2nd Brew Day

[Onetime]

Well i brewed my first batch of Home Brew and I am hooked. My first batch was a Irish red Ale from Northern Brewer and it came out great considering a few hiccups. Tomorrow im going to tackle the Caribou Slobber from NB ( extract).

Ive been reading the forum and some people feel NB dont give accurate instruction or advice. I was wondering if anyone has suggestion or pointers that might make this beer come out great or should i just follow the instruction to the tee. ( temp for pitching yeast, secondary?)

I will also be using an Edelmetall Burner for the first time. Any advice?


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[kcmobrewer]

I have made a few kits from them in the past. Never had any trouble just following their directions. Sure, there will always be things you can do different. However, it will almost always make good beer, and you probably won't know the difference. I tend to just not worry about it too terribly much.

As far as the burner, I don't have that specific one, but similar. My only tip is when the boil starts crank the flame down. Keep the boil going obviously, but don't make it super violent. You'll just waste gas. A rolling boil is good.

 

[GammaRay4130]

Also as far as the burner goes are you doing a full volume boil? Only reason I am asking is for my first couple brews I used a propane burner and did partial boils in a 4 gallon pot and was constantly riding the gas control to not boilover and to keep a boil going. For me it was harder to control the temperature with the smaller volume since I haven't had this problem since moving to full boils, but take this with a grain of salt as I only have 4 brews under my belt so far, but the two full volume boils I did went a lot smoother.

 

[GammaRay4130]

Forgot to mention I do not have the same burner as you so I am not sure if you will have the same issues (the eldemetal burner seems a lot better quality than mine). Also didn't want to discourage you if you are doing a partial boil, but wanted you to know that in my experience I really needed to keep an eye on it the whole time.

 

[brewkinger]

All around good advice thus far.

Seems like an eternity ago, but my first was the Irish Red from NB too.

Their directions are better than most. Like was mentioned, there are shortcuts you will learn in due time.
Just follow the instructions.

My advice is to RDWHAHB.
Focus on the actual steps and processes and understand them and the rest will come.

1) sanitize anything that touches the wort POST Boil.

2) cool the wort to at least 70 degrees and try to have the yeast at around the same temps when you pitch.
Which yeast are you using? If dry yeast then it is not as critical but if the liquid yeast then it should be done.


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[brewkinger]

And skip the secondary.

And: caribou slobber IMO is a beer that is best left in primary for at least 3 wks, cold crashed and then bottled and left for at least a month and then chilled for a week.
They are peaking at that time.


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[dkevinb]

I haven't done any of their kits but I've read their instructions and watched a lot of their videos. Quite good, actually. The only quibbles might be the steeping grain instructions. Their method will work, but Briess recommends this:

http://www.brewingwithbriess.com/Homebrewing/Extract_and_Grains.htm

 

[Onetime]

Thanks all for the tips and advice.

To Brewkinger....im using dry yeast Danstar and was just going to rehydrate it prior to pitching. How do u Cold Crash or what have you found to be the easiest?


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[dkevinb]

Thanks all for the tips and advice.

To Brewkinger....im using dry yeast Danstar and was just going to rehydrate it prior to pitching. How do u Cold Crash or what have you found to be the easiest?


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Cold crashing basically means putting your fermentor in a refrigerator after primary fermentation is done but before bottling/kegging to make it clearer. Obviously you need refrigerator space as big as your fermentor. Not everyone has that (I don't). I really don't think this is a priority for you at this point. Your beer will taste just fine without it, though it may not be as crystal clear as it could be. Adequate time in bottle conditioning (2-3 weeks at the very least, longer is better up to a point), then a week or so in the fridge will get you close, though you'll have a bit of sediment in the bottle.

 

[brewkinger]

dkevinb is correct that a refrigerator is an acceptable place to cold crash.
Also correct that it is not totally necessary to focus on yet.

In the winter months in Vermont, cold crash is as simple as moving the fermenter into the uninsulated room off my brew barn and leave it there for a week.
During the summer months, I do not cold crash.


