Brewing an Oatmeal Stout next weekend (steeping grains, etc); Any tips??

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
J

joshk577

Member
Joined
Oct 21, 2010
Messages
22
Reaction score
1
Location
Oreland
Hello, everyone.
I bought a kit from my local HBS. I'll be brewing an Oatmeal Stout this coming weekend. I have a batch of Wheat Ale in bottles (my 1st batch ever). I'm now taking on a little more challenging brew. I'm using liquid yeast, and I'll be steeping the grains & adding hops (pellets) this time (the last one used hopped malt extract). I believe this is referred to as All-Grains???? Not sure.
Does anyone have any tips?? Anything that I should be sure to do or NOT do?
Any special prep? Any potential problems that someone else has run into in the past?

You guys/women are great!
Thanks.
 
Hi Josh. The type of brewing you will be doing (I think) is called 'extract with specialty grains' - you can make very good beer using this method. In this method, the extract provides the base malt and the steeping grains add flavor and color.

If you want to read more about it, you can check out www.howtobrew.com There is also a sticky in the beginners forum here on hbt on how to do extract brewing https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/beginner-extract-brewing-howto-99139/

Good luck!
 
No, this is not all grain...that will come later if you want to try it; there should be dry (DME) or liquid (LME) extract in your second-ever beer kit (Is there extract in your kit??). If no extract, you may want to return the kit if you can.

"All grain" brewing means: nothing but grain as the source of fermentable surgars...no extracts. "All grain" is more involved than extract brewing and requires some specialized equipment, but it is not super-difficult...but it may be a bit much for your second batch.

Advice 1: follow the instructions to the letter. Read them once three days before you brew...read them again two days before you brew (imagining how you will perform each step in your head as you go)...go through a "dry run" the day before you brew.

When doing a dry-run, go through the entire procedure...clean all of your stuff (and concentrate on keeping it away from surface contact, and air, through the entire dry run...teach yourself to be conscious of contamination at all times), mock adding ingredients, and wait the appropriate times before each subsequent step. Make sure you have what you need easily at hand all the way through the dry run. The dry run can help you identify any problems you may run into before you actually get into the middle of brewing the batch. After a few batches, this will all become second nature for you.

Advice 2: Don't ever boil steeping grains.

Advice 3: Although a watched pot never boils, A boiling wort should always be watched.

Advice 4: remove your pot from the heat before adding your hops pellets...sequence: remove from heat, add hops and stir, put back on heat (sequence should take less than one minute).

Advice 5: stir constantly when boiling wort...this is important.

Advice 6: a rolling boil is not a simmer...rolling boil your wort for at least 60 minutes.

Advice 7: timing your hops additions is important...don't think "if 30 minutes is good, then 60 minutes is better".

By the way, all from past experience...some of my major goofs over the years.

Good luck!!

PikledBill
 
Bill,
Thanks for the great advice!
A dry run is a great idea.
I have a few questions for you- which may sound stupid;
Things that I was not sure about the 1st time around.

1) Do I add my LME & little bit of DME AFTER the water boils then return my pot to the heat to boil longer? OR do I add my ME BEFORE the water boils. Last time, I added it after the boil & returned to heat & boiled wort for 15 minutes (as per HBS staff member's instructions).

2) After I clean & sanitize my fermenter, utensils, fermenter lid & gasket, airlock, etc, what is the best way to keep contamination (air, dust, etc) out?? Last time, I filled my fermentation bucket with 5 gallons of water & the appropriate amount of sanitizer. I then put the plastic lid & gasket in the bucket & let it sit for awhile. I then transferred the 5 gallons of sanitizing solution to my bottling bucket, installed gasket in lid, put lid on fermenter, and covered fermenter with plastic wrap. I used my bottling bucket (full of sanitizing solution that I transferred) to sanitize everything else. Is this method a good one??

3) should I be using Nitrile gloves to keep my hands from contaminating anything??

