Baby's First Brew

[jeffreyabr]

I think I'm ready to take on my first solo brew, and I wanted to be sure to ask you guys about my process and the recipe I was looking at attempting.

I came across this Fat Tire Clone and thought it looked well balanced and detailed enough for me to try. Never had a New Belgium before, but it sounds like something my father and I would enjoy.

I'll lay out the steps as far as I understand them below, and I'll bold any questions or things I'm unsure of if people want to skim for those

1. I'm going to use my spray bottle and spritz some sanitizer into my kettle (and then dump that) before I fill it with ~8 gallons of water for my 5 gallon batch.
2. I'm also going to fill a bucket that I bought for bottling with 5 gallons of water and 1 oz of Star San so that I can dunk all of my equipment, run it through my siphon, etc. I will spray down my fermenter bucket with my Star San too
3. I'm gonna look to get the water up to ~160 before I mash in, as the recipe calls for an "infusion mash temp" of 152 and I should expect the malts to bring the temp down a bit once I introduce them to the water
4. The malts are going to mash in the bag at 152 for 90 minutes. I will give it a stir initially to make sure they don't clump together but I won't futz with it too much. I'll probably get the yeast out around now if I haven't already and set it out for later.
5. I'm going to set a separate pot of ~2-3 gallons of water to boil. I see the recipe says sparge at 170, so I'll aim for that
6. I am going to remove the bag from the kettle, put it in a strainer above the kettle and pour the second pot's boiled water through it into the kettle. After this, the grains in the bag are done, and I can let them sit in the strainer atop my fermeter bucket, where they might drip a bit more until I'm done with the recipe
7. After I sparge, I am going to do a 60 minute boil
8. Right at the top of the 60 minute boil, I am going to add the Northern Brewer hops
9. With 15 minutes left in the 60 minute boil, I am going to add the Hallertau hops. I am also going to put my wort chiller in the kettle so the boiling wort helps to sterilize the wort chiller
10. With 5 minutes left in the boil, I am going to add the Willamette hops. At this point, I am also going to add half of a Whirlfloc tablet
11. Once the 60 minutes is up, I am going to want to cool the wort down to 68 as quickly as possible. For this, I will use my wort chiller and run cold water through the copper piping to cool the wort
12. Once the wort is cooled to 68, I am going to use my auto-siphon and siphon from my kettle into my fermenter bucket
13. Lastly, I am going to add the WLP001 yeast. I see there is something about 1800 ml of Yeast Starter from the recipe. What do I need to do for that, if anything?
14. The fermenter bucket is going to sit idly with its airlock for 14 days in my sister's closet. We usually keep the house at 69 degrees, but I'll turn it down to 68 for those two weeks for this.

According to the recipe, @mkelin81 called for an additonal secondary fermentation, but just left it in his fermenter bucket for an additional 41 days? Am I understanding that correctly? Is there anything else I should do for it in that time?

When it comes to bottling, I'll have some questions about his methods with 3 vols and where that would leave me but I can post those in the bottle subforum if that doesn't belong here (according to this website after having been stored at ~68° F, I will have ~0.9 vols so I would want to add 2.25 vols to meet the user’s recommended 3 vols. That would require 3.5 oz of white sugar for a 5 gallon batch. Correct?)

Any tips, pointers, stop signs, or anything, totally let me know. Feel free to spell anything out that you guys feel I didn't understand or should do differently.

 

[kev211]

I think I'm ready to take on my first solo brew, and I wanted to be sure to ask you guys about my process and the recipe I was looking at attempting.

I came across this Fat Tire Clone and thought it looked well balanced and detailed enough for me to try. Never had a New Belgium before, but it sounds like something my father and I would enjoy.

I'll lay out the steps as far as I understand them below, and I'll bold any questions or things I'm unsure of if people want to skim for those

1. I'm going to use my spray bottle and spritz some sanitizer into my kettle (and then dump that) before I fill it with ~8 gallons of water for my 5 gallon batch.
2. I'm also going to fill a bucket that I bought for bottling with 5 gallons of water and 1 oz of Star San so that I can dunk all of my equipment, run it through my siphon, etc. I will spray down my fermenter bucket with my Star San too
3. I'm gonna look to get the water up to ~160 before I mash in, as the recipe calls for an "infusion mash temp" of 152 and I should expect the malts to bring the temp down a bit once I introduce them to the water
4. The malts are going to mash in the bag at 152 for 90 minutes. I will give it a stir initially to make sure they don't clump together but I won't futz with it too much. I'll probably get the yeast out around now if I haven't already and set it out for later.
5. I'm going to set a separate pot of ~2-3 gallons of water to boil. I see the recipe says sparge at 170, so I'll aim for that
6. I am going to remove the bag from the kettle, put it in a strainer above the kettle and pour the second pot's boiled water through it into the kettle. After this, the grains in the bag are done, and I can let them sit in the strainer atop my fermeter bucket, where they might drip a bit more until I'm done with the recipe
7. After I sparge, I am going to do a 60 minute boil
8. Right at the top of the 60 minute boil, I am going to add the Northern Brewer hops
9. With 15 minutes left in the 60 minute boil, I am going to add the Hallertau hops. I am also going to put my wort chiller in the kettle so the boiling wort helps to sterilize the wort chiller
10. With 5 minutes left in the boil, I am going to add the Willamette hops. At this point, I am also going to add half of a Whirlfloc tablet
11. Once the 60 minutes is up, I am going to want to cool the wort down to 68 as quickly as possible. For this, I will use my wort chiller and run cold water through the copper piping to cool the wort
12. Once the wort is cooled to 68, I am going to use my auto-siphon and siphon from my kettle into my fermenter bucket
13. Lastly, I am going to add the WLP001 yeast. I see there is something about 1800 ml of Yeast Starter from the recipe. What do I need to do for that, if anything?
14. The fermenter bucket is going to sit idly with its airlock for 14 days in my sister's closet. We usually keep the house at 69 degrees, but I'll turn it down to 68 for those two weeks for this.

According to the recipe, @mkelin81 called for an additonal secondary fermentation, but just left it in his fermenter bucket for an additional 41 days? Am I understanding that correctly? Is there anything else I should do for it in that time?

When it comes to bottling, I'll have some questions about his methods with 3 vols and where that would leave me but I can post those in the bottle subforum if that doesn't belong here (according to this website after having been stored at ~68° F, I will have ~0.9 vols so I would want to add 2.25 vols to meet the user’s recommended 3 vols. That would require 3.5 oz of white sugar for a 5 gallon batch. Correct?)

Any tips, pointers, stop signs, or anything, totally let me know. Feel free to spell anything out that you guys feel I didn't understand or should do differently.

First off, good luck on your first solo brew!
Second...



I'm going to use my spray bottle and spritz some sanitizer into my kettle (and then dump that) before I fill it with ~8 gallons of water for my 5 gallon batch.

No real need to sanitize your kettle before the brew (yes, make sure its clean and isnt filled with dust or grime). Everything done prior to the boil is known as hot-side. No germies will survive the boil, so no need to sanitize before you start to chill.

I'm also going to fill a bucket that I bought for bottling with 5 gallons of water and 1 oz of Star San so that I can dunk all of my equipment, run it through my siphon, etc. I will spray down my fermenter bucket with my Star San too

Again, only stuff that will come into contact with the beer after the boil needs to be sanitized. Your mash paddle/giant spoon, etc dont need to be sanitized

I'm gonna look to get the water up to ~160 before I mash in, as the recipe calls for an "infusion mash temp" of 152 and I should expect the malts to bring the temp down a bit once I introduce them to the water
The malts are going to mash in the bag at 152 for 90 minutes. I will give it a stir initially to make sure they don't clump together but I won't futz with it too much. I'll probably get the yeast out around now if I haven't already and set it out for later.

