First Brew, Lots of mistakes and questions

[Suthrn]

I see many on this forum have had tons of threads starting with did I ruin my beer which I read dozens of. Thanks god they were there. Set my mind at ease a little bit tonight. Just got finished brewing my first batch and did plenty wrong...

For some reason I neglected to even add my DMC during the boil!!! What a goof! Not realizing this until about 45 min into the 55 min boiling process. I added the DMC and continued the boil for just a touch longer than was supposed to. Think in total i boiled the brew for about 1 hr 5 min. Of which my DMC was in for only 15 to 20 min. Cooled my brew down to about 70 degrees and pitched the yeast stirring it in fairly vigorously with a ladle that of course I had to drop into the batch all the way to the bottom. Heres of course where mistake 2 came as i simply just reached into the bucket and snatched it out quickly. My hands were clean though so Im not terribly concerned with it or I hope I shouldnt be.

Couple of questions for you guys.
1. About how long will it take for the brew to begin to get a beer flavor to it? Does this happen within the first couple of days?
2. Does taking the lid off of the batch during fermentation slow down the process?
3. I read that when transferring to a secondary fermenter that you need to avoid aeration. Is this simply refering to splashing of beer? Kind of confusing because when you are pitching the yeast I thought that aeration was actually helpful in starting the whole process.

Any advice or things to look out for in the upcoming processes would be much helpful. Sry for the long post and thanks guys for all of the great info on this site!

 

[chumpsteak]

1. "Beer flavor" comes from alcohol. Alcohol happens during fermentation that takes anywhere from 3 days to a couple weeks depending on the yeast.
2. Taking the lid off doesn't affect fermentation but increases your risk of infection.
3. Aeration is important for yeast reproduction so you should aerate the wort pre-fermentation. Aeration post fermentation can cause oxidation of the beer.

 

[McGreen]

Welcome to home brewing!

I have never heard DMC before... do you mean DME? If you waited that long to put your DME (dried malt extract) in the boil, I would like to know how much LME (liquid malt extract) you put in - if you are talking about extract even at all (sorry if I misunderstood you). If the majority of the malt extract was left out, I am concerned that you needed it to boil much longer. But again, you may be talking about something else, so I apologize. Even if the majority of malt only got 20 minutes, it will still be beer, but that is a goof.

Here is my advice on the questions you asked, but I am sure that other brewers here could give better answers:

1) It should taste like beer after fermentation. It needs a lot of time in the primary, secondary, and most importantly, the bottle or keg to condition. The more time you give it, the better. Some kits I have seen say that it takes 3-5 weeks total from brew day to first drink. I always find that to not be long enough, especially in the bottle.

2) Taking the lid off during the fermentation should not be done unless absoultely necessary. It won't destroy the beer, but it bothers it and puts it at risk. Letting that much CO2 out during the first week is not a good idea, but again, it will still be beer if you already did it.

3) Yes. Avoid splashing. Use the proper hoses, whether using syphon or gravity. Do not simply pour out the bucket into the secondary. You don't want to reintroduce too much oxygen to your beer.

Final advice. Buy another primary bucket or carboy because you need patience, and it seems that you also want to do it again. So Be patient. Let time condition the beer. Make another one, and drink up.

Hope that helps! Congrats! You made beer!

 

[Dawnhulio]

Revvy listed this link in another thread, check it out re: secondary fermentation.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/secondary-not-john-palmer-jamil-zainasheff-weigh-176837/

I myself have been a diehard about transferring to secondary but have come to a different conclusion in my approach after looking at this. Its really a 'to each their own' thing, so you'll have to figure out what's going to work for your process. One thing I'll second that chumpsteak shared: more exposure to air / equipment etc. is more potential for infection. Plenty of brewers do secondary with no issue, and likewise plenty leave their brew in primary until its time to bottle or keg. Good luck, you'll do fine.

