idea, hehe. I changed out the b-o bucket water for some fresh sanitizer. as the old stuff was grungy and smelled like beer, lol. she's bubbling like a fiend still.

I actually listened to some of you old farts last night, and read, front-to-end ALL of the beginning stickied threads. I had skimmed them before; but last night I truly gained knowledge. If you are new, and reading this, take it from another newb and read the effing stickies! Seriously.

 

[iron_city_ap]

What I like to do is throw some sanitizer tablets (about $9 for 150 at GFS) in the water bath I keep my fermenters in. Then, just put the blow off tube down into the water. Keeps the beer cool, protects against making a mess, keeps the blow off sanitary all in 1 nice, neat step.

+1 on reading the stickies. There is ALOT of great and valuable info there.