I Need Help With My 2nd Batch

[woody189]

Hi. Here's the thread of the 1st batch I brewed in case you are interested ...
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/about-try-brew-my-1st-batch-but-need-some-help-181642/

Now I'm up to batch numero dos. I went to a Brew STore. I Wasn't sure what I wanted for my 2nd batch so I asked the guy to give me something that would be easy to work with. I told him I would likely be adding fruit or pumpkin. I basically wanted a flexible base recipe. Here's what he gave me...

Hefeweizen

Grains
1 lb Munich
1/3 lb Crystal

extracts
1 qt pale
1 qt wheat

Hops
1 oz Hallertau (bittering)
1/2 oz Hallertau (finishing)


I didn't realize that in order to use pumpkin, you need to add it to the pot (at least that's what the seemingly knowledgeable associate told me), rather than adding it to the 2dary fermenter like I did with the cherries in my 1st batch. This means that I have to make a decision now as to whether I"m gonna do a pumpkin spice or a fruit beer.

1) Do you think this would be a decent beer to add pumpkin to?
2) if so, how would I go about adding it?
3) Also, when would I add the spices (I was just going to add cinnamon and nutmeg, unless you recommend something else)
4) if not, would I be alright adding some fruits to the 2dary?

More questions to come.

Thank you so much

 

[rodneypierce]

i cant help much here, as im very new also. BUT, I was looking for a hefeweizen recipe! I like to add a lemon wedge to my Hefe's, but thats only after they have been bottled, and are poured into my glass

 

[woody189]

actually, maybe i'll end up doing that... Adding some lemon peel. I'm not sure if when that would be added though... I would think it wouldn't go in 2dary cuz it wouldn't have too much sugar so I'm guessing it would go in the pot at some point. Anybody know?

Thanks for the idea. And I'm glad you got the recipe

 

[Wyldjim]

Welcome to brewing

First, I realize there is a lot of excitement. We all remember when we started, and did not want to be told what to do. For a new brewer I really do recommend you stick to simple known recipes (Beers that have worked for others).

Beer is remarkably simple to make, or you can make it very complex.

You will have all kinds of questions with just a simple pale ale. By adding fruit, etc, you are making it very complicated and more likely to have an explosion (Fermentation). You will have beer, but more likely to have problems.

I love hefe's. They are not a good first beer to brew. They have very active fermentation and get out of control easily.

Don't worry about spices. You actually get your flavors in a hefe from the yeast you use. The vast majority of beers do not have spices added to the brewing process.

Simple ales are the best beers to start with.

When you do start with additions. Use a recipe. Once you have used it in a proven recipe then you will know when and how to make changes.

Welcome to the addition

 

[woody189]

Thanks for the input and concern. I didn't realize this was a somewhat difficult type. I assumed it was fairly simple, because I told the associate that I was new to this and this was only my 2nd batch.

However, I do have some confidence in myself. Mostly because my 1st batch came out pretty tasty. Although it is possible, even probable that I got lucky, I guess now that it worked once, I want to push my luck again. When I purchase bottled beers, I enjoy beers with flavors added, like fruits. That's why I added cherries to my 1st batch, and intended to add something to this one.

Considering it's basically a 2 month process, at the end I don't want to regret not adding a flavor when I had the chance. Of course if I screw it up, which is very possible, I'm going to be kicking myself for taking the risk. However, I'm willing to take that risk.

Anyway, while I appreciate your advise, I think I'd still like to try and add something to the mix. If Spices are too complicated, I'll stick with fruit. I only mentioned spices because I figured they would go well with the pumpkin.

I will, however, just keep it simple if you guys personally think a hefe should be left alone and not have any fruits etc. added. In that case I'll leave it be. But I don't want to not add them because you fear I'll screw it up.

I'll be the first to admit that I really don't know ANYTHING about beer. I have no idea what tastes like what, and I wouldn't even consider altering a recipe (in terms of changing the amount of grains/sugar/hops/etc.) However, The only control I feel I have is the flavor I add.

So... What flavors would you recommend?

Welcome to brewing

First, I realize there is a lot of excitement. We all remember when we started, and did not want to be told what to do. For a new brewer I really do recommend you stick to simple known recipes (Beers that have worked for others).

Beer is remarkably simple to make, or you can make it very complex.

You will have all kinds of questions with just a simple pale ale. By adding fruit, etc, you are making it very complicated and more likely to have an explosion (Fermentation). You will have beer, but more likely to have problems.

I love hefe's. They are not a good first beer to brew. They have very active fermentation and get out of control easily.

Don't worry about spices. You actually get your flavors in a hefe from the yeast you use. The vast majority of beers do not have spices added to the brewing process.

Simple ales are the best beers to start with.

