1st Batch Update

[DirtyJersey]

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!

 

[Netflyer]

Make your life easy man, just leave it in the primary for another week and bottle it. There is zero reason to 2ndary, no debate needed. If it were a Helles I might suggest 2ndary+geletin but in your case this is a red and it will be a bit cloudy but so what? Save yourself the trouble and just let it be where it is, take no more gravity readings, just wait the 3rd week through and then bottle or wait yet another week.

A more important thing IMHO is now at the 2 week mark, if the fermenter is on the floor try to literally rack up the fermenter to a higher place. Mine gets raised from the floor to the workbench at the 2 week mark where it will settle for the 3rd and/or 4th week before I then siphon it out of the now racked primary into the bottling bucket with my priming sugar in it. This way the beer has sat, undisturbed, for a week or two and very carefully had the top removed and siphoned off. Believe me this will result in the clearest you can get at this point and save you work and save you the possibility of another potential exposure to infection (although personally I believe that after 2 weeks you have alcohol and it will kill off most anything your sanitizer misses - but still why not just skip the step and be sure).

So, elevate the primary if it is not already and let 'er sit for another week or so.

Good Luck and let us know how it turns out.

 

[DirtyJersey]

Huh....that's a good point about the elevation. Today, while I was moving my fermentor into the kitchen, I was as careful as I could be not to slosh around the beer and disturb the sediment, but I figured I probably caused a little bit of disturbance. I have to use a chiller because my house gets too warm, but I'll find a way.

I've read all of the debates about using a secondary, but since this was my first batch, I really can't offer any personal experience on this topic. But after 3 weeks in primary, I was dying to do something and play with all of my new gadgets (or, autosiphon, glass carboy, hydrometer, etc...). Just wanted to have some fun today with my beer. :rockin:

 

[Netflyer]

It won't hurt it, so if your want to have fun, I can understand that... go for it!

After 10 or 15 batches you'll want to save yourself some trouble maybe, maybe not, you might just be a beer player wither and that works too

Here's a 'moving the beer' tip. When you move the fermenter try not to twist it, just lift and carry. Apparently the twisting rouses more bottom dwelling stuff then sloshing side to side...