4) how quickly do I need to get the temperature of my wort down to 70 degrees?? I was told to get it down to at least 100 degrees in the ice bath & then pour it into my fermenter, add cold water to make 5 gallons, put the lid on & let it come down to 70-75 degrees on its own over time. A friend of mine told me recently that I need to get it down to 70-75 degrees more quickly.

5) Should I stir in my liquid yeast or just add it?? I've been told to do both by 2 different people.

And finally...
6) Are you saying that I should roiling boil my grains? If so, how do I know how high to keep the stove burner? What does a rolling boil look like & how do I achieve/sustain a roiling boil??

Sorry for asking so many questions. Any help would be much appreciated.
Thanks.

Josh

pikledbill said:
No, this is not all grain...that will come later if you want to try it; there should be dry (DME) or liquid (LME) extract in your second-ever beer kit (Is there extract in your kit??). If no extract, you may want to return the kit if you can.

"All grain" brewing means: nothing but grain as the source of fermentable surgars...no extracts. "All grain" is more involved than extract brewing and requires some specialized equipment, but it is not super-difficult...but it may be a bit much for your second batch.

Advice 1: follow the instructions to the letter. Read them once three days before you brew...read them again two days before you brew (imagining how you will perform each step in your head as you go)...go through a "dry run" the day before you brew.

When doing a dry-run, go through the entire procedure...clean all of your stuff (and concentrate on keeping it away from surface contact, and air, through the entire dry run...teach yourself to be conscious of contamination at all times), mock adding ingredients, and wait the appropriate times before each subsequent step. Make sure you have what you need easily at hand all the way through the dry run. The dry run can help you identify any problems you may run into before you actually get into the middle of brewing the batch. After a few batches, this will all become second nature for you.

Advice 2: Don't ever boil steeping grains.

Advice 3: Although a watched pot never boils, A boiling wort should always be watched.

Advice 4: remove your pot from the heat before adding your hops pellets...sequence: remove from heat, add hops and stir, put back on heat (sequence should take less than one minute).

Advice 5: stir constantly when boiling wort...this is important.

Advice 6: a rolling boil is not a simmer...rolling boil your wort for at least 60 minutes.

Advice 7: timing your hops additions is important...don't think "if 30 minutes is good, then 60 minutes is better".

By the way, all from past experience...some of my major goofs over the years.

Good luck!!

PikledBill
Click to expand...
 
1) Do I add my LME & little bit of DME AFTER the water boils then return my pot to the heat to boil longer? OR do I add my ME BEFORE the water boils. Last time, I added it after the boil & returned to heat & boiled wort for 15 minutes (as per HBS staff member's instructions).

Bring the water (after steeping your grains) to a boil and then add the extract. Take the pot off the heat to add the extract and stir like crazy. As for the length of the boil, follow your directions. It will depend largely on your hop additions - how long your recipe calls for the hops to be boiled.

2) After I clean & sanitize my fermenter, utensils, fermenter lid & gasket, airlock, etc, what is the best way to keep contamination (air, dust, etc) out?? Last time, I filled my fermentation bucket with 5 gallons of water & the appropriate amount of sanitizer. I then put the plastic lid & gasket in the bucket & let it sit for awhile. I then transferred the 5 gallons of sanitizing solution to my bottling bucket, installed gasket in lid, put lid on fermenter, and covered fermenter with plastic wrap. I used my bottling bucket (full of sanitizing solution that I transferred) to sanitize everything else. Is this method a good one??

If you put the lid on the fermenter, you don't need to seal it with plastic wrap. Otherwise, sounds good.

3) should I be using Nitrile gloves to keep my hands from contaminating anything??

That's not necessary, I think. You can dip your hands in the sanitizing solution if you are concerned.
4) how quickly do I need to get the temperature of my wort down to 70 degrees?? I was told to get it down to at least 100 degrees in the ice bath & then pour it into my fermenter, add cold water to make 5 gallons, put the lid on & let it come down to 70-75 degrees on its own over time. A friend of mine told me recently that I need to get it down to 70-75 degrees more quickly.

If you use the ice bath to get your batch down to 75 or so, then add water that is room temperature, you'll be fine

5) Should I stir in my liquid yeast or just add it?? I've been told to do both by 2 different people.