When you do start with additions. Use a recipe. Once you have used it in a proven recipe then you will know when and how to make changes.

Welcome to the addition

 

[Shinglejohn]

Im gonna go with Jim here.

Get down your proccess before playing with off the wall adjuncts. There are alot of legitimate ways to add pumpkin to a beer, but you will be better served to understand the proccess before you decide the way to add it to yours.

Some add it in the mash, others in secondary, some just add pumkin pie spices, ive even seen posts where brewers have "hopbacked" it.

I suggest you wait and do it after a few more brew sessions. research how others have done it, decide whats best for your brew and off you go.

Or you can be like me and just do it anyway. I got this advice that i am giving you a few years back. I did it anyway. Some of us just like to learn the hard way.

Cheers!

 

[Shinglejohn]

Thanks for the input and concern. I didn't realize this was a somewhat difficult type. I assumed it was fairly simple, because I told the associate that I was new to this and this was only my 2nd batch.

However, I do have some confidence in myself. Mostly because my 1st batch came out pretty tasty. Although it is possible, even probable that I got lucky, I guess now that it worked once, I want to push my luck again. When I purchase bottled beers, I enjoy beers with flavors added, like fruits. That's why I added cherries to my 1st batch, and intended to add something to this one.

Considering it's basically a 2 month process, at the end I don't want to regret not adding a flavor when I had the chance. Of course if I screw it up, which is very possible, I'm going to be kicking myself for taking the risk. However, I'm willing to take that risk.

Anyway, while I appreciate your advise, I think I'd still like to try and add something to the mix. If Spices are too complicated, I'll stick with fruit. I only mentioned spices because I figured they would go well with the pumpkin.

I will, however, just keep it simple if you guys personally think a hefe should be left alone and not have any fruits etc. added. In that case I'll leave it be. But I don't want to not add them because you fear I'll screw it up.

I'll be the first to admit that I really don't know ANYTHING about beer. I have no idea what tastes like what, and I wouldn't even consider altering a recipe (in terms of changing the amount of grains/sugar/hops/etc.) However, The only control I feel I have is the flavor I add.

So... What flavors would you recommend?

Dont assume you know nothing of beer! You know enough to know what you like! And if your at the point of BYO then, your a beer guy!!

The only reason we caution you is that your trying to run before your crawl. This is not uncommon. Its ****ing exciting!!!!

There is alot more to flavors in the malt selection and hops and yeast than you think.

Hefe yeast, which you are thinking of using, will make you swear to christ there is bannana there. Also Victory Malt, in the right dosage, makes a pretty convincing pecan. Honey Malt didnt get its name form bee charming.

i dunno. Brewing, It rules.

Cheers!

 

[damnyankee]

Beer & Ale is not complicated, Woody. It's liquid bread. Prior to the 1800s, it would be your wife who commonly made ale at home. It's still made the same today as back then: grains (barley, wheat, rye), hops, and yeast with an occasional flavoring agent(s) depending on the brew. Back then tho, you were limited to local ingredients. Today, you have a sea of ingredients to make endless tastes of brew.

If you ever made bread, this may help:

1. Think of boiling the wort (grain broth) as kneading the bread with your mixer & dough hook.

2. Think of your fermenter as your oven.

3. Think of your bottles/keg as a bread wrapper or bread bin (it's storage).

In your case with pumpkin, if you pulled your bread out of the oven, cut it open, and put your pumpkin in it, your bread isn't going to turn out as expected. Same goes for your ale/beer. So all your grain/flavoring ingredients should go in the kettle. A second caveat of why stuff shouldn't go in to your fermenter (as a general rule other than yeast) is it needs to have been baked or boiled so you don't introduce any live critters to infect/spoil your brew.

And just like baking bread, there's a ratio of dry ingredients to wet ingredients with a procedure of how you mix the dry to the wet ingredients. Take a little time to look at all-grain recipes in a simple 5 gallon batch. You'll quickly see a common theme to them: for the most part, a range of 8-12 pounds of grain (or a combination of grains), 1-2 ounces of hops, and a package of yeast. Each grain has a specific taste as does each type of hops and yeast. And just like a baker, you can make endless taste combinations of grains, hops, and yeast to make different types/flavors of ales/beers.

So the long story of this tome is, making beer is easy. Some types of ale just take more time, that's all. Jump right in and give all-grain a try (make your own grain broth instead of getting it out of a can) - just ensure you get CRUSHED grains! There's lots of tutorials in here and on youtube on how to do all-grain brewing. Be creative and have fun. If you follow the basic procedures, it's difficult to make bad ale.

Good luck!!!

DY

 

[woody189]

Im gonna go with Jim here.