60 minutes for the mash should be fine. Ive never ran a 90 min mash. 60 mins seems to be "standard"

I'm going to set a separate pot of ~2-3 gallons of water to boil. I see the recipe says sparge at 170, so I'll aim for that

How big is your batch? You mentioned before ~8 gallons. Was that 8 total gallons? Or 8 for the mash and additional 2-3 for sparge? For 5 gallons this will likely be way too much water

I am going to remove the bag from the kettle, put it in a strainer above the kettle and pour the second pot's boiled water through it into the kettle. After this, the grains in the bag are done, and I can let them sit in the strainer atop my fermeter bucket, where they might drip a bit more until I'm done with the recipe
After I sparge, I am going to do a 60 minute boil
Right at the top of the 60 minute boil, I am going to add the Northern Brewer hops
With 15 minutes left in the 60 minute boil, I am going to add the Hallertau hops. I am also going to put my wort chiller in the kettle so the boiling wort helps to sterilize the wort chiller

Yes. Thats exactly what you want to do with the chiller

With 5 minutes left in the boil, I am going to add the Willamette hops. At this point, I am also going to add half of a Whirlfloc tablet
Once the 60 minutes is up, I am going to want to cool the wort down to 68 as quickly as possible. For this, I will use my wort chiller and run cold water through the copper piping to cool the wort

Not sure what your question is about the whirlfloc, but yes. Add it here.

Once the wort is cooled to 68, I am going to use my auto-siphon and siphon from my kettle into my fermenter bucket
Lastly, I am going to add the WLP001 yeast. I see there is something about 1800 ml of Yeast Starter from the recipe. What do I need to do for that, if anything?

What is the projected OG of your recipe? A starter is basically used to create more yeast AND wake them up before adding them to the beer. Its a process that takes ~24-48 hours and is basically a mini fermentation. If your projected OG is under 1.070 you do not need a starter.

The fermenter bucket is going to sit idly with its airlock for 14 days in my sister's closet. We usually keep the house at 69 degrees, but I'll turn it down to 68 for those two weeks for this.

Likely a little too warm. Fermentation is exothermic meaning it will generate heat. Ambient temp isnt the same as ferm temp. Without building a fermentation chamber, I would recommend the "swamp cooler" method. Basically, you fill a tub with water and set your fermenter in that (you can drape a towel or t-shirt over the fermenter into the water to help distribute the cooler temps.

14 days is roughly about right. Get yourself a hydrometer so you can measure O.G. and F.G. to make sure the beer is finished fermenting. I usually ferment for 2-3 weeks


According to the recipe, @mkelin81 called for an additonal secondary fermentation, but just left it in his fermenter bucket for an additional 41 days? Am I understanding that correctly? Is there anything else I should do for it in that time?

No need for secondary. Secondary is an old school method that was done because yeast would die off and the result was a nasty off flavor. Todays yeast are higher tech and dont do this. Unless youre aging over something, secondary is not necessary.

 

[jeffreyabr]

Dude, I can't thank you enough for the help thus far, and I'm only at this point. If I ever make it out to California for vacation, I think I owe you dinner, minimum.

First off, good luck on your first solo brew!
Second...



I'm going to use my spray bottle and spritz some sanitizer into my kettle (and then dump that) before I fill it with ~8 gallons of water for my 5 gallon batch.

No real need to sanitize your kettle before the brew (yes, make sure its clean and isnt filled with dust or grime). Everything done prior to the boil is known as hot-side. No germies will survive the boil, so no need to sanitize before you start to chill.

• I bought a 1 lb container of PBW, so I plan on buying that new bulkhead after I finish this forum post, and once I get that in, I'm going to scrub the **** out of my kettle, my buckets, and brush the rest of the things I have just to be safe. If there's more I should do in a primary cleaning, ottally let me know. I just imagine I'm getting the factory grime off of things, but if I'm going overkill, also feel free to stop me. Figured nothing would survive boiling, but I didn't want my first batch to suffer at the simplest mistake. I know it won't be perfect, I just don't want to waste it on something stupid.

I'm also going to fill a bucket that I bought for bottling with 5 gallons of water and 1 oz of Star San so that I can dunk all of my equipment, run it through my siphon, etc. I will spray down my fermenter bucket with my Star San too

Again, only stuff that will come into contact with the beer after the boil needs to be sanitized. Your mash paddle/giant spoon, etc dont need to be sanitized

• Fair. I'll take it easy. I'll probably spritz things anyway, but good to know I don't need to be so concerned.

I'm gonna look to get the water up to ~160 before I mash in, as the recipe calls for an "infusion mash temp" of 152 and I should expect the malts to bring the temp down a bit once I introduce them to the water
The malts are going to mash in the bag at 152 for 90 minutes. I will give it a stir initially to make sure they don't clump together but I won't futz with it too much. I'll probably get the yeast out around now if I haven't already and set it out for later.

60 minutes for the mash should be fine. Ive never ran a 90 min mash. 60 mins seems to be "standard"

I'm going to set a separate pot of ~2-3 gallons of water to boil. I see the recipe says sparge at 170, so I'll aim for that

How big is your batch? You mentioned before ~8 gallons. Was that 8 total gallons? Or 8 for the mash and additional 2-3 for sparge? For 5 gallons this will likely be way too much water

• I am going off of this guy's recipe. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=309962 I don't know if the original hyperlink didn't come through in my first post, but he also did a 5 gallon batch, and that is exactly what I am looking to mimic. So from my calculations, 5 gallons, plus 30%-50% more than my target volume after boil off plus loss to trub should put me at 8 gallons, right? I was going off of what I read in a HomeBrewManual post, but correct me if that's wrong.

I am going to remove the bag from the kettle, put it in a strainer above the kettle and pour the second pot's boiled water through it into the kettle. After this, the grains in the bag are done, and I can let them sit in the strainer atop my fermeter bucket, where they might drip a bit more until I'm done with the recipe
After I sparge, I am going to do a 60 minute boil
Right at the top of the 60 minute boil, I am going to add the Northern Brewer hops
With 15 minutes left in the 60 minute boil, I am going to add the Hallertau hops. I am also going to put my wort chiller in the kettle so the boiling wort helps to sterilize the wort chiller

Yes. Thats exactly what you want to do with the chiller

With 5 minutes left in the boil, I am going to add the Willamette hops. At this point, I am also going to add half of a Whirlfloc tablet
Once the 60 minutes is up, I am going to want to cool the wort down to 68 as quickly as possible. For this, I will use my wort chiller and run cold water through the copper piping to cool the wort

Not sure what your question is about the whirlfloc, but yes. Add it here.

• Just making sure about the Whirlfloc. Hadn't seen Whirlfloc before until I went over my friend's house the other weekend and his dad asked when the "fizzy pill" went in. So I made sure to get that when I was buying up my stuff. And the half a tablet was what most sites recommended for 5 gallon batches, so I was double-checking on that too.

Once the wort is cooled to 68, I am going to use my auto-siphon and siphon from my kettle into my fermenter bucket
Lastly, I am going to add the WLP001 yeast. I see there is something about 1800 ml of Yeast Starter from the recipe. What do I need to do for that, if anything?

What is the projected OG of your recipe? A starter is basically used to create more yeast AND wake them up before adding them to the beer. Its a process that takes ~24-48 hours and is basically a mini fermentation. If your projected OG is under 1.070 you do not need a starter.

