A Few Beginner Questions

[Rezer]

Yesterday I started my first ever batch of beer. I'm using one of Cooper's Lagers canned brew kits.

I was very careful to make sure everything was sanitized and stayed clean throughout the whole process. I cleaned off my counter top, sanitized it, and used this as a workstation for putting down my tools and gauges. I also individually sanitized every that would come in contact with the beer, and only placed things that were sanitized on the counter top.

It may be too early to tell, but it feels like everything went well. My only concern was the small amount of bubbles at the top before I added the yeast, as I thought this may be sanitizer that I didn't rinse off.

The notes I'm following suggest that I should see bubbles/foam starting to form within 24 hours. Less than 12 hours in (I checked this morning before work), my brew roughly looks like this, but with only a tiny amount of foam around the edges:

Link

The temperature was around 22-23c when I added the yeast. I got an adjusted hydrometer reading of 1.043.

Going forward, I have a few questions that maybe you guys could provide some insight:

• I used a glass measuring cup to measure my dextrose and fill my sampler. I sanitized it quite a bit and made sure to rinse it off well, but was this a bad idea considering it has been put in the wash before?
• Can I use anything other than sanitizer to clean the tools and gauges after they have been used? I will always sanitize before I use them in beer, but what about to clean them?
• My thermometer, hydrometer, stir stick, and sampler, all didn't seem to get dirty at all, and a rinse in hot water seemed to suffice. Is this just because they're new and I haven't seen buildup yet, or is this enough until I need to sanitize again. Obviously my primary and carboy will need a bit more cleaning.
• I will rack to a carboy in about 6 days. I have read up lots on both the pros/cons of secondary fermenting, and I have decided I will give both a try. I'm guessing that minimizing oxygen exposure during this step is very important. Any tips?
• The guide I have suggests mixing in the sugar with the brew before moving to it to bottles, and to stir occasionally to keep the sugar mixed evenly. I see two problems with this. First, I don't know how I'll stir the sugar in when the brew is in a carboy, and secondly, will this not stir up all the sediment at the bottom we are trying to avoid?
• Following the previous question, if I do choose to do this, would it be better to rack back into the primary plastic container to avoid the sediment and make stirring easier, or will this expose the brew to too much oxygen?

Anyways, that's all the questions and concerns I have for now. So far this has been a very fun and interesting experience and I can't wait to continue!

 

[boydster]

First of all, congratulations on your first brew! It sounds like you did a good job, and I'm sure this one will take off for you soon. Now for the hard part - waiting.

Now that you've got a brew under your belt, here are some things to keep in mind, along with answers to your questions.

Sanitizer: There are different types of sanitizer available. I use Star San, which is a no-rinse sanitizer that leaves some foam behind. If that is what you used, or if you used any kind of no-rinse sanitizer, don't worry about there being any foam or bubbles - they are supposed to be there. Rinsing out the sanitizer can actually negate the whole sanitizing process.

Also worth noting: You want to clean first (One Step, PBW, and OxyClean Free are all popular choices), then sanitize. You can't sanitize something that isn't already clean, and the cleaning solution is definitely something you want to rinse out well.

Yeast doesn't work by a clock, and doesn't care what your notes say. There are lots of reasons you may experience a longer lag time, and very few of those reasons are worth worrying about. In fact, there is no reason for you to worry about this point. I would recommend getting your fermentation temperature down to 20 or a bit lower. Warmer temps can encourage the yeast to generate some off-flavors. Also keep in mind that fermentation is an exothermic process, so the beer will be warmer than your ambient temperature if you don't do something to help cool it (water bath with ice, temperature controlled fridge).

Most of those kits have you pitch a packet of dry yeast, without first hydrating it. That's not really a best practice, but it won't ruin your beer. It DOES however kill some of the yeast, which can lead to a longer lag time. Again, don't sweat it, but as you brew more, you may find that hydrating dry yeast helps you make better beer.

Now, for your questions.
1) You used a clean and sanitized glass measuring cup? I don't see any problem with that at all. If you were pouring sugar into water that was going to be boiled, you don't even need to sanitize the measuring cup beforehand. Anything that gets boiled is sanitized during the boil by the heat. It's everything that touches the wort/beer AFTER the boil that needs to be sanitized.
2) Clean with an unscented oxygen cleaner like PBW or OxyClean Free.
3) A good rinse on glass equipment like your thermometer, hydrometer, etc should be sufficient for cleaning. If you notice anything sticking to it, clean more thoroughly. Sanitizing before they touch your beer or wort is still necessary though.
4) Get an autosiphon if you don't already have one. They are inexpensive and make transfers very easy. Transfer slowly, so you don't get any turbulence or splashing.
5) Most of us make a priming solution by boiling a little bit of water (a cup or two) with the priming sugar. I dump my priming solution into a bottling bucket, then transfer the beer from the fermenter into the bottling bucket, positioning the outlet of the siphon tube at the bottom of the bucket to make a gentle swirl. That will evenly disperse the priming solution naturally, so frequent stirring isn't required.
6) Yes. First, make sure you install a spigot on the bottom of the bucket if you don't already have one. Next, buy a bottling wand - they make like so much easier, and you can connect it directly to the spigot with a small piece of tubing. Again, very inexpensive but makes bottling day much smoother than trying to get by without one. Follow the priming process I mentioned in #5 and you'll have sediment-free, perfectly primed beer flowing through the bottling wand.

