brewed my first batch of beer last night!

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802VermontHomebrew

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I drink a lot of guiness with my father in law... I was browsing midwestsupplies and stumbled upon their 20 minute irish stout.. in the description it stated it tastes a lot like guiness, it had a couple of great reviews so I was sold on that one! I took a few pictures from last night when I started the first phase of the process. Pictures are in no particular order:













and lastly... this was my inspiration for the evening (I had to lol)

 
oddly enough the temperature in my basement is a solid 70 degrees :) I went downstairs this morning and my airlock was bubbling like crazy... So I think everything is going well so far... We will see in a week when I transfer it into my carboy.
 
Congratulations on the first batch. My first Stout was an Imperial Stout from a Kit. I kegged and carbed with beer/gas mixture and after a week or so, I sampled it. First taste was fantastic, but then it finished with almost a chemical flavor. I pulled it from the refrigerator and aged it for over 1 year and now have it tapped again. WOW! So much better.

I hope your Stout turns out great for you. I have made only one other Stout since my first batch and that was an American Stout which was an AG brew and it was a big hit with friends and family.

Salute! :mug:
 
thanks guys.... WOW I jumped right into homebrewing without wasting anytime... So far I have my 2 glass carboy deluxe brewing kit with with 4 corney kegs.. lol and I just went to Sears and bought a kenmore 9 cubic ft. chest freezer. I think I am golden come 2 weeks when she will be ready :) I will for sure keep you guys updated and post more pictures of the brewing process/ my new chest freezer! I just set up the freezer downstairs.
 
Congrats and welcome to the fold. Sounds like you are off to a great start!
Let us know how the stout turns out.
 
ok day 3 question... I noticed I still have bubbles in my airlock pretty frequently... it has slowed down a little bit but I noticed all the water is bubbling on the left side and the right side of my airlock is pretty much empty... Is that a good thing or bad thing? Do I need to add more water to it? I know the airlock has dash marks in the middle to where you are supposed to fill the water to which I did.... Just not sure if it is suppose to stay level during the entire one weeks duration.. Hopefully you guys can help answer that one for me. THANKS!
 
It doesn't matter if the water level in the airlock is level. If the "right side" (going by your pic above) is empty, and the left side is bubbling, that just means the pressure from the CO2 has pushed the liquid in the airlock up through the S and over to the other chamber.
 
if I push down slightly on the lid the water in the airlock moves back... I was told if the water moves (you have a good seal on the lid)... so I am guessing I'm fine...
 
the instructions say 1 week primary 1 week secondary.... But I have seen on a lot of threads that people wait 3 weeks?? whats up with that, should I go against the instructions?
 
Yes go against the instructions, think of them as rough guidelines.

Yes you can ferment for a week, bottle condition for a week and drink your finished beer, but if you can keep your hands tied behind your back for about 3 weeks for both, you will be drinking beer that "should" taste much better! A secondary is not usually needed if you do a 3 and 3 formula. Secondaries are better for dry hopping, adding fruit or if doing a lager. 3 weeks is not a steadfast rule, just a rule of thumb, in the long run go with what you like.

The yeast produce a lot of "stuff" besides the CO2 and alcohol during fermentation. When they have eaten all the sugars they will usually eat some of the "stuff" they made before they go dormant, or something like that. So that is one reason you should leave the beer in primary for about 3 weeks, more for bigger(higher gravity) beers like IIPA's and Barleywines.
 
i would, but that's just me. you can get by with 2 weeks, but that extra week will only help. that said, i've done 2 weeks several times!

and as far as the secondary goes, i'd probably skip it and just leave it in the primary. i've only used a secondary a few times, and while it did help clear it up, it didn't really do anything else. plus, it's a stout right? how much clarity would you even notice?

my experience is definitely that the waiting is the hardest part. it's your first brew, if you want to bottle it after 2 weeks, go for it!
 
my only thing was I am going camping next weekend with my father inlaw and we love guiness and I was going to shock him by showing up with a homebrew clone... Since the instructions said ready in 2 weeks I was super pumped... but I guess judging by what you have all informed me I guess I will just buy some guiness and wait lol... Not to mention I have also heard leave them in the bottles for a few weeks at room temp before chilling your beers (it only helps the age process)... No worries I am patient, I just want a good end result. I already have my second and third recipie waiting. amber ale and an amber bock.
 
