Finally took the plunge

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CdrDave

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Ok, I've been thinking about home brewing forever but have never been brave enough to actually try it. So today, I had some birthday money burning a hole in my pocket and decided to take a ride to the closest homebrew shop.

I picked up a stainless steel 20QT pot, a deluxe starter kit (glass carboy, ferm. & bottling buckets, and related utensils/equipment) an American Pale Ale kit, and 2 cases of bottles. I plan on getting everything cleaned up and put together this week, as well as read through the kit instructions multiple times before starting the brew next weekend.

I'm a bit nervous but excited. :D

Wish me luck. I'm sure I'll be back in here with some questions soon enough. Feel free to insert words of wisdom here... ;)
 
Welcome to the club! :) You are def going to enjoy the hobby. Dont try to over think things.. Once its done its done.. not much you can do if you make minor mistakes during the way. Heck sometimes we end up w/ some of the best brews we cant reproduce ;)
 
Two pieces of advice.

1. I would take the 20 qt pot back and get a bigger one. To boil the entire wort, you will need a 32 qt pot. Might as well get a slightly bigger pot.

2. Cleaner is not sanitizer. My beginner kit only had cleaner. You need to make sure to sanitize.

Good luck and have fun.
 
rklinck said:
Two pieces of advice.

1. I would take the 20 qt pot back and get a bigger one. To boil the entire wort, you will need a 32 qt pot. Might as well get a slightly bigger pot.
Click to expand...

I second this, but you should just get a 10-gallon (40-qt) pot and be done with it. I do five-six gallon batches and boilover is seldom a problem... but if all I had was an eight gallon kettle I'd be worrying about boilover all the time.

Check out ka-tom's site. You can get a 40-quart aluminum kettle and lid for $55. That's what I did and I couldn't be happier... and with all the money I saved I s̶a̶v̶e̶d̶ ̶a̶ ̶l̶i̶t̶t̶l̶e̶ ̶m̶o̶r̶e̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶k̶i̶d̶s̶'̶ ̶c̶o̶l̶l̶e̶g̶e̶ ̶f̶u̶n̶d̶ bought a second carboy and a brew hauler. :mug:
 
rklinck said:
1. I would take the 20 qt pot back and get a bigger one. To boil the entire wort, you will need a 32 qt pot. Might as well get a slightly bigger pot.
Click to expand...

Seeing that I am a beginner (and incredibly easy to please), I expected to only do partial boils for quite a while. I'll be doing 2.5-3g boils, then using cool water in the fermenter bucket (5g total) to help finish the cool-down a little quicker. That, and this is all that fits in my budget at the moment :(
 
CdrDave said:
Seeing that I am a beginner (and incredibly easy to please), I expected to only do partial boils for quite a while. I'll be doing 2.5-3g boils, then using cool water in the fermenter bucket (5g total) to help finish the cool-down a little quicker. That, and this is all that fits in my budget at the moment :(
Click to expand...

You'll be fine... and when you realize that you can't live without that 10-gal kettle, you'll have a 20qt sparging pot/sanitizer vessel/hat.

I went from a 4 gal -> 5 gal -> 10 gal, and I still use the first two for all manner of brewday chores. Plus in the dead of winter, the 5 gal kicks ass for brewing up a little batch on the stovetop.
 
Welcome!

+1 on the bigger pot -- even if you're only boiling two or three gallons for extract batches now, you're probably gonna get curious about all-grain some day, and lemme tell you, it's a lot easier to boil three gallons in a ten-gallon pot than it is to boil six and half gallons in a five gallon-pot pot.

The other piece of advice: tell friends/coworkers to save their (brown, non-twist-off) bottles for you; you'll have enough for your second batch well before you need 'em, and you'll have to tell your friends/coworkers to stop saving bottles by the time you're brewing your fourth batch and have enough bottles for batches six and seven.
 
I've read through the instructions several times today and am getting pretty excited. Considering it's 2-3 weeks from brew day before I can even enjoy one of these, not sure I can wait to the weekend. I might have to start tonight LOL!
 
welcoe to the addiction!

