About to start my 2nd batch

[baumer64]

I got a Brewers Best Cream Ale kit but it has some different procedures from my 1st brew (Muntons Wheat Ale).
The Cream Ale has Nottingham yeast. The yeast pack says to activate the yeast in water before pitching but the kit instructions say DO NOT do that. They say to sprinkle dry on top which is what my 1st batch instructions were as well.

Also, there are 2 packs of hopps to add at different times. Should I put the hopps in a steeping bag or just dump in the wart when it's time?

Thanks for any help.

One more question on kegging.... for those that do this, where'she the best place to find corny kegs and what's a good price. Do Pepsi distributors sell them?

 

[unviewtiful]

Both rehydrating and adding yeast dry are acceptable. Rehydrating will let you know for sure that the yeast are alive and active before adding to your wort and usually leads to shorter lag time (the amount of time between pitching yeast and active fermentation. Shorter is better as it helps reduce chance of infection).

I prefer adding hops loose for two reasons. First is that I don't have to buy/clean hop bags. Second is that you'll get better hop utilization since you're not restricting how much the hop pellets can expand. More surface area will give you better utilization.

You can often find kegs on craigslist. And pretty much any homebrew shop will sell them. Keep an eye out for deals in the sponsor section of this website or any other online shop you frequent. I wouldn't pay more than $50 for a used keg.

 

[55x11]

I got a Brewers Best Cream Ale kit but it has some different procedures from my 1st brew (Muntons Wheat Ale).
The Cream Ale has Nottingham yeast. The yeast pack says to activate the yeast in water before pitching but the kit instructions say DO NOT do that. They say to sprinkle dry on top which is what my 1st batch instructions were as well.

Also, there are 2 packs of hopps to add at different times. Should I put the hopps in a steeping bag or just dump in the wart when it's time?

Thanks for any help.

One more question on kegging.... for those that do this, where'she the best place to find corny kegs and what's a good price. Do Pepsi distributors sell them?

I would just throw the hops without any bags.

I would re-hydrate the yeast in warm water to "wake it up" for 10-15 min. It may not make that much of a difference but it won't hurt.

For best places on used cornys, check craigslist periodically. Also refurbished used kegs at places like kegconnection, adventures in home brewing, morebeer, homebrewsupply. Ball locks are usually a bit more expensive than pin locks. Maybe $10-$20 more. Used you should still be able to find kegs for $40 or even a bit below on craigslist, even for ball locks.

 

[TurnipGreen]

If you "know a guy" at the Pepsi distributor you may be able to score some old kegs, but your better bet is home brew stores online of Craigslist.

I do not recommend you put your hope in a hop sack. Other may give you different advice but you want that hops floating freely thoughout your sort to impart it's hoppy goodness all over your wort. There are a couple reasons to use a hop sack or seporate your hops, like if you are using a ton of hops or really focusing on a clear and clean product, but in my opinion it's not worth the trouble.

Rehydrating your yeast is a really good idea to wake up the dry yeast. But I and many other here have just sprinkled and walked away plenty of times. If you are confidant in your sanitation practices I recommend you rehydrate, just to start good habits of taking care of your yeast. That said with a lower gravity beer, you'll be fine if you do not rehydrate the yeast.

Brewing can be as simple or as complicated as you want to make it. Good luck with the brew!

 

[baumer64]

Thanks for all of the responses. When I transfer from my kettle to my fermenting bucket, should I strain out the hops or just leave them in to ferment at that point?
I do have a message in to the manager of our local Pepsi asking about kegs but I haven't heard back yet.

 

[Pariah3j]

No need to strain per say, I've always done my best not to get any of the sludge on the bottom of the kettle in my fermenter, but what does go in there won't hurt it. Any of it that does get in there will just drop to the bottom w/ the yeast cake.

