I'm a noob with general questions. Also, ready for a habanero beer!

[fendersrule]

Hi everyone,

Glad to be onboard.

I purchased a beer brewing system from my friend at work since he's retiring. I've got a 15 gallon boil pot, 2x 5-gallon carboys, chiller, 6 gallon food-grade bucket, grinder, bottle-capper, etc. Basically, all I need.

He came over 2 weeks ago and helped me make my first batch of beer. Essentially, I made two 5-gallon batches in the 15 gallon pot. Just your standard noobie amber ale, 6% ABV, one low hop, and one high hop batch. He's a believer of using liquid extract just because it's easier/faster. Not sure of the benefit of using the full-grain method quite yet, but I'm sure I'll dive into that soon.

I just bottled it all last night. Seemed to go really well. The low hop beer didn't foam much. The high hop beer foamed pretty good. It's now on it's 2-week bottling period. Bottling is really a two person operation!

So guess what? I'm ready to make more beer already!

I'm thinking this time I'd like to step up to a Pale Ale or an IPA. I'd like to continue using liquid extract. I've already obtained a recipe for a habanero IPA. I figure I'd make one batch spicy, and one batch with a fruity finish (blackberry).

So for that, I'd like to upgrade myself into using secondaries. It's my understanding that they a) create clearer/cleaner beer, and b) allow for better/cleaner finishing if you'd like to add fruits/spices. They are also good for aging which can allow you to be more lazy for when you have to bottle. This is my current understanding, anyhow. Has anyone done experiments on beer color and test using primaries vs secondaries?

Questions:

1) My first thought is to buy two 6.5 gallon carboys which will now be my new primaries. Bonus: more beer! Being that I have a 15 gallon boil pot, 2 x 6.5 gallon carboys (primary) and 2 x 5 gallon carboys (secondary), how much water should I plan on putting in the boil pot from here on out? Do I shoot for about 13 gallons to allow space for boiling?

2) What is the best way to add habaneros to the beer? I've read there's two methods. You open-flame the habaneros, cut them in half, freeze them, and then add them for a few days in the secondary. OR, you infuse them with vodka, and pour the vodka straight in the secondary. About how much? I guess a point of reference is that I enjoyed the spice level of the Ballast Point Habanero Sculpin. It could be a little spicier, but it was sure a fine beer for being spicy and spicier than most mainstream craft beers.

3) Should I continue to use manual siphon techniques, or should I upgrade to a siphon pump for $10? Manual siphone techniques are fine for me, but they do take more time and require a "splurge" bucket to use. Is it worth to upgrade and to not look back?

4) I do not use a gravity gauge or any other tool whilst beer is in the primary. I just wait until the "burps" are far in-between. I removed my last batched from the primary to bottling after 10 days, in which the burps were 1 in every 5 minutes. Is it worth measuring gravity or other things, or is that considered more advanced techniques.

5) I'm curious what the difference is for an IPA that has been made in primary only vs primary + secondary. Is the colour and taste different?

 

[mongoose33]

You had me until habanero.

1) My first thought is to buy two 6.5 gallon carboys which will now be my new primaries. Bonus: more beer! Being that I have a 15 gallon boil pot, 2 x 6.5 gallon carboys (primary) and 2 x 5 gallon carboys (secondary), how much water should I plan on putting in the boil pot from here on out? Do I shoot for about 13 gallons to allow space for boiling?

I'd slow down a bit. Brew one batch, 5 gallons. Brewing isn't rocket science, but neither is it simplistic.

If I were you, I'd buy plastic fermenters with spigots at the bottom. The Fermonster from Morebeer is what I'm talking about.

2) What is the best way to add habaneros to the beer? I've read there's two methods. You open-flame the habaneros, cut them in half, freeze them, and then add them for a few days in the secondary. OR, you infuse them with vodka, and pour the vodka straight in the secondary. About how much? I guess a point of reference is that I enjoyed the spice level of the Ballast Point Habanero Sculpin. It could be a little spicier, but it was sure a fine beer for being spicy and spicier than most mainstream craft beers.

Wrap them up in brown paper, and place gently at the bottom of your trash can.

How do you use them? I have no idea, and no wish to learn!

3) Should I continue to use manual siphon techniques, or should I upgrade to a siphon pump for $10? Manual siphone techniques are fine for me, but they do take more time and require a "splurge" bucket to use. Is it worth to upgrade and to not look back?

Shouldn't be that hard to siphon if you have enough space vertically between kettle and fermenter. Does your kettle have a ball valve on it? If so, just rack/drain into the fermenter. If not, consider adding one. Not that hard, actually.