I did a couple of extract kits, then a partial mash, then AG. I think the extracts helped me figure out how to do things (clean, bottle, keg, whatever)

Things will go wrong, but you'll probably end up getting beer out of the deal. As they say on here, Relax, don't worry, have a homebrew
 
Wow, wish I had seen that before I made my purchase - thanks. I'll probably grab one of those on a future payday.
 
Don't worry! This is just the beginning! Take your time! Enjoy! You will make some really good beer! Almost everytime I brew some beer and when it's ready to drink, I say, wow that's the best beer I've made yet, until the next one! The money part is just starting, you will always be wanting to buy something! Their is no end! Later after you get few batches done, you might look into biab.
 
Ok! Finally did my first boil and learned a few things (and definitely made some mistakes). I now know what was meant by, "...be careful to not allow the malt to carmalize on the bottom of the boil pot..." :/ I now have a nice, doughnut shaped circle of unmovable blackness on the bottom of my pot. :eek: ( I really thought I was stirring better than that!)

I also need to get a thermometer for the boil - preferably one that is safe to just leave floating in the wort. No fun constantly checking temps by hand.

And finally, I definitely need a better burner! Unfortunately, doing this boil allowed me to discover that my gas stove just doesn't put out enough heat. I am required to cover the pot to get a boil, then have to occasionally throttle the lid to keep it that way.

My airlock has finally started bubbling! :D So other than that, I need more fermenters and cases of bottles lol. Thanks for the feedback / advice.
 
Nice work... it's good that when you had bad stuff go down, you didn't sweat it and kept on brewin'. Worst case scenario, you'll have beer. :mug:

Instead of getting a floating thermometer, you might consider getting one that clips to the side of your kettle. This is superior because when you need to remove it, you won't need to handle a metal device at boil temps.

That said, you don't really need a thermo for the boil... as hot as possible without boiling over, is the temp you want. The only time you really need a thermometer is when finding your steep temp, or at the end to verify that your wort is cool enough to pitch.
 
Good deal! I've started using my IR temp gun for my stuff. It's almost as accurate as my floating one, and a helluva lot easier!
 
Well, it's 2.5 days after my boil and it seems that activity in the fermenter has stopped. I've hung around as long as my patience will allow and have seen no more action in the airlock. 36 hours after pitching, I was getting a bubble every 5 seconds which I'm told is pretty good movement.

The kit instructions say that it usually ferments for 4-6 days, so I'm wondering if I somehow reduced the sugar content by overcooking the malt? That, or sometimes it just takes less time to ferment?

I'm going to check again this evening and then assume it's time to give it 48 hours and then bottle unless you have a different recommendation.

Thanks.
 
Did your kit include a hydrometer? You cannot tell if yeast is done fermenting by time or by airlock activity. Yeast is an unpredictable living organism. You need to take hydrometer readings to know when to bottle. Two readings at the same value, 3 days apart, means fermentation is complete.

Personally, I don't bottle or keg a beer until at minimum 2 weeks in the primary fermenter. Usually closer to a month. This gives the yeast time to clean up any byproducts of fermentation.

Check out www.howtobrew.com for some more in-depth instructions and information than your kit provided.
 
Welcome to the addiction! I'm a new brewer myself, having just bottled my next batch. I've got a new outdoor propane burner on the way so I can move my brewday activites outside, and keep them from "overpowering the scentcy in the kitchen," in my wife's words!

My first batch fermented a little hot (my next step in the learning process is fermentation temperature control) and there was no sign of airlock activity after 2-3 days. I sucked it up (I'm normally a very impatient person) and left it alone for 2 weeks. I took the time to make a trip to my LHBS and picked up a hydrometer, some sanitizer (my kit didn't come with much), and the ingredients for my next batch. With my new hydrometer, I started taking readings after 14 days. Same reading for 3 consecutive days, so I bottled this past Tuesday.
 
CdrDave said:
Well, it's 2.5 days after my boil and it seems that activity in the fermenter has stopped. I've hung around as long as my patience will allow and have seen no more action in the airlock. 36 hours after pitching, I was getting a bubble every 5 seconds which I'm told is pretty good movement.