oh and my only reason behind the carboy secondary was to "filter out" the sediment and "stuff" you dont want in your end result... I heard that an auto siphon is the way to go... so I ordered one along with some other supplies... I wasn't concerned with clarity haha yes it is a stout that will be very dark :)
 
if you condition them at 70*, they won't be carbed in a week anyway. i bottle, and i usually plan on at least 4 weeks (and better to go 6) after i brew before they are ready to drink. i'm better at waiting until 6 weeks now (3 in the bucket and 3 in the bottle) and i will say that it does help out the flavor of the beer a lot.
now, that's not to say that i didn't like my beer when i was drinking it early! for my first few, not a single bottle made it to 6 weeks.
 
yeah its set at 70 degrees in my basement. Ok, my next question is since you guys go straight to bottling from your fermenter bucket ( I assume you just use your bottling line and connect it straight onto the bottom of the spout connected to your bucket)... But wont that put all the crap on the bottom of the bucket into your beer that you want to "keep out" I just thought that was the whole point of a secondary? to make it very clear and drinkable.
 
I think I am going to wait 3 weeks and then transfer it into my carboy to guarentee I dont get any of the "stuff" thats sitting ontop of my beer and below it into my final product... besides I want to try out my new auto siphon... I guess its my newbie nerves kicking in.... I just want it to be perfect!
 
i rack to a bottling bucket and bottle from there, or else you would get tons of sh*t in your bottles.

and don't worry about the trub at the bottom of your fermenter, you will rack (siphon) your beer off of it. after 3 weeks in the primary, it should be plenty ready to bottle.

oh, and +1 to the auto siphon idea. it's $15 well spent.
 
oh, and if you bottle, you will have "stuff" at the bottom of your bottle. it's the yeast and it's by products settling out from the carbonation process. you just pour your beer off of it. you'll be a pro at it after your 2nd beer, trust me!

also, that stuff doesn't hurt you, my brother drinks it all the time. i guess it's full of b vitamins and (supposedly) is good for a hangover...i have no actual proof of this, just what i heard. it usually makes me feel better to at least think it might be true!
 
With my bottled beers, letting the sediment into my glass has caused some off flavors and made me extra gassy, but thats about it. As with all things you won't know until you try it. If you don't taste any off flavors, drink it, thats a good half sip worth of your beer.
 
bafroom said:
i rack to a bottling bucket and bottle from there, or else you would get tons of sh*t in your bottles.

and don't worry about the trub at the bottom of your fermenter, you will rack (siphon) your beer off of it. after 3 weeks in the primary, it should be plenty ready to bottle.

oh, and +1 to the auto siphon idea. it's $15 well spent.
Click to expand...

+1 on the auto siphon
++1 on the bottling bucket

Cheap to buy, easy to convert, a bottling bucket is the best way to go. Rack the beer(with sanitized equipment of course) first thing. While you are preparing all the bottles and priming sugar and stuff, most of the sediment that transferred when racking will settle out and your beers will bottle quite clear. After conditioning in the bottle, any small stuff will settle for crystal clear beer.
 
looks like I will be buying a bottling bucket from midwestsupplies now also lol... man they must love me by this point....
 
ok guys... heres my 3 week update! I am headed down in the basement a little later on... I picked up a bottling bucket from midwest (but first) I am going to transfer into my secondary carboy though... letting it sit in that for another 3 weeks while using my auto siphon.. hopefully racking will avoid all of the unwanted sediment. After those 3 weeks are up I will begin the bottling process. I will post pics when I get downstairs!
 
just popped the lid:



testing out the new auto siphon:



got a good siphon going.. minor spill but hey its my first time:



all done:



of course my dog oliver was there with me:

 
thanks guys aww man, when I started the siphon I used a tip I found online start with the starsan in the line and pour the begining into a glass and when it turns to beer pinch the line and transfer it into the secondary.... MANNNNN when I smelled that beer my mouth started watering! I dont want to jinx it but I think this batch is going to match its rave reviews! One of the reviews I read said it was preferred OVER guiness.... Not too sure about that, but time will tell. Super excited I got a lot of brewing accomplished last night... not only did I transfer my stout into the secondary but as soon as I cleaned my fermenter I brewed my second batch (autumn amber ale) and that is now in my primary! I went down to the basement and my airlock is bubbling like crazy! I think I am going to keg that batch and try out my new courney kegs/ chest freezer! I am sure I will have tons of questions and will probably start an autumn amber ale thread with a bunch of "how to" questions with how to use my co2 tank properly and what settings to put the regulator to etc.. Thats it for now!
 