• I'm aiming to follow this guy's recipe: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=309962 so his OG was 1.053 and I'll try to land as close to that as possible. So if that happens, I guess according to your indications, I wouldn't need something like a starter. If I find I have an OG above 1.070 (for whatever reason) during my process, is there something I should do?

The fermenter bucket is going to sit idly with its airlock for 14 days in my sister's closet. We usually keep the house at 69 degrees, but I'll turn it down to 68 for those two weeks for this.

Likely a little too warm. Fermentation is exothermic meaning it will generate heat. Ambient temp isnt the same as ferm temp. Without building a fermentation chamber, I would recommend the "swamp cooler" method. Basically, you fill a tub with water and set your fermenter in that (you can drape a towel or t-shirt over the fermenter into the water to help distribute the cooler temps.

14 days is roughly about right. Get yourself a hydrometer so you can measure O.G. and F.G. to make sure the beer is finished fermenting. I usually ferment for 2-3 weeks

• Okay, I can fill a tub of water and leave it in the basement where I might get a few degrees cooler. Do I fill the tub up a lot? Covering 50% or more of the fermentation bucket?
• And so you've suggested ~14 days to 3 weeks for fermentation. Am I just looking to see that I ultimately meet @mkelin81 's Final Gravity of 1.013? Or is there more to it than that? That few days is quite a difference form the 40 days that mkelin81 posted, no?

According to the recipe, @mkelin81 called for an additonal secondary fermentation, but just left it in his fermenter bucket for an additional 41 days? Am I understanding that correctly? Is there anything else I should do for it in that time?

No need for secondary. Secondary is an old school method that was done because yeast would die off and the result was a nasty off flavor. Todays yeast are higher tech and dont do this. Unless youre aging over something, secondary is not necessary.

• Cool, I'm glad I'll be able to just leave it in my fermentation bucket, rather than juggling between my bottling bucket, into the fermentation bucket, back to the bottling bucket, as was my initial concern.

 

[nlewarne]

Really good answers above so no need to run back over those. But I'm only three deep on my all grain setup and two of them have been solo and all I can say is don't worry and have fun. It will be confusing and you will worry about it a lot but it will be alright.

The one bit of advice I would suggest is to take notes through out the process. And as you are going along write what went wrong? What went right? What are all your numbers as you go? etc...

But just enjoy the process and enjoy the day. Also, one last tip... clean up as you go so you don't have a huge mess at the end.

 

[jeffreyabr]

Really good answers above so no need to run back over those. But I'm only three deep on my all grain setup and two of them have been solo and all I can say is don't worry and have fun. It will be confusing and you will worry about it a lot but it will be alright.

The one bit of advice I would suggest is to take notes through out the process. And as you are going along write what went wrong? What went right? What are all your numbers as you go? etc...

But just enjoy the process and enjoy the day. Also, one last tip... clean up as you go so you don't have a huge mess at the end.

Thanks for the encouragement. I know there's a fairly large margin for error. Just didn't want to get discouraged.

I will definitely keep track of whatever throws me. I'm trying to be meticulous now so that I have fewer bumps when I get to that beautiful horizon down the road and I'm actually brewing.

One question I guess I never thought to ask until you mentioned numbers was when do I take my OG reading? When the wort goes into the fermenter?

And I will be sure to use my downtime wisely to pick up after myself. I am habitually good about that when cooking, so I see myself following when brewing.

 

[RM-MN]

As mentioned before, anything before the boil will be pasteurized in the boil so you don't need to do any scrubbing unless your equipment is dirty. I just rinse the collected dust out and I'm off to the races. Your wort chiller can go in after you turn off the heat. It doesn't need to be boiled. At the temperature the wort is when you turn off the heat, pasteurization takes seconds. Use the cooler wort chiller to help cool the wort instead of bringing its temperature to the boiling point first.

8 gallons of water for a 5 gallon batch seems appropriate for a no-sparge batch. if you intend to sparge, start with less water. I'd probably use about 6 gallons or a little less. Starting with 8 gallons, sparging with another 2 or 3 means you will collect lots of wort and will have to boil it off to get back to your 5.5 gallons you want into the fermenter. While the recipe calls for a 170 degrees sparge, you don't need that. Cross that off your worry list. I sparge with cold water.

I'd recommend that you set your fermenter in a tub of water and add ice (frozen water bottles work good for this) to keep the beer a bit cooler as it goes through the initial fermentation. I like to shoot for 62 to 64 degrees for the first week but the first 3 days are probably the most critical. After that my beer warms up on its own to room temp. There isn't any reason to secondary a Fat Tire clone nor does it need to stay in the fermenter for 6 months. I'd expect it to be ready to bottle in about 10 days but I leave mine longer so more yeast settles out instead of going into the bottles. use your hydrometer to determine if your beer is done before you bottle. Take a sample, wait 2 or 3 days, take a second sample. If they match you can bottle.

I have only half a gallon of sanitizer mixed. I pour it into the fermenter bucket as I turn it and let the sanitizer run down the sides. Since that is the only thing that the wort should touch on brew day when the wort is cool, that's the only thing that needs to be sanitized. I use Starsan for my sanitizer and it only takes a little bit of time for it to work. It is a wet contact sanitizer so I sanitize the bucket and pour out the excess back into my sanitizer container, then while the bucket is still wet I pour in the wort. Unless your bucket is really filthy, don't scrub it. Use something like the PBW and just gently wash your bucket before you sanitize it. You can use the PBW and scrub the pot after the boil to get the cooked on trub off it. If it is an aluminum pot, scrub gently so you don't remove the oxide layer. If it is stainless, scrub all you want.

If you forget to add the Whirlfloc tablet, don't stress. I've never used it and I still get clear beer. It just takes a little longer.

 

[RM-MN]

Thanks for the encouragement. I know there's a fairly large margin for error. Just didn't want to get discouraged.

I will definitely keep track of whatever throws me. I'm trying to be meticulous now so that I have fewer bumps when I get to that beautiful horizon down the road and I'm actually brewing.

One question I guess I never thought to ask until you mentioned numbers was when do I take my OG reading? When the wort goes into the fermenter?

And I will be sure to use my downtime wisely to pick up after myself. I am habitually good about that when cooking, so I see myself following when brewing.

Your hydrometer is probably calibrated for ~60 degrees so you would get the best reading at that temp which is what it will be when you put it into the fermenter. Make sure to sanitize what ever you use to collect that sample. I use a turkey baster to get a sample and squirt it into the tube the hydrometer came in. I'll set the hydrometer and the tube into a drinking glass while I put the lid on the fermenter so it doesn't tip over and give it a little time for the bubbles to settle away from it so I can get a good reading.

 

[RM-MN]

The guy doing the original recipe was probably using a conventional mash tun so he would leave more wort in the tun and needed more water. You say you intend to use a bag for the mash so you can squeeze more wort out of it. That means you won't need as much water.

When you are done with the mash and have pulled out the bag of grains and squeezed out all the wort you can, note how much wort you have collected. Guessing that you will boil off about a gallon during the hour long boil, you will need about 6 1/2 gallons before you start the boil. If you have that much collected already, you don't need to sparge but if you are short, sparge until you reach that volume (or a little less since you will squeeze more from the bag when you are done).

 

[kev211]

Dude, I can't thank you enough for the help thus far, and I'm only at this point. If I ever make it out to California for vacation, I think I owe you dinner, minimum.

Ha! Didnt even realize that it was you! Glad to help!

