First time brewing. Nervous and excited

[Onewizwitout]

My first batch seemed to have went pretty smooth however after reading other forums I have concerns. It is currently day 3 of fermenting and have worries I want to run by everyone. Used block party amber ale kit from northern brewer

Attempted to sterilize fermentation bucket as there were no clear instructions. I used the oxygen wash and filled the entire bucket and placed airlock in water solution. While wort was chilling I did rinse the bucket a little. But not the airlock.

Second concern aerating wort in fermenter. I sloshed the wort around the bucket with the lid on as best I could without splashing throght the air lock hole. Worried about not enough oxygen that I will explain why in the next paragraph.

Lastly it's day 3 of fermentation and airlock seems at a stand still. First day ambient temp was 68 degrees and bubbles loudly and vigorously. Read that temp might be too warm so I moved bucket to basement where ambient temp is now 59 degrees and airlock seems to have stopped all action. Is that too low?

 

[TwistedGray]

Second concern aerating wort in fermenter. I sloshed the wort around the bucket with the lid on as best I could without splashing throght the air lock hole. Worried about not enough oxygen that I will explain why in the next paragraph.

Lastly it's day 3 of fermentation and airlock seems at a stand still. First day ambient temp was 68 degrees and bubbles loudly and vigorously. Read that temp might be too warm so I moved bucket to basement where ambient temp is now 59 degrees and airlock seems to have stopped all action. Is that too low?

How did you transfer the wort into the bucket?

I usually ferment on the colder side (high 50s, low-mid 60s). You are probably okay as you would probably have also been okay at 68 degrees. The colder temps might just have slowed it down a bit, but you might just as well move it back to where it was.

Do you have a hydrometer? No? Buy one. You'll want to take readings a few days from now (too early at this point) to make sure that the yeast has actually stopped.

 

[Merak5]

What yeast did you use and what was the original gravity?

 

[HopHeavy]

Hmmm... Don't know if I am reading this right.

We don't sterilize as homebrewers. We sanitize. But we don't sanitize with Oxygen wash...

1) CLEAN all surfaces to remove any and all residue. This is for the oxy wash to do.
2) RINSE the hell out of the article, cause Oxygen based cleaners taste like crud.
3) SANITIZE the article with a norinse, acid based sanitizer. You will find most of us use Starsan....

As far as fermentation activity....

Dropping temps irritates most yeast and will slow them down quite a bit. Aim to RAISE post pitch to achieve desired fermentation temp.

But airlock activity, especially on buckets, doesn't tell the story clearly. It might still be fermenting away.

 

[Onewizwitout]

I dont have a hydrometer, but after reading many forums i will be picking one up today. I did not use Starsan as I followed the instructions in the kit and it stated to sanitize with oxygen wash packet. Sorry for wrong verbiage in original post. I used a dry yeast packet with the kit sprinkled it into the wort while it was in the bucket before placing the lid on. I poured the wort into the cold water slowly straight from the boiling kettle after a ice bath. Should I leave it in the basement or move it back upstairs?

 

[ESBrewer]

It could have finished already. Or it could have stalled (because of poor yeast health caused by low initial oxygen or maybe even because of a sudden temp drop). Or it is fermenting but the temperature drop leads to a lower pressure inside the bucket and thus co2 is not escaping from the bucket at the moment (but it may start soon). Or it is fermenting slowly but there is a leak between bucket and the lid or between the lid and the airlock.

 

[TwistedGray]

If it were me @Onewizwitout I'd move it upstairs.

 

[Onewizwitout]

Thank you. I will move it back to the original location. I know with the bucket and lack of info, everything is guesswork right now but thanks for the help. Any suggestions how to monitor fermentation temp and when hydrometer readings should be taken?

 

[TwistedGray]

Thank you. I will move it back to the original location. I know with the bucket and lack of info, everything is guesswork right now but thanks for the help. Any suggestions how to monitor fermentation temp and when hydrometer readings should be taken?

Ferm. temp. - I believe they make a probe that you can use to monitor your wort temp in real-time, but I don't bother with it myself unless it is a situation where I need to maintain an exact temp. Usually I just put it in the garage (colder) or indoors (warmer). Very scientific there! For maintaining temp, such is the case in a kettle sour, I use my sous vide.

Hydrometer - Consult your recipe in regards to when it should be done. I would take a reading at that point, 2 days later, and if they are an exact (<---emphasis here) then it's done. If it changed then it's still fermenting, leave longer.

If you don't want to deal with anything put it indoors for another 1.0-1.5 weeks then to the garage for 1.0-1.5 in hopes that the garage temps will help draw the yeast down and clear the beer a bit. I might recommend that anyways...that's what I do. Dropping temperature pulls yeast out of suspension and to the bottom of your fermenter.

