sappnasty
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2014
- Messages
- 71
- Reaction score
- 13
Fellas,
I joined here on New Years Day in hopes that I could use this forum and other's experiences to guide me through. Well today was my very first batch ever with real equipment. Up to this point I had made several Mr. Beer batches, but holy crap there is absolutely no comparison at all between the two. I figured I would start my first batch with an easier kit, so I decided to use the kit that came with my home brewery kit from Williams. The kit is their K35 Triple Hopped Ale. I started by smacking the Wyeast "American II" pack last night before I went to bed and when I checked it this morning, it was nice and swollen which was a huge relief.
So the first thing I did was clean everything with mild soap and hot water. After making sure everything was clean, I laid out everything from the kit and got everything where I figured I would need it once I got started. I then took a clean 55 gallon Rubbermaid (one of the long rectangular ones) and filled it about half way with really hot water. I then added the recommended amount of One Step and simply threw everything into the container that needed to be sanitized (yes I know, I will be getting Star San before next batch). I left everything in the tub for over 20 minutes including my carboy. It actually worked quite well with the carboy as I simply laid it on its side, filled it about half way with water and spun it.
While everything was sanitizing, I got the water together (6 Gallons of Crystal Geyser Natural Spring Water), the burner, my kettle (10 gallon) and all of my ingredients...including soaking the 8lbs of included LME with hot water to loosen it up. I then started the boil (all 6 gallons) and it took a bit for me to figure out how hot the flame needed to be to get a good rolling boil. Once it began boiling, I added the LME stirring vigorously to try and be careful not to scorch any to the bottom (which I did, but will explain in a bit). I added all three included hop pellets at the suggested intervals (5 min, 30 min, 55 min) and continued boiling until the 60 minute mark.
Then I began cooling it with my wort chiller which took just about an hour to get it down to 70 degrees. After that, I opened the ball valve on my kettle (with attached hose and adapter of course) and let a little flow into my Hydrometer tube. I then took my first measurement of 1.055. The package said it should be 1.050, so I hope that little amount is good to go. After taking my measurement, I began letting it flow into the carboy.
In addition to the Kettle Screen in my kettle, I also used a ss screen at the mouth of the carboy to filter out anything the kettle screen may have missed from inside the kettle. Well, this is when I got a little worried, because I followed John Palmer's recommendation to let it kind of splash and slosh around to aerate. Well this created a good bit of foam and about the time it got near the top, I failed to notice that the ss screen I was using got clogged and the foam overflowed out of the carboy and onto my floor...no biggie, but a sticky mess! I just proceeded a little slower until I had all of the beer looking liquid out of the kettle leaving behind the nasty trub. It ended up right at 5 gallons, so hooray for staring with 6!
I let the wort sit in the carboy for a bit to let the foam subside which it eventually did and at this point (70 degrees f) I opened my Wyeast activator pack and poured it in making sure I got everything I could out. Boy that yeast smells nasty! But the wort smelled delicious. I then added the stopper and 3 piece airlock. I did not have Vodka and wasn't sure if clear Tequila would work, so I just used some water in the airlock. I then hauled the carboy full of my delicious looking AND smelling brew into my manroom closet where it is super dark and stays at about 68-70 degrees every day. After moving it, I crafted a towel into a cover and covered the entire carboy (except the neck and airlock).
After finishing everything, I did no procrastinate and immediately cleaned everything and put it away for my next brew. So I have to say, although the process was easier than I thought it definitely took the better part of my day and had my house smelling like raw marijuana! (hops I'm guessing?). I opened the windows which pleased the wife and all was good with the world. I feel pretty accomplished and feel pretty good about this batch. I will say that the smell of this batch was very comparable to Sierra Neveda Brutal Rye beer and tasted a lot like Sierra Nevada Torpedo when I took a sip out of the hydrometer tube.
Now on to some mistakes I made and some questions I have. First. When I poured in the LME, I did not cut the heat which caused a very very small amount to burn at the bottom. I stirred as well as I could and go figure, the areas that burned were right under the kettle screen where my spoon couldn't reach. It didn't smell bad and I did not detect any burnt smell either. Hopefully because it was such a small amount, it will be alright. So I am guessing to cut the heat off when I first add the LME?
Second. Should I have poured slower into the carboy to prevent foam or is that a usual thing? It was pretty darn foamy, but eventually almost completed subsided.
Third. Sanitizing sucks! But I had to use One Step because it was all I had. I will be buying Star San this weekend and using that from now on. From what I have read, a lot of you fellas use it and swear by it...So I trust ya.
Fourth. I will be letting it ferment all lonely and in the dark for 3 weeks. Do I need to take more measurements, or just wait the three weeks and then check?
Fifth: Now that my first bath is done, I was planning on starting another batch next week. How often do you fellas brew batches? I would like to keep a constant supply in the fridge as well as some to set back and get sweeter with time.
All in all, it was a gratifying experience and I am seriously hooked. I have 3 brew store within 30-60 miles from my house and they all have fresh grains. I plan on moving into all grain after a few batches...yeah I am a jump in head first kind of guy. I have learned a TON in just the few days I have been reading posts here in addition to the How to Brew book I got by John Palmer. I feel like I am ready to tackle the world! Now here are some picks of a total rookie beeotch...enjoy my doofyness!