 

[Suthrn]

Yeah sry McGreen.. I meant to say DME.Im using the American Amber kit from Brewers Best. No I have not taken the lid off and was afraid to and as per your advice I wont for the first week... I guess at that point (5-7 days)per the directions out of the box (which werent that great btw) Ill go ahead and transfer the brew. From what I read from there it should probably stay in the secondary for an addittional couple of weeks...
As for the DME.... i kind of wanted to boil it longer but was really afraid that the bittering hops would have had way too much boil time tainting the taste of the beer.. Really wasnt sure about it! Guess I'll find out in a few weeks if I made an ok call.
and yes i think i will have to grab me another couple of brew buckets! Way too much fun trying this out! Cant wait to make my next mistake hehe!

 

[McGreen]

Yeah sry McGreen.. I meant to say DME.Im using the American Amber kit from Brewers Best. No I have not taken the lid off and was afraid to and as per your advice I wont for the first week... I guess at that point (5-7 days)per the directions out of the box (which werent that great btw) Ill go ahead and transfer the brew. From what I read from there it should probably stay in the secondary for an addittional couple of weeks...
and yes i think i will have to grab me another couple of brew buckets! Way too much fun trying this out! Cant wait to make my next mistake hehe!

Brewer's Best instructions are terrible for beginners.

But I am assuming that the bulk of it was LME or at least half? If so, it should not be the hugest problem. If it was all DME, then you make have a problem in fermentation. I guess time will tell. Did you take an OG reading?

 

[Suthrn]

Yeah I did take an OG reading just not really sure if its is good or not but the gravity was 1.040 Which i just assumed to be ok since that area on the scale was colored correctly for beer start on the hydrometer. This ok? Oh and it was all DME!! man i hope it still works out! All that I had put in the batch in the intial boil was the grain bag and steeped for 20 min. Added the LME and let it boil for as said about 45 min not realizing I hadnt added the DME as well. Immediately added the DME and let boil an additional 20 minutes. Cooled it down in a bath of ice water for approx an hour until it cooled to about 70 transferred and pitched it.

 

[jagec]

Yeah I did take an OG reading just not really sure if its is good or not but the gravity was 1.040 Which i just assumed to be ok since that area on the scale was colored correctly for beer start on the hydrometer. This ok? Oh and it was all DME!! man i hope it still works out! All that I had put in the batch in the intial boil was the grain bag and steeped for som in. Added the LME and let it boil for as said about 45 min not realizing I hadnt added the DME as well. Immediately added the DME and let boil an additional 20 minutes. Cooled it down in a bath of ice water for approx an hour until it cooled to about 70 and pitched it.

The BB American Amber kit is meant to start at 1.050. You probably had too much water, so the beer will be a bit weaker than the kit intends (Probably around 4% final ABV). Since you had already steeped your grains and added LME, you should be OK on hops utilization. Overall, the beer will probably be fine, it will just be a bit mild. That means you get to drink more of them while you brew your next batch.

 

[Suthrn]

I can handle that I guess. Like light beers as well... Just hope this DME screw up isnt going to mess it up too much.

 

[homebrewdad]

A note about oxygen:

Yeast live in two stages (that we care about). The first is their aerobic stage, where they grow and reproduce. They need oxygen in this stage, whcih is why we aerate.

The anaerobic stage is where a huge part of the "processing" goes on, wjere sugars are converted to ethanol. Oxygen is no longer needed here. Since it is not needed, it is not processed by the yeast. Oxygen added here stays in the beer, which causes staling (wet cardboard taste).

In other words - oxygen prior to fermentation is good and necessary. Oxygen after fermentation is bad and ruins the beer.

 

[CidCitrus]

Don't sweat the late DME, especially if you put the LME in. Look up late extract addition in the search. A lot of people do this to decrease scorching. Also, if you don't mix your top off water really well with the wort you will likely get a high or low OG. If you topped off too much then you'll still be ok, you just won't have as strong of a beer.