You don't need to stir in the yeast.

And finally...
6) Are you saying that I should roiling boil my grains? If so, how do I know how high to keep the stove burner? What does a rolling boil look like & how do I achieve/sustain a roiling boil??

Pickle said not to boil to the grains. Steep the grains at no more than 170 degrees (or follow the directions on your recipe) - if you boil the grains, you will get astringent and tannin-y flavors. Do boil your wort (the liquid you have in the pot after you've removed your steeping grains). You need to boil the hops to extract their bitterness, flavor and aroma.
 
Don't know if you were planning to make a starter, but it's easy to do, and will improve your beer when you're using liquid yeast. This is a decent guide. This calculator will help you figure out how big the starter should be.

Kudos on not putting a ton of random flavorings in it. I made an extract/steeping grain oatmeal stout for my second batch (maybe third), and it was a great beer.
 
The one thing that helped me was Layering the specialty grains with the flaked oats. This keeps the oats from clumping up and allows everything to steep loosely.

Does your kit include maltodextrin? If so I'd be careful of how much you put in. Mine came with one pound and I think it was way too much

Good luck and let us know how u do

Cheers
 
Thanks guys! I'll let you know how it turns out.
Also, this forum is such a great help! I'm going to become a supporter on payday.

Please excuse my ignorance, but what is a starter??
 
A starter is a larger volume of yeast used for pitching (well, not necessarily volume, but total number of yeast added)...it works better than just throwing some liquid yeast from a package in there. The premise is that you don't have to wait as long for the yeast to multiply in the fermenter, before fermentation really gets going...less of a chance for adverse effects of contamination because you are adding a large population of yeast that are ready to get the job of fermenting done nearly immediately (part of the war against bacteria is a large number of good guys versus a small number of bad guys). Bacteria and yeast naturally compete for space and resources in the wild...they will do the same thing in your wort. The more yeast you add , the more advantage yeast have over the small number of bacteria in the wort (to a point, above that point it can be detrimental - too much yeast can be bad for a fermentation). Use a recipe for making a starter and you should have good results (make sure the starter recipe is specific for the size of your beer batch...i.e. if you are making a 5 gallon batch, make sure your starter recipe is for a five gallon batch).

Good point from slick...make sure you mix your steeping grains with the oat flakes thoroughly - put them all in a 1 gallon ziplock and shake the devil out of them...when I grind my own grain, I mix my oat flakes into the grinder with my specialties...it is good practice. NOTE: make sure you have ground grains and not whole grains...your brewshop should have ground them for you...but it is good to make sure. Ground grains will look all busted up.

Did the kit come with a steeping bag - this is a small nylon, or cotton bag that you put your steeping grains in for steeping? If not, make sure you have one before you begin. You can batch steep with a fine mesh kitchen strainer, but a bag is easier.

Never squeeze your steeping bag (this can also result in the release of astringents from the grain)...just hold it up above the pot and let it drain for a couple of minutes - until it gets to a slow drip, then bounce it up and down a couple of times to get the last streams out of it.

As far as adding your ME, stick with pappers and follow the directions. Some kits will have you save back some ME to add later in the boil...some kits do not do this...just follow your instructions and it will be fine.

No need for gloves (in my experience...and I am a clean freak)

Advice: many will say never cover your wort while cooling...I would follow this advice until you know the difference.

Cooling wort fast is always better...faster is even better. In the past I have tried: frozen pre-boiled water and added it to the wort to cool rapidly, cooling wort in a freezer, sticking it in a snow bank...an ice bath seems to work as good as anything in my opinion...and it is plenty quick - should take around 20 minutes...less than 20 minutes if you have a good ice bath. Be sure to stir your wort while cooling, and move your pot around in the ice bath (or stir the ice bath regularly).

Be sure to aerate your wort before adding yeast...put it into the fermenter, close the top and give it a couple of good shakes...the yeast need oxygen early in the process. Don't be afraid to really slosh it into your fermenter when transfering the wort from the boiling pot. If you want to give it a good shake or two after you add the yeast (to mix well), it won't hurt anything...but it isn't necessary.