 

[ESBrewer]

Now that you have decided to move it back, don't take the measure yet. Just wait for a while to see what happens. And get yourself a hydrometer so that you are able to measure when it is time for that. What are your plans , are you aiming to add dry hops at some point and what does the recipe call?

 

[brew703]

Was the cold water you poured the wort into sterile? Meaning was it boiled first then cooled or did you take it from the faucet? or was it spring or filtered water?

You probably need to get John Palmers book "How to Brew" and read it. A lot of info for newbies and is the book i started out with.

Kit instructions suck. Everything cold side needs to be sanitized. Get Starsan or there is a new sanitizer out that doesn't foam. it's called San Step. Not sure who sells it, I've never tried it as i use StarSan but if i can find it locally then i might give it a try.

Oxy Free Versatile is what i use to clean my carboy/buckets.

 

[TwistedGray]

Was the cold water you poured the wort into sterile? Meaning was it boiled first then cooled or did you take it from the faucet? or was it spring or filtered water?

Kit instructions suck. Everything cold side needs to be sanitized.

Yeah, those instructions in the kits never say you need "sanitized cold water" ... they only ever say "cold water" ... I wonder why?

 

[Jwood]

The oxygen cleaner you definitely want to rinse off. Typically that is a cleaner, then you need a sanitizer (i prefer a no rinse like starsan, and treat all chlorinated water with campden tablets).

The aeration you dont have to worry about since you were using a fresh batch of dry yeast. The way dry yeasts are packaged and stored, they dont need aeration like their liquid counterparts.

68 is a little high for ambient, you might get some unwanted esters/fusels but give it enough time and it should be ok, probably not great, but it shouldnt be horrible. The most critical time period is the first 72 hours, since you are past that i would move the fermentor back to the warmer area of the house to help the yeast clean things up a bit.

Be safer since this is your first batch and let it sit for a couple weeks at least before bottling and let the bottles sit for a few weeks before drinking them. Brew another batch in the mean time with the new things you learned.

Also dont be discouraged if it isnt perfect your first time out, unless you have a friend that is experienced with brewing, it might take a few iterations (or more) to get right. Almost 9 years down the line for me and im still tweaking things here, changing this there, looking how to make this or that better, etc.

 

[TwistedGray]

Agree with the above poster except the need for a couple of weeks before bottling; you can avoid this overcautiousness by taking gravity readings. If you don't, then follow what @Jwood says.

 

[ancientmariner52]

Above all, relax! This is supposed to be fun! Brewing is at least 11,000 years old, possibly much older. Probably invented right after fire and sharp rocks. You will make better beer later, but this batch will be just fine. Enjoy!

 

[mmb]

Don't worry, it'll be beer.

Brewing is a great hobby for procrastinators. Leave it alone for 3-4 weeks and it's still beer. You'll likely find the longer you leave it alone the better it is.

So, start your next batch. It makes the waiting easier on the first one.

 

[TwistedGray]

Brewing is a great hobby for procrastinators. Leave it alone for 3-4 weeks and it's still beer. You'll likely find the longer you leave it alone the better it is.

The exception to this wise rule is hoppy beers such as IPAs; otherwise, sound advise.

 

[mmb]

The exception to this wise rule is hoppy beers such as IPAs; otherwise, sound advise.

Two -three weeks primary and a dry hop schedule of 3-7 days is still 3-4 weeks and then bottle/keg and enjoy.

When it comes right down to it, beer is very forgiving. If there is a concern of hop dropping out, add .25oz to the whirlpool, flameout, or dry hop schedule but it likely won't show a difference.

 

[Onewizwitout]

OK. thanks for all the feedback. I will move the bucket back upstairs and get a hydrometer to take some measurements to compare my progress on bottling day and see if there is change. In the future I will see my starting point and take it from there. This was a kit I expected to f*** up anyway before I try moving on and getting serious. Glad to see there is help when I need it

 

[TwistedGray]

Two -three weeks primary and a dry hop schedule of 3-7 days is still 3-4 weeks and then bottle/keg and enjoy.

When it comes right down to it, beer is very forgiving. If there is a concern of hop dropping out, add .25oz to the whirlpool, flameout, or dry hop schedule but it likely won't show a difference.

Agreed, but this person is not dry hopping. <--- assumption

 

[TwistedGray]

OK. thanks for all the feedback. I will move the bucket back upstairs and get a hydrometer to take some measurements to compare my progress on bottling day and see if there is change. In the future I will see my starting point and take it from there. This was a kit I expected to f*** up anyway before I try moving on and getting serious. Glad to see there is help when I need it

Fudge ups are expected, just read ... learn ... take notes ... read ... learn ... take notes. That's about all there is to it.