-Sapp
two hours later:
Getting the chiller to the right height
Almost there!
I joined here on New Years Day in hopes that I could use this forum and other's experiences to guide me through. Well today was my very first batch ever with real equipment. Up to this point I had made several Mr. Beer batches, but holy crap there is absolutely no comparison at all between the two. I figured I would start my first batch with an easier kit, so I decided to use the kit that came with my home brewery kit from Williams. The kit is their K35 Triple Hopped Ale. I started by smacking the Wyeast "American II" pack last night before I went to bed and when I checked it this morning, it was nice and swollen which was a huge relief.
So the first thing I did was clean everything with mild soap and hot water. After making sure everything was clean, I laid out everything from the kit and got everything where I figured I would need it once I got started. I then took a clean 55 gallon Rubbermaid (one of the long rectangular ones) and filled it about half way with really hot water. I then added the recommended amount of One Step and simply threw everything into the container that needed to be sanitized (yes I know, I will be getting Star San before next batch). I left everything in the tub for over 20 minutes including my carboy. It actually worked quite well with the carboy as I simply laid it on its side, filled it about half way with water and spun it.
While everything was sanitizing, I got the water together (6 Gallons of Crystal Geyser Natural Spring Water), the burner, my kettle (10 gallon) and all of my ingredients...including soaking the 8lbs of included LME with hot water to loosen it up. I then started the boil (all 6 gallons) and it took a bit for me to figure out how hot the flame needed to be to get a good rolling boil. Once it began boiling, I added the LME stirring vigorously to try and be careful not to scorch any to the bottom (which I did, but will explain in a bit). I added all three included hop pellets at the suggested intervals (5 min, 30 min, 55 min) and continued boiling until the 60 minute mark.
Then I began cooling it with my wort chiller which took just about an hour to get it down to 70 degrees. After that, I opened the ball valve on my kettle (with attached hose and adapter of course) and let a little flow into my Hydrometer tube. I then took my first measurement of 1.055. The package said it should be 1.050, so I hope that little amount is good to go. After taking my measurement, I began letting it flow into the carboy.
In addition to the Kettle Screen in my kettle, I also used a ss screen at the mouth of the carboy to filter out anything the kettle screen may have missed from inside the kettle. Well, this is when I got a little worried, because I followed John Palmer's recommendation to let it kind of splash and slosh around to aerate. Well this created a good bit of foam and about the time it got near the top, I failed to notice that the ss screen I was using got clogged and the foam overflowed out of the carboy and onto my floor...no biggie, but a sticky mess! I just proceeded a little slower until I had all of the beer looking liquid out of the kettle leaving behind the nasty trub. It ended up right at 5 gallons, so hooray for staring with 6!
I let the wort sit in the carboy for a bit to let the foam subside which it eventually did and at this point (70 degrees f) I opened my Wyeast activator pack and poured it in making sure I got everything I could out. Boy that yeast smells nasty! But the wort smelled delicious. I then added the stopper and 3 piece airlock. I did not have Vodka and wasn't sure if clear Tequila would work, so I just used some water in the airlock. I then hauled the carboy full of my delicious looking AND smelling brew into my manroom closet where it is super dark and stays at about 68-70 degrees every day. After moving it, I crafted a towel into a cover and covered the entire carboy (except the neck and airlock).
After finishing everything, I did no procrastinate and immediately cleaned everything and put it away for my next brew. So I have to say, although the process was easier than I thought it definitely took the better part of my day and had my house smelling like raw marijuana! (hops I'm guessing?). I opened the windows which pleased the wife and all was good with the world. I feel pretty accomplished and feel pretty good about this batch. I will say that the smell of this batch was very comparable to Sierra Neveda Brutal Rye beer and tasted a lot like Sierra Nevada Torpedo when I took a sip out of the hydrometer tube.
Now on to some mistakes I made and some questions I have. First. When I poured in the LME, I did not cut the heat which caused a very very small amount to burn at the bottom. I stirred as well as I could and go figure, the areas that burned were right under the kettle screen where my spoon couldn't reach. It didn't smell bad and I did not detect any burnt smell either. Hopefully because it was such a small amount, it will be alright. So I am guessing to cut the heat off when I first add the LME?
Second. Should I have poured slower into the carboy to prevent foam or is that a usual thing? It was pretty darn foamy, but eventually almost completed subsided.
Third. Sanitizing sucks! But I had to use One Step because it was all I had. I will be buying Star San this weekend and using that from now on. From what I have read, a lot of you fellas use it and swear by it...So I trust ya.
Fourth. I will be letting it ferment all lonely and in the dark for 3 weeks. Do I need to take more measurements, or just wait the three weeks and then check?
Fifth: Now that my first bath is done, I was planning on starting another batch next week. How often do you fellas brew batches? I would like to keep a constant supply in the fridge as well as some to set back and get sweeter with time.
All in all, it was a gratifying experience and I am seriously hooked. I have 3 brew store within 30-60 miles from my house and they all have fresh grains. I plan on moving into all grain after a few batches...yeah I am a jump in head first kind of guy. I have learned a TON in just the few days I have been reading posts here in addition to the How to Brew book I got by John Palmer. I feel like I am ready to tackle the world! Now here are some picks of a total rookie beeotch...enjoy my doofyness!
-Sapp
two hours later:
Getting the chiller to the right height
Almost there!