And if you ever make it out to SD, definitely hit me up, but you do not owe me dinner (maybe a beer though ). This is all part of the fun of this forum. Ill answer all of your blue questions, although some of them have been answered well. Its just easier for me this way

I bought a 1 lb container of PBW, so I plan on buying that new bulkhead after I finish this forum post, and once I get that in, I'm going to scrub the **** out of my kettle, my buckets, and brush the rest of the things I have just to be safe. If there's more I should do in a primary cleaning, ottally let me know. I just imagine I'm getting the factory grime off of things, but if I'm going overkill, also feel free to stop me. Figured nothing would survive boiling, but I didn't want my first batch to suffer at the simplest mistake. I know it won't be perfect, I just don't want to waste it on something stupid.

Its definitely a good call to call to clean your stuff before use for the first time. I usually give my stuff a wipe before using it if it looks dusty or otherwise. So, yes, what you're doing may be overkill; but no one ever had a beer and said, "this is nasty, I bet they cleaned their stuff too much." So, clean it all you want, you cant overdo it (well... I guess you could).

Fair. I'll take it easy. I'll probably spritz things anyway, but good to know I don't need to be so concerned.

I am going off of this guy's recipe. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=309962 I don't know if the original hyperlink didn't come through in my first post, but he also did a 5 gallon batch, and that is exactly what I am looking to mimic. So from my calculations, 5 gallons, plus 30%-50% more than my target volume after boil off plus loss to trub should put me at 8 gallons, right? I was going off of what I read in a HomeBrewManual post, but correct me if that's wrong.

I dont BIAB so I cant say for sure if this is will work as the same method but I use this Water Calculator for calculating my water amounts and Ive gotten it pretty dialed. But again, I dont BIAB so I cant squeeze as much water out of mine. I would follow ^^ advice

I'm aiming to follow this guy's recipe: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=309962 so his OG was 1.053 and I'll try to land as close to that as possible. So if that happens, I guess according to your indications, I wouldn't need something like a starter. If I find I have an OG above 1.070 (for whatever reason) during my process, is there something I should do?

Well, first off, its not all yeasts that are "rated" to 1.070. I just use WLP001 all the time so I know that those pure pitch packets can go up to 1.070. That being said, if you are doing a batch with a bigger OG like 1.065+ its probably not a bad idea to make a yeast starter. Basically a starter is creating a mini beer to allow the yeast to grow (make more yeasties) and also, wake them up so theyre ready to go.

Heres the general process. Go to Homebrew Dad and calculate your starter size. How to create the starter...
Purchase some DME or LME and make a "batch" of beer. Boil the desired amount of water (starter size) with your extract for a few minutes to pasteurize. To get the right amount of extract for your starter I use 1g DME/10mL of water. So if your starter size per the calculator is 1800mL you would need 180g of DME. Then chill your wort, add to erlehnmyer flask, add yeast, cover with sanitized foil, and either swirl intermittently or put it on a stir plate. Do this for 24-36 hours, cold crash, decant on brew day, and add to your beer. Again, this is the general process. Google yeast starter and you will get much more in depth instructions.

Okay, I can fill a tub of water and leave it in the basement where I might get a few degrees cooler. Do I fill the tub up a lot? Covering 50% or more of the fermentation bucket?

Ya, 50% is fine. I use a fermentation chamber (converted chest freezer) so I dont do the swamp cooler method, but if you put the bucket in water and drape a shirt or towel over the fermenter, water will wick up the cloth and keep your ferm temps about right

And so you've suggested ~14 days to 3 weeks for fermentation. Am I just looking to see that I ultimately meet @mkelin81 's Final Gravity of 1.013? Or is there more to it than that? That few days is quite a difference form the 40 days that mkelin81 posted, no?

More or less. I would say your 1.013 is your "projected F.G." but results may vary. Basically after fermentation is "done" (roughly a week) its good to let the beer sit to let the yeast clean up after itself AND let the beer clear up (about another week). To know if you are at F.G., take a gravity sample with your hydrometer and notate it. Then, 2-4 days later, check again. If it hasnt changed, youre good to go. If its dropped, let it sit and repeat until you have stable gravity readings. I would ignore that 40 days completely. Even the OP of that thread said it was "goofy" timing. I think 2-3 weeks and you're good. But take gravity readings. Bottle bombs are no joke

Cool, I'm glad I'll be able to just leave it in my fermentation bucket, rather than juggling between my bottling bucket, into the fermentation bucket, back to the bottling bucket, as was my initial concern.

Ya, by transferring it, all you really are doing is introducing possible infection/possible oxidation of your beer

 

[william_shakes_beer]

Water volume

Everybody looses a different amount of water when they boil. When I was using a 7.5 gallon turkey fryer on the stovetop I'd loose about 1/2-3/4 gallon in an hour boil. Now I have a 15 gallon blichman in a propane banjo burner and boil off just over a gallon in an hour. Boil off will reduce your volume and increase your pre-fermentation gravity. Put 5 gallons of water into your pot, bring it to a boil, boil for an hour and then measure how much you have left. Use that to adjust your water calculations.

The variables in play re boil off are

1. surface area of the pot (the wider the pot the more water you boil off)
2. Vigor of the boil (the more ferocious the boil the more you loose)

 

[william_shakes_beer]

Sparge temp: most likely, the recipe author was attempting to do a "mash out"

In large breweries, after the mash is complete the brewmaster will raise the mash temp to 170F to denature (neutralize) the enzymes and prevent the mash from progressing further, which would altering the wort profile. At the scale we brew we are essentially doing a mashout because we immediately start the boil (often in the same vessel for a bag brew) It helps to know why things are done so, not just follow directions.

 

[jeffreyabr]

Went for it today. Here's an update for @kev211, @nlewarne, @RM-MN, and @william_shakes_beer as well as anybody who sees this in the future or would like to give some input.

I ended up getting this Fat Tire clone from my LHBS, called Slender Spoke, haha.

Heating the water and setting up all of my equipment went just great.

I started with 7.5 gallons of water, expecting to have to sparge some extra water into the mix, and I'm glad I did. I definitely needed the extra water.

The burner I was using had some trouble being low, turning off at a certain point. Eventually I got it as low as possible without blowing out, and that put the water at ~160 F. I know the recipe wanted it a bit cooler, but I figured the grains would cool it down too. Not sure if that is a large issue, but the temperature was pretty much above 160 the entire mashing time.

Mashed in just fine, and other than the temperature being a bit high as I mentioned above, no real problems.

Took the bag out and squeezed as much out of the bag as I could. Poured some sparge water on it to rinse the grains off for whatever extra sugar I could get. I made sure to put the water back to the 7.5 gallon mark since I had some evaporate off since I started.

The boil started okay, but I hit a small snag in the first ten minutes.

I added the Willamete hops at the start of the 60 minute boil. Within the first ten minutes, I heard what I thought was water sputtering and I checked the other side of the kettle where the valve was. I had been keeping an eye on the valve for any leaks, but I realized it was a small boilover because I had left the lid on. I quickly removed the lid and the wort puffed back down, but the hops had been smeared on the lid and the sides of the kettle. The lid picture is probably more accurate of how it really looked initially. I took some extra sparge water that I hadn't used and poured it on the sides of the kettle to tray and work the hops back into the mix. I tossed in maybe three more pellets to make up for what I imagined I'd lost. Was that the right thing to do?

I proceeded with the rest of the boil, adding the hops as needed and got to the chilling.

I'm really glad I got my wort chiller. In only twenty minutes, I was able to have everything cooled down to about 80 degrees and into the fermenter.

