2nd Batch (Kit) Q's

[gridder]

I'm on my second batch -- my first was partial mash kit for Scottish Ale (Brewers Best) and now I am fermenting a Belgian Hefeweizen (True Brew, maybe?) Anyway, I followed the directions and was just concerned that some things were wrong since they were different than before.

1.) This time they said cool wort to below 90 deg by adding it to a couple of gallons of cold water in the fermenter, and then topping it off to 5 gallons. Is this a reputable way of cooling the wort? Last time I distinctly remember being really fussy and putting the wort in a snow bank, etc. to get it down to what I believe is a lower temperature.

2.) My pelletized hops (I hopped half, and then the other half 30 minutes later) left kind of a greenish foam on the top of the mixture in the fermenting bucket. Will this go away? Do I need to strain it out?

Does 2 weeks in the fermenter sound right for a Belgian Hefe?

 

[beerman1957]

I'm on my second batch -- my first was partial mash kit for Scottish Ale (Brewers Best) and now I am fermenting a Belgian Hefeweizen (True Brew, maybe?) Anyway, I followed the directions and was just concerned that some things were wrong since they were different than before.

1.) This time they said cool wort to below 90 deg by adding it to a couple of gallons of cold water in the fermenter, and then topping it off to 5 gallons. Is this a reputable way of cooling the wort? Last time I distinctly remember being really fussy and putting the wort in a snow bank, etc. to get it down to what I believe is a lower temperature.

2.) My pelletized hops (I hopped half, and then the other half 30 minutes later) left kind of a greenish foam on the top of the mixture in the fermenting bucket. Will this go away? Do I need to strain it out?

Does 2 weeks in the fermenter sound right for a Belgian Hefe?

To question 1: You want to chill the beer to about 65-72F. As long as your additional water does that, you are okay. Anything above 75F and you are going into troubled water. Ha ha. Also, the faster you can get to the 68F (for example) the less chance you have for off-tastes.

2. You are witnessing hop goodness. It is supposed to look like that. Most of it will settle out during fermentation. No worries.

Everything sounds normal to me. Don't worry about it so much. We all have been there and there isn't a need to worry. Beer is a forgiving substance.

 

[KevinW]

like beerman says the green stuff is hops and that is good!

Do you have a thermometer? I know you can brew without one but I would recommend getting one. What feels like a low enough temp could be a little high for the yeast and you could develop "off tastes".

Two weeks in the fermentor is OK but three would be better in my opinion!

Good luck and keep on brewing!

 

[beerman1957]

I use SG and FG rather than time on a clock. If you reach FG in a week, good. If in three, then good also. The reason I use SG and FG readings is because they are more accurate and can lead to better techniques. Over-fermenting is a waste of time and can cause off-flavors sometimes.