Get down your proccess before playing with off the wall adjuncts. There are alot of legitimate ways to add pumpkin to a beer, but you will be better served to understand the proccess before you decide the way to add it to yours.

Some add it in the mash, others in secondary, some just add pumkin pie spices, ive even seen posts where brewers have "hopbacked" it.

I suggest you wait and do it after a few more brew sessions. research how others have done it, decide whats best for your brew and off you go.

Or you can be like me and just do it anyway. I got this advice that i am giving you a few years back. I did it anyway. Some of us just like to learn the hard way.

Cheers!

Dont assume you know nothing of beer! You know enough to know what you like! And if your at the point of BYO then, your a beer guy!!

The only reason we caution you is that your trying to run before your crawl. This is not uncommon. Its ****ing exciting!!!!

There is alot more to flavors in the malt selection and hops and yeast than you think.

Hefe yeast, which you are thinking of using, will make you swear to christ there is bannana there. Also Victory Malt, in the right dosage, makes a pretty convincing pecan. Honey Malt didnt get its name form bee charming.

i dunno. Brewing, It rules.

Cheers!

Thanks for the help. I'm definitely going to stay away from pumpkin, because it seems tougher. I am, however, going to be stubborn and still add some sort of kick to the 2dary.

I'm glad you admitted you did the same thing i'm doing. I appreciate everyone's advise, and I'm fully aware you all have way more experience than me, but I'm pretty fixed on adding something.

And thanks for the motivational speech..lol
I read up some on different beer types and all, but i think majority you get form experience. I have no clue what a hoppy beer tastes like as opposed to an unhoppy beer. Or what yeast/malts/grains will give me what flavor.

I just don't get how you know what they taste like. like how do you figure out that this hop tastes like this and that one tastes like that? Unless you brew 2 exact beers with 1 change, i don't see how you can learn how anything tastes, because each beer has different ingredients.

Beer & Ale is not complicated, Woody. It's liquid bread. Prior to the 1800s, it would be your wife who commonly made ale at home. It's still made the same today as back then: grains (barley, wheat, rye), hops, and yeast with an occasional flavoring agent(s) depending on the brew. Back then tho, you were limited to local ingredients. Today, you have a sea of ingredients to make endless tastes of brew.

If you ever made bread, this may help:

1. Think of boiling the wort (grain broth) as kneading the bread with your mixer & dough hook.

2. Think of your fermenter as your oven.

3. Think of your bottles/keg as a bread wrapper or bread bin (it's storage).

In your case with pumpkin, if you pulled your bread out of the oven, cut it open, and put your pumpkin in it, your bread isn't going to turn out as expected. Same goes for your ale/beer. So all your grain/flavoring ingredients should go in the kettle. A second caveat of why stuff shouldn't go in to your fermenter (as a general rule other than yeast) is it needs to have been baked or boiled so you don't introduce any live critters to infect/spoil your brew.

And just like baking bread, there's a ratio of dry ingredients to wet ingredients with a procedure of how you mix the dry to the wet ingredients. Take a little time to look at all-grain recipes in a simple 5 gallon batch. You'll quickly see a common theme to them: for the most part, a range of 8-12 pounds of grain (or a combination of grains), 1-2 ounces of hops, and a package of yeast. Each grain has a specific taste as does each type of hops and yeast. And just like a baker, you can make endless taste combinations of grains, hops, and yeast to make different types/flavors of ales/beers.

So the long story of this tome is, making beer is easy. Some types of ale just take more time, that's all. Jump right in and give all-grain a try (make your own grain broth instead of getting it out of a can) - just ensure you get CRUSHED grains! There's lots of tutorials in here and on youtube on how to do all-grain brewing. Be creative and have fun. If you follow the basic procedures, it's difficult to make bad ale.

Good luck!!!

DY

Thanks for the help. I'm gonna stay away from pumpkin for now because I want to get this batch brewed already and don't feel like waiting to do all the reasearch. I'll look into pumpkin for my next batch while this one is brewing.


I think I decided to go with orange or lemon zest. I think that should be simple enough. It'll satisfy my urge to add something, and I hope you guys would consider it simple enough for me to handle.

ANy suggestions on that? Apparently I need to add it on flameout. Maybe 2 oranges/lemons worth of zest?

Thanks again

 

[rodneypierce]

do the lemons. there is not a better pairing with a good hefeweissen them lemon.

 

[woody189]

do the lemons. there is not a better pairing with a good hefeweissen them lemon.

cool. I am a fan of blue moon though, and from my understanding blue moon is somewhat similar, so I may go either way. I'll be sure to post how it comes out though.

