Inverted_Giraffe
Well-Known Member
Well, I brewed my first batch a week and a half ago (partial-mash oatmeal stout) and it looks to be doing very well (from my limited experience). I did take pictures and videos of the entire process which I would like to eventually share for critique purposes, and to help others to see what I may have done correctly or incorrectly.
A few questions I would like to ask to tie up some loose ends:
1) The vial of White Labs for my last batch, I had sit out for about 6 hours prior to pitching, and vigorously shook at pitching (it did say to shake well
). Unfortunately, half of the yeast culture gushed out and I immediately tried to get what I could in the fermenter. Fermentation began within 10 hours and produced an inch of kraesen which sunk to the bottom after about 3 days. I have not tested FG yet (a little scared at this point to do anything that could affect the beer, coupled with a need to test the wine thief on a carboy of water first), so obviously this may be hard to answer, but I'm probably ok with what happened with the yeast geyser?
2) Similar to the last question, are there pros/cons, cut-off times, etc. for introducing more yeast into a fermenter after initial fermentation? In other words, can one add more yeast after a week and a half in the primary, if the FG is off?
3) I currently brew outside and use the outside tap to run water through the immersion chiller. I'm thinking that once we get to freezing temps, this won't be an option. None of the faucets in our house are the typical faucet; the kitchen one has that large detachable handle integrated into it, and the bathroom one is maybe semi-normal but a garden hose won't attach to that directly. What options do I have to continue using the immersion chiller in winter?
4) Has anyone else had problems with the immersion chiller not correctly fitting in their brew pot? I have an 8 gallon pot that had roughly 5 gallons of wort in it, but half of the immersion chiller was immersing the wort, the rest, air. I crushed down the immersion chiller (looks a little deformed now) to get more copper surface area in the wort, as I was starting to get worried when I couldn't get the wort temp under 100F after 15 or so minutes.
5) I noticed that the 3-piece airlock likes to leak its internal fluids if disturbed; I believe I lost an entire shot of vodka into the fermenter when I carried the carboy from outside to our basement. How will this affect the brew, and should I be looking at a s-type?
6) Do many people invest in air stones to aerate their wort?
7) Concerning the boil, is hotter better? I can crank the propane burner up to where the therm states @215-220F, which even at 5 gallons in an 8 gallon pot can cause boil overs if not continually stirred. At one point I cranked down the burner intensity to where it was still boiling, but I noticed that it wouldn't ever even come close to producing any foam on top. It wasn't until I cranked the intensity back up that the foam came back. Should I keep that intensity up?
8) The oatmeal stout is fermenting in a small closed storage space underneath the stairs that lead to the basement; it's a constant 64-66F there. Is that 64F getting too low? I fear as winter approaches I may need to find a different area if that temp drops any further.
9) I would like to brew the Irish Red this weekend, as the weather is forcasted to be nice; my concern is that the smack pack I got in two weeks ago has sort of ballooned, even though the nutrient pack inside is intact. I had put it in the fridge right after delivery, but curious if this yeast is going to be viable. I unfortunately do not (and won't until next week) have the option to utilize a second smack pack or make a yeast starter as I don't have the supplies on-hand and the closest HBST is likely over 3 hours away (I found one an hour away but it was very limited in selection, and no refrigeration in-store).
Whew... I think that's all; sorry for all the questions but thanks for everything I've learned so far in this community! Brewing is fun, yes?
A few questions I would like to ask to tie up some loose ends:
1) The vial of White Labs for my last batch, I had sit out for about 6 hours prior to pitching, and vigorously shook at pitching (it did say to shake well
). Unfortunately, half of the yeast culture gushed out and I immediately tried to get what I could in the fermenter. Fermentation began within 10 hours and produced an inch of kraesen which sunk to the bottom after about 3 days. I have not tested FG yet (a little scared at this point to do anything that could affect the beer, coupled with a need to test the wine thief on a carboy of water first), so obviously this may be hard to answer, but I'm probably ok with what happened with the yeast geyser?2) Similar to the last question, are there pros/cons, cut-off times, etc. for introducing more yeast into a fermenter after initial fermentation? In other words, can one add more yeast after a week and a half in the primary, if the FG is off?
3) I currently brew outside and use the outside tap to run water through the immersion chiller. I'm thinking that once we get to freezing temps, this won't be an option. None of the faucets in our house are the typical faucet; the kitchen one has that large detachable handle integrated into it, and the bathroom one is maybe semi-normal but a garden hose won't attach to that directly. What options do I have to continue using the immersion chiller in winter?
4) Has anyone else had problems with the immersion chiller not correctly fitting in their brew pot? I have an 8 gallon pot that had roughly 5 gallons of wort in it, but half of the immersion chiller was immersing the wort, the rest, air. I crushed down the immersion chiller (looks a little deformed now) to get more copper surface area in the wort, as I was starting to get worried when I couldn't get the wort temp under 100F after 15 or so minutes.
5) I noticed that the 3-piece airlock likes to leak its internal fluids if disturbed; I believe I lost an entire shot of vodka into the fermenter when I carried the carboy from outside to our basement. How will this affect the brew, and should I be looking at a s-type?
6) Do many people invest in air stones to aerate their wort?
7) Concerning the boil, is hotter better? I can crank the propane burner up to where the therm states @215-220F, which even at 5 gallons in an 8 gallon pot can cause boil overs if not continually stirred. At one point I cranked down the burner intensity to where it was still boiling, but I noticed that it wouldn't ever even come close to producing any foam on top. It wasn't until I cranked the intensity back up that the foam came back. Should I keep that intensity up?
8) The oatmeal stout is fermenting in a small closed storage space underneath the stairs that lead to the basement; it's a constant 64-66F there. Is that 64F getting too low? I fear as winter approaches I may need to find a different area if that temp drops any further.
9) I would like to brew the Irish Red this weekend, as the weather is forcasted to be nice; my concern is that the smack pack I got in two weeks ago has sort of ballooned, even though the nutrient pack inside is intact. I had put it in the fridge right after delivery, but curious if this yeast is going to be viable. I unfortunately do not (and won't until next week) have the option to utilize a second smack pack or make a yeast starter as I don't have the supplies on-hand and the closest HBST is likely over 3 hours away (I found one an hour away but it was very limited in selection, and no refrigeration in-store).
Whew... I think that's all; sorry for all the questions but thanks for everything I've learned so far in this community! Brewing is fun, yes?
