Just finished my first brew.

Well I just finished my first brewing about 2 hours ago, and it was awesome! I did an extract kit with some specialty grains it was a Honey Amber Ale from midwest. I hoping everything went well I think it did so far just always wonder about infection and so forth. I sanitized everything and was extremely paranoid about that but you never know.

When I tasted the wort I thought it would be a little bitter but it was extremely sweet. Also I thought my SG would have been around 1.042 (not sure where I got this from I thought I read it somewhere for this kit) but it ended up at 1.060.

I almost forgot the yeast though put the lid on and everything then looked beside me and saw my yeast sitting there and was like o crap!

Hopefully everything turns out well in the mean time I am going to sit in my kitchen for awhile and enjoy the wonderful smell while it is still there.

 

Yes, that brewing smell is wonderful. I wouldn't worry about your brew though. I obsessed about my first one. Constantly checked on it, always wanted to take gravity readings just to make sure something was happening.

Well i cracked a bottle today after 1 week, and while it wasn't quite carbonated enough yet and is still a little green, it still wasn't half bad. Can't wait to taste it again in 2 more weeks!

Oh and by the way, you won't be able to wait to make your next brew.

 

That starting gravity seems just a tad bit high to me, for that type of brew anyways. Maybe not. I'm curious what temp you took the reading at?

Also, you're going to be hooked soon enough. I just opened my first bottle from my first batch, and I'm brewing my fourth batch next week

 

The temp was taken at 70 degrees so it should be right I even took it twice once when I put it in the primary and I let it sit there in the test jar for awhile and took it again later still exactly 1.060

 

Ok first off Congrats on brewing your first beer!!!

Now, right now, order another kit, and another carboy and get ready to brew again.
Forget about that first batch, for a few weeks. Brew that second batch and repeat

The best thing you can do for your beer is leave it alone.

I too wanted to look at my first batch, take Gravity samples everyother day, make sure the temp was just right.

On your gravity concerns, Let it ride, I think you have a false reading caused by incomplete mixing.

wait a week or two and test the gravity

Again Congrats on your first of many brews !!!

-Jason

 

Incomplete mixing hmm, how would I improve on that in later batches

 

You could aerate your wort with a mix-stir and a drill. It kills two birds with one stone. Aeration and homogenized wort.

 

False readings could be from a bunch of different problems.... Inaccurate hydrometer, temperature, wrong volume of wort, etc. Nothing to worry about right now. Your first batch is done! Now! Best thing to remember is to RELAX! You will want to worry about this beer, but fight that worry! When its all said and done, you will have beer...and it will more then likely be GOOD beer! Grats on the first batch and the new found addiction!

 

Make sure it is cooled first, though. Get it under like 100ish before you start aerating, just to avoid any hot side aeration. I know, it isn't common, but you don't want to risk it.

As for aeration, I've only ever shaken my carboy for several minutes. It has worked fine so far, as long as I pitch enough yeast. And they're right. Your sample was likely just more concentrated because you got more wort than top off water. It'll be fine regardless. And you'll be totally happy with it.

 

Hehe ok I am sure it will be fine and am not that worried about it, I did use a strainer when I transfered it to my primary so it splashed around a ton I figured it would have been mixed nicely, did that at 88 degrees. Topped off with 2 gallons and mixed with a ss spoon. Learning as I go I guess.

 

Wow I feel kinda stupid now, first off let me say sorry to bother you guys with the SG problem as it turns out that is correct for the most part, was just looking over the product sheet and saw in top corner SG 1.054-1.058. I must have gotten confused with some other kit I was looking at.

Sorry again for my ignorance