4) I do not use a gravity gauge or any other tool whilst beer is in the primary. I just wait until the "burps" are far in-between. I removed my last batched from the primary to bottling after 10 days, in which the burps were 1 in every 5 minutes. Is it worth measuring gravity or other things, or is that considered more advanced techniques.

Yes, you want to measure gravity. Not only does it help establish that fermentation is complete, you need to do that to estimate ABV. And if you get a stuck fermentation that is somehow roused by bottling, you'll have bottle bombs.

5) I'm curious what the difference is for an IPA that has been made in primary only vs primary + secondary. Is the colour and taste different?

The use of secondaries has largely died out, except in archaic instructions still provided in kits by homebrew stores and online retailers.

I stopped using secondaries after my 3rd brew, and never looked back. Maybe 20-30 years ago there were reasons to do so, but now, no. The exception would be if you had something specific to add or a long-aged beer and you wanted to clear the fermenter for another brew.

Anyway, welcome, and good luck with the brewing.

 

[fendersrule]

My kettle is extremely basic. Just a nice low-profile 15 pot kettle without any valves and a lid. My chiller does just fine for removing the beer from the kettle since it uses a water hose. But transfering the beer from the primary to the bucket (to mix sugar) to the bottles (or to a secondary) requires using hoses and using 6th-grade siphoning techniques. My question was more or less just based on the effectiveness of the siphon pump. If it's easy to clean/sanitize, and use, then I can see $10 being well spent.

Interesting how you feel secondaries are a waste. So they don't clean up the beer, nor improve the taste?

No point in brewing only 5 gallons with a 15 gallon pot! If you're going through the effort of brewing beer, "might as well" fill 'em up! The time it takes to brew 5 gallons vs 10 gallons is not much different.

I do have an ABV vial. I suppose I can start learning how to use it. It's my understanding from my friend that it isn't easy to use, at least initially. Seems strange that you would basically need to remove the beer from the carboy (into the plastic bucket) to measure it. If it's too low, then it goes back into the carboy. Seems kind of an inefficient step. Would be nice to be able to measure the ABV while it's in the carboy. Perhaps the thing to do is to siphon out a cup of beer, and to cap the carboy while you measure.

If you are patient and just wait long enough, isn't it true that in most cases it will be "done"?

 

[mongoose33]

My kettle is extremely basic. Just a nice low-profile 15 pot kettle without any valves and a lid. My chiller does just fine for removing the beer from the kettle since it uses a water hose. But transfering the beer from the primary to the bucket (to mix sugar) to the bottles (or to a secondary) requires using hoses and using 6th-grade siphoning techniques. My question was more or less just based on the effectiveness of the siphon pump. If it's easy to clean/sanitize, and use, then I can see $10 being well spent.

I have a philosophy with all this--you--YOU--get to decide what makes you happy. Even if it involves Habaneros.

I don't have a siphon pump, don't know what one is (unless just a cheap pump). One issue in using such items is how to clean and sanitize them. I use a Blichmann Riptide, and I sanitize it by running boiling water or wort through it. Most (all?) cheap pumps aren't going to be able to handle that. But if you have another way to clean/sanitize, maybe worth a shot.

Interesting how you feel secondaries are a waste. So they don't clean up the beer, nor improve the taste?

In a word, nope. That can all be done in primary, and there's some thinking that maturing on the trub/yeast actually helps. In my experience, it doesn't hurt, and I do believe it helps a bit. Regardless, secondaries are, IMO and in most cases, a waste of time and resources.

No point in brewing only 5 gallons with a 15 gallon pot! If you're going through the effort of brewing beer, "might as well" fill 'em up! The time it takes to brew 5 gallons vs 10 gallons is not much different.

Unless you screw it up. Then it's a 10 gallon dumper instead of just 5 gallons. But it's up to you, and you get to decide what makes you happy. Just trying to help ensure positive outcomes.

I do have an ABV vial. I suppose I can start learning how to use it. It's my understanding from my friend that it isn't easy to use, at least initially. Seems strange that you would basically need to remove the beer from the carboy (into the plastic bucket) to measure it. If it's too low, then it goes back into the carboy. Seems kind of an inefficient step. Would be nice to be able to measure the ABV while it's in the carboy. Perhaps the thing to do is to siphon out a cup of beer, and to cap the carboy while you measure.

Not sure what an ABV vial is. If as you describe you need to move all the beer to a bucket and back, it's crazy. A hydrometer requires about 4-5 ounces (more or less) of fluid to work. And I never dump it back into the beer. That's asking for an infection. Probably it can be done, but late in the game, you don't want to introduce any more oxygen to the beer than is absolutely necessary.

And that goes double for an IPA. Oxygen to a finished IPA will destroy hop aromas and flavors.

If you are patient and just wait long enough, isn't it true that in most cases it will be "done"?

Probably. But if it isn't finished, you still have fermentable sugars in your wort, on top of which you add additional sugar to carbonate in the bottles. Too much, and you'll overcarbonate and can easily have bottle bombs as they can't handle the excess pressure.

It's hard to say how to assess that. With experience, you have a sense of the tempo of fermentation, what a normal time is and what the krausen looks like and how vigorously it's fermenting. If you wait 2-3 weeks, likely it's done. Likely.

 

[TechFanMD]

You really need to get a hydrometer. Before your next beer- seriously. If you brew a long time you can start to get a feel for it but should still really take gravities even then.

I go grain to glass (keg) in less than 2 weeks a lot, but I measure to know that it is done fermenting. You could possibly have bottle bombs and not know it. I’d store that beer somewhere that you won’t cry if it gets wet (or store in those big blue totes with the lid on).

Airlock activity is NOT a good indicator of fermentation being complete. You could have an air leak, or bubbles are bigger but further between, it it will sometimes slow and kick up again.

 

[RPh_Guy]

My chiller does just fine for removing the beer from the kettle since it uses a water hose.

Wait, what?

 

[fendersrule]

Wait, what?

It's probably not made anymore, but it's a chiller that's in a PVC pipe. You plug a water hose in one in, and the outlet hose on the other in. It moves beer through the chiller and out another spout. Chills way better than most over-the-counter ones. It's a vintage piece that was $160 when new. I still have an old magazine that it was advertised in.

I've been keeping my bottles in my office where it's about 68F. My Garage is 58F right now, and will probably sink to 50F overnight. I don't think it would be smart to move them in there would it?

My pal who helped me brew said the bottles are not going to explode....he's been doing it for many many years. But I will make sure to use a hydrometer next go around since it will be me only doing it.

I remembered watching the valve lock activity...it went from 1 burp every few seconds to 1 burp every 5 minutes. Took about 7 days to really slow down. I waited an extra 3 days (10 total) to be sure.

I do have a hydrometer. I'll use it next time.

Still curious to get more opinions on secondaries. If it's not $90 well spent, then I'd rather not spend it!

I'm planning to brew the IPA this weekend. I'll probably leave them in the primary for 2 full weeks, then check the gravity. If I'm not using secondaries, then I guess I'll dump the "finishing stuff" (hops and spices) straight into the primaries.

I just don't want a muddy tasting IPA that's completely foggy and has tons of sediment.

 

[RPh_Guy]

Ok, that's called a counter-flow chiller (CFC).
Wanted to make sure nothing crazy was going on

As others have said...
Nix the secondary vessel.
Use a hydrometer.
Definitely get either an auto-siphon or fermenters with spigots.
Having a kettle with a valve is tremendously helpful, especially when using a CFC so you can control the wort flow rate.
All Grain is good.
Bottles carbonate best at 68-75F.

Lots to learn! Remember to stay chill and enjoy your homebrew!

 

[fendersrule]

Thanks guys. Sounds like that's two votes to ditch the secondaries. The ONLY reason to buy 6.5 Gallon carboys at this point is to....be able to have 1-2 gallons of more yield. I don't think that's worth $90. It means a heavier kettle too.

valve not necessary...I control the wort flow rate with the water hose pressure. I'm assuming you want to use just enough pressure to move it through. Easy to do with my contraption that I have.

I'll plan to use liquid extract for my next IPA this weekend.

If I'm using 2x 5 gallon primaries (which is what I currently have), how much water should I shoot for to put in the kettle? 12 gallons?

Sounds like no one has made a batch of habanero IPA here before. That's quite strange as the habanero pepper flavor goes wonderfully with hoppy notes. It doesn't even need to be spicy to be good either!

 

[fendersrule]

btw, it sounds like "cold crashing" is really the only way to get as much transparency and "cleanness" as possible. That requires a fridge with temp control. Definitely not enough into home brewing to do that yet!

After 10 gallons of IPA (7% ABV), I think I will move towards a porter around 6.5%.

 

[mongoose33]

Thanks guys. Sounds like that's two votes to ditch the secondaries. The ONLY reason to buy 6.5 Gallon carboys at this point is to....be able to have 1-2 gallons of more yield. I don't think that's worth $90. It means a heavier kettle too.