I also just realized I labeled the recipe wrong... For anyone interested, it's called Weinstephan Wheat

 

[Wyldjim]

Thanks for the help. I'm definitely going to stay away from pumpkin, because it seems tougher. I am, however, going to be stubborn and still add some sort of kick to the 2dary.

Making beer is like baking bread for the first time. What ever you do will probably work (Make beer) but, you should understand how to bake a loaf before jumping to pumpkin, rosemary, chiabata loaf

I have no clue what a hoppy beer tastes like as opposed to an unhoppy beer. Or what yeast/malts/grains will give me what flavor.

I just don't get how you know what they taste like. like how do you figure out that this hop tastes like this and that one tastes like that? Unless you brew 2 exact beers with 1 change, i don't see how you can learn how anything tastes, because each beer has different ingredients

This is why I recommend simple beers without fruits etc to start. You get different flavors from the yeast and fermentation temp.

Brew one simple beer (Ale) you think you might like. You will get fruity flavors (esters) depending how warm the fermentation is.

The second beer, same recipe different ferment temp.

Third beer, same recipe. More or less hops, maybe at different times.

Etc, for the first 5 beers.

Making beer is exactly like making bread for the first time. Get to know the process. Try to understand how, temp, hops, and yeast change the flavors of the beer all by themselves.

Your need for control should be limited to trying to get consistent fermentation temps at this point.

By throwing in lemon at this point, you will have some flavors, more that just lemon You will then be trying to figure out if your lemons went bad, sour, etc, or was your ferment too high?, is the beer green, Hops, yeast, etc?

Google Revvy on here. He has a written a lot of good info.

 

[damnyankee]

Woody,

It's your hefe - do what ya like. For my blue moon clone, I used McCormick's dried Valencia sweet orange peel that you can buy at your grocery store for around $4.

I have an Erdinger Hefeweizen Weissbier hopeful-clone in my primary right now; given the fizzy, champagne-like, citrusy, banana flavor/aroma of Erdinger, I couldn't see adding anything else to that brew - but hey...maybe that sweet orange or the lemon zest might take it to the next level. That's why making homebrew is so fun...the sky is the limit.

As for hops: you'll quickly learn hops is very bitter - you need it to offset the sickening sweetness of the wort. To me, if someone says it tastes "hoppy", my tastebuds tell me it'll likely have a slightly bitter taste/aftertaste. And that's not my cup of tea.

 

[pikledbill]

I gotta chime in here. There is nothing with more heavenlyish deliciocity than Hefe. It was the first beer I made...not that tough. It doesn't have to strongly taste like banana (many German Hefes have very little banana aroma)...investigate yeast strains and fermentation temps for alternate choices in flavor. But, you can make it smell like a banana milkshake if you try.

For the future, pick a main style and work on perfecting it to your tastes. Brew other stuff while you are perfecting "your" beer. Never be afraid to experiment...with everything. I have one rule for myself: If I brew it, I have to drink it. This generally means I only make a mistake once...I have had to drink some pretty nasty beer. The memory of drinking nasty beer has made me investigate ideas and experiments to great lengths...I highly recommend the approach.

I have been working on perfecting my Hefe for nearly ten years...getting very close (been saying that for five years). Experiment with Malts, fermentation temps, and blending yeasts to really find a flavor you like.

If you like fruit, try a raspberry wheat...my wife's favorite. Heck, you're in America, you can call it a Raspberry Heffe if you want.

Also, yes, making two identical batches and only changing one thing is exactly the way you figure out what you like...don't be afraid to split your five gallon batch into two 2.5 gallons, or even 4-1.25 gallons...changing a single ingredient each time. Split your yeast starter into equal proportions and ferment side by side...this is fun experimentation and the reason so many people love to brew. Note, a one gallon, or two gallon fermentation may taste a little different when scaled up to five gallons, but, you will get to experiment with why the flavor profile changed when "scaling it up".

One last piece of advice...cleanliness is the absolutely most important thing you can perfect in your beer making skills.

Keep your yeast healthy, but hungry.

Good luck brewing, and remember what Lebowski says: sometimes you eat the bar, sometimes the bar eats you.

 

[woody189]

Making beer is like baking bread for the first time. What ever you do will probably work (Make beer) but, you should understand how to bake a loaf before jumping to pumpkin, rosemary, chiabata loaf



This is why I recommend simple beers without fruits etc to start. You get different flavors from the yeast and fermentation temp.

Brew one simple beer (Ale) you think you might like. You will get fruity flavors (esters) depending how warm the fermentation is.

The second beer, same recipe different ferment temp.

Third beer, same recipe. More or less hops, maybe at different times.

Etc, for the first 5 beers.

Making beer is exactly like making bread for the first time. Get to know the process. Try to understand how, temp, hops, and yeast change the flavors of the beer all by themselves.