Being a new brewer myself, I'm enjoying following your progress!!!

I have a few questions for ya:

You didn't sneak a taste/sample?

Are you going 3 weeks in primary and 3 in secondary before bottling?

Could you please provide a link to the type of kegs and freezer you bought? Why freezer? can you regulate the temps above freezing? Is it more like a fridge?
 
Centexbear said:
Being a new brewer myself, I'm enjoying following your progress!!!

I have a few questions for ya:

You didn't sneak a taste/sample?

Are you going 3 weeks in primary and 3 in secondary before bottling?

Could you please provide a link to the type of kegs and freezer you bought? Why freezer? can you regulate the temps above freezing? Is it more like a fridge?
Click to expand...

1.) no I didnt sneak a taste ( I was tempted) but the wait will be worth it!

2.) Yes thats the plan.. but I might shorten secondary and bottle conditioning just because I am headed back home July 12th for my birthday weekend and my dad really wants to try some. We'll see, I did notice sediment already on the bottom of my secondary so I am glad I decided to rack it into my carboy before dropping it into the bottling bucket.

3.) I dont have a link but I can let you know I bought it at Sears... its a Kenmore 9 cubic ft. you have the option of getting black or white in color. I was going to get black but they wanted 100.00 more just for the color... so I went with white. the white is 249.00 I believe is what I paid for it and the black 349.00 It came with an optional warranty but I refused because I plan on drilling the top eventually and do a tap tower. They specifically told me that would void the warranty anyway (I figured it would).... As far as temp. control I bought a temp controller from a fellow HBT'er (ajf) for 30.00 you simply plug it into your existing freezer plug turn the temp down to 40 degrees or so (whatever your desired temp is for chilling your beers) then drop the probe in the freezer and your freezer temp will drop down to normal fridge temperatures. The reason I went with a chest freezer opposed to a full size fridge was just a size issue. I have a very narrow basement stairwell with a 90 degree bend in it, and that is where all my homebrewing is taking place... I full size fridge wouldnt fit NOT A CHANCE! lol and I had no luck finding a mini fridge that would fit my courney kegs (I have 4 of those). Originally I was going to get a 7.2 cubic ft. chest freezer but when using the handy dandy sizing chart on this website for courney kegs I quickly discovered that it would probably be too cramped for what I have for a setup. The 9 cubic ft. chest freezer was the same price since I chose white in color (so it was a no brainer) I had to go bigger... when I got it home haha I made it fit down the stairs! one smal ding in the ceiling drywall but nothing that cant be fixed down the road :) As far as where I got my kegs I found a complete used setup on craigslist for CHEAP. Everybody on here said I got a great deal on it. Look around on craigslist first if you want to save some money. But if that doesn't work I hear kegconnection.com has good prices if you are looking to buy new. Hope that helps, good luck with your brewing process I have had a blast so far! CHEERS. Oh and I will try to find my thread on my setup for you, I added pictures to it.
 
sorry no pictures of the chest freezer yet but if you'd like I could snap you some. I could take some of the temp controller too if you need to know what one looks like... they make manual ones and digital. I went with manual.... I can always upgrade later, besides ajf gave me a great deal shipped to my doorstep (thanks ajf!) :)
 
brewagentjay said:
Awesome. I did my first brew with same exact kit....It's one of my favs still.
Click to expand...

did you like it more then guiness?

If you were to compare between regular guiness or their extra stout... which does it taste like more? I am anxious to know if its more smooth like regular guiness or if it has a real strong kick of stout to it... Either way I'm sure it will taste good, just trying to get a feel for it now that I know somebody else on here has brewed it before!
 

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