2nd Batch - Some mistakes

[brewer1222]

We steeped the grain for 40 mins because my friend had to go run and buy a strainer, and then chucked it in
Added the wort before bringing the pot to full boil (although maybe this is what you should do?)
Everything went fine for a while, then I transferred the wort to the fermenter and let it cool there instead of in the pot. As a result it took forever to cool, over an hour 15 minutes. We also didn't have enough water so we Brita filtered some and added it while the wort was in the fermenter. I think this mainly affected the finishing hops in our recipe which didn't have a chance to sit for very long.

We also don't have AC in our apartment, we put the bucket in a dark closet with a towel over the top. So hopefully it turns out all right

So things don't go so bad next time I consolidated all the directions I could find onto one page and converted the units into ones that are actually relevant. That can be found here, take a look and tell me what you think

Kevin Burke’s Weblog » Blog Archive » Essential Detailed Home Brew Guide

 

[cbg96]

I'm an avowed and admitted noob, but what hits me right off the bat is that you've got your fermenter covered up by a towel. Doesn't strike me as all that sanitary. I think you need to invest the ten bucks in a lid, stopper, and airlock.

 

[s3n8]

I dont think I would pour hot wort into a bucket. I am not one of those "plastic will kill you" people, but you also take the risk of hot side aeration. On top of that, the heat transfer of plastic buckets is pretty poor compared to your brew pot. I think you figured this out . In any case, it will still be beer. It might even be great beer.

Experience is what you get when you dont get what you want, so even if this is a monumental failure, its still experience. Learn from your mistakes, and you will improve your craft with each batch.

 

[mr_bell]

I'm an avowed and admitted noob, but what hits me right off the bat is that you've got your fermenter covered up by a towel. Doesn't strike me as all that sanitary. I think you need to invest the ten bucks in a lid, stopper, and airlock.

I thought he meant the towel was around the fermenter for temp control purposes, not substitiuting as a lid and airlock. If the towel IS the lid, then you're absolutely correct!


Primary: Holiday Ale
Primary: Edwort's Apfelwein

 

[carnevoodoo]

I dont think I would pour hot wort into a bucket. I am not one of those "plastic will kill you" people, but you also take the risk of hot side aeration.

Don't worry about hot side aeration. I mean really, I've done some interesting things to my beer when I've had a valve break or a hose go missing, and it has never hurt it. Plus I think the modern consensus is that on the level that we're all brewing at, it is really not much of an issue.

I would be more worried about hot wort in a bucket, but again, not something I'd worry more about than anything else. Not getting your beer to pitching temp quickly was probably your biggest error.

 

[s3n8]

Agreed about hot side aeration. I know its supposedly the boogeyman of homebrewing, but I wanted to at least make sure the original poster was aware of a potential problem.

 

[brewer1222]

Yeah I just screwed up by pouring it in the bucket before letting it cool in the pot.

We have a lid and airlock. The towel is for cooling purposes. Any further suggestions on how to keep it cool would be welcome.

 

[IFMracin]

Is the towel in cool water?
If you just have a towel over the bucket and the towel is dry it will actually act as an insulator making your wort warmer.

 

[carnevoodoo]

Put the bucket in a rubbermaid bin and fill it with some water. Enough that the towel stays damp. Then you can get a fan to blow on it to help out a bit too.