Your need for control should be limited to trying to get consistent fermentation temps at this point.

By throwing in lemon at this point, you will have some flavors, more that just lemon You will then be trying to figure out if your lemons went bad, sour, etc, or was your ferment too high?, is the beer green, Hops, yeast, etc?

Google Revvy on here. He has a written a lot of good info.

You, know I couldn't agree more with what you said. I was wondering how people learn the different flavors, and the only way I could think of was exactly what you said, I just didn't know that's what people did. However, being as anxious as I am, I'm gonna throw in some peel in this batch.

But I plan on getting 2 more buckets and I've decided that the next time I brew a batch, I'm gonna brew 2 batches. One will be my experimental batch, where I'll throw some adjuncts in there, and the other batch will be for my research. I will change the 2nd batch slightly, as you suggested.

I think that's the best way for me. Maybe that's just an excuse for me to make more beer.

Woody,

It's your hefe - do what ya like. For my blue moon clone, I used McCormick's dried Valencia sweet orange peel that you can buy at your grocery store for around $4.

I have an Erdinger Hefeweizen Weissbier hopeful-clone in my primary right now; given the fizzy, champagne-like, citrusy, banana flavor/aroma of Erdinger, I couldn't see adding anything else to that brew - but hey...maybe that sweet orange or the lemon zest might take it to the next level. That's why making homebrew is so fun...the sky is the limit.

As for hops: you'll quickly learn hops is very bitter - you need it to offset the sickening sweetness of the wort. To me, if someone says it tastes "hoppy", my tastebuds tell me it'll likely have a slightly bitter taste/aftertaste. And that's not my cup of tea.

Thanks for the info. Good luck with yours. I think I may just throw the zest of 1 orange in there. To give it a very light kick.

I gotta chime in here. There is nothing with more heavenlyish deliciocity than Hefe. It was the first beer I made...not that tough. It doesn't have to strongly taste like banana (many German Hefes have very little banana aroma)...investigate yeast strains and fermentation temps for alternate choices in flavor. But, you can make it smell like a banana milkshake if you try.

For the future, pick a main style and work on perfecting it to your tastes. Brew other stuff while you are perfecting "your" beer. Never be afraid to experiment...with everything. I have one rule for myself: If I brew it, I have to drink it. This generally means I only make a mistake once...I have had to drink some pretty nasty beer. The memory of drinking nasty beer has made me investigate ideas and experiments to great lengths...I highly recommend the approach.

I have been working on perfecting my Hefe for nearly ten years...getting very close (been saying that for five years). Experiment with Malts, fermentation temps, and blending yeasts to really find a flavor you like.

If you like fruit, try a raspberry wheat...my wife's favorite. Heck, you're in America, you can call it a Raspberry Heffe if you want.

Also, yes, making two identical batches and only changing one thing is exactly the way you figure out what you like...don't be afraid to split your five gallon batch into two 2.5 gallons, or even 4-1.25 gallons...changing a single ingredient each time. Split your yeast starter into equal proportions and ferment side by side...this is fun experimentation and the reason so many people love to brew. Note, a one gallon, or two gallon fermentation may taste a little different when scaled up to five gallons, but, you will get to experiment with why the flavor profile changed when "scaling it up".

One last piece of advice...cleanliness is the absolutely most important thing you can perfect in your beer making skills.

Keep your yeast healthy, but hungry.

Good luck brewing, and remember what Lebowski says: sometimes you eat the bar, sometimes the bar eats you.

Thanks. I try and keep everything as clean as possible. To be honest, you'll probably never perfect your Hefe. Even though it's probably perfect already, you'll keep going and going like mad scientist. At least I would.

I'll give raspberry wheat a try some time. possibly my next batch.

That's a good idea about splitting the batches. Actually really good so it'll be even easier to compare, considering they are all from the same batch. And on top of that, I'll be able to taste the difference while they've all been bottled the exact same time, rather than waiting for the 2nd/3rd batch to test. And on top of that, I'll save myself about 3-4 months by splitting it up.

One question though, IDK if you've personally done it, but if you have, how exactly do you split it up? Would I just have to get like 2-3 more airlocks and just find buckets that would fit 1.5-2.5 gallons of beer?

Great suggestions guys

 

[woody189]

If I get the thumbs up from you guys, I might brew tomorrow. From my understanding, all I have to do for orange/lemon is peel the skin so the color comes off, but not so far that I see white.

I have a question though. My recipe calls for the aroma hops during the last 15 mins of boil, but from my reading, that seems to be too soon. I was thinking of throwing in the zest and the aroma hops the last 5 mins of boil. THen after the 5 mins throw it in the ice bath. That sound good?