No, no....that's not why. You need a certain amount of headspace to allow for the krausen. If not, you'll have a blowout through the airlock or blowoff tube. A 6.5-gallon fermenter is designed to hold about 5.5 gallons of fermenting beer.

If I'm using 2x 5 gallon primaries (which is what I currently have), how much water should I shoot for to put in the kettle? 12 gallons?

If you have a specific recipe in mind, it should tell you the details of how much extract, how much water, etc.

Sounds like no one has made a batch of habanero IPA here before. That's quite strange as the habanero pepper flavor goes wonderfully with hoppy notes. It doesn't even need to be spicy to be good either!

Here's the odd thing: i don't mind the heat from hot sauce. I just don't like how peppers taste. More's the pity, too, as it's a neat way to add flavor. I just don't care for the flavor.

 

[FatDragon]

Plenty of people here have done habanero IPAs, just nobody who's weighed in here yet. If I were going to do one, I'd take some habaneros (four or five would probably be more than enough), washed and de-seeded, and soak them in vodka for a couple weeks to create a habanero tincture. Then I'd pull a pint (or other known volume) of the beer and dose it with my habanero vodka one drop at a time until it tasted like I wanted it to. Once I knew how many drops per pint, I'd scale that up to the full batch volume (minus my tester pint) and add the habanero vodka with my priming sugar when it's time to bottle the beer.

Why vodka? Because it kills any wild yeast or bacteria that might be on the peppers before they can potentially infect your beer, and it extracts the flavor and heat from the peppers without adding any flavor of its own. Why de-seeded? Seeds add a lot of heat that will overpower the beer quickly while providing less of the pepper flavor you want. Why not add the peppers directly to the beer? Because you have a lot less control over how much heat you get unless you're sampling the beer constantly so you could easily overdo it and end up with five gallons of beer that's good for nothing but cooking chili.

On the secondary question: if you're going to add fruit to half of the batch, that's often done in secondary. The common wisdom while I've been brewing (five years) has been that secondary is unnecessary unless you're adding fruit or bulk aging a beer. I have only added fruit to beer a few times myself and I added it straight to the primary at least once with no negative effects, but it was a bit of a pain to rack the beer - I picked up more yeast and trub than I would have liked so it led to somewhat hazy beer.

 

[Hobby brewer]

btw, it sounds like "cold crashing" is really the only way to get as much transparency and "cleanness" as possible. That requires a fridge with temp control. Definitely not enough into home

Check out whirlfloc tablets, Spanish moss, and gelatin finings

 

[fendersrule]

Brew day today. We made two batches of a triple hop IPA. Est. 7% ABV (initial SP gravity is 1.070). Brewed with Cascade entirely, but with Simcoe added throughout. Flameout with Mosaic..lots of Mosaic. Dry hopping in a few weeks with more Mosiac! Still questioning shall we infuse one carboy with habanero and another with a fruity finish?

I made some changes with my second brew and deviated from how my mentor does it. Here's how:

1) I used more grains. Instead of 1lb of grains for 2 batches (my first batch of Amber ale), I went to 6lbs of grains for two batches. Not bad.
2) I didn't just "dump" my grains in and boil with them, I used muslin socks and did an actual mash-in.
3) I used an oven rack to place the muslin socks on, and mashed-out with 170-175F.
4) I used a hydrometer. Came to 1.070 while in the carboy.
5) I paid more attention to carboy temps before dumping yeast. Storage room is 66F. When the wort landed in the carboy, one carboy as 85F and the other was 100F. Wasn't happy about this, may talk to my mentor about how to increase the cooling. My house water wasn't that cold, so perhaps that may be the issue. Perhaps I should let the pot sit covered for a-little before siphoning. Not sure yet. Basically, I had to cap the carboys, put them in the bathroom with cold ice water, then move them outside, and after 4 grueling hours they were finally 72F and ready for the yeast toss. Sure, I could have waited for 68F, but it's risk/reward.
6) I ditched using bleach and am now a believer of StarSan. Foam is god. No rinse.
7) I let the yeast acclimate slowly to room temps instead of removing it straight from fridge and dumping it into carboys.
8) I paid attention to how much liquid needs to be in my 15 gallon boiling pot for 2x 5 gallon carboys. The answer is 12 gallons. Exactly. Ya'll would have been proud to see me top both carboys off first try at identical levels before getting sucking up trub. It was completely by chance.
9) I used 2x Whirflow tablets.

How I could do better next time?

1) I need to figure out how to get the wort in the carboy at a close-enough temp to pitch the yeast instead of wasting hours cooling them. I'll find out about how to better use my external wort cooler. Perhaps I need to have the siphoning valve partially open and let it roll in slower.

