Batch #1 - Complete - Pics and my experience

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sappnasty

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Fellas,

I joined here on New Years Day in hopes that I could use this forum and other's experiences to guide me through. Well today was my very first batch ever with real equipment. Up to this point I had made several Mr. Beer batches, but holy crap there is absolutely no comparison at all between the two. I figured I would start my first batch with an easier kit, so I decided to use the kit that came with my home brewery kit from Williams. The kit is their K35 Triple Hopped Ale. I started by smacking the Wyeast "American II" pack last night before I went to bed and when I checked it this morning, it was nice and swollen which was a huge relief.

So the first thing I did was clean everything with mild soap and hot water. After making sure everything was clean, I laid out everything from the kit and got everything where I figured I would need it once I got started. I then took a clean 55 gallon Rubbermaid (one of the long rectangular ones) and filled it about half way with really hot water. I then added the recommended amount of One Step and simply threw everything into the container that needed to be sanitized (yes I know, I will be getting Star San before next batch). I left everything in the tub for over 20 minutes including my carboy. It actually worked quite well with the carboy as I simply laid it on its side, filled it about half way with water and spun it.

While everything was sanitizing, I got the water together (6 Gallons of Crystal Geyser Natural Spring Water), the burner, my kettle (10 gallon) and all of my ingredients...including soaking the 8lbs of included LME with hot water to loosen it up. I then started the boil (all 6 gallons) and it took a bit for me to figure out how hot the flame needed to be to get a good rolling boil. Once it began boiling, I added the LME stirring vigorously to try and be careful not to scorch any to the bottom (which I did, but will explain in a bit). I added all three included hop pellets at the suggested intervals (5 min, 30 min, 55 min) and continued boiling until the 60 minute mark.

Then I began cooling it with my wort chiller which took just about an hour to get it down to 70 degrees. After that, I opened the ball valve on my kettle (with attached hose and adapter of course) and let a little flow into my Hydrometer tube. I then took my first measurement of 1.055. The package said it should be 1.050, so I hope that little amount is good to go. After taking my measurement, I began letting it flow into the carboy.

In addition to the Kettle Screen in my kettle, I also used a ss screen at the mouth of the carboy to filter out anything the kettle screen may have missed from inside the kettle. Well, this is when I got a little worried, because I followed John Palmer's recommendation to let it kind of splash and slosh around to aerate. Well this created a good bit of foam and about the time it got near the top, I failed to notice that the ss screen I was using got clogged and the foam overflowed out of the carboy and onto my floor...no biggie, but a sticky mess! I just proceeded a little slower until I had all of the beer looking liquid out of the kettle leaving behind the nasty trub. It ended up right at 5 gallons, so hooray for staring with 6!

I let the wort sit in the carboy for a bit to let the foam subside which it eventually did and at this point (70 degrees f) I opened my Wyeast activator pack and poured it in making sure I got everything I could out. Boy that yeast smells nasty! But the wort smelled delicious. I then added the stopper and 3 piece airlock. I did not have Vodka and wasn't sure if clear Tequila would work, so I just used some water in the airlock. I then hauled the carboy full of my delicious looking AND smelling brew into my manroom closet where it is super dark and stays at about 68-70 degrees every day. After moving it, I crafted a towel into a cover and covered the entire carboy (except the neck and airlock).

After finishing everything, I did no procrastinate and immediately cleaned everything and put it away for my next brew. So I have to say, although the process was easier than I thought it definitely took the better part of my day and had my house smelling like raw marijuana! (hops I'm guessing?). I opened the windows which pleased the wife and all was good with the world. I feel pretty accomplished and feel pretty good about this batch. I will say that the smell of this batch was very comparable to Sierra Neveda Brutal Rye beer and tasted a lot like Sierra Nevada Torpedo when I took a sip out of the hydrometer tube.

Now on to some mistakes I made and some questions I have. First. When I poured in the LME, I did not cut the heat which caused a very very small amount to burn at the bottom. I stirred as well as I could and go figure, the areas that burned were right under the kettle screen where my spoon couldn't reach. It didn't smell bad and I did not detect any burnt smell either. Hopefully because it was such a small amount, it will be alright. So I am guessing to cut the heat off when I first add the LME?