ALso, I'm a little confused as to what flameout is. Do I take the pot immediately after turning off the heat and throw it in the ice bath, or do I pause in between for a few minutes and let it marinade w/ the heat off? Last time I think I just went straight from pot to ice.

 

[pikledbill]

Woody, I have 6L flasks that I use to make small batches (for splitting 4-way). You can buy flasks online at multiple retailers (do a Google search on "erlenmyer flask", or Ebay - be cautious though, unless you buy them used on Ebay, Erlenmyer flasks are expensive there). I have also used one gallon water jugs, pitchers, igloo water coolers...etc.. Your imagination is the only limitation. If you have a drill and silicon, you can make a fermenter out of just about anything.

You can find three gallon pails pretty easily also (for splitting into 2.5 gallon). You can use two 6 gallon pail fermenters for two 2.5 gallon batches.

I have used growlers for very small batches - normally for aroma experiments.

Rubber stoppers can be purchased for nearly any jug-type system you want to try. Just drill a hole in the stopper to fit your airlock. Plastic airlocks are cheap...buy a dozen at a time. And, don't forget that brewers used open fermentation vessels for thousands of years before the airlock was invented.

I have been doing this a while now, and have accumulated a lot of different containers that I use for fermenting experiments. Just make sure all of your fermentation vessels are identical in shape and size when splitting a batch.

BTW: you will get aroma from a 15 minute boil (hops)...you will get aroma from 5 minute boil. If you are curious as to the difference between 5 and 15 minutes...split the batch.

Take the pot off heat and immediately put it into the ice bath. "Flameout" is simply when you turn the heat off the pot (makes more sense if you are using a NatGas stove or propane burner)...nothing more complex than that.

Have fun!!
PikledBill

 

[woody189]

THanks for the info. I think I'll try and find some 2.5 gallon buckets for my next batch.

I'm gonna brew my Hefe batch in a little while, so if you got any last minute suggestions, bring em on. I'm gonna add zest from 1 orange during flameout.

Woody, I have 6L flasks that I use to make small batches (for splitting 4-way). You can buy flasks online at multiple retailers (do a Google search on "erlenmyer flask", or Ebay - be cautious though, unless you buy them used on Ebay, Erlenmyer flasks are expensive there). I have also used one gallon water jugs, pitchers, igloo water coolers...etc.. Your imagination is the only limitation. If you have a drill and silicon, you can make a fermenter out of just about anything.

You can find three gallon pails pretty easily also (for splitting into 2.5 gallon). You can use two 6 gallon pail fermenters for two 2.5 gallon batches.

I have used growlers for very small batches - normally for aroma experiments.

Rubber stoppers can be purchased for nearly any jug-type system you want to try. Just drill a hole in the stopper to fit your airlock. Plastic airlocks are cheap...buy a dozen at a time. And, don't forget that brewers used open fermentation vessels for thousands of years before the airlock was invented.

I have been doing this a while now, and have accumulated a lot of different containers that I use for fermenting experiments. Just make sure all of your fermentation vessels are identical in shape and size when splitting a batch.

BTW: you will get aroma from a 15 minute boil (hops)...you will get aroma from 5 minute boil. If you are curious as to the difference between 5 and 15 minutes...split the batch.

Take the pot off heat and immediately put it into the ice bath. "Flameout" is simply when you turn the heat off the pot (makes more sense if you are using a NatGas stove or propane burner)...nothing more complex than that.

Have fun!!
PikledBill

 

[pikledbill]

woody,

be careful with the pitching temp...one of the few batches of beer I have ever had to really struggle to drink was a hefe that I pitched too early in the cooling process. I ended up having to blend it with a good batch of hefe...bottle by bottle (I have a rule that I have to drink anything I brew...this was the first and last time I ever rushed pitching).

hefe should be brewed with a low flocculating yeast...some brewshops will give you a package of everyday dry ale yeast for your kit...I highly recommend that you upgrade to a good german wheat yeast...the difference in flavor profile of your beer can be remarkable. I use mainly wy3068 for my hefe...fermentation temperature has a large effect on flavor with hefe (you will have to experiment and read a bit to find the flavor profile you want). 64-68f should yield a decent mild hefe flavor.

another thought...I have seen several kits that have a lot of hops...hefe should be a low hop beer. Then again, if you like hoppy flavor and aroma, hop it up. I use a total of 1.0-1.25 oz of low AA (3-5%) hops in my hefe. Hefe should be about the wheat and the yeast (in my opinion).

Other than that, follow good sanitary procedures...follow the instructions for the kit...and you can paint an image of a little corner of heaven God calls "hefe".