BTW: no question is stupid...well, maybe some are. But, you will remember the things you say/ask much longer than anyone else will...so don't worry about it. Also, the good thing about stupid questions is that you generally only ask them once...Doh!!:mug:

Good Luck and have fun!
PikledBill
 
joshk577 said:
Thanks guys! I'll let you know how it turns out.
Also, this forum is such a great help! I'm going to become a supporter on payday.

Please excuse my ignorance, but what is a starter??
Click to expand...

Like pikledbill said, it's basically a small wort (just water and dry extract) solely for the purpose of building up the appropriate number of yeast cells. Vials and smack packs contain fewer cells than would be optimum for a typical 5-gallon ale. They'll get the job done, but with a longer lag time, and with some extra flavors that the yeast kick out when in replication mode. Not using a starter won't doom your beer at all, but using one will almost certainly help. It not only reduces lag-time, but puts you in a position to have better tasting beer. The size of the starter determines the number of cells you'll get, which is where Mr. Malty's calculator comes in handy; it helps you figure out what size starter to make for the particular beer you're making.

You didn't make one for your dry yeast because an 11g packet of dry yeast contains a lot more cells than a vial or smack-pack.
 
Thanks, guys. I appreciate the advice on starters; more so the explanation!

1) Which is more ideal to use for an ice bath? My kitchen sink OR my Bathtub?

2) Last time, I used my sink; filled it with some water & a bunch of ice. The amount of ice that I was able to fit in the sink melted before my wort cooled down all of the way.
Where does my mistake/problem lie??

Thanks.

Josh
 
joshk577 said:
Thanks, guys. I appreciate the advice on starters; more so the explanation!

1) Which is more ideal to use for an ice bath? My kitchen sink OR my Bathtub?

2) Last time, I used my sink; filled it with some water & a bunch of ice. The amount of ice that I was able to fit in the sink melted before my wort cooled down all of the way.
Where does my mistake/problem lie??

Thanks.

Josh
Click to expand...

I use my sink as an ice bath. I fill it with just water (no ice) initially. Then once that water gets too hot, I drain the water and refill the sink with fresh cold water. I repeat that again and on the third run I add ice. With constant stirring of the wort and ice bath (use seperate spoons) I can get 3-3.5g down to pitching temperature in 25 min.
 
Forgot to mention, on the third ice bath I hold ice cubes to the outside of the pot while stirring the wort. This is a lot easier if you have someone helping you out.

With this technique I usually only use about 2 dozen ice cubes so there is no need to go out and buy a bag of ice.
 
joshk577 said:
Thanks, guys. I appreciate the advice on starters; more so the explanation!

1) Which is more ideal to use for an ice bath? My kitchen sink OR my Bathtub?

2) Last time, I used my sink; filled it with some water & a bunch of ice. The amount of ice that I was able to fit in the sink melted before my wort cooled down all of the way.
Where does my mistake/problem lie??

Thanks.

Josh
Click to expand...

It depends on how big your sink is and how big your pot is. In my experience, the best ice bath for cooling is at least twice the size (diameter) of your pot. You want the ice bath deep enough so that the pot slightly floats...this allows cold ice water to cover sides and bottom of the pot...maximizing heat exchange between the wort and the ice water. If your pot is not floating, there will be minimal heat exchange between the base of the pot and your ice bath...heat exchange in this case only takes place between the pot and sink base - the sink base is not cool enough for what you want.

Twice the diameter is my size recommendation because it allows you to move the pot around in the sink (I use a constant circular motion for fastest cooling)...use one hand on the spoon/paddle for stirring wort, and the other hand on one of the pot handles to move it in circles around the sink.