When I was filling the fermenter, I noticed I was picking up a bit of trub, but I was aiming to mostly collect from the top. I took a (poor quality) video of some of it coming out of the auto-siphon, and I'm sure it's probably fine, but let me know if I'm picking too much up. The first ~10 seconds are really the only part where you can see the wort coming off the wall of my bucket with the trub and particles included.

When I came down to the last bit in my kettle, I only had about 4 gallons in my fermenter. I wasn't sure whether it would hurt me to siphon the rest into the fermenter, extra trub included, so I opted to leave it just above 4 gallons. I know in my extract batches, you fill the carboy with water to hit your mark, but I wasn't sure it was the same here. What should I have done/will I be okay?

I took my readings with my hydrometer and came up with 6% approximate ABV, 42 Reading Below Meniscus, and 11 Brix.

I pitched the yeast (WLP051) and even though it had been outside with me all day (not fresh out of the fridge) and I had given it a good shake, there was a large clump that came out of the tube and floated around on top for a moment before I sealed up the fermenter. Is that normal?

I brought my bucket down the the basement where it should be nice and cool for the next two weeks.

I have checked on my twin bubble airlock since I out it down there about three hours ago and I see no activity. The top is definitely sealed shut and I noticed it's bulged a little, so if I press it, the airlock does get some air forced through it, but it's the complete opposite of what this guy has going on ([ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFaxJJUHtB8[/ame]). Any recommendations?

 

[RM-MN]

Your beer will be OK but you left too much behind in the pot. I don't even use an autosiphon, I pick up the pot and dump everything in. The yeast will find all the sugars in that trub and convert them to alcohol and CO2. What is left will settle out in the fermenter and get covered by the yeast as it settles out when the ferment it over.

It sounds like you kept the burner going during the mash which kept the temperature at 160. For your next batch, bring the water to about the 160 mark and turn the burner off. Most of the conversion will occur before the mash cools enough to be a problem.

I would have advised you to keep cooling the wort since you have a wort chiller so that you would have pitched the yeast when the temperature was nearer 60 degrees. It takes the yeast longer to get going when the wort is that cool but that also limits the off flavors the yeast can create when they ferment the beer that is too warm. Hopefully the cool basement will chill your beer before the yeast get started very far as their activity adds heat and once they get started it can be difficult to bring the temperature down.

 

[william_shakes_beer]

Burner going out: Was it getting blown out by the wind or do you have one of these turkey fryer safety devices that you have to keep pushing the button? If its the button, there are methods elsewhere on this forum for disabling it. If its getting blown out, you can install a wind screen on your burner.

Mash temp: I usually mash high, aiming for 155. I set my temp alarm to 160 and then turn the burner off and stir in the grains, cover the pot and let it ride for an hour. I rarely need to add more heat unless Its really cold outside, in which case I insulate the pot after flame out with reflectiv insulation wrap and a couple really long and velcro bands. Before you add heat, be sure to stir the mash vessel. The temps stratify fairly quickly, with hot moving to the top and cold moving to the bottom. 155 (high ) gives you a wort with less fermentable sugars and more malt character. Mashing low (145) provides more highly fermentable wort that will ferment out more completely with a higher alcohol content and a thinner, less malty taste. At 170 enzymes are denatured and conversion of starch to sugar is halted.

Dropping to fermenter: I use a sanitized stainless steel sieve to pour the wort from the kettle to the fermenter. (The kind you use to strain pasta) That removes most of the trub and allows me to collect pretty much the entire kettle contents. Drop through the ball valve as much as possible and pick up the kettle to pour the remains through. Also allows me to transfer warmer without risk to melting the autosiphon seals. While nobody does int ( including me) we SHOULD be brewing to SG, not volume. If you add 20% water at the end you're thinning out your beer. Recommend next time to find out where youm lost your gallon and get it back. (did your water calcs account for boiloff? I loose 1 .2 gallons per hour on my system)

Congratulations on your first brew. Try to resist the urge to peek in the bucket every 2 days. When you pop the lid you loose the c02 blanket and risk contamination. The best way to resist is to start planning your next batch!!!

Yeast clump: I would probably have taken a sanitized spoon and broken it up. However, If you shook the fermenter to aerate the wort you probably did the same thing, so no worries. I always do a yeast starter, so I have far more volume of material and its easier to swirl up all the yeast except the re-ranch holdback.

 

[kev211]

Your beer will be OK but you left too much behind in the pot. I don't even use an autosiphon, I pick up the pot and dump everything in. The yeast will find all the sugars in that trub and convert them to alcohol and CO2. What is left will settle out in the fermenter and get covered by the yeast as it settles out when the ferment it over.

It sounds like you kept the burner going during the mash which kept the temperature at 160. For your next batch, bring the water to about the 160 mark and turn the burner off. Most of the conversion will occur before the mash cools enough to be a problem.

I would have advised you to keep cooling the wort since you have a wort chiller so that you would have pitched the yeast when the temperature was nearer 60 degrees. It takes the yeast longer to get going when the wort is that cool but that also limits the off flavors the yeast can create when they ferment the beer that is too warm. Hopefully the cool basement will chill your beer before the yeast get started very far as their activity adds heat and once they get started it can be difficult to bring the temperature down.

I agree with all of this. I never really worry about trub going into my fermenter. they did an exBEERment with the same batch split with trub/no trub and IIRC people couldnt tell the difference or preferred the one with trub. Either way, I wouldnt sweat it, you'll be fine. Next time just dump it all in. I usually cool my wort to about 80 degrees too. Do to the drought we are in I cant justify all the water it takes to cool it that last 20 degrees. But I have a ferm chamber so I usually let it cool the rest of the way in there.

Another note, you mentioned that you had your lid on the kettle. If it was on while you were heating your wort to a boil, thats fine. But once its up to temp, leave that lid off. Otherwise you wont boil off DMS and your beer will taste like corn

Congrats on your first brew! Sounds like at the end of the day (weeks) you will have beer!

 

[jeffreyabr]

First of all, thank you all so much for chiming in. It's immensely comforting having people to consult, and I really appreciate all of the insight.

Your beer will be OK but you left too much behind in the pot. I don't even use an autosiphon, I pick up the pot and dump everything in. The yeast will find all the sugars in that trub and convert them to alcohol and CO2. What is left will settle out in the fermenter and get covered by the yeast as it settles out when the ferment it over.

And pouring straight into the fermenter doesn't oxidize your beer too much? I'd thought adding volatility like pouring would have some negative consequences. I obviously wouldn't slosh it all from one container into the other, but it would be nice to be able to use my valve, for example, to transfer directly into my fermenter bucket.

It sounds like you kept the burner going during the mash which kept the temperature at 160. For your next batch, bring the water to about the 160 mark and turn the burner off. Most of the conversion will occur before the mash cools enough to be a problem.

Yeah, I had it as low as it would go and still managed to get it to 160. My neighbor mentioned getting it to like 140 in the future and killing the heat because it'll probably continue to rise and continue to have enough residual heat to make it through the mash. #FirstTimeLessons.

I would have advised you to keep cooling the wort since you have a wort chiller so that you would have pitched the yeast when the temperature was nearer 60 degrees. It takes the yeast longer to get going when the wort is that cool but that also limits the off flavors the yeast can create when they ferment the beer that is too warm. Hopefully the cool basement will chill your beer before the yeast get started very far as their activity adds heat and once they get started it can be difficult to bring the temperature down.