Cheers,
PikledBill

 

[woody189]

woody,

be careful with the pitching temp...one of the few batches of beer I have ever had to really struggle to drink was a hefe that I pitched too early in the cooling process. I ended up having to blend it with a good batch of hefe...bottle by bottle (I have a rule that I have to drink anything I brew...this was the first and last time I ever rushed pitching).

hefe should be brewed with a low flocculating yeast...some brewshops will give you a package of everyday dry ale yeast for your kit...I highly recommend that you upgrade to a good german wheat yeast...the difference in flavor profile of your beer can be remarkable. I use mainly wy3068 for my hefe...fermentation temperature has a large effect on flavor with hefe (you will have to experiment and read a bit to find the flavor profile you want). 64-68f should yield a decent mild hefe flavor.

another thought...I have seen several kits that have a lot of hops...hefe should be a low hop beer. Then again, if you like hoppy flavor and aroma, hop it up. I use a total of 1.0-1.25 oz of low AA (3-5%) hops in my hefe. Hefe should be about the wheat and the yeast (in my opinion).

Other than that, follow good sanitary procedures...follow the instructions for the kit...and you can paint an image of a little corner of heaven God calls "hefe".

Cheers,
PikledBill

Not sure about the quality, but I used a bottle of White Lab Liquid Yeast, Hefeweizen Ale Yeast WLP300. I pitched around 70, bottle said 70-75. I added the zest of an orange and a half about 8 mins left in boil.

I'll let you know how it goes, and thanks for the help.

 

[woody189]

So my baby's been fermenting for just over 3 weeks. I haven't really done anything since I threw it in the closet. It's been pretty steady at about 68-71 degrees.

Just to make sure, the SG doesn't really mean squat to me right now, right? I'm not worried about alcohol content and I forgot to take the OG BEFORE adding yeast anyway.

I read a lot of threads and it seems that 1 month in primary is the general consensus to bottle. However, I'm not sure what longer/shorter in primary would actually do. Can you explain that?

My plan is to wait another week and bottle. Sound good, or do you need any other info?

Oh, and my bro got me "classic brewing styles" by Zainasheff and Palmer, so hopefully that helps me figure out some stuff in terms of what flavors things have annd what not.

 

[RM-MN]

I'm not sure this is completely correct but my understanding is that it takes time, time for the yeast to eat the sugars, time for the yeast to go back looking for any complex sugars that they missed in the orgy of eating simple sugars, time to go back again as they begin starving for sugars and eat the esters they produced while eating the simple sugars and finally, time to settle out and let the remaining products meld to the final flavor. If you were to rack to the secondary too soon, the yeast might quit with just eating the simple sugars, leaving you with beer that has too much sweetness. Giving it more time on the "cake" lets it complete its process.

Some of these functions will still take place in the bottle if you bottled early, but they still take the same amount of time if not more. You will also have introduced more simple sugar for the carbonation that will take time for the yeast to complete too. As you go to darker brews, the time to maturity increases. I had brewed a cream ale and a robust porter in September, within a few days of each other. The cream ale really started tasting good in early November but it wasn't until this week that the porter came to maturity.

 

[woody189]

I'm not sure this is completely correct but my understanding is that it takes time, time for the yeast to eat the sugars, time for the yeast to go back looking for any complex sugars that they missed in the orgy of eating simple sugars, time to go back again as they begin starving for sugars and eat the esters they produced while eating the simple sugars and finally, time to settle out and let the remaining products meld to the final flavor. If you were to rack to the secondary too soon, the yeast might quit with just eating the simple sugars, leaving you with beer that has too much sweetness. Giving it more time on the "cake" lets it complete its process.

Some of these functions will still take place in the bottle if you bottled early, but they still take the same amount of time if not more. You will also have introduced more simple sugar for the carbonation that will take time for the yeast to complete too. As you go to darker brews, the time to maturity increases. I had brewed a cream ale and a robust porter in September, within a few days of each other. The cream ale really started tasting good in early November but it wasn't until this week that the porter came to maturity.

Gotcha... Thanks for clearing that up.

 

[pikledbill]

Just to make sure, the SG doesn't really mean squat to me right now, right? I'm not worried about alcohol content and I forgot to take the OG BEFORE adding yeast anyway.

I read a lot of threads and it seems that 1 month in primary is the general consensus to bottle. However, I'm not sure what longer/shorter in primary would actually do. Can you explain that?

SG is important right now. You need to be checking it every few days once you think the fermentation is nearly finished. Your beer is ready to bottle when two consecutive gravity readings are consistent (no change). Check gravity, then again in 2-3 days. Keep doing this until there is no change...then bottle.

Longer in the primary will allow some conditioning of the beer as per RM suggested. I drink Hefe young...I let Hefe age for a couple of weeks...I let Hefe age for several weeks...there is no rule of thumb. Drink your first batch slowly, a few bottles every week and note the changes in flavor profile as the Hefe ages. They are your tastebuds...you decide when they are happy.