 

[Suthrn]

Did some thinking about the low OG and came up with the solution to my problem which I assume would be my 3rd goof up!! Wow this beer has got to taste aweful huh lol. Anyways, I believe the lower OG to be related to the problem I had with not have a proper brew pot. Only had a 2.5 Gallon Pot of the wrong quality of course being that its aluminum and of course too small for a 2.5 Gallon boil. So lets just say the pot was pretty full. Upon adding the DME late I discovered that it was much too full all of a sudden as things began to spill over the sides giving my loving wife a great reason to clean up behind my idiot mess. Anyways I siphoned out probably 20 ounces give or take of the wort. Just a guess but I thought that this may have caused the lower OG along with my adding just a fuzz too much water after boil transfer.
The great news is that upon getting home tonight I find that my water column is bubbling along nicely after 24 hours. Guess this means I'm at least on track for some type of beer hehe. Thanks to all of you guys for the postings and help so far along the way. It truly is a big relief to have a place you can ask questions without getting flamed for being such a noob.Thanks to all of you guys.
One other thing... I beleive I've decided to just keep the brew in the primary for the duration of fermentation... Being that my OG was 1.040 which is definately a correct reading, and my starting OG should have been closer to 1.050 and FG should have been 1.012,would it be correct of me to assume that within about 6 or 7 days I should come out with a FG of around 1.002 after fermintation is complete?

 

[hwilshusen]

One other thing... I beleive I've decided to just keep the brew in the primary for the duration of fermentation... Being that my OG was 1.040 which is definately a correct reading, and my starting OG should have been closer to 1.050 and FG should have been 1.012,would it be correct of me to assume that within about 6 or 7 days I should come out with a FG of around 1.002 after fermintation is complete?

It will still come out about 1.012.

 

[stratslinger]

Also, no worries about an aluminum pot being the "wrong quality" for brewing... Plenty of folks brew with aluminum to great results! Just make sure to leave yourself enough room next time to avoid another boil over!

 

[MarkIafrate]

1. "Beer flavor" comes from alcohol. Alcohol happens during fermentation that takes anywhere from 3 days to a couple weeks depending on the yeast.
2. Taking the lid off doesn't affect fermentation but increases your risk of infection.
3. Aeration is important for yeast reproduction so you should aerate the wort pre-fermentation. Aeration post fermentation can cause oxidation of the beer.

+1

Good advice. And like you said, don't worry too much. It'll probably come out fine!

 

[deggenbe]

+1 on aluminum.
i've been using one for years and my beer turns out fine!

 

[kh54s10]

There is nothing really to sweat here. These are not catastrophic mistakes.
These were mistakes to learn from.

Beer taste - That depends on how you describe "beer" taste. I have had some that tasted like flat beer at bottling but did not taste "right" for months.

Your OG may be closer than you think. It is difficult to fully mix an extract brew when topping up. You may have gotten a sample that was weak.

Aluminum pots are fine. I used aluminum until I found a deal on two stainless 10 gallon pots on CraigsList. My beers did not suffer from the aluminum. And thousands or millions of gallons of beer have been brewed in aluminum pots.

 

[McGreen]

Just a quick note, it IS extract, so it's ready for you. It really should not be a problem because you had probably a full pound of LME in there already anyway. You'll be good.

 

[Suthrn]

Tks guys for the input. Cant wait to brew my next batch which of course means talking the wife into getting more brew equipment. lol Shes agreed already so I think im good there. You guys are great at putting the mind at ease.. You know how it is I would say. Youre at work wondering all day "Is it fermenting? I hope the temp is still good." Been that week for me for sure. Even harder when all you actually see is bubbles and a white bucket that says pale ale! lol

 

[bkl63]

Adding DME while the Boil clock is going isn't an issue. Many recipes have staggered additions to keep Color in spec of the style. BB APA does this with the LME adding have pre boil and 1/2 30 mins in.