Believe it or not, you will get microenvironments with different temperatures within your ice bath if you leave the pot in a single position...the water surrounding the pot will remain too warm to rapidly exchange heat; you have to constantly replace the warming water immediately in contact with the pot in the ice bath...this happens when you move the pot around the sink/bath in circles...in this scenario, you are using the pot itself as a big stirring spoon for the ice bath. Remember: good heat exchange during wort cooling is a function of temperature and surface area...more surface area in contact with lower temperature = faster rate of cooling. This same idea works for stirring the wort inside the pot...by stirring constantly, you are maximizing heat exchange (more of the hot wort makes contact with the metal sides of the pot, increasing heat exchange).

Note: be careful about leaving the pot unattended when it is floating...it can tip if floating too much. I have had water bath water in my wort before:(.

you will probably have to add/replace ice as it melts. You might want to consider using a combination of ice cubes, and frozen water bottles for your ice bath.

Good luck!!

PikledBill
 
Bill,
Thanks. I never thought of that.
My bathtub would be more ideal then as my sink is not that big. Is a bathtub too big?

How do you know so much about the biology, chemistry, & physics of the whole process?? You are a very knowledgeable man!!

Josh


pikledbill said:
It depends on how big your sink is and how big your pot is. In my experience, the best ice bath for cooling is at least twice the size (diameter) of your pot. You want the ice bath deep enough so that the pot slightly floats...this allows cold ice water to cover sides and bottom of the pot...maximizing heat exchange between the wort and the ice water. If your pot is not floating, there will be minimal heat exchange between the base of the pot and your ice bath...heat exchange in this case only takes place between the pot and sink base - the sink base is not cool enough for what you want.

Twice the diameter is my size recommendation because it allows you to move the pot around in the sink (I use a constant circular motion for fastest cooling)...use one hand on the spoon/paddle for stirring wort, and the other hand on one of the pot handles to move it in circles around the sink.

Believe it or not, you will get microenvironments with different temperatures within your ice bath if you leave the pot in a single position...the water surrounding the pot will remain too warm to rapidly exchange heat; you have to constantly replace the warming water immediately in contact with the pot in the ice bath...this happens when you move the pot around the sink/bath in circles...in this scenario, you are using the pot itself as a big stirring spoon for the ice bath. Remember: good heat exchange during wort cooling is a function of temperature and surface area...more surface area in contact with lower temperature = faster rate of cooling. This same idea works for stirring the wort inside the pot...by stirring constantly, you are maximizing heat exchange (more of the hot wort makes contact with the metal sides of the pot, increasing heat exchange).

Note: be careful about leaving the pot unattended when it is floating...it can tip if floating too much. I have had water bath water in my wort before:(.

you will probably have to add/replace ice as it melts. You might want to consider using a combination of ice cubes, and frozen water bottles for your ice bath.

Good luck!!

PikledBill
Click to expand...
 
Josh,
I have been interested in learning to brew for a number of years...I am still learning. I have spent the better part of my life doing science...so brewing is a natural hobby for me. For me, brewing beer is a science - not an exact science in my opinion, but that is what makes it fun...the best made plans don't always work out; but that is what makes life interesting.

The only reason I know what I know...and some things I think I know that I don't really know...is experience. Nothing can replace experience...just brew a lot, and read a lot. If you read something in a book, many times you won't really understand it until you put it into practice...this is why I encourage experimentation in brewing.

Learning the foundations of brewing seems very difficult at first. But, every time you read a brew book, or make a batch of beer, you will learn something. Some things I have learned over and over. I have read the books in my brew library at least twice (I am kind of dense, so I rarely get something the first time). I would encourage you to buy a lab book with sewn in pages to keep copious notes in while you brew. Be sure to write down thoughts, ideas, and curiosities regarding any step you are completing...you will be amazed what you can do with a batch of beer in a short amount of time.

If you were to flip through the books in my brewing library, you would see my writing, scribbles, underlined passages...etc., all through them. Every time I read somthing that I don't understand (or have never seen before), I make a note and look it up.

I will tell you something about the learning process: painful memories stay in your mind the longest. When you screw something up royally - and I mean in a Kingly, or a member of Congress manner of bad - you will probably not make that mistake again...this is how I have learned.:fro: I have made stupid mistakes in brewing that I am hesitant to tell even my closest friends.

