12 hours into first batch.. questions and pictures

[SeanOC]

So yesterday was the day. I intended to head over to the LHBS to get a smack pack (ordered the caribou slobber kit from NB with dry yeast) and make a starter for pitching today. The shop owner recommended I keep it simple and just use the dry for my first brew so I took his advice.

With no need for an overnight on the stir plate I decided to get to brewing.

Caribou Slobber
Rehydrated Danstar Windsor packet

I came up with an OG of 1.050 There was some foam at the top of my sample that made it difficult to get an exact measurement but it is extremely close to 1.050. If anything a hair more.

I noticed when I put the airlock on the primary I was getting slow bubbles immediately, that had to be a good sign?

12 hours in this morning and I was getting foam in my airlock so I put a blowoff tube on. I guess the rehydrated yeast got to work right away?

One question I have is I continued to stir throughout the boil and as a result there was no real thick sludge at the bottom of my kettle when I transferred to the primary. As a result there is already a lot of sediment in the primary as you can see. Did I screw anything up by doing that?

I am kegging but I havent decided if I will go straight to keg from primary or go to secondary, then keg. With all that sediment maybe I should go for the secondary?

 

[Billy-Klubb]

the sediment is fine. it's usually just proteins and hop material that made it through. it won't harm your beer. you can do a bulk age (secondary) if you like, but most of the time it's not necessary. if you have the means to cold crash, that will drop most anything out of the finished product. even a little sediment in the keg won't harm anything keep your siphon off the bottom and most anything will be left behind anyway.

 

[RobbyComstock]

You did not screw anything up. There is much debate if you you should go to the secondary or not. I always have but I am learning that it is not necessary. If you just go from the primary to the keg or if you do rack it to the secondary do not pick up the trub in the bottom with your siphon. Otherwise it looks like you had a successful brew day. What temperature is it in the room that you are fermenting in?

 

[TwistedHops]

I should have showed you my carboy after kegging last night, it had way more sediment than that! It'll pack down after primary fermentation is done. Just rack above it and you'll be fine, maybe losing half a gallon.

Are you controlling your temperature at all? The crazy fermentation take off could be due to high temps. If you don't have dedicated fridge space, Google swamp cooler.

Also, I'll recommend getting a refractor for your gravity readings, never have to worry about foam screwing up a reading, and uses tiny amounts of wort.

Anyways, congrats on the first batch!

 

[theseeker4]

So yesterday was the day. I intended to head over to the LHBS to get a smack pack (ordered the caribou slobber kit from NB with dry yeast) and make a starter for pitching today. The shop owner recommended I keep it simple and just use the dry for my first brew so I took his advice.

With no need for an overnight on the stir plate I decided to get to brewing.

Caribou Slobber
Rehydrated Danstar Windsor packet

I came up with an OG of 1.050 There was some foam at the top of my sample that made it difficult to get an exact measurement but it is extremely close to 1.050. If anything a hair more.

I noticed when I put the airlock on the primary I was getting slow bubbles immediately, that had to be a good sign?

12 hours in this morning and I was getting foam in my airlock so I put a blowoff tube on. I guess the rehydrated yeast got to work right away?

One question I have is I continued to stir throughout the boil and as a result there was no real thick sludge at the bottom of my kettle when I transferred to the primary. As a result there is already a lot of sediment in the primary as you can see. Did I screw anything up by doing that?

I am kegging but I havent decided if I will go straight to keg from primary or go to secondary, then keg. With all that sediment maybe I should go for the secondary?

A lot of trub in the bottom is no reason to go to secondary at all. The only real times a secondary improves your quality is if you are adding fruit, oak chips, etc. in secondary, or you have an extended aging time before kegging/bottling. When you rack from the primary fermenter, simply draw your beer off above the trub layer, and your beer will be as clean as if you had racked to secondary first, without the increased oxidation and infection risks.

Congrats on your first brew, everything is looking good! I would just recommend starting out with a blow-off tube in place in the future, as carboys have been shattered by air locks getting clogged and the pressure building up before the brewer notices.....

 

[SeanOC]

What temperature is it in the room that you are fermenting in?

A bit warmer in my basement than usual as it was unseasonably warm yesterday. 71 degrees in the room. I know thats high, too high you think? Generally the room is in the mid to high 60's

 

[SeanOC]

this was taken right after I pitched. Its now indicating between 72 and 74. Too high?

 

[Billy-Klubb]

I like most ale yeast profiles around 64F, but it should turn out fine. it sounds like you're on the right track and asking the right questions! I bet before long you'll have a temp controlled fermentation chamber and more faucets than you know what to do with!

 

[Brewsit]

That's not the worst temp to ferment at, it's possible that it could cause some ester flavors but I wouldn't worry. I usually ferment around 65-67 just because I like the clean profile.

 

[SeanOC]

I like most ale yeast profiles around 64F, but it should turn out fine. it sounds like you're on the right track and asking the right questions! I bet before long you'll have a temp controlled fermentation chamber and more faucets than you know what to do with!

I do have a keezer with three taps at the moment. I plan to install a fourth, probably stout tap and start pushing some nitro soon

 

[Billy-Klubb]

I do have a keezer with three taps at the moment. I plan to install a fourth, probably stout tap and start pushing some nitro soon

that is floccin' awesome!

 

[SeanOC]

14 hours in and the blowoff tube is bubbling like a snare drum and has a bunch of foam in it. Maybe I need to get this thing into cooler air?

 

[Brian77095]

That ale is very forgiving! It was my first beer too and I was surprised at how good it turned out. I fermented mine in a closet and the temps were not perfect.

At this point I would not worry about the temps. What I have read is you want to start cooler and then warm up slightly as yeast finish up. You dont have to do it that way but it works for me now that I have a ferm chamber.

One thing I can tell you for sure it that you will miss this brew when you have the last bottle. I thought I had a few bottles left when I drank my last one and was very disappointed at my accounting. lol

 

[SeanOC]

Well it was a fast fermentation but things seem ok. After 3 days activity had significantly slowed down. 6 days in I took a gravity reading of 1.018, at 11 days it only dropped to 1.017 so I felt it was done.

Racked it to keg yesterday and force carbonated. I may crack the tap for a taste tonight. It's going to be hard to let this one sit around!

Today I'm starting my second brew.. coconut cream ale kit from Jaspers. Cream Stout to follow after that.

 

[Fireblade910]

I have the same batch going right now, 3 days old. Looks just like yours but in a 1 gallon fermentor. Everyone I've talked to said it looks just fine

 

[Sailingeric]

You might be disappointed if you sample the next day after kegging. It wont be carbed and still will be "green" give it a couple weeks and enjoy

 

[SeanOC]

I poured a sample last night, exactly 2 weeks after brew day. I know its early but I had force carb'd and figured it couldn't hurt to try.

It is delicious! I can see it will probably benefit with a few more weeks of sitting and letting the flavors develop but its off to a great start. I will try and only have a glass every few days for the next couple of weeks or so and see how it changes.