2) Figure out how to be more efficient. I spent $110 to make 10 gallons of 7% IPA with lots of good hops. Not an awful price, but perhaps there's some efficiencies to be gained.

Other than that, I believe that my IPA will taste pretty awesome for a noob.

I will NOT use a secondary per this forum's advice. With the additional dry hopping that I will do, I am still determining do I want to spice one carboy up, and add something like passion fruit extract to the other?

Otherwise, pretty successful. I think my pictures show it.

I'll probably let it ferment for 14 days in the primary, then if I add any extras, it will go straight int he primary for 3 days.

View media item 69487View media item 69488View media item 69489View media item 69490View media item 69491

 

[501irishred]

.......If I were going to do one, I'd take some habaneros (four or five would probably be more than enough), washed and de-seeded, and soak them in vodka for a couple weeks to create a habanero tincture......

+1 on adding with a vodka solution at bottling (or while in a secondary) Works well and is really the only way I’ve tried that gives reliable results. The only thing I might add is the smaller you dice the peppers, the quicker the turnaround. Seeds of course are up to your personal heat tolerance. Just made up a batch with habaneros, and another with ghost peppers. I experiment with adding different peppers to all types of beer. You might be suprised at the combinations that appeal to you!

 

[mongoose33]

You did a lot of things well in your brew day; tops on that list IMO is how you took care of the yeast and getting the temps right.

I'm a believer in continuous quality improvement; every time you brew, try to do something better. It'll add up over time.

Depending on the yeast and such, and at what temp the wort ferments, you'll probably have blowoffs given how little headspace there is in your carboys.

Some things to put on your list for the future: chilling is everybody's bugaboo when they start. It's time consuming to do it when you have warm water to chill with. Begin watching threads on chilling here, you'll get some ideas how to improve it. There are some pretty amazing chillers out there, including the Jaded Hydra.

Most brewers will tell you that fermentation temperature control is one place where their brewing took a leap forward. Yeast is exothermic, meaning they produce heat when they're working. This can raise the temperature of the fermenting wort 5 to 10 degrees above ambient, meaning if ambient is 68 degrees, your wort may be from 73 to 78. For most yeasts (Saisons and farmhouse ales an exception), hotter is not better as the yeast will produce flavors you do not want.

There are cheap ways around this if ambient is low enough, including the use of a swamp cooler to limit temp rises. Others have mini fridges or larger fridges or chest freezers or even use immersed coils in a stainless steel conical fermenter. I've done all of the above, swamp cooler, mini fridge, big fridge, stainless conical. All are ways to control those temps, which is important.

All that can take you from beer that's good to beer that's really good.

You might also at some point consider moving to plastic fermenters with spigots. Once you get away from siphoning to just draining you'll never go back. I also won't use glass as I consider them dangerous, but to each his or her own.

Good luck and report back. And BTW, doing two different batches is a good thing, one Habanero, one fruit. If one doesn't turn out you still have the other.

 

[Morrey]

You are getting lots of great advice from top brewers both on the art of brewing...plus the best method for infusing your beers with unique flavors. Some infusions work best for direct infusion - for example fruits like pineapple or mango take up large volumes and may be suited for muslin bags to be removed at a later point.

But for small quantity, intensely flavored items, a tincture works nicely per the advice of @FatDragon. Small quantity items making good tinctures are peppers as you mentioned, lime zest and cocoa nibs to name a few examples. The tincture's alcohol base is a natural sanitizer, then you can adjust the flavor levels to your liking by adding more or less tincture to your beer. You can quickly over-infuse with the direct method, while tinctures give you the flexibility of adding at the ratio that suits your tastes.

Remember that infusions with high fat content can have a negative impact on head formation/retention. If you roast the peppers, remove the charred skins and blot them with a paper towel before making a tincture, you may be able to remove some of the natural oils.

BTW...welcome to HBT forum!

 

[fendersrule]

Thanks guys. Lots of great advice.

After 12 hours, I didn't see any signs of fermentation (yet). Probably when I get home from work (20 hours) i'll probably see some activity. I noticed that the yeast disapeared after about 2 hours after placing it on top. I tend to remember that my first batch that my yeast stayed up there. Completely different types of batches, though. Normal?

I have about 1-1.25 gallon of blow-off area per each carboy. Do you guys think I need more?

 

[mongoose33]

Thanks guys. Lots of great advice.

After 12 hours, I didn't see any signs of fermentation (yet). Probably when I get home from work (20 hours) i'll probably see some activity. I noticed that the yeast disapeared after about 2 hours after placing it on top. I tend to remember that my first batch that my yeast stayed up there. Completely different types of batches, though. Normal?