Second. Should I have poured slower into the carboy to prevent foam or is that a usual thing? It was pretty darn foamy, but eventually almost completed subsided.

Third. Sanitizing sucks! But I had to use One Step because it was all I had. I will be buying Star San this weekend and using that from now on. From what I have read, a lot of you fellas use it and swear by it...So I trust ya.

Fourth. I will be letting it ferment all lonely and in the dark for 3 weeks. Do I need to take more measurements, or just wait the three weeks and then check?

Fifth: Now that my first bath is done, I was planning on starting another batch next week. How often do you fellas brew batches? I would like to keep a constant supply in the fridge as well as some to set back and get sweeter with time.

All in all, it was a gratifying experience and I am seriously hooked. I have 3 brew store within 30-60 miles from my house and they all have fresh grains. I plan on moving into all grain after a few batches...yeah I am a jump in head first kind of guy. I have learned a TON in just the few days I have been reading posts here in addition to the How to Brew book I got by John Palmer. I feel like I am ready to tackle the world! Now here are some picks of a total rookie beeotch...enjoy my doofyness!

-Sapp



two hours later:




Getting the chiller to the right height














Almost there!








 
Congrats! Looks like you'll have some tasty brew to drink soon.

Sounds like you had all planned out pretty well. Definite yes on the Star-San. That stuff is wonderful.

As far as your LME addition, I think it is okay to add part up front and part toward the end of the boil. I did it just like you did when I did extracts but have since read that it's a better idea to wait. Hopefully somebody else will chime in with more knowledge about that.

One word of caution, hope you had some good ventilation going with that burner which looked to be inside your house. They put off carbon monoxide and that can kill ya. Best to just do it outside if possible.

Congrats again! Welcome to a great hobby .
 
The burner inside worried me too. Do you have a temp strip on your carboy to see what the fermentation temp is ? Controlling the temp is going to be key in the future. What i do with extract is pre mix some of it then add to the pot. Add a little less than half at the start then the rest at flame out. This is called "late addition extract". Helps prevent the scorching, also i would turn the flame off before you put any in.
 
Definitely! I know that it can be dangerous to do inside, but I opened all of the windows in the house for good ventilation. I was planning on doing it on the back screened in porch, but I am from Florida and it was like 48 degrees today...too cold for me! Plus the wind was blowing really hard and I didn't want to let any dust or anything blow into the kettle. It was fun and I can't wait to see how bad I boned it up! lol

-Sapp
 
How bad is your water ? I noticed empty water bottles on the table. Beer used to be made by cave men i doubt you boned anything up. I rigged up a filter setup i use for my water that works really well. Beats having to buy bottled.

 
Water is not bad where I live, just a little chlorine taste. I figured I'd just spend the $7 on clean water than worrying about my first batch being a complete and utter failure, resulting in a satan's b-hole taste...lol

-Sapp
 
How bad is your water ? I noticed empty water bottles on the table. Beer used to be made by cave men i doubt you boned anything up. I rigged up a filter setup i use for my water that works really well. Beats having to buy bottled.


Hey Bx, how did you hook that filter up to your sink? I have a 2-stage whole house filter that I hook up to my outside spigot, but since it's below zero right now, I can't use it outside.
 
Below Zero!? No thanks...it was 86 here on Christmas Day...although sometimes I hate Florida, sometimes the weather is better.

-Sapp
 
Awesome.......I got the same kit from William,s for Christmas too (American IPA) and did my first patch too. I have the buckets instead of car boys though.

Only thing I need is a propane burner.............
 
Sounds like you had a successful day.

1. Star San - yes
2. Same as poster above on LME. One word of caution. Once the water beginning to boil, you have a chance for a hot break which could cause water and sweet liquid flowing all over the floor. I used to boil the water then turn the propane off. Then I would add the LME/DME and stir to dissolve. This would help from flowing over the kettle. Once dissolved, one would turn the flame back on.

Also, as previous poster mentioned you may want to get a temp strip for the side of the carboy so you can monitor the temp. Keep in mind when the yeast starