DirtyJersey
Well-Known Member
I brewed my first batch 3 weeks ago today (04/10/10), which was an Irish Red Ale extract kit from Midwest Supplies. I wanted to transfer it to a secondary last weekend (at 2 weeks), but after reading several posts on here, I decided to hold off another week. (I know, I know...secondary is not needed and sometimes not recommended....not trying to start a debate here.)
Here are some things I noticed today. When I opened the primary, it looked pretty much like what I expected it to look like....beer! It smelled like beer...actually, it smelled pretty damn good and after taking the hydrometer reading, I tasted a sample, and it was quite good! The beer is pretty cloudy/hazy, but if I'm not mistaken, I believe Irish reds are a bit cloudy....nowhere near my cloudy level, but I don't think they are crystal clear. So far, everything is great.
I've been working on a "Mother of Fermentation Chiller" which is just about complete. I need to add the fan and thermostat, but otherwise, it's completely built. It's actually sitting in my sunroom right now, which is in the mid 80's or so. I've found that this chiller actually holds the temp right around 63 or 64 degrees, just by adding a few ice blocks. I've been sticking a few tuperware containers in the freezer, and then throwing them into a stock pot, which I sit in the chiller, next to the carboy. These ice blocks seem to last about 24 hours. I've been checking the temp every hour or so since I started using the chiller a few days ago, and quite amazingly, it holds very, very well. I'm very impressed with this DIY project, considering my complete lack of building skills.
I want to keep this beer in the secondary for 1 week, and then bottle it next weekend. I'm really anxious to try this beer. I've found that patience is the hardest part of homebrewing.
This is a wonderful forum with incredible people. I've referred to this site countless times over the last few weeks and everyone here has been extremely helpful....thank you all!
Here are some things I noticed today. When I opened the primary, it looked pretty much like what I expected it to look like....beer! It smelled like beer...actually, it smelled pretty damn good and after taking the hydrometer reading, I tasted a sample, and it was quite good! The beer is pretty cloudy/hazy, but if I'm not mistaken, I believe Irish reds are a bit cloudy....nowhere near my cloudy level, but I don't think they are crystal clear. So far, everything is great.
I've been working on a "Mother of Fermentation Chiller" which is just about complete. I need to add the fan and thermostat, but otherwise, it's completely built. It's actually sitting in my sunroom right now, which is in the mid 80's or so. I've found that this chiller actually holds the temp right around 63 or 64 degrees, just by adding a few ice blocks. I've been sticking a few tuperware containers in the freezer, and then throwing them into a stock pot, which I sit in the chiller, next to the carboy. These ice blocks seem to last about 24 hours. I've been checking the temp every hour or so since I started using the chiller a few days ago, and quite amazingly, it holds very, very well. I'm very impressed with this DIY project, considering my complete lack of building skills.
I want to keep this beer in the secondary for 1 week, and then bottle it next weekend. I'm really anxious to try this beer. I've found that patience is the hardest part of homebrewing.
This is a wonderful forum with incredible people. I've referred to this site countless times over the last few weeks and everyone here has been extremely helpful....thank you all!