I have about 1-1.25 gallon of blow-off area per each carboy. Do you guys think I need more?

The usual advice: Wait. Sometimes it takes longer for fermentations to begin.

As far as your headspace in the carboys, from the pic I don't know if you even have a gallon of headspace in each one, but it is what it is. You have blowoff tubes that should accommodate that; just let it run.

One other note: it looks as if your blowoff tubes were not cleaned following the last time they were used. As your krausen blows off into the tubes, it may, when it subsides, carry some of that gunk back down into the beer. I don't know what's in there, bacteria, etc. but you don't really want that. You may be ok this time, but if it were me, I'd take 'em off, put a piece of foil over the carboy mouth to cover them while cleaning them and putting them back.

 

[fendersrule]

I was taking into account the total space in the carboy (1/4 gallon) + hose space + 1/2 gallon airspace in blowoff jugs. = 1 gallon of air space before stuff starts going on the carpet! I think that's about right?

Hoses look dirty, but they are clean. They are probably 25 years old and they came with my brewing equipment. Cleaned with a brush (insides) and soaked entirely in Starsan! I trust 'em.

 

[bracconiere]

you might want to look into getting one of these for 10 gal batches...they only cost $20 at the feed store....hold about 13-15 gallons, air tight lid seal....

 

[Murphys_Law]

Did you pitch the yeast When the wort was at 85f and 100f? I think a good “next step” would be to look at ways to lower those pitch temps and overall temp control.

 

[ncbrewer]

Hoses look dirty, but they are clean. They are probably 25 years old and they came with my brewing equipment. Cleaned with a brush (insides) and soaked entirely in Starsan! I trust 'em.

If they were dirty, and then soaked in Star San, they're still dirty. Star San needs clean surfaces to sanitize. Soaking in PBW or Oxi Clean should help clean them. Oxi Clean is normally sufficient, but if those are really old and dirty, PBW might be needed. Or maybe replace them if they can't be cleaned really well.

 

[fendersrule]

View attachment 592970 View attachment 592971

+1 on adding with a vodka solution at bottling (or while in a secondary) Works well and is really the only way I’ve tried that gives reliable results. The only thing I might add is the smaller you dice the peppers, the quicker the turnaround. Seeds of course are up to your personal heat tolerance. Just made up a batch with habaneros, and another with ghost peppers. I experiment with adding different peppers to all types of beer. You might be suprised at the combinations that appeal to you!

Thanks. Yea, more and more I'm thinking to use Vodka and dice/clean the peppers like you did. Buy an over-the-counter IPA (12oz) and put a drop in there and see what it does. If all is well, then simply just calculate how much drops for 5 gallons. Let it sit in there for 2-3 days, then bottle. It cannot be too difficult. Any additional tips?

Did you pitch the yeast When the wort was at 85f and 100f? I think a good “next step” would be to look at ways to lower those pitch temps and overall temp control.

Definitely not. That would kill the yeast that I use. The yeast I used requires the max temp of the wort to be 77F. I pitched when the carboys were 72F.

If they were dirty, and then soaked in Star San, they're still dirty. Star San needs clean surfaces to sanitize. Soaking in PBW or Oxi Clean should help clean them. Oxi Clean is normally sufficient, but if those are really old and dirty, PBW might be needed. Or maybe replace them if they can't be cleaned really well.

I used them for my last brew and they were fine. I also brushed them pretty good. But they definitely are old. How much are those hoses anyway at a local brewstore? May just be better off replacing them since they've lost some flex to them and they look pretty old.

Regarding my chiller, I probably should read the instructions. I did use it successfully, but I probably didn't use it optimally. It siphons using a 3/8" hose and a valve. The inlet has a copper rod in which is placed into a stainless filter so you don't suck up the truff/clog. It MAY be that you're not suppose to crank the siphon valve all the way open like I did, but instead maybe about halfway. The slower the flow, the longer amount of time it will spend in the wort chiller. This equals colder wart once it enters the carboy. I noticed that setting the carboys on ice packs really helped cool. I may try that next time in conjunction with halving the flow rate. I also didn't wait long after flame-out before siphoning, probably about 5 minutes. However, I don't think it makes sense to wait at all since a 15 gallon kettle with 210F liquid is not really going to get any colder by just waiting.

btw, this Chiller was the bee's knees in 1986. It was $79.99 + shipping in order to obtain it.