The kit instructions say that it usually ferments for 4-6 days, so I'm wondering if I somehow reduced the sugar content by overcooking the malt? That, or sometimes it just takes less time to ferment?

I'm going to check again this evening and then assume it's time to give it 48 hours and then bottle unless you have a different recommendation.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

If you don't have a hydrometer, let it sit a minimum of 12 - 14 days in primary, and then bottle.
 
CdrDave said:
The kit instructions say that it usually ferments for 4-6 days, so I'm wondering if I somehow reduced the sugar content by overcooking the malt? That, or sometimes it just takes less time to ferment?

I'm going to check again this evening and then assume it's time to give it 48 hours and then bottle unless you have a different recommendation.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Definitely don't bottle it that soon! Just because the visible signs of fermentation have stopped (churning, krausen, etc) doesn't mean that the process isn't done. It's actual pretty normal - the bulk of the fermentation finishes, and the remaining 1/3rd or 1/4th of your sugars take longer to ferment... alcohol slows down yeast activity, after all!

I know it's hard advice to take, especially that first couple times, but if you possibly can leave it in the primary for three weeks minimum. Your beer will be deliciouser for it.

Edit: It's not impossible that you "overcooked" the malt, with that burnt ring on the bottom - a frequent problem with extract brewing is that the extract sinks to the bottom and burns, caramelizing portions of your fermentables in the process. This renders them unfermentable, and gives the beer a sweeter taste. I'd bet you have some proportion of caramelized sugars in the brew - the good news is, an APA will bear this flavor profile pretty gracefully. I'd drink it! :)
 
Now that you've got the bug and tried your hand at a batch (fun, ain't it?), it's time to turn your attention to the #1 most important aspect of brewing delicious beer (assuming your sanitization is good - hint:use StarSan) and that's controlling the fermentation temperatures.

Unless you live atop a mountain in KY where your house temps are below 65*F, you probably fermented that first batch too warm (which is likely why it finished so quickly). Kit instructions tend to be overly generous about giving a max temp at which to ferment and they often don't take into consideration the exothermic nature of an active fermentation (think room temp plus 7-10*F).

I may have missed that if you already posted it, but what were your pitch and ferment temperatures?
 
I may have missed that if you already posted it, but what were your pitch and ferment temperatures?
Click to expand...

I did check the temp of the wort and made sure it was in line with the kit instructions (70 o) before pitching / transferring. I'm lucky to have a 'man-cave' in this place - my basement (at least this time of year) was staying right at 70 o which I realize is almost at the max suggested range of 64-72.
 
I know it's hard advice to take, especially that first couple times, but if you possibly can leave it in the primary for three weeks minimum. Your beer will be deliciouser for it.
Click to expand...

Oh, I'm gonna cry lol.

With timeframes like this, I'm going to need at least 4 fermenting buckets going at all times :cross:
 
CdrDave said:
I did check the temp of the wort and made sure it was in line with the kit instructions (70 o) before pitching / transferring. I'm lucky to have a 'man-cave' in this place - my basement (at least this time of year) was staying right at 70 o which I realize is almost at the max suggested range of 64-72.
Click to expand...

Glad to hear that you're checking it. Some newer brewers miss that part.

Your 70*F basement temp will give you a ferment temp up to almost 80*F during the most active part of fermentation. If you can cool your pitch/ferment temps down to the lower end of your yeast optimal range for the first 4-5 days (you can let it come up to 70*F after that), you'll be much happier with the result. Just a little bit of reading around the HBT forums will give you a good idea about your options for that. Living in Texas with a 75*F house temp much of the year, I went the electronically-controlled ($19 STC-1000) fermenter chamber (used fridge/freezer) route and couldn't be more pleased.
 
I wasn't aware of the STC-1000. Looks like an affordable option. Did you have to wire it yourself, or did it come with everything needed to install?

I may have to start shopping for used chest freezers.
 
CdrDave said:
I wasn't aware of the STC-1000. Looks like an affordable option. Did you have to wire it yourself, or did it come with everything needed to install?

I may have to start shopping for used chest freezers.
Click to expand...