The only difference between you and me, or you and any "expert brewer", is experience and interest. I have already made many of the mistakes you will make...I was interested enough to try and figure out what went wrong...there is nothing magic about it. Keep your interest in the subject of brewing, continue to practice the scientific art of brewing, and your base of knowledge will expand rapidly - you will be giving advice to new brewers before you know it.

If I can brew a good batch of beer, it is because I stand on the shoulders of giants...build a brewing library, it will be money well spent.

On a final note: every time you perform a step in your instructions, ask yourself "why am I doing this step", "what process in wort preparation or fermentation", does this step represent? If you understand the basic process, you can think about the substeps required to enhance the process. This is how/why I ended up with the water bath cooling procedure I outlined to you...I did not read that in a book - it came from experience, experimenting with the cooling process, and generally thinking about what was going on in the water bath.


Good luck with your batch!!

PikledBill
 
Bill,
Please excuse my ignorance, but what exactly is a "lab book with sewn in pages" & where can I get one?

You are very enlightened. I get the feeling (from reading your posts) that we are alike in many ways. I possess a very logical & inquisitive mind. If I come across a topic that I know nothing or little about, I HAVE to research it. From how satellites work to radio communication to how electronic devices/components work to many things in history, etc, I can't sleep until I know & understand things. I also am very good at taking a problem or an unknown & breaking it down, figuring out each puzzle piece & then putting the mental puzzle together in my mind (figuring it out).
In my line of work, I utilize the skill of troubleshooting on a daily basis.

You are a very interesting person. If you don't mind, can you tell me about yourself? profession; beliefs; political beliefs; life experiences; etc. ??
If you feel comfortable.

Thanks.
Josh

pikledbill said:
Josh,
I have been interested in learning to brew for a number of years...I am still learning. I have spent the better part of my life doing science...so brewing is a natural hobby for me. For me, brewing beer is a science - not an exact science in my opinion, but that is what makes it fun...the best made plans don't always work out; but that is what makes life interesting.

The only reason I know what I know...and some things I think I know that I don't really know...is experience. Nothing can replace experience...just brew a lot, and read a lot. If you read something in a book, many times you won't really understand it until you put it into practice...this is why I encourage experimentation in brewing.

Learning the foundations of brewing seems very difficult at first. But, every time you read a brew book, or make a batch of beer, you will learn something. Some things I have learned over and over. I have read the books in my brew library at least twice (I am kind of dense, so I rarely get something the first time). I would encourage you to buy a lab book with sewn in pages to keep copious notes in while you brew. Be sure to write down thoughts, ideas, and curiosities regarding any step you are completing...you will be amazed what you can do with a batch of beer in a short amount of time.

If you were to flip through the books in my brewing library, you would see my writing, scribbles, underlined passages...etc., all through them. Every time I read somthing that I don't understand (or have never seen before), I make a note and look it up.

I will tell you something about the learning process: painful memories stay in your mind the longest. When you screw something up royally - and I mean in a Kingly, or a member of Congress manner of bad - you will probably not make that mistake again...this is how I have learned.:fro: I have made stupid mistakes in brewing that I am hesitant to tell even my closest friends.

The only difference between you and me, or you and any "expert brewer", is experience and interest. I have already made many of the mistakes you will make...I was interested enough to try and figure out what went wrong...there is nothing magic about it. Keep your interest in the subject of brewing, continue to practice the scientific art of brewing, and your base of knowledge will expand rapidly - you will be giving advice to new brewers before you know it.

If I can brew a good batch of beer, it is because I stand on the shoulders of giants...build a brewing library, it will be money well spent.

On a final note: every time you perform a step in your instructions, ask yourself "why am I doing this step", "what process in wort preparation or fermentation", does this step represent? If you understand the basic process, you can think about the substeps required to enhance the process. This is how/why I ended up with the water bath cooling procedure I outlined to you...I did not read that in a book - it came from experience, experimenting with the cooling process, and generally thinking about what was going on in the water bath.


Good luck with your batch!!

PikledBill
Click to expand...
 