Edit: Read the instructions. Yes, you can use the valve to slow down the rate. It will only cool it 3-6F, so don't bet on miracles. I didn't "tilt" the chiller like instructed to make sure all air pockets are out before beginning. I will do these things next time, as well as place carboys on an icepack from the getco. When I fill the carboys, the temp should no more than 76F right off the bat next time based on the temp of my house water plus whatever an ice pack can add. Then it's only an hour or so before it's ready to pitch. No prob.

 

[fendersrule]

The one on the right was pitched 3 hours sooner.

One on the left is just starting.

Notice carboys are reading 66F.

Should be a tasty IPA.

 

[fendersrule]

This morning.

 

[mongoose33]

View attachment 593058 The one on the right was pitched 3 hours sooner.

One on the left is just starting.

Notice carboys are reading 66F.

Should be a tasty IPA.

If you can hold 66 that will be great. Keep an eye on the temps just for general information as to your approach in your space.

 

[fendersrule]

Day 2 update:

The right carboy (the first pitch) is going like crazy. 1 burp a second. It hasn't foamed quite up to the spout yet. It's also turned into a nice amber color. 70F (4F increase in temperature from yeast activity). Lots of hop trub moving around.

The left carboy (3 hours later pitch) is starting to come on. 1 burp every 3 seconds. Temp is about 68F, 2F increase due to yeast activity.

I diced and put 7 habaneros in 16Oz of vodka. I will let that sit for 1-2 weeks. Didn't clean them or anything since they will be soaking in alcohol. Assuming I'm probably going to need a syringe!

My first batch with my mentor had no beer smell. This one definitely fills the room up with aroma.

 

[FatDragon]

A syringe would be a good idea. I'd probably get a pretty fine one, like 1 or 2 ml, and start dosing the trial beer in tenths of a milliliter. Having never done something like this myself, I couldn't tell you if you're going to end up settling on 0.1ml or 5ml per 12 oz. Better to be prepared for the former in case that's how it works out. If you do end up settling on several ml of tincture per bottle, you can always use measuring spoons or cups to dose the beer at bottling time.

With blowoff tubes, there's a good chance of suckback into the carboy if the liquid in the blowoff container is near or (god forbid) above the level of the beer in the carboy. I use 12mm inner diameter blowoff tubes which are narrow enough to increase the risk of suckback even with a modest differential in the liquid levels. Your tubes are quite wide so I wouldn't expect the blowoff liquid to be able to climb all the way up and into the carboy even in extreme negative pressure situations, but it's good to be aware that it can happen so you don't set things up differently next time and end up with a half gallon of Starsan in your next beer.

 

[bracconiere]

Day 2 update:

The right carboy (the first pitch) is going like crazy. 1 burp a second. It hasn't foamed quite up to the spout yet. It's also turned into a nice amber color. 70F (4F increase in temperature from yeast activity). Lots of hop trub moving around.

The left carboy (3 hours later pitch) is starting to come on. 1 burp every 3 seconds. Temp is about 68F, 2F increase due to yeast activity.

I diced and put 7 habaneros in 16Oz of vodka. I will let that sit for 1-2 weeks. Didn't clean them or anything since they will be soaking in alcohol. Assuming I'm probably going to need a syringe!View attachment 593240

My first batch with my mentor had no beer smell. This one definitely fills the room up with aroma.

you might want to throw a blanket over those to keep light out, so you don't skunk your hops...

and also "Kirkland Light Beer" lol, i didn't know costco had a beer label, awesome!

 

[501irishred]

Looks like you are well on your way to being hopelessly hooked on a great hobby!! I’m sure it’s been mentioned (sorry, haven’t read cover to cover) but next batch you might leave yourself a little more head space. In the mean time, make sure you have plenty of volume for the blowoff if it happens and continue to enjoy the process! Remember the always helpful RDWHAHB.......(Relax, don’t worry, have a home brew).


Ps- and yes, an infant medicine syringe or dropper works great for test infusions of your pepper solution.

 

[fendersrule]

Sweet! About when should I expect blow-off to occur if it does? Tomorrow is day 3, is that basically home-free at that point? I feel that tomorrow night I could put my burp caps on...definitely on the right one.

Seems like I filled it up just about darn right unless I should expect the foam to grow greater on day 3. We'll find out!

Yes, I love the "relax, have a homebrew" line. I have the book and I've read the first half!

Already planning my third beer. How does a chocolate blueberry porter sound?

Would it be relatively accurate to just try my tincture in over-the-counter IPA's (of relatively similarly) rather than pulling some out of the carboys?

 

[ncbrewer]

Yes, I love the "relax, have a homebrew" line. I have the book and I've read the first half!

Another really good book is How to Brew by Palmer. Paper or on-line, but the on-line version is the First Edition - still a good read.