If you can wire a standard household outlet, you can handle this just fine.

It's a digital dual temperature controller. You wire it into a standard 2-plug outlet that you mount in some kind of project box (either homemade or bought at Radio Shack). One (cool) outlet is for the freezer/fridge. Into the other (warm) outlet, you plug some kind of small heater and then put that heater inside the freezer (only if your freezer is sitting somewhere cold, like a garage in winter).

Set the target temp (in Celsius) on the STC-1000. Set the tolerance (default is +/-0.5*C). When the temp (as read by the sensor) climbs 0.5*C above the target, it powers up the cool outlet and keeps it energized until the temp drops to the target and then turns it off. Likewise with the warm outlet if it gets 0.5*C too cool. You tape the sensor on the side of the fermenter and place some kind of insulation like bubble wrap over top of it so that it reads the bucket temp and not the air.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/ebay-fish-tank-controller-build-using-wal-mart-parts-261506/


https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/ebay-aquarium-temp-controller-build-163849/


 
Last edited by a moderator:
BigFloyd's right... your temps were likely very far out of range. You'd be astonished how much heat the yeast can kick out!

I recently acquired a fermentation cooler made by Cool Brewing - it's a zip-up insulated sleeve that you chuck a couple of frozen 2-liters into, and it'll take your temps down by 10-20 degrees. Getting more cooling simply means more ice. Much nicer than traditional swamp cooler methods, and dramatically cheaper than buying a (new) minifridge for conversion.

Your current batch is probably going to be chock full of esters and phenols - it depends on your strain. On the plus side, you quoted a 72° upper limit before which means you aren't using Nottingham yeast - which is good, because Notty is famous for doing unpleasant things at warmer temps. You may luck out and the damage may not be that bad.

Still, aging is key. It'll resolve a surprising amount of off flavors. Chuck it in your closet for a month, buy a new bucket, and brew someting else to distract yourself. Then when that's done, bottle your original batch and forget about it for six months. I bet it'll be decent. :)
 
On the plus side, you quoted a 72° upper limit before which means you aren't using Nottingham yeast - which is good
Click to expand...

I'm brewing a Brewer's Best American Pale Ale Kit (1lb Caramel 20L specialty grains, 2oz cascade hops, 1oz Citra hops, and 6.6lb light LME in cans.)

I was told this was one of the more forgiving kits to start with.

6 months - ouch! :(
 
You could also just drink all of it now and to hell with the off flavors. That's what I did on my disastrous first batch. ;)

I forgot to add two gallons of top-up water, fermented way too hot, and racked to secondary after five days. Tasted like caramel apple doppel, and I'd been shooting for an Irish Red!

You can't go wrong whatever you do, as long as you're enjoying yourself.
 
I like the way you think :p

As long as it's bearable and somewhat tasty...I guess it's good to not be too picky.
 
Yep. A lot of well meaning and incredibly helpful folks here urged me to just wait it out - I did save one sixer for six months, and the second to last one of those (which I drank at nine months) was pretty awesome. Wished I'd had the wherewithal to hold out for the rest, but I enjoyed the "bad" stuff anyway.
 
I think I'll hold off on another brew until I can piece together a temp-controlled chest freezer. Not sure I want to turn another 2-week brew kit into a 6-month kit lol.
 
CdrDave said:
I think I'll hold off on another brew until I can piece together a temp-controlled chest freezer. Not sure I want to turn another 2-week brew kit into a 6-month kit lol.
Click to expand...

A wise decision. Check Craigslist frequently. Often you can find darn good used freezers and fridges in their garage/moving sale listings. I paid $60 for an upright freezer, spent another $25 putting together the STC-1000 controller box and was all set. There's a bucket of summer pale ale in there right now with BRY-97 American West Coast yeast set at 64*F. After it settles down, I'll let it slowly come up to 67-68*F to finish and clean up then cold crash to 35*F for 5 days.

The CoolBrewing insulated bag Kerin mentioned is a viable option if you don't have the space for a freezer/fridge. The cost shipped, however, is very close to what I spent on the freezer and STC-1000 and it lacks the precision.
 

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