Don't forget to swirl in the yeast cake at the bottom of the bottle before pouring...this is the yummy and visually appealing part of Hefe.

Store bottles around 60-65 degrees for milder flavor. Better yet, store half your bottles at 60-65, and half at 70-75...then note differences in flavor profile as your Hefe ages (drink 3 bottles from each every week).

Glad to hear things went well.

PikledBill

 

[HerotBrewer]

I know you've gotten some great advice. A few tips from another new brewer, some of which have been mentioned.

1. Start with a simple extract kit.
2. RDWHAHB Brewing is easy, mankind has been doing it for thousands of years, before plastic buckets and Star San and liquid yeast. Be confident.
3. Sanitation, Sanitation, Sanitation.
4. If you like Hefes and other wheats, and fruity flavors but want to avoid adding wild adjuncts like real fruit, get a wheat beer recipe and use a Belgian Yeast. I did Midwest's Blonde Ale with a liquid Belgian yeast, and it has wild fruit flavor. Second beer I did too.
4. See item 2. You can do it.

 

[woody189]

SG is important right now. You need to be checking it every few days once you think the fermentation is nearly finished. Your beer is ready to bottle when two consecutive gravity readings are consistent (no change). Check gravity, then again in 2-3 days. Keep doing this until there is no change...then bottle.

Longer in the primary will allow some conditioning of the beer as per RM suggested. I drink Hefe young...I let Hefe age for a couple of weeks...I let Hefe age for several weeks...there is no rule of thumb. Drink your first batch slowly, a few bottles every week and note the changes in flavor profile as the Hefe ages. They are your tastebuds...you decide when they are happy.

Don't forget to swirl in the yeast cake at the bottom of the bottle before pouring...this is the yummy and visually appealing part of Hefe.

Store bottles around 60-65 degrees for milder flavor. Better yet, store half your bottles at 60-65, and half at 70-75...then note differences in flavor profile as your Hefe ages (drink 3 bottles from each every week).

Glad to hear things went well.

PikledBill

I guess this is kind of where it varies from person to person. I see a lot (probably most) of people saying exactly what you said, bottle after the SG is consistent. Others say a week or so after it's consistent. And then others just say screw it all and just bottle after a month. I did take a reading a few days ago, and its almost about to be a month, so assuming the reading is the same, i'll bottle real soon.

thanks for lettin me kno to swirl the cake. I usually just avoid the last little smidge when pouring. Although after reading some threads, it appears a lot of people enjoy eating the cake, so I might do that from now on.

I know you've gotten some great advice. A few tips from another new brewer, some of which have been mentioned.

1. Start with a simple extract kit.
2. RDWHAHB Brewing is easy, mankind has been doing it for thousands of years, before plastic buckets and Star San and liquid yeast. Be confident.
3. Sanitation, Sanitation, Sanitation.
4. If you like Hefes and other wheats, and fruity flavors but want to avoid adding wild adjuncts like real fruit, get a wheat beer recipe and use a Belgian Yeast. I did Midwest's Blonde Ale with a liquid Belgian yeast, and it has wild fruit flavor. Second beer I did too.
4. See item 2. You can do it.

Thanks for the tips... i'm gonna be ordering my next batch soon, probably gonna try AG, and ill look into a belgian yeast.

 

[HerotBrewer]

thanks for lettin me kno to swirl the cake. I usually just avoid the last little smidge when pouring. Although after reading some threads, it appears a lot of people enjoy eating the cake, so I might do that from now on.

A point of clarification. Alot of people don't like the yeasty taste, but the belgian ale adds so much to the taste that many people who don't swirl normally do it with belgians. I never noticed a problem, and while I don't swirl with non-belgians, I do generally pour all the beer in to the glass. If it's been chilled, most of the yeast is going to stay on the bottom.

 

[woody189]

A point of clarification. Alot of people don't like the yeasty taste, but the belgian ale adds so much to the taste that many people who don't swirl normally do it with belgians. I never noticed a problem, and while I don't swirl with non-belgians, I do generally pour all the beer in to the glass. If it's been chilled, most of the yeast is going to stay on the bottom.

Thanks for clearing that up. I won't start arbitrarily swirling the yeast, but I will taste it with/ without the yeast and see what i like. I just never knew people actually eat the yeast until I read another thread.

 

[woody189]

the booze is bottled

 

[woody189]

It's pretty damn tasty. I don't really taste the orange much though.

I would like to make another batch just like this, but instead of it being extract, I would like it to be AG. Can some one help me pick out the ingredients for a similar AG batch? or just a name of beer, or direct me to website?