2nd batch is done!

[Neomich]

I threw together my second batch today. It's the AHS Blue Moon clone. I made some changes to my process and it took me 1/3 the time I spent on my first one. A few changes I made this time:

I used my stock pot lid to bring the water up to temperature.
I didn't use a hops bag. The kit didn't have one this time.
I dumped the LME in at the 45 minute mark instead of at the beginning. My first batch tastes like a Belgian Wit but it's amber in color. I want a lighter color to this one.
I attempted to make a yeast starter for this. Although, it was started just last night.
I used some chilled bottled spring water to cool my wort down. Only took a few minutes this time.
I used the whirlpool method to rack my wort to my primary. Everything going through the racking cane looked pretty clean.
I also brought my total volume up to over 5 gallons this time. I didn't measure it last time and was short 8 beers because of it.
I rigged up the blowoff hose instead of the air lock.

This batch was much easier than my first one. Now the big problem is, what to brew next?

 

[Kayos]

2 comments...well actually 3

1. Try adding your DME with only 10 minutes left in the boil to get your beer lighter in color. Only needs to be santized, not boiled for an hour. There is a huge thread on this somewhere. If you want light, never use LME. It will darken as it heats.

2. If you top over 5 gallons you are watering your beer down. Cool if you compensated for that with extra *ME. Otherwise, you are just adding water and making it a "light" beer. You will always lose beer when you rack it to secondary or bottling. Just the price of clearer beer.

3. Sounds like the other improvements went good. Nice job!

 

[Kubed]

Congratulations! I'm shocked at how fast my subsequent batches have come together. The first one was very much a learning experience.

 

[malkore]

you didn't leave the lid on the stockpot though right? like once it started to boil you removed it??

you always wanna let the steam leave the wort during boil. DMS needs to boil off, and a lid makes it drip back into the wort...leaving you with boiled cabbage/vegetable off flavors in the final product.

 

[Neomich]

I left the lid off once the wort started to boil. It helped get it to that point though. I see some krausen in the primary right now and I hope the yeast takes off. If not, I have a package of dry yeast I can use just in case.