 

[55x11]

Thanks for all of the responses. When I transfer from my kettle to my fermenting bucket, should I strain out the hops or just leave them in to ferment at that point?
I do have a message in to the manager of our local Pepsi asking about kegs but I haven't heard back yet.

psst...
Right now keg connection has a sale on corny kegs. You can get pin lock kegs for just $34.99 plus $7.99 flat shipping. And you can get half-priced kegs if you buy a kit (CO2 regulator plus gas/beer lines) - so you can get 2 used ball lock kegs for $79.99 (or $39.99 each) with a 2-faucet kit for example
See:
http://www.kegconnection.com/pin-lock/
http://www.kegconnection.com/2-faucet-basic-homebrew-kegerator-kit/

I am obviously not affiliated with the kegconnection, but it's a very good deal if you are thinking of getting into kegging, and this is how I got into kegging in the first place.
I would get Taprite regulators instead of Chudnow (in my opinion they are worth slightly higher price) and their kits seems to be priced at or even slightly below if you were to get it all in separate pieces - two gauge regulator is about $50, ball-lock tailpiece with picnic beer line is about $25 each, so that's $100 right there for two-faucet kit. I would get CO2 tank used somewhere else. Get the 1/2 price off kegs for sure - you can sell them for more later (but don't). You can always expand to more kegs later too.

 

[kh54s10]

If you only have 2 ounces of hops you can add them directly. I bag anything more than that. I use a 5 gallon paint strainer bag clipped to the lip of my boil kettle. There is no restriction of the hops unless it is an extremely hopped brew. I used 2 5 gallon paint strainer bags once.

With a large amount of hops I don't want to lose the large amount of beer that is in a large layer of trub. By bagging my hops I rarely leave more than a quart or so of trub in the fermenter after siphoning off the beer.

Most kits suggest sprinkling the dry yeast on the surface, mostly to make things easier. And there is less chance that a beginner will contaminate the beer if skipping the re-hydration. As you learn your procedure and sanitation methods you will lessen the chance of contamination. For best results = re-hydrate the yeast.

If you are looking for used kegs on Craigslist etc. The price will be dependent on your location. $50 is almost unheard of these days in New England.

BTW, the soda distributors stopped using these a very long time ago. I doubt that any Pepsi or Coke distributor has any. Or, if they do, it is only because they just held onto them in the back of a warehouse somewhere.

 

[PADave]

I've always re hydrated my dry yeast. That's one thing I've learned about buying kits, throw the instructions away. Use them for ingredients and hop addition times and that's it. Learn to do your own thing for the rest. Just throw the hops in, don't bother with a bag.

 

[CJ-3]

i made that exact kit for my first brew. You are in for a good beer when it is all done.

A piece of helpful advice for you - don't pay any mind to the part of the directions where it talks about transfering to secondary. This beer does not need it unless you are adding additional dry hopping or fruit. Just let it ferment out and clear then bottle or keg.

 

[jerbrew]

psst...
Right now keg connection has a sale on corny kegs. You can get pin lock kegs for just $34.99 plus $7.99 flat shipping. And you can get half-priced kegs if you buy a kit (CO2 regulator plus gas/beer lines) - so you can get 2 used ball lock kegs for $79.99 (or $39.99 each) with a 2-faucet kit for example
See:
http://www.kegconnection.com/pin-lock/
http://www.kegconnection.com/2-faucet-basic-homebrew-kegerator-kit/

I am obviously not affiliated with the kegconnection, but it's a very good deal if you are thinking of getting into kegging, and this is how I got into kegging in the first place.
I would get Taprite regulators instead of Chudnow (in my opinion they are worth slightly higher price) and their kits seems to be priced at or even slightly below if you were to get it all in separate pieces - two gauge regulator is about $50, ball-lock tailpiece with picnic beer line is about $25 each, so that's $100 right there for two-faucet kit. I would get CO2 tank used somewhere else. Get the 1/2 price off kegs for sure - you can sell them for more later (but don't). You can always expand to more kegs later too.

I read this whole thing in a whisper in my head.

 

[baumer64]

CJ-3 Thanks. I plan on just using the recipe ingredients this first time and not add anything. What temp did you ferment at and for how long before bottle/keg?
55x11, those links are great. I should know early next week if my buddy can get me some corny kegs. If not, I'll have to order some as Craigslist in the Northwest has been blank on kegs at decent price.
As for regulator and tank, we had a keg cooler at my parents home years ago and it hasn't been used for years (compressor went bad). Mom is letting me take what I need. The 20# tank may be expired but I'm hoping I can exchange it at a gas/welding supply place we have. The Regulator has 2 gages and I would think should work fine at least to get me started. I'll just need to add tap, hoses, connectors and fridge/freezer. Have a fridge I can use but am looking for a good deal on a chest freezer as a keezer would work better in my TV room basement.