Josh,

A lab book with sewn in pages is simply a notebook that is not spiral-bound or glue-bound...the binding is sewn with thread. You can get them at Wal-Mart in the school supplies section...they generally have a splotched black and white, or green and white pattern on the cover, with a place to label/title the notebook. The reason I suggest sewn in pages, is that the pages will not fall out with use...spiral and glue-bound notebooks eventually fall apart from constantly turning the pages. Some people call this a "college" or "science" lab notebook. I have one for each style of beer I make, and one for general notes, and one for each major step in the brewing process...I have about 30 of them.

Things to make a note of in your notebook: each batch gets a unique section in your notebook - batch ID number, style, date
For example: HW#16 (ID number), hefe (style), 30 November 2010 (date)

1. Mash or extract, pounds of grain/extract used, where you purchased each ingredient and ingredient label name, how long you stored the ingredient and how it was stored, specifics of the mash (if used), temp and time of steeping for specialty grains.
2. variety of hops used, and number of ounces each, how long did you store them and method of storage, boil time addition (T=0 if added at the start of boil...T=15 for adding 15 minutes into the boil...T=85...etc.), nature of the hops: pellet, fresh cones, plug, dried frozen. AA content (listed on the package)
3. total boil length in minutes, heat source (electric, NatGas, propane), pot used, initial volume, final volume, water volume added after the boil, method of cooling, time elapsed for cooling, pot covered or open during cooling,
4. pitching temp, yeast type, yeast purchase date (how long was it stored and method of storage), number of cells pitched and volume, physical state (dry, liquid, fresh starter), where you purchased the yeast, attenuation, flocculation (I taped the labels into my books, for both yeast and hops)
5. fermentation length(s) and temperature(s), primary, secondary, bucket or glass carboy, sugar source for bottling/kegging, size of bottles, number of final bottles, how long did it take for the airlock to bubble (I use a blow-off tube in a bowl of water for my airlock)
6. length of aging and how it was done, temp...etc.
7. Notes: anything you think may have gone wrong in the process, ideas on how to improve
8. color, aroma, and taste notes
9. open section for anything you may want to add later

There are other things you should put in your brew notebook...this was off the top of my head...but you get the point. Just remember, your notebook is your brewing history textbook. As your skills in brewing improve, you will/may want access to all this information.

If you are interested in investigating things in detail and troubleshooting, brewing is the correct hobby for you...However, you may have many sleepless nights in your future.:D

Wrong forum for too much personal stuff (I put what I was comfortable with on my personal profile page)...and even with a gun to my head, you couldn't get me to talk about religion or politics with a bunch of folks that brew their own beer (and will quite possibly be monkey-hammer tucker max drunk during debate).:mug:

My life philosophy in a nutshell: on a long enough timeline, the survival rate of everyone drops to zero (Tyler Durden). Blah, blah, blah...my life philosophy is no better than anyone else's...the only real difference is that I know enough to know that I really don't know anything.

Cheers and good luck brewing,
PikledBill
 
I brewed a Sam Smith's Oatmeal clone recently - the one firm recommendation I'd make is to set up a blow-off tube rather than using an airlock, at least until the initial fermentation has calmed down. It was only my fourth batch, but I'd never had Krausen like it.
 
Bill,
Thanks for the info on keeping data from each brew. I might even transfer my data from the notebook to a computer database & keep both. This way, I can cross reference specific items.

I totally understand about not wanting to get personal and talking religion or politics. I thought about it after I posted my reply to you & realized that I was wrong to ask. I'm sorry.

I have to go to work today, so I will most lkely just wait until tomorrow to brew.

Thanks for a the very helpful advice & I look forward to talking to you again soon.

Josh

pikledbill said:
Josh,

A lab book with sewn in pages is simply a notebook that is not spiral-bound or glue-bound...the binding is sewn with thread. You can get them at Wal-Mart in the school supplies section...they generally have a splotched black and white, or green and white pattern on the cover, with a place to label/title the notebook. The reason I suggest sewn in pages, is that the pages will not fall out with use...spiral and glue-bound notebooks eventually fall apart from constantly turning the pages. Some people call this a "college" or "science" lab notebook. I have one for each style of beer I make, and one for general notes, and one for each major step in the brewing process...I have about 30 of them.