I got the majority of the body down to ~60, but the top was around 80. I stirred a little, but saw I was picking up trub, so I stopped. In the future, I won't be so strict on trub, and I will wait longer and cool it more. So far so good in the basement. I have one more note on that I'll put at the bottom of this reply.

Burner going out: Was it getting blown out by the wind or do you have one of these turkey fryer safety devices that you have to keep pushing the button? If its the button, there are methods elsewhere on this forum for disabling it. If its getting blown out, you can install a wind screen on your burner.

It was just on so low that I wasn't even getting blue flame, just orange. I don't believe it was extraordinarily windy, and I was brewing between houses, so there should have been good blocking, but it is a turkey fryer stand. It has a 20 minute timer that I was pretty good about resetting (only went off a handful of times, and reigniting was easy) and it does have one of those buttons to press to allow the propane to get to the burner, but only for starting it. Are there better burners that I should consider for this purpose or is a turkey fryer gonna work just as well as something else?

Mash temp: I usually mash high, aiming for 155. I set my temp alarm to 160 and then turn the burner off and stir in the grains, cover the pot and let it ride for an hour. I rarely need to add more heat unless Its really cold outside, in which case I insulate the pot after flame out with reflectiv insulation wrap and a couple really long and velcro bands. Before you add heat, be sure to stir the mash vessel. The temps stratify fairly quickly, with hot moving to the top and cold moving to the bottom. 155 (high ) gives you a wort with less fermentable sugars and more malt character. Mashing low (145) provides more highly fermentable wort that will ferment out more completely with a higher alcohol content and a thinner, less malty taste. At 170 enzymes are denatured and conversion of starch to sugar is halted.

I'm in north NJ, so I should be pretty good, climate-wise for most of the year. I think in the future, I'm going to ramp it up to ~140 and kill the burner so that I can ride out that heat through the mash. The owner of my LHBS said some people make a jacket for the kettle out of Reflectix insulation, but I don't think I need that if I can get a handle on how well my kettle holds the heat.

Dropping to fermenter: I use a sanitized stainless steel sieve to pour the wort from the kettle to the fermenter. (The kind you use to strain pasta) That removes most of the trub and allows me to collect pretty much the entire kettle contents. Drop through the ball valve as much as possible and pick up the kettle to pour the remains through. Also allows me to transfer warmer without risk to melting the autosiphon seals. While nobody does int ( including me) we SHOULD be brewing to SG, not volume. If you add 20% water at the end you're thinning out your beer. Recommend next time to find out where youm lost your gallon and get it back. (did your water calcs account for boiloff? I loose 1 .2 gallons per hour on my system)

I think that's exactly what I'm going to do next time. I won't be so strict on trub, and I'll get some use out of my valve. That sieve is also a good idea, I'll look into that. Glad I didn't add that extra water. I figured that would be the case, about thinning out my beer. I'll also take notes on how much water I lose in the process. I'm pretty sure I also lost ~.25 gallons in the time it took to heat my water to 170.

Congratulations on your first brew. Try to resist the urge to peek in the bucket every 2 days. When you pop the lid you loose the c02 blanket and risk contamination. The best way to resist is to start planning your next batch!!!

Yeast clump: I would probably have taken a sanitized spoon and broken it up. However, If you shook the fermenter to aerate the wort you probably did the same thing, so no worries. I always do a yeast starter, so I have far more volume of material and its easier to swirl up all the yeast except the re-ranch holdback.

Thank you, sir. I think I can manage two weeks without peeking at my presents. I did not shake the fermenter beyond whatever shakes I got in, carrying it from the driveway, up the stairs, inside, and then down the stairs to the basement. I did see a YouTube video where someone recommended that, but I wasn't sure how accurate that was.

I will need some opinions about what to do with my airlock though. I'll write more at the bottom.

I agree with all of this. I never really worry about trub going into my fermenter. they did an exBEERment with the same batch split with trub/no trub and IIRC people couldnt tell the difference or preferred the one with trub. Either way, I wouldnt sweat it, you'll be fine. Next time just dump it all in. I usually cool my wort to about 80 degrees too. Do to the drought we are in I cant justify all the water it takes to cool it that last 20 degrees. But I have a ferm chamber so I usually let it cool the rest of the way in there.

Cool, I'll be less aggressive when trying to keep out the trub. That's good to know, especially early on. I'll also be a bit more patient about letting the wort chiller do its thing. Plenty of water to go around here, although I would like to find a way to capture it or do something with it so I wasn't being so wasteful. There are only so many plants within reach of my current hoses.

Another note, you mentioned that you had your lid on the kettle. If it was on while you were heating your wort to a boil, thats fine. But once its up to temp, leave that lid off. Otherwise you wont boil off DMS and your beer will taste like corn

Yeah, I forgot everything I'd learned about making pasta in college, and I left the lid on in the boil. Definitely should have taken that off, and I know better now. I am under a couple trees though. Any recommendations on what I can put over the top so I don't get any leaves dropping in?

Congrats on your first brew! Sounds like at the end of the day (weeks) you will have beer!

Super huge thanks to you all. I've never really had a hobby before, but I can tell that this is something I thoroughly enjoy. I can name five different things that I know now that I didn't know before and eagerly await putting them into practice. I'm sure that can't be said about everything we do in life, so I know this is something I'm going to appreciate for years to come.

One more thing that I would like some opinions on is my airlock. I am finally getting some activity down there in the basement, but it appears it's blown some of the sanitizer out of one of the chambers in my airlock. Here's a quick video I took when I went downstairs after work today. It looks as though it's forcing some out of the top.

Should I refill it with sanitizer? Will removing it be too much of a risk? I do have a second one, so I could try an Indiana Jones move and switch them really quickly. Or is it fine as is?

 

[kev211]

Yeah, I forgot everything I'd learned about making pasta in college, and I left the lid on in the boil. Definitely should have taken that off, and I know better now. I am under a couple trees though. Any recommendations on what I can put over the top so I don't get any leaves dropping in?

Should I refill it with sanitizer? Will removing it be too much of a risk? I do have a second one, so I could try an Indiana Jones move and switch them really quickly. Or is it fine as is?[/B]

Something like a beach umbrella should work. Or one of those pop up tents if youve got one.

I would look into a blow off tube. Ditch the airlock (IMO). Makes for less of a mess when the airlock gets clogged up and blows everywhere

 

[jeffreyabr]

Something like a beach umbrella should work. Or one of those pop up tents if youve got one.

I would look into a blow off tube. Ditch the airlock (IMO). Makes for less of a mess when the airlock gets clogged up and blows everywhere

I don't think the tubing that I currently have is small enough to fit in the lid of my fermentation bucket. I also have a 3-piece airlock from an old kit. Are those more reliable than the twin-bubble types?

Is there anything I should do in the meantime?

 

[kev211]

I don't think the tubing that I currently have is small enough to fit in the lid of my fermentation bucket. I also have a 3-piece airlock from an old kit. Are those more reliable than the twin-bubble types?

Is there anything I should do in the meantime?

I dont think its that either of them are unreliable. Airlocks just have the potential to get clogged up. But tons of people use them just fine. Having only 4 gallons in this batch should leave you with plenty of headroom to where it shouldnt be an issue

 

[jeffreyabr]

I dont think its that either of them are unreliable. Airlocks just have the potential to get clogged up. But tons of people use them just fine. Having only 4 gallons in this batch should leave you with plenty of headroom to where it shouldnt be an issue

Okay. I'll stick with what I have going until tomorrow. If it looks like much more sanitizer has escaped, I'll set up my other twin-bubble airlock and swap them out just to make sure I have something in there.

If anybody else has any other suggestions, feel free to chime in.

