Kickoff party tonight!

[wilkoffe]

my buddies and I just ordered our starter kit last week as well as recipes for a

Chinook IPA

and a Scottish 60.

we are meeting tonight to watch our "how to" dvd and get started. any tips or suggestions for common bonehead mistakes we can avoid would be helpful. and any links to a Christmas Ale recipe for beginners we should try would be great. we are hoping to have "giftable" beer by christmas to amaze our friends with.

thanks for the help!
-DutchJewBrew

 

[paulster2626]

Just sanitize everything really well and you'll be fine.

Also when topping up your wort with tap water, fill it to your target OG, not a specific volume.

The rest will figure itself out on its own.

 

[wilkoffe]

thanks paulster, you can always rely on a good canadian for help.

-DutchJewBrew

 

[DaddyP]

As I am pretty much still a beginner brewer, less than 10 batches, I've learning sticking to the "recipe" is a good start. No need to get crazy and do things differently. I've been using mostly Midwest Supplies kits with good results following their guide lines.

Sanitizing, aeration before pitching and fermentation temps are the best things to look out for in my opinion. With aeration and temp controls being my best improvments for the beers so far.

I've been primary fermenting for 3 weeks, then bottle conditioning for at least 2 week before I get too anxious to open one up for quality assurance checks. I try to get to 3 weeks most time, and sense notable improvemnts.

And yea, patience is hard at the beginning phases, I've noticed it's easier to wait now after a few batches and some good brews are ready for enjoyment.

 

[Mogwai]

Have a couple of beers after you are done brewing, not before.

 

[twgardner2]

Have a couple of beers after you are done brewing, not before.

Sorry, I have to disagree. Relax, don't worry, have a (home)brew throughout the whole process. You will be too busy double checking the directions and trying to figure out how to read your hydrometer to get overly wasted.

 

[user 84304]

Welcome to the fun!

I'd just say a few things to NEVER forget

1. You're a dirty, filthy person. CLEAN EVERYTHING WELL, SANITIZE TWICE.
2. Do NOT scorch the wort. Turn off the flame, stir it in and when in doubt STIR MORE.
3. Make sure your pitching temp is correct for the type of yeast you're using.
4. Make sure you ferment at a STEADY TEMP. No major temp swings, please.

That's just a tidbit. Enjoy yourself!

 

[dime1622]

Patience. Read and re-read the directions. Know what's coming 5 steps ahead of you. Do a "dry" walk-through so you have everything staged. When doing an extract, I go from clean kitchen to boil, cool, pitch, and clean kitchen in less than 2 hours, thanks to preparation.

*edit - also read your labels. One brew day my buddy used alternative hops at 60 minutes from the recipe - he didn't realize that the bag was 2 ounces instead of 1.

 

[Jsmith82]

Sanitize everything, follow directions, don't get sloppy, but most importantly have fun with it! Brewing beer shouldn't be a chore, it's a good time. Have some beers, have some laughs, brew some beer.

Good luck! Welcome to HBT

 

[QuaffableQuips]

My only technical advice would be to have patience when pitching your yeast. If you can't chill the wort down to pitching temperature before bedtime (which probably isn't a problem if you're topping up with cool tap water), don't be afraid to put a (sanitized) lid on your fermentation vessel and wait until tomorrow morning to add the yeast.

Above all, don't worry too much! Enjoy the simplicity of brewing your first beer -- in all likelihood, you are going to make something that gets you completely hooked, and before you know it, you'll have whole rooms and freezers dedicated to your new hobby.

 

[Lucky137]

On the subject of directions, make sure they make sense (or at least seem logical) BEFORE you start any cooking. My LHBS puts together their own kits with their own typed instructions, and the first one I did was extremely confusing.

SO, if you have any questions ask them now! Remember, the only dumb question is the one that the majority of people think is dumb... wait that's not right. But better to ask too many than too few! And you'll find everyone here to be very helpful. Welcome to the forum!

 

[paulster2626]

So how did it go?

 

[AdvGroo]

Have a couple of beers after you are done brewing, not before.

Yes, I agree.

 

[Shizog4]

Sanitation, and patience in fermentation and in bottle conditioning.......once you brew your first, plan your second brew day and order more ingredients or kits. Start the pipeline now so you won't run out later.

 

[wilkoffe]

hey guys, thanks for all the tips. last night was a beer tasting (chimay, Delerium Tremens, Alaskan Smoked Porter, and Fuller ESB) and instructional video watching party. we will be brewing next saturday. (unfortunate to wait so long but what are ya gonna do... all your tips will come in handy i am sure, glad to be a part of such an encouraging community. be blessed everyone!

 

[mjperry24]

Good luck. You will be completely consumed with this by the end of your first boil.

In three weeks, I've got one bottled already, one in primary, and two more coming, both of which I'm tweaking the recipes and/or just making my own up with...

RDWHAHB -- Beer is hard to mess up if you're careful and patient! That's the number one thing you'll learn from here and from talking to other homebrewers.

 

[Homercidal]

First suggestion is to have more than one primary. You will want to brew again before the first batch has fermented!

Remember to pitch the right amount of yeast, and ferment at the proper temp, keepign it constant if you can.