jmm20010
Active Member
As a begining homebrewer I am always looking for words of wisdom. What is the best advice you can give me about brewing(things I should ALWAYS do/remember)?
Advice...
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LoreleiHI
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Fellow beginner!
As with food, rule #1 is (say it with me!) SANITATION!
Would you cook with tongs that you *know* were used for raw poultry without giving them a hot soap bath & scrub?
Or not wash produce you got at the supermarket? (Think of HOW MANY HANDS touched those before you did!)
Same deal. Wash & sanitize, no excuses.
As with food, rule #1 is (say it with me!) SANITATION!
Would you cook with tongs that you *know* were used for raw poultry without giving them a hot soap bath & scrub?
Or not wash produce you got at the supermarket? (Think of HOW MANY HANDS touched those before you did!)
Same deal. Wash & sanitize, no excuses.
TaylorInOK
Well-Known Member
As a fellow beginning brewer, i can tell you that Google is your friend. When you feel yourself freaking out cause you missed a temp by one degree, you smell a Kong Fart comming from the fermentation closet, or you see things in your brew that you don't understand: Relax, Don't Worry, Have a Home Brew and google "homebrew what your problem is". This is a really cool hobby with about a million and a half outcomes, scenaros and happenings. 99% of the time what you are worried about is normal.
Don't panic, it's just beer
Sanitize, sanitize, sanitize
Search threads and use Google
Be patient, it will pay off 10 fold in all steps
Start simple and learn the process
Pay attention to fermentation temps and yeast
Don't expect one definitive answer to any question
RDWHAHB!
Cheers and welcome to a great community and hobby!
Sanitize, sanitize, sanitize
Search threads and use Google
Be patient, it will pay off 10 fold in all steps
Start simple and learn the process
Pay attention to fermentation temps and yeast
Don't expect one definitive answer to any question
RDWHAHB!
Cheers and welcome to a great community and hobby!
LoreleiHI
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TaylorInOK said:
+2. There's a lot of people who have done lots of brewing who hang out online, and most of them are willing to help. Lots of LHBS are the same, willing to give guidance and usually a quick recipe scan to see if it's viable (after all, they want repeat customers, which may not happen with a BAD early brew from a newbie). And if you have friends that brew, you have a fountain of info waiting to come your way!
But if all else fails, the Internet is not always for porn.
/AvenueQ
Actually my advice is, This whole forum is advice...Read it. Especially all the stickies at the top of each section. You will find plenty of info to make your beer great in them....A lot of us have put a lot of hours of information in here. Utilize it.
Read the stickies at the top of each section of the forum, and look at the active discussions going on , you'll find all the info you need.
Also this thread... Stone Cold Lead Pipe Lock'd N00b Advice Thread.
All the tips you're looking for have already been posted on here numerous times. The info's all waiting for you.
Read the stickies at the top of each section of the forum, and look at the active discussions going on , you'll find all the info you need.
Also this thread... Stone Cold Lead Pipe Lock'd N00b Advice Thread.
All the tips you're looking for have already been posted on here numerous times. The info's all waiting for you.
duckredbeard
Well-Known Member
Take lots of notes. Whether it turns out good or bad, you will want to know what you did to make it that way.
Don't have high expectations on your first few. You are learning the process. Once you master that, good beer will just happen.
When going from extract to partial mash to all grain, read these forums well. There are members here who have been brewing for decades, some even professionally.
Participate in local clubs and group brews. Visit other brewers on brew day. Who here wouldn't want to share a brew and show off their equipment.
Don't have high expectations on your first few. You are learning the process. Once you master that, good beer will just happen.
When going from extract to partial mash to all grain, read these forums well. There are members here who have been brewing for decades, some even professionally.
Participate in local clubs and group brews. Visit other brewers on brew day. Who here wouldn't want to share a brew and show off their equipment.
1) Sanitation.
2) Pitch enough yeast. If you don't want to make starters, try dry yeast. 1 pack of yeast for standard gravity and 2 packs for higher-gravity (1.060 and above) in a 5 gallon batch is a good rule of thumb, and still cheaper than liquid.
3) TEMPERATURE. Don't pitch your yeast until the wort is down to your fermentation temperature. If you have to leave it until the morning, that's fine. But you'll get off flavors from pitching too hot. Then, do whatever you can to control fermentation temperature. In the 60's for most ale yeasts is ideal...
#2 and #3 are often overlooked by novices, but IMHO they're bigger keys to making good beer than nearly anything you'll be doing to make the wort itself.
2) Pitch enough yeast. If you don't want to make starters, try dry yeast. 1 pack of yeast for standard gravity and 2 packs for higher-gravity (1.060 and above) in a 5 gallon batch is a good rule of thumb, and still cheaper than liquid.
3) TEMPERATURE. Don't pitch your yeast until the wort is down to your fermentation temperature. If you have to leave it until the morning, that's fine. But you'll get off flavors from pitching too hot. Then, do whatever you can to control fermentation temperature. In the 60's for most ale yeasts is ideal...
#2 and #3 are often overlooked by novices, but IMHO they're bigger keys to making good beer than nearly anything you'll be doing to make the wort itself.
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