 

[RM-MN]

And pouring straight into the fermenter doesn't oxidize your beer too much? I'd thought adding volatility like pouring would have some negative consequences. I obviously wouldn't slosh it all from one container into the other, but it would be nice to be able to use my valve, for example, to transfer directly into my fermenter bucket.

One more thing that I would like some opinions on is my airlock. I am finally getting some activity down there in the basement, but it appears it's blown some of the sanitizer out of one of the chambers in my airlock. Here's a quick video I took when I went downstairs after work today. It looks as though it's forcing some out of the top.

Should I refill it with sanitizer? Will removing it be too much of a risk? I do have a second one, so I could try an Indiana Jones move and switch them really quickly. Or is it fine as is?

When you first put your wort into the fermenter and pitch the yeast it needs all the oxygen you can get into it as the yeast use that in combination with the wort components to build new yeast cells. Once the fermentation starts though, you don't want to add oxygen except in a very high OG beer where you need even more yeast cells.

Your airlock is fine. As long as it has some liquid in it to make bubbles it is doing its job and during primary fermentation it isn't really necessary at all. Several commercial brewers do an open ferment, no airlock, just an open tub.

 

[jeffreyabr]

When you first put your wort into the fermenter and pitch the yeast it needs all the oxygen you can get into it as the yeast use that in combination with the wort components to build new yeast cells. Once the fermentation starts though, you don't want to add oxygen except in a very high OG beer where you need even more yeast cells.

Your airlock is fine. As long as it has some liquid in it to make bubbles it is doing its job and during primary fermentation it isn't really necessary at all. Several commercial brewers do an open ferment, no airlock, just an open tub.

Gotcha. I'll be sure to give things a shake next time. Another thing I've learned in Round 1.

I checked again this morning and it still looks like I have plenty of liquid in that one chamber, so hopefully it'll be enough. Good to know that isn't the end of the world though.

Much appreciated.

 

[jeffreyabr]

So I stuck the thermometer I bought onto the fermenter bucket yesterday and checked the reading after work. Looks like it's 61 degrees down in the basement.

Is that going to be problematic at all?

 

[kev211]

So I stuck the thermometer I bought onto the fermenter bucket yesterday and checked the reading after work. Looks like it's 61 degrees down in the basement.

Is that going to be problematic at all?

The beer itself? Or ambient air temp? If ambient air temp youre good. If beer temp it's probably a little on the cool side.

Also, keep the dang lid on the fermenter closed! And keep your grubby hands, thermometers, etc out of the bucket . Do you have a ferm temp strip. They're pretty accurate actually and you don't risk infection with them

 

[jeffreyabr]

The beer itself? Or ambient air temp? If ambient air temp youre good. If beer temp it's probably a little on the cool side.

Also, keep the dang lid on the fermenter closed! And keep your grubby hands, thermometers, etc out of the bucket . Do you have a ferm temp strip. They're pretty accurate actually and you don't risk infection with them

You mean I'm not supposed to dip my pinky into the froth on the top to feel the temperature? /s

I haven't cracked the lid once! I bought one of those stick on thermometers that I placed on the outside of the bucket. I imagine they work better on those plastic carboys, but Amazon reviews seemed to suggest readings from fermenter buckets were effective as well. I don't know whether it's giving me a reading of the room or if it's designed to read within the bucket, but it's showing me a hilight around 61 degrees.

 

[kev211]

You mean I'm not supposed to dip my pinky into the froth on the top to feel the temperature? /s

I haven't cracked the lid once! I bought one of those stick on thermometers that I placed on the outside of the bucket. I imagine they work better on those plastic carboys, but Amazon reviews seemed to suggest readings from fermenter buckets were effective as well. I don't know whether it's giving me a reading of the room or if it's designed to read within the bucket, but it's showing me a hilight around 61 degrees.

Dude my bad. I had just finished up a double all nighter at work when I read/wrote that so I was not all there . I saw that you put the thermometer INto the fermenter not ONto it. So my bad haha. Ya those stick on thermometers (which is actually what I was suggesting ) are pretty stinking accurate at measuring the beer temp to within a few degrees. So I would say 61 is probably a little on the cool side but isn't horrible.

 

[RM-MN]

One person experimented with a thermometer in a thermowell and a stick on thermometer. He said they were within one degree. That's close enough for beer.

 

[jeffreyabr]

Dude my bad. I had just finished up a double all nighter at work when I read/wrote that so I was not all there . I saw that you put the thermometer INto the fermenter not ONto it. So my bad haha. Ya those stick on thermometers (which is actually what I was suggesting ) are pretty stinking accurate at measuring the beer temp to within a few degrees. So I would say 61 is probably a little on the cool side but isn't horrible.

Haha, no worries man, I've been there myself. I've got plenty of beer to keep me occupied for two weeks (just got back from Finback) so I can definitely wait to see what I've got.

That's surprising to hear. I honestly expected the bucket to be a thick barrier for a thermometer that thin, but I suppose they're built for that purpose.

This round is all about learning. Is a lower ferm temp something that would cause the yeast to take longer to do their thing? Should I wait a few extra days before I take my first FG reading?

One person experimented with a thermometer in a thermowell and a stick on thermometer. He said they were within one degree. That's close enough for beer.

That's definitely good to know. I thought I went the cheap route with that $6 stick on one, but it had solid Amazon reviews. I'm gonna place a layer of clear packing tape on top of it before I wash the fermenter so it's largely water resistant. Hopefully it lasts me a few brews.

 

[kev211]

Haha, no worries man, I've been there myself. I've got plenty of beer to keep me occupied for two weeks (just got back from Finback) so I can definitely wait to see what I've got.

That's surprising to hear. I honestly expected the bucket to be a thick barrier for a thermometer that thin, but I suppose they're built for that purpose.

This round is all about learning. Is a lower ferm temp something that would cause the yeast to take longer to do their thing? Should I wait a few extra days before I take my first FG reading?

It could take a little longer. What yeast did you use? I would definitely suggest moving it upstairs/to a warmer location the second you notice that vigorous fermentation has subsided. Get a good diacetyl rest going. At the end of the day, 61 is a little cool for the yeast but it won't kill them it could produce some off flavors depending on the yeast but won't ruin your beer. IMO it's better to ferment slightly too cool than slightly too warm

 

[jeffreyabr]

It could take a little longer. What yeast did you use? I would definitely suggest moving it upstairs/to a warmer location the second you notice that vigorous fermentation has subsided. Get a good diacetyl rest going. At the end of the day, 61 is a little cool for the yeast but it won't kill them it could produce some off flavors depending on the yeast but won't ruin your beer. IMO it's better to ferment slightly too cool than slightly too warm

I used WLP051 California Ale V Yeast. Here's the full recipe too. I see on this page that optimum Ferm temp is 66°F-70°F, so I guess I am a bit low.

I think in the next rendition, I would keep my bucket upstairs on the first floor of our house so it'll be more room temperature. I took someone's assertion that the fermentation was an exothermic reaction to mean the thing would put off a degree or two of its own, so I was better off in the cooler basement, but I honestly had no idea the basement was almost 60°F.

 

[RM-MN]

I used WLP051 California Ale V Yeast. Here's the full recipe too. I see on this page that optimum Ferm temp is 66°F-70°F, so I guess I am a bit low.

I think in the next rendition, I would keep my bucket upstairs on the first floor of our house so it'll be more room temperature. I took someone's assertion that the fermentation was an exothermic reaction to mean the thing would put off a degree or two of its own, so I was better off in the cooler basement, but I honestly had no idea the basement was almost 60°F.