 

[501irishred]

About when should I expect blow-off to occur if it does? Tomorrow is day 3, is that basically home-free at that point? I feel that tomorrow night I could put my burp caps on...definitely on the right one.

Yep, typically you'll peak somewhere between 24 and 48 hours in, but can vary greatly depending on a ton of variables. By now you should be safe, but that saying RDWHAHB? Part of that is encouraging you to err on the side of wait another day if there is any doubt.

Already planning my third beer. How does a chocolate blueberry porter sound?

Sounds absolutely horrible, and I would love have one with you! Part of what got me into homebrew, and certainly what kept me there, was the prospect of making something different, if not better, than what I could buy at the store.

Would it be relatively accurate to just try my tincture in over-the-counter IPA's (of relatively similarly) rather than pulling some out of the carboys?

Its actually a great way! It obviously wont be exact in regards to flavor, but a fully carbonated beer is important to accurately gauge the heat level and where the heat is perceived.

 

[fendersrule]

Thanks all for the great answers. I've got shirts over the carboys now. The one on the right is looking golden in color...looks yummy. The one on the left is just a bit slower, but it's getting there! I'll continue to post updates, especially will capture the bottling/tincturing procedure which I will also improve upon since the first time I brewed.

btw, a local place here makes chocolate blueberry porter, and it's super good! It's not a "i'll just have one" beer either! The blueberry and chocolate are just distant hints.

I'm starting to think ahead on saving money. Steeping 6lbs of grain in a 15 gallon pot was not too bad. It seems like a 15 gallon pot can support 9lbs of grain if I wanted to cut back on my extract some whilst still using the "pour over" method for mash-out. Not sure of the cost difference of going that route. Probably not much.

It's quite simple. Extract is the most expensive part in brewing. It really isn't the hops. Hops can add up, but they'll never add up to what 16lbs of extract costs @ $4ish a lb.

For sure if I went all grain, I'd have to get some new equipment. That's many poundage of grain. More time, too, to assure you're actually efficient at removing as much sugars as possible.

As always, finding way to use more grain and less extract is probably like a bell-shape curve. This last batch was pretty close to the "peak" as far as usability is concerned.

 

[ncbrewer]

Extract is the most expensive part in brewing. It really isn't the hops. Hops can add up, but they'll never add up to what 16lbs of extract costs @ $4ish a lb.

It doesn't have to cost that much. Williams Brewing sells 8 lbs of light extract for $18.99. Orders over $99.99 get free shipping.

 

[fendersrule]

That's actually a pretty good price. $38 for 16 lbs of extract is pretty darn decent and is cheaper than $64 which is what I've been paying locally. Hell, I could have made this IPA for $80 instead of $110.

How does extract store? Assuming it comes sealed in a package. Does it need to be refrigerated? How long does it store? Definitely would need to buy in bulk and store for a period of months. That means I should be planning my next few batches so I know what extract to buy!

A lot of my equipment is actually William's stuff.

btw, both carboys are the same golden color now. I'll put the burp caps on them tonight. It's all downhill from here.

 

[fendersrule]

Time to forget about them for about 2 weeks. The saddest part of brewing.

THe one on the right (pitched 4 hours sooner) is starting to cool down a little to 70F. Still active.

The one on the left is still "in heat". But activity is steady.

Tincture is just soaking away.

I feel like making beer again.

I deviated quite a bit from how my mentor made beer. I NEVER smelt any aroma from my first batch (Amber ale). While it definitely fermented, the activity was also slower. Do you guys find that with more OG = more fermentation smell/activity?

 

[FatDragon]

Waiting becomes a lot easier when you've got a pipeline established. Get your next brew going long before you finish drinking this one and you'll be on your way.

I definitely feel you on the extract issue. As the father of a toddler and husband of a busy woman, I'd love to make an extract brew every once in a while to get some beer in the fermenters without the time commitment of an all-grain brew day, which is hard to swing, but with extract costing 5-6 times the price of grain per gravity point here in China, it would easily triple or quadruple the price of a batch.

 

[ncbrewer]

How does extract store? Assuming it comes sealed in a package. Does it need to be refrigerated? How long does it store? Definitely would need to buy in bulk and store for a period of months. That means I should be planning my next few batches so I know what extract to buy!

I normally use it within 3 months. I think 6 months is not bad, but probably better to brew your pale brews when it's fresher. I think a year is ok, but it would definitely be darker. I've read both ways as far as refrigerating it. As far as what to stock up on, most of your brews could probably be done with light, and add specialty grains. It would simplify things to some extent.