What I Learned From My 1st Brew

[jblack138]

My 1st brew is about as ready as it's going to get. It's a Brewer's Best English Pale Ale extract w/ specialty grains kit.

Trying to learn from 1st time mistakes to make future brews better.

1. Oxygenate the wort! I got just enough for fermentation to start, but it definitely needed more.
2. Patience, grasshopper! I got antsy & bottled my beer after only 2 weeks in primary. It was better than the 1 week the instructions suggested.
3. Find a better carbonation calculator! I used an online calculator that was off by 1-1.5 ounces when comparing to a few other calculators that were suggested. My beer is undercarbonated & a little disappointing when looking for that perfect pour.
4. Bottle condition at warmer temps! When I first bottled, I kept the beer in a very cool place. A little warmer temps would help that carbonation do its magic.
5. Water treatment! I didn't use any treatments for my tap water. I didn't pre-boil to clear any chlorine or contaminants. May use bottled spring water next time.

I have other things I need to try, but they're more personal preference. Overall, the beer turned out just fine. It could definitely be better, but it's not hateful.

 

[SnakeRidge]

Thus the learning begins. You are off to a good start

 

[tmurph6]

Two weeks isn't bad for primary, I do that all the time. Three weeks at 70 should do well for carbonation. RO or Distilled water is best for extract brewing. Keep at it, like anything it takes practice.

 

[Roscoebrewdog]

Keep at it. It is an inexact science, and you always brew beer! My friends like free beer!

 

[jblack138]

Thanks, all!

I tried to utilize what I learned from the first brew. I have an extract IPA in primary right now and looking to brew another beer.

I can't keep all my ideas in check or get them brewed fast enough.

 

[Black Island Brewer]

I see a full pipeline in the future! You'll have happy friends!

 

[mark1765]

I am new a brewing also and have my 3rd brew ready for bottling tomorrow, and I am already making plans for my 4th brew an Irish Red. One of the things that I read early on before my first brew was to keep a journal. So on my first brew I documented what I thought was important, and now that I am ready to brew #4 there is so much more that I will add to my brew journal. It sounds like you are off to a good start by learning from what you think are your mistakes. Bottom line is it will still be beer and unless there is a problem it will be drinkable. It can only get better from here.

 

[jblack138]

I feel that I have some good notes on my brews so far. They could probably be a little more detailed, but I have all kinds of numbers, what everything looked like at various stages of boil, and what to do different next time. I'm sure they'll get more detailed as I brew more.

 

[RM-MN]

My 1st brew is about as ready as it's going to get. It's a Brewer's Best English Pale Ale extract w/ specialty grains kit.

Trying to learn from 1st time mistakes to make future brews better.

1. Oxygenate the wort! I got just enough for fermentation to start, but it definitely needed more.
2. Patience, grasshopper! I got antsy & bottled my beer after only 2 weeks in primary. It was better than the 1 week the instructions suggested.
3. Find a better carbonation calculator! I used an online calculator that was off by 1-1.5 ounces when comparing to a few other calculators that were suggested. My beer is undercarbonated & a little disappointing when looking for that perfect pour.
4. Bottle condition at warmer temps! When I first bottled, I kept the beer in a very cool place. A little warmer temps would help that carbonation do its magic.
5. Water treatment! I didn't use any treatments for my tap water. I didn't pre-boil to clear any chlorine or contaminants. May use bottled spring water next time.

I have other things I need to try, but they're more personal preference. Overall, the beer turned out just fine. It could definitely be better, but it's not hateful.

1. There is an optimal amount of yeast cells to make the best beer. You can put that many in to start with or you can put in fewer and let the yeast reproduce in the beer. Dry yeast is supposed to contain all the ingredients to allow the reproduction to the optimal number even if you do not aerate. Aeration gets the oxygen into the wort that the yeast need for more reproduction. You can vary considerably from optimal yeast numbers and still make some darn good beer. http://sciencebrewer.com/2012/03/02/pitching-rate-experiment-part-deux-results/

2. If you ferment your beer at the optimal temperatures, it can be done in 10 days. Some like it that way as they say it is "fresh tasting" but to me it tastes like it has a lot of yeast still in it. The longer you can let it sit (within limits of course) the more yeast settles out and the smaller yeast cake you get in your bottles. The beer I left for 9 weeks carbonated just fine but the yeast cake in the bottles was so small it was hard to see.

3. The carbonation calculator you used may have been faulty or it may have been due to number 4.

4. Beer will taste better if you start the ferment cool but by the time it is in the bottles the process that creates off flavors will be over and you can let the carbonate warm. The rule of thumb on carbonating is 3 weeks at 72 degrees. They will be carbonated at less than 3 weeks but you may not get the proper heading and the beer is likely to have a little "green apple" flavor.

5. If you use city water it will have chlorine or chloramine in it to keep it safe to drink. Safe to drink doesn't mean it will make good beer. Campden tablets are made to get rid of the chlorine or chloramine, one tablet per 20 gallons. One quarter tablet makes the right amount for a 5 gallon batch of beer. The mineral content of your water is also important and there the rule of thumb is that if your water tastes good to drink it will be OK for beer but there are exceptions to that. The use of spring water may help.

Congratulations on making the beer and yes, as you continue to make more beer and do a lot of reading on here, you will make better beer. Best of luck on your journey.

 

[HB_in_Subic]

It is great that you were able to recognize the errors that were made. Notes are really important so that you don't repeat mistakes or make new ones. I use a spread sheet for my brew log and capture the variables that I tried with each batch. I also take hand written notes on my recipe sheet and keep them in a folder.

I started out making 3 different recipes that I liked and refined my processes. For priming, I use 4-4.5 oz of corn sugar per 5 gallon batch.

For me 3 primaries seem to work best. This helps me maintain my pipeline, allow the beer to sit for 3 weeks without getting antsy and helps with my patience. If you rush things it usually has poor results.

 

[RM-MN]

It is great that you were able to recognize the errors that were made. Notes are really important so that you don't repeat mistakes or make new ones. I use a spread sheet for my brew log and capture the variables that I tried with each batch. I also take hand written notes on my recipe sheet and keep them in a folder.

I started out making 3 different recipes that I liked and refined my processes. For priming, I use 4-4.5 oz of corn sugar per 5 gallon batch.

For me 3 primaries seem to work best. This helps me maintain my pipeline, allow the beer to sit for 3 weeks without getting antsy and helps with my patience. If you rush things it usually has poor results.

Just think, if you had 6 fermenters you could allow the beer to sit for 6 weeks.

I brew in the winter since I have the time available then and I take advantage of the extreme cold we have to stay inside and brew. Having the 6 fermenters allows me to brew when the weather is so crappy and then let them sit when it gets nicer out. When the next period of bad weather comes along, I'll use that time to bottle and/or brew more. By spring, I have a long pipeline established and will put my time to other uses while enjoying beers that have had plenty of time to mature.:fro:

 

[HB_in_Subic]

Just think, if you had 6 fermenters you could allow the beer to sit for 6 weeks.

I brew in the winter since I have the time available then and I take advantage of the extreme cold we have to stay inside and brew. Having the 6 fermenters allows me to brew when the weather is so crappy and then let them sit when it gets nicer out. When the next period of bad weather comes along, I'll use that time to bottle and/or brew more. By spring, I have a long pipeline established and will put my time to other uses while enjoying beers that have had plenty of time to mature.:fro:

Yes I can imagine. As it is, I have a pipeline equivalent of 6 batches of which 50% is ready to drink at any time with select ones aging long past the 3 weeks bottle conditioning (Oatmeal Stout and Robust Porter). My last two Saisons sat in primary for 6 and 7 weeks each. I intend on letting my Barleywine sit for 7 weeks in Primary before bottling. I also am making a new batch of Mango Wine tomorrow (to blend with a bulk aging batch) and a one gallon batch of Mead with wild honey from the Jungle next week.

Mostly my brew schedule is dependent on empty bottle availability which is timed to be after the 3 weeks minimum primary. If I have plenty of guests then I brew more frequently.

 

[joshesmusica]

1. There is an optimal amount of yeast cells to make the best beer. You can put that many in to start with or you can put in fewer and let the yeast reproduce in the beer. Dry yeast is supposed to contain all the ingredients to allow the reproduction to the optimal number even if you do not aerate. Aeration gets the oxygen into the wort that the yeast need for more reproduction. You can vary considerably from optimal yeast numbers and still make some darn good beer. http://sciencebrewer.com/2012/03/02/pitching-rate-experiment-part-deux-results/

2. If you ferment your beer at the optimal temperatures, it can be done in 10 days. Some like it that way as they say it is "fresh tasting" but to me it tastes like it has a lot of yeast still in it. The longer you can let it sit (within limits of course) the more yeast settles out and the smaller yeast cake you get in your bottles. The beer I left for 9 weeks carbonated just fine but the yeast cake in the bottles was so small it was hard to see.

3. The carbonation calculator you used may have been faulty or it may have been due to number 4.

4. Beer will taste better if you start the ferment cool but by the time it is in the bottles the process that creates off flavors will be over and you can let the carbonate warm. The rule of thumb on carbonating is 3 weeks at 72 degrees. They will be carbonated at less than 3 weeks but you may not get the proper heading and the beer is likely to have a little "green apple" flavor.

5. If you use city water it will have chlorine or chloramine in it to keep it safe to drink. Safe to drink doesn't mean it will make good beer. Campden tablets are made to get rid of the chlorine or chloramine, one tablet per 20 gallons. One quarter tablet makes the right amount for a 5 gallon batch of beer. The mineral content of your water is also important and there the rule of thumb is that if your water tastes good to drink it will be OK for beer but there are exceptions to that. The use of spring water may help.

Congratulations on making the beer and yes, as you continue to make more beer and do a lot of reading on here, you will make better beer. Best of luck on your journey.

listen to this advice. and i will add to that, that yours could be under-carbonated according to your personal expectations not the expectations of what an english ale carbonation level would be. english ales are typically much lower than the rest.
and then i will clarify that if you're controlling yeast pitch rates, proper aeration, and ferment temps, then you can have it good to go in 10 days, especially if you're cold crashing. if you don't have great control over that, 2-3 weeks is just fine.
good job on making beer! keep going, and keep learning!

 

[eadavis80]

Taking notes is something I wish I had done when I started. Now I write down seemingly anything I do beer-related (how long a WYeast smack pack took to inflate, how big the starter was, how long 'till signs of fermentation, how long in primary, secondary, how it tasted/smelled/looked at OG, racking and bottling - anything). That way, you have all these references in the future. Good luck and welcome to the hobby/addiction!

 

[azscoob]

I take copious notes for my brewdays, I also don't crack into a beer untill I'm running the wort chiller, too many brewdays have gone sideways because of a few too many high ABV beverages.

Keep at it and learn the craft, ask questions if a search here doesn't give you what you are seeking.

A few years from now you will look back on how you thought those first few batches were difficult and/or stressful.

And always remember that when you see some noob on here who is asking questions about his first few brews, that could have been you a few years ago.....

 

[jblack138]

Man, I really appreciate all the advice & encouragement! It's fun! I'm not looking to open a brewery or anything. I just want to make great tasting beer! Thanks, again, everyone!