A few questions

[damntheman]

Hello Everyone,
This is my first post after lurking for awhile. I have my first batch of beer in a secondary fermenter(a 20 minute boil kit from midwest), and I just made another one last night(Irish Red Ale kit). Here are the questions I have:

Does the primary fermenter always smell somewhat like beer even after you clean it(I used oxyclean)?

I racked my second batch from the boiling pot to the primary fermenter while it was still pretty hot because I was using ice as part of the water content. I noticed that afterwards, the racking cane was bent maybe due to the heat and both the cane and tubing seemed to be stained slightly. Is this color due to the Irish Red Ale I was making or the fact that the wort was near boiling when I ran it through? Should I let the wort cool down more after I take it off the burner even though the ice will chill it down to temp?

I suppose that those are all the questions I have for now. Thanks in advance.

--DamnTheMan

 

[OBX]

I am no old hand at this by any means, but I have read that pouring the wort into the fermenter should be done in a way to oxygenate the wort as much as possible to get the oxygen in there for the yeast to enjoy. You would not use the racking cane for this - just slosh it in there.

I have also read that oxyclean will not sanitize, so you would need to use something else to do that.

Tim

 

[damntheman]

I just used oxyclean to clean the bucket and then used a sanitizer that came with my brewing kit. Do you use a straining bag when going from the boiling pot to the fermenter to avoid getting all that crap in your primary?

I also have one more question. How important is it to keep your beer out of the light when you are fermenting? I've got my beer sitting in my bathroom, and I use it every day. I have been trying to cover my fermenters with a dark towel or something, but if I don't have to than I won't go to the trouble.

--DamnTheMan

 

[ryser2k]

First, if you use a plastic fermenter, it is going to smell like beer no matter what you do. I haven't found this to affect the final product however.

Second, you should not aerate your wort when it is hot, only when it is cool. If you want to use ice as part of your water content, you should use a bigger pot. Otherwise, I would cool it in an ice water bath or with a chiller first. I have never racked out of the boiling pot but I have heard of people that do this. I am not sure if it is a good idea or not.

Third, as far as I know you want to protect your beer from light at all times. So yeah, keep that dark towel on there...

 

[Janx]

I am no old hand at this by any means, but I have read that pouring the wort into the fermenter should be done in a way to oxygenate the wort as much as possible to get the oxygen in there for the yeast to enjoy. You would not use the racking cane for this - just slosh it in there.
Tim

Do NOT do this if your wort is not chilled. You'll get hot side aeration big time and that causes all sorts of problems.

 

[OBX]

Do NOT do this if your wort is not chilled. You'll get hot side aeration big time and that causes all sorts of problems.

I meant to say after it had cooled - I know better, I just didn't convey it properly. Many Thanx!!

 

[myndphaser]

As far as straining the beer on the way from the brew pot to the fermenter, it isn't really necessary. If you cool the wort first, most of the bits and floaties will drop out of suspension and wind up at the bottom of the brew pot and not make it into your fermenter anyway. The amount that does make it into the fermenter, which will be minimal, will settle out or get stuck to the sides during the rigorous fermentation. If you rack it into your bottling bucket or secondary you will effectively eliminate all that sludge prior to bottling or kegging.