Things to make a note of in your notebook: each batch gets a unique section in your notebook - batch ID number, style, date
For example: HW#16 (ID number), hefe (style), 30 November 2010 (date)

1. Mash or extract, pounds of grain/extract used, where you purchased each ingredient and ingredient label name, how long you stored the ingredient and how it was stored, specifics of the mash (if used), temp and time of steeping for specialty grains.
2. variety of hops used, and number of ounces each, how long did you store them and method of storage, boil time addition (T=0 if added at the start of boil...T=15 for adding 15 minutes into the boil...T=85...etc.), nature of the hops: pellet, fresh cones, plug, dried frozen. AA content (listed on the package)
3. total boil length in minutes, heat source (electric, NatGas, propane), pot used, initial volume, final volume, water volume added after the boil, method of cooling, time elapsed for cooling, pot covered or open during cooling,
4. pitching temp, yeast type, yeast purchase date (how long was it stored and method of storage), number of cells pitched and volume, physical state (dry, liquid, fresh starter), where you purchased the yeast, attenuation, flocculation (I taped the labels into my books, for both yeast and hops)
5. fermentation length(s) and temperature(s), primary, secondary, bucket or glass carboy, sugar source for bottling/kegging, size of bottles, number of final bottles, how long did it take for the airlock to bubble (I use a blow-off tube in a bowl of water for my airlock)
6. length of aging and how it was done, temp...etc.
7. Notes: anything you think may have gone wrong in the process, ideas on how to improve
8. color, aroma, and taste notes
9. open section for anything you may want to add later

There are other things you should put in your brew notebook...this was off the top of my head...but you get the point. Just remember, your notebook is your brewing history textbook. As your skills in brewing improve, you will/may want access to all this information.

If you are interested in investigating things in detail and troubleshooting, brewing is the correct hobby for you...However, you may have many sleepless nights in your future.:D

Wrong forum for too much personal stuff (I put what I was comfortable with on my personal profile page)...and even with a gun to my head, you couldn't get me to talk about religion or politics with a bunch of folks that brew their own beer (and will quite possibly be monkey-hammer tucker max drunk during debate).:mug:

My life philosophy in a nutshell: on a long enough timeline, the survival rate of everyone drops to zero (Tyler Durden). Blah, blah, blah...my life philosophy is no better than anyone else's...the only real difference is that I know enough to know that I really don't know anything.

Cheers and good luck brewing,
PikledBill
Click to expand...
 
pikledbill said:
Advice 1: follow the instructions to the letter. Read them once three days before you brew...read them again two days before you brew (imagining how you will perform each step in your head as you go)...go through a "dry run" the day before you brew.

When doing a dry-run, go through the entire procedure...clean all of your stuff (and concentrate on keeping it away from surface contact, and air, through the entire dry run...teach yourself to be conscious of contamination at all times), mock adding ingredients, and wait the appropriate times before each subsequent step. Make sure you have what you need easily at hand all the way through the dry run. The dry run can help you identify any problems you may run into before you actually get into the middle of brewing the batch. After a few batches, this will all become second nature for you.PikledBill
Click to expand...

This is HUGE. Definitely helps to avoid any surprises on brew day.
 

Similar threads

DbN Brewing
Saving an oatmeal stout
Replies
5
Views
641
Closet Fermenter
Closet Fermenter
L
Tips to Prevent DME Clumping?
Replies
28
Views
2K
BrewnWKopperKat
BrewnWKopperKat
N
About to brew my own recipe for the first time, help me avoid an obvious mistake?
Replies
11
Views
900
ninkwood
N
F
Water treatment for steeping grain (extract kit)
Replies
8
Views
1K
mabrungard
mabrungard
yard_bird
New Challenge for Brewing: Stouts
Replies
13
Views
862
DuncB
D
Brewer's Friend 300

Latest posts

Back
Top