I always want to err to the low side. Low temperature ferments slower and may not finish unless you warm the beer at the end. Too high of starting temps get the ferment going strong and since that is exothermic, it will raise the temperature some more and then the yeast get more energetic and that raises the temperature and the yeast create fusel alcohol. Once you have the fusel alcohol, you always have it although it will mellow a bit with time.

When I start my ferment at 62 ambient, the activity of the yeast I use will bring the beer temp up to 64. If I started at 70, the extra activity would likely push the temp to 75 or higher, too high for my liking.

 

[kev211]

I used WLP051 California Ale V Yeast. Here's the full recipe too. I see on this page that optimum Ferm temp is 66°F-70°F, so I guess I am a bit low.

I think in the next rendition, I would keep my bucket upstairs on the first floor of our house so it'll be more room temperature. I took someone's assertion that the fermentation was an exothermic reaction to mean the thing would put off a degree or two of its own, so I was better off in the cooler basement, but I honestly had no idea the basement was almost 60°F.

If you do move it upstairs you can always try the swamp cooler method of temperature controlling the beer. Cheap and effective

 

[jeffreyabr]

I always want to err to the low side. Low temperature ferments slower and may not finish unless you warm the beer at the end. Too high of starting temps get the ferment going strong and since that is exothermic, it will raise the temperature some more and then the yeast get more energetic and that raises the temperature and the yeast create fusel alcohol. Once you have the fusel alcohol, you always have it although it will mellow a bit with time.

When I start my ferment at 62 ambient, the activity of the yeast I use will bring the beer temp up to 64. If I started at 70, the extra activity would likely push the temp to 75 or higher, too high for my liking.

Good to know that's the side effect of the temperature differences and how to avoid accumulation of fusel alchohol.

If you do move it upstairs you can always try the swamp cooler method of temperature controlling the beer. Cheap and effective

I'll check the temperature to be sure, but I'd like to imagine the landing on the steps down to the basement might be slightly cooler than the rest of the house without being as frigid as the open basement. If I can find that happy medium (64 degrees or so), I will be pretty satisfied.

 

[jeffreyabr]

When I start my ferment at 62 ambient, the activity of the yeast I use will bring the beer temp up to 64. If I started at 70, the extra activity would likely push the temp to 75 or higher, too high for my liking.

Put the fermenter bucket on the landing to the basement before I left for work today. Came home to the 64°F mark lit up on the thermometer strip, so it looks like I found my spot. It'll get another week there before I take my first FG reading, so hopefully it gets something out of it. Another lesson learned for the next round.

 

[RM-MN]

Put the fermenter bucket on the landing to the basement before I left for work today. Came home to the 64°F mark lit up on the thermometer strip, so it looks like I found my spot. It'll get another week there before I take my first FG reading, so hopefully it gets something out of it. Another lesson learned for the next round.

The yeast you use makes a difference in the temperature you can use for fermenting. I find that Nottingham works well down to the mid 50's while a Belle Saison would like much higher, perhaps rising to the mid 80's. You should look up the yeast's preferred range and in general, ferment toward the lower end of that for a clean ferment.

 

[jeffreyabr]

The yeast you use makes a difference in the temperature you can use for fermenting. I find that Nottingham works well down to the mid 50's while a Belle Saison would like much higher, perhaps rising to the mid 80's. You should look up the yeast's preferred range and in general, ferment toward the lower end of that for a clean ferment.

That's gonna go by recipe too though, right? I've got a fermwrap in my Amazon Wishlist for those that require a higher temp.

I've learned a great deal about my house in just a week alone. Next time, I'm definitely keeping the fermenter on the ground part of my house for a steady temperature of 66-67 to assist with fermentation.

My father thought the basement was 55, so even that was a surprise to learn.

When I get to a recipe that wants that ferm temp that's higher than room temp, is a ferm wrap something to look at or is there a better thing? And for cooling?

 

[kev211]

That's gonna go by recipe too though, right? I've got a fermwrap in my Amazon Wishlist for those that require a higher temp.

I've learned a great deal about my house in just a week alone. Next time, I'm definitely keeping the fermenter on the ground part of my house for a steady temperature of 66-67 to assist with fermentation.

My father thought the basement was 55, so even that was a surprise to learn.

When I get to a recipe that wants that ferm temp that's higher than room temp, is a ferm wrap something to look at or is there a better thing? And for cooling?

Not really. Fermentation temps are based on the yeast used. Now, different temps can affect flavors produced by the yeast.

Keep in mind, the basement is probably cooler than the beer. Fermentation is exothermic which means that it produces heat. So the reading on your ferm strip can be a few degrees higher than the ambient temp. If your strip reads 61 then the ambient air temp could be 56/57 degrees.

Fermwrap is great for heating, yes. For cooling, you can go on the "budget" side and do a swamp cooler (basically setting the fermenter in a tub of water and letting the water keep it cool). Or if you want to dial it in a little more you can use a temperature controlled fridge or freezer

 

[jeffreyabr]

Not really. Fermentation temps are based on the yeast used. Now, different temps can affect flavors produced by the yeast.

Keep in mind, the basement is probably cooler than the beer. Fermentation is exothermic which means that it produces heat. So the reading on your ferm strip can be a few degrees higher than the ambient temp. If your strip reads 61 then the ambient air temp could be 56/57 degrees.

Fermwrap is great for heating, yes. For cooling, you can go on the "budget" side and do a swamp cooler (basically setting the fermenter in a tub of water and letting the water keep it cool). Or if you want to dial it in a little more you can use a temperature controlled fridge or freezer

Hmm, didn't think it was that cold down there/that the fermentation reaction gave off that much heat. Good to know. Hopefully the WLP051 having spent its time at an average temperature of 62.5 degrees isn't too detrimental to the fermentation. I know the optimum temp was 66-70 degrees...

I'll keep that Fermwrap in my Wish List. The swamp cooler is definitely a viable option. Got some bins we use for ice and drinks when we have people over that the bucket would be fine in with some water and a towel.

I'll get my first FG reading in a few days. Looking forward to it.

I have a package of 5oz of priming sugar (this is exactly what mine looks like, Brewer's Best and all) for bottling. Since I only have ~4.25 gallons in the fermenter, how much sugar am I going to want to use in my mixture? The LHBS said for this recipe they use 4oz, so I imagine I'll want even less?

 

[kev211]

Hmm, didn't think it was that cold down there/that the fermentation reaction gave off that much heat. Good to know. Hopefully the WLP051 having spent its time at an average temperature of 62.5 degrees isn't too detrimental to the fermentation. I know the optimum temp was 66-70 degrees...

I'll keep that Fermwrap in my Wish List. The swamp cooler is definitely a viable option. Got some bins we use for ice and drinks when we have people over that the bucket would be fine in with some water and a towel.

I'll get my first FG reading in a few days. Looking forward to it.

I have a package of 5oz of priming sugar (this is exactly what mine looks like, Brewer's Best and all) for bottling. Since I only have ~4.25 gallons in the fermenter, how much sugar am I going to want to use in my mixture? The LHBS said for this recipe they use 4oz, so I imagine I'll want even less?

http://www.northernbrewer.com/priming-sugar-calculator/

Use this priming sugar calculator. The current temperature field that you have to enter should be the highest temperature the beer reached during fermentation

 

[william_shakes_beer]

Also, keep in mind if your basement has a concrete floor, that acts as a huge heat sink, absorbing heat and cooling the bucket. If you want to push the yeast to a higher temp, try placing the fermenter on a couple 2x4s.