Stone Cold Lead Pipe Lock'd N00b Advice

Beer doesn't need to be clear to be good.

remember to have fun!

1. Listen to Revvy and all the other "big guys".
2. Have fun. Relax. Be patient.

Not all dishwashers are created equal.

My cheap dishwasher is not good enough to wash and sanitize my bottles where as my old one worked just fine for 5 years.

I started using my new dishwasher to wash and sanitize my bottles and the last couple of batches have caught an infection. Some bottles come out alright others taste like Satan's Arsehole.

I'm probably not posting this correctly as a Noob, but one thing I'm not a Noob with is metals. As a corporate metallurgist for almost 30 years, I can tell you that the difference between stainless and aluminum is vast, as most of you can readily tell for yourselves. When it comes to brewing beer, I have been told by many who have done it, "cleanliness is everything". I have just started brewing, and enjoy it immensly, but I definately prefer stainless steel, for a number of reasons. My primary concern is how it gets cleaned. Aluminum is protected naturally by a self-healing oxide layer. If this layer is removed, it will corrode as a function of pH variation, (in either direction). The aluminum is more sensitive in that manner, but there is very little a home brewer could do to properly processed stainless steel to mess it up. If you do use aluminum, be sure to let it re-passivate in air if you have agressively cleaned the metal. An agressive cleaning wil change the lustre of the metal and leave "color" on your cleaning rag. Just my two cents.

There is always more than one way to do it
Always search BEFORE you ask

I am still a newbie as my first real (not Mr. Beer) brew is done fermenting and will be bottled in two days.

My tip is when taking your first of two FG readings before you bottle, DO NOT take a big whiff of your brew after opening your fermenter hoping to smell your hoppy or malty goodness. You WILL get a nose full of nose hair melting Co2.

Don't post the word "Subscribed" to every thread you want to follow. Instead click the "Thread tools" link at the top of the page which contains an option to subscribe.

o. The "big guys" aren't necessarily brewing authorities.
o. A poorly brewed beer, aged out. Is a nicely aged, poorly brewed beer.
o. An aluminum pot holds water like a stainless pot. That's about it.
o. There are more acronyms used on this site than in the entire military.

And if you DONT leave about a quarter of an inch behind and drink the yeast would that be an explanation as to why i have the squirts and my farts smell so gnarly?

Obtain a few screw top plastic bottles and on bottling day, fill em up with the rest of the bottles. When those plastic bottles get rock hard, you know that the rest of your brew is probably getting pretty close to carbed up. Those plastic ones can be your first taste testers too...

In my first year of brewing, I have had the good fortune of making some really big mistakes and suffering the consequences. Now I don't do those things any more and I am a better brewer for having found out the hard way:

Don't use a glass hydrometer to push out the paper towel stuck in your beer thief.

Get into good habits and keep them. Clean and organize thoroughly and often!

Don't be "pretty sure" that valve is shut before you starting filling, MAKE SURE it is shut.

Make sure to treat yourself to a beer as a reward for your work. Beer begets beer.

Make or use a checklist and time sheet every time you brew. You might have it down pat when everything is cool, but if a variable throws a wrench in your process you will be able to look back at what step you're on without missing a beat.

For the sake of domestic harmony, get good at cleaning up after your brew day. Eventually, somebody will notice and say "thank you".

Make room for brewing. Even if you have to share space with a kitchen, laundry room or garage, give yourself enough elbow room for you and the gear you need. Don't stumble, trip or reach over things while you are trying to be productive and efficient.

Don't ever, EVER, EVER turn your back on a boiling pot, flask or beaker on the stove!

Value your mistakes and don't let them discourage you. There is more to brewing than just making beer. Many have spent their lives brewing in search of spiritual wisdom. Let the beer teach you.

It is less probable that man invented beer and more likely that beer created man.

L

Get ****faced before you bottle

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Use a blow off tube every time