Groo
Well-Known Member
Yesterday I completed my first boil following the instructions for J. Palmer's Cincinnati Pale Ale.
It seemed to go smoothly but took a bit longer than I expected.
I started around 8:30 with the DME mixed into the water and didn't really get a boil until about an hour later. After that I waited for a hot break that didn't occur or looked differently than expected. I waited for awhile and there was never really any foam that made the egg drop soup thing that Palmer described. I did see changes in the foam type so maybe this was good enough.
After about 30-40 minutes of waiting for the hot break I said screw it and threw in my bittering hops. I didn't expect the pellets to dissolve like that but it was pretty cool. I also tasted the hops before putting them in and realized they taste sort of how they smell, the NB was a little peppery to the tongue.
I added the rest of the hops at 30 and 15, the LME at 5 minutes then I cooled in an ice bath. I had a coleman cooler full of ice and water from a party the day before so I stuck my kettle in there. It went from 160 to 70 in about 20 minutes.
I transferred the partial boil to my fermenter and added water to make 5 gallons. My partial boil was a little less than 2.5 gallons (I started with 3). I tried to mix it up well before I took my hydrometer reading and I got a 1.048 which is 3 points higher than whats listed in the recipe. I forgot to take the temp of the sample.
After that my yeast slurry was pitched, I shook it up and now I'm seeing massive bubbling 12 hours later.
Overall it seemed to go well. I didn't think my stove would take that long to boil 3 gallons. I have a couple questions though:
- Is it ok if there is a little bit of foam that is on top of the airlock lid? Also what do I do if the liquid level is below the fill line now (in the airlock)?
- It looks like there's about 4-5 inches of foam in my fermentation bucket plus there is some yeasty looking stuff pressed against the lid. Is this the Krausen?
- Any advice on my hot break? Can I just start my boil when it's boiling next time instead of waiting for a never occurring hot break?
Thanks.
It was a good time and I can't believe that beer is near.
It seemed to go smoothly but took a bit longer than I expected.
I started around 8:30 with the DME mixed into the water and didn't really get a boil until about an hour later. After that I waited for a hot break that didn't occur or looked differently than expected. I waited for awhile and there was never really any foam that made the egg drop soup thing that Palmer described. I did see changes in the foam type so maybe this was good enough.
After about 30-40 minutes of waiting for the hot break I said screw it and threw in my bittering hops. I didn't expect the pellets to dissolve like that but it was pretty cool. I also tasted the hops before putting them in and realized they taste sort of how they smell, the NB was a little peppery to the tongue.
I added the rest of the hops at 30 and 15, the LME at 5 minutes then I cooled in an ice bath. I had a coleman cooler full of ice and water from a party the day before so I stuck my kettle in there. It went from 160 to 70 in about 20 minutes.
I transferred the partial boil to my fermenter and added water to make 5 gallons. My partial boil was a little less than 2.5 gallons (I started with 3). I tried to mix it up well before I took my hydrometer reading and I got a 1.048 which is 3 points higher than whats listed in the recipe. I forgot to take the temp of the sample.
After that my yeast slurry was pitched, I shook it up and now I'm seeing massive bubbling 12 hours later.
Overall it seemed to go well. I didn't think my stove would take that long to boil 3 gallons. I have a couple questions though:
- Is it ok if there is a little bit of foam that is on top of the airlock lid? Also what do I do if the liquid level is below the fill line now (in the airlock)?
- It looks like there's about 4-5 inches of foam in my fermentation bucket plus there is some yeasty looking stuff pressed against the lid. Is this the Krausen?
- Any advice on my hot break? Can I just start my boil when it's boiling next time instead of waiting for a never occurring hot break?
Thanks.
It was a good time and I can't believe that beer is near.