Hello all,
Thanks for adding me to the forum!
Brewed my 3rd batch of beer this past Sunday (Brewers best Holiday Ale) and screwed the pooch. Made two big mistakes from what I can tell:
1. I mistakenly included the spice pack with grains while steeping wort. Directions called for spice pack to be added to boil right before chilling the wort. From my research, the spices usually do not last long to begin with (beer needs to be consumed fairly quickly?) so I am thinking my beer just wont have any of the holiday flavors from the spice pack (cinnamon, orange peel). Is it appropriate to add additional spices, if so when? (I've been seeing conflicting information while fermenting v at bottling). I was thinking of tossing in some cinnamon sticks and a couple dashes of nutmeg.
2. I had my first blowout just about 24 hours in carboy. I think its because I did not cool the wort down enough before adding yeast. I freaked out with no immediate way to cool the beer down, and stuck it outside (it was about 40 degrees) for about 7 hours overnight. Brought it back inside and the blowout stopped, and I now have consistent clear bubbles in my airlock (Being that its only been going for a few days I have not taken a gravity reading yet). Do you think dropping the temp that fast will negatively effect my beer? I know the airlock is not necessarily accurate all the time, but it appears my yeast is still alive and doing its job.
Thanks for your help!
Thanks for adding me to the forum!
Brewed my 3rd batch of beer this past Sunday (Brewers best Holiday Ale) and screwed the pooch. Made two big mistakes from what I can tell:
1. I mistakenly included the spice pack with grains while steeping wort. Directions called for spice pack to be added to boil right before chilling the wort. From my research, the spices usually do not last long to begin with (beer needs to be consumed fairly quickly?) so I am thinking my beer just wont have any of the holiday flavors from the spice pack (cinnamon, orange peel). Is it appropriate to add additional spices, if so when? (I've been seeing conflicting information while fermenting v at bottling). I was thinking of tossing in some cinnamon sticks and a couple dashes of nutmeg.
2. I had my first blowout just about 24 hours in carboy. I think its because I did not cool the wort down enough before adding yeast. I freaked out with no immediate way to cool the beer down, and stuck it outside (it was about 40 degrees) for about 7 hours overnight. Brought it back inside and the blowout stopped, and I now have consistent clear bubbles in my airlock (Being that its only been going for a few days I have not taken a gravity reading yet). Do you think dropping the temp that fast will negatively effect my beer? I know the airlock is not necessarily accurate all the time, but it appears my yeast is still alive and doing its job.
Thanks for your help!