Good luck!

 

[mrgrimm101]

From what I've read, most brewing sanitizers shouldn't harm the beer. Star san foams up a lot and it is said that "the foam will break up in your wort, and provide a bit of yeast nutrient." Iodine based sanitizers are also safe. Both starsan and iodophor are no-rinse so you don't have to worry about them contaminating the beer.

Bubbles are normal. Fermenting beer tends to foam and bubble a lot. I would advise against opening the lid during the first few days of active fermentation, as the beer is vulnerable at this point you can risk bacteria getting in.

You should see bubbles in your airlock, sometimes very rapidly, sometimes slow and steady.

I would imagine that the glass measuring cup is fine to use, as long as there aren't scratches on it and you cleaned and sanitized it beforehand.

You should get a cleanser such as a PBW (powdered brewers wash) that can be purchased from most LHBS. Use this as a cleanser, then rinse, then sanitize after. Cleansing and sanitizing should be a 2 step procedure. My LHBS sells it for about $5/lb.

If you took a sample in a separate container and used the hydrometer in that, you shouldn't have to clean and sanitize it or the hydrometer too thoroughly, as it shouldn't have come into contact with the actual beer in your fermenter, just with that in the sample container. Definitely clean and sanitize your thermometer and stirring stick. When in doubt, clean with PBW and rinse.

When you bottle, you should dissolve an amount of sugar with about a cup of water (amount of sugar varies depending on style of beer) and mix that in your bottling bucket (with a spigot), then transfer (I use an autosiphon) the beer from the carboy to the bottling bucket, being careful to leave as much of the sediment in the carboy as you can. This sugar is what helps the beer gain the appropriate amount of carbonation. Don't bottle from the spigot, as this could oxidize the beer. Get a bottling wand and attach it to the spigot, either directly if possible, or using a hose.

If you use an autosiphon and hose, it shouldn't oxidize the beer unless something is wrong with the autosiphon. Make sure the connection of the hose to the autosiphon is sealed, and make sure to coil the hose in the bottom of the bucket, so as to create an self-stirring motion to mix the beer and the sugar. This will also limit oxygen.

This is just my input, based on my observations and readings, I may be off about something, in which case I'm sorry.

This thread is very helpful and talks about pros and cons of different sanitizers, whether to secondary, etc. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/vs-pro-con-analysis-109318/

 

[bolus14]

Good follow up boydster.

Don't overthink too much. I think many will tell you that your first 2 or 3 brews will feel kind of hectic and that you have to worry so much about cleaning and sanitizing. In the end keep it simple and take your time and all will work out.

I usually use three small tubs/bowls on brew day, one with OxyClean Free, one with rinse water, and one with sanitizer. These are large enough for me to lay most things right into so I don't have to worry about a "clean" surface to lay them on after cleaning and sanitizing.

On bottling day basically one larger tub with sanitizer, I clean and rins in a utility sink then place thigns in the sanitizer and they only go in and out of that tub from that point on. Nothing really needs to be "re-cleaned" once you start bottling. Only thing involved is your bottling bucket, bottling wand (definitely use one), bottles, and caps. Use a small bowl of sanitizer to let your caps soak in as you bottle.

You'll likely "mess up" at some point but beer(alcohol) is more forgiving, and able to kill most things, than many would make you believe when starting out. Create a process that works for you and stick to it, the rest comes with practice which means more beer for you.

 

[Rezer]

Thank you all for your replies. I have never heard of a bottling bucket and using a bottling wand. I searched it on Google and it definitely seems like the way to go!

After talking with you guys, my only new concern now is that my primary fermenter that I'm using almost seems just like a plastic garbage can with a lid haha. Should I be using something that is air-tight? I tested the plastic bin and lid by pushing the lid in and putting it on the bin to see if there was any seal or suction. The lid did rise slowly pulling in oxygen, so there isn't a solid seal, but it did seem to somewhat seal.

 

[brewingupward]

Can you send a picture of exactly what your lid looks like? You should most definitely have an airtight lid BUT with an airlock in the top. If you have an airtight lid with no airlock your lid will pop off quite dramatically. Not having an airtight lid is very serious as you are at risk for infection. i'm not saying your beer is infected, but the risk is certainly there.

A primary fermentation bucket with lid (or carboy) is very inexpensive but is mandatory for brewing!

Lid example - http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/grommeted-lid-for-6-5-gal.html

 

[boydster]

It will be fine. Some buckets come with better sealing lids than others, but since you plan to transfer to a carboy when fermentation is done, there is nothing to worry about. The positive pressure from all the CO2 produced will keep your beer safe.

 

[Rezer]

I bought a 'starter' kit from a local home brew store and its just what came with it. I'm still currently at work but when I get time this weekend, I'll gladly take a couple pictures and show you.

Yep, I plan to transfer to a carboy and have a bung that I will use after about 5-6 days. I thought I would be okay for the first part, but I thought I would ask just to be sure.