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[Onetime]

My 2nd Brew Day is in the books and it went pretty good. The Edelmettal Bru Burner worked as i expected. However i did have to adjust the valve and flame quite often but hey it was better then boiling on the stovetop.

I took all your advice to heart and John Palmers too. I followed the directions to a tee except...I ended up saving a little bit of my malt extract and added it to the boil with 5 minutes left and I also rehydrated the dry yeast for a total of 30 minutes ( per John Palmer). I also pitched at 68.5 degrees.

My OG came out to 1.046. I know that is lower then the recipe calls for but maybe that is do to not adding all the extract at once.

Thanks again for all the advice and man it was fun brewing outdoors.







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[Onetime]

I did not cold crash this time.


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[Transamguy77]

I did not cold crash this time.


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That's good! You cold crash after primary fermentation is done. Glad it all went well today!

 

[IvanTheTerribrew]

My 2nd Brew Day is in the books and it went pretty good. The Edelmettal Bru Burner worked as i expected. However i did have to adjust the valve and flame quite often but hey it was better then boiling on the stovetop.

I took all your advice to heart and John Palmers too. I followed the directions to a tee except...I ended up saving a little bit of my malt extract and added it to the boil with 5 minutes left and I also rehydrated the dry yeast for a total of 30 minutes ( per John Palmer). I also pitched at 68.5 degrees.

My OG came out to 1.046. I know that is lower then the recipe calls for but maybe that is do to not adding all the extract at once.

Thanks again for all the advice and man it was fun brewing outdoors.







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Congrats on another successful brew day! And yeah cold crashing is after fermentation is complete it is a way to get solids and yeast to fall out if solution.
Now it's a matter of watching your fermentation temps and trying to keep it within the yeasts range.








- ISM NRP

 

[Onetime]

I woke up this morning and found my CS fermenting like crazy. The airlock is bubbling nicely and sitting at 68-70 degrees. However, i think i need a blow off hose???


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[JimRausch]

Yes, you may need a blowoff. Your krausen is approaching the stopper.
Also, try to decrease the temperature. That 68-70 environmental temp. could mean your beer is fermenting in the mid-upper 70's. That's too high. Couldn't quite tell by your picture if you have any water in the bucket. If not, add some. A frozen water bottle or 2 will also help if needed. Try to get her down in the low-mid 60's.

 

[Onetime]

Thanks for the tip on the Frozen Water bottles. When i get home i will check the temp and try and cool her down. What if any negatives will there be if it ferments at 70-72?

Both my batches have needed a blow off tube. Is this normal or is there something i could do to combat this issue ( or are blow off tubes a good practice).

Thanks


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[JimRausch]

Each yeast strain has a preferred fermentation range, usually found on the manufacturer website. Most regular ale yeasts like the low to mid 60s, although there are some that like upper 50s and some that like 70s and even 80s.
Higher temperatures, especially early in the fermentation process can cause the yeast to produce higher alcohols(fusels) as well as different flavor compounds like esters and phenols. Some beer types value these flavors. Some of these are cleaned up as primary fermentation slows down(which is a good reason to leave the beer on the yeast for a good 2 weeks or more). Higher temperatures also stimulate the yeast to ferment more vigorously leading to the greater need for a blowff tube. Some people routinely start off with a blowoff just-in-case. Prevention is better than cleanup!

 

[Onetime]

I still have a blow off tube on the CS and it bubbles/burps every 50 or so seconds. Plus the yeast cake has formed and i got the temp to 68 ( i know it probably should be lower).

Question: Should i take the blow off tube off and replace it with a sanitized airlock?

2nd: how long should i keep the Caribou Slobber on the yeast cake and in the Primary? ( my carboy is completely gunked up with stuff). Is there any need for a secondary?

Thanks


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[Puddlethumper]

As long as the end of your blow-off is submerged in StarSan or water you really don't need an airlock. The arrangement you have is doing the same job. And with a krausen layer like the one in your picture I'd just let it ride until you're ready to move it to a secondary or bottling bucket.

p.s. congrats on bringing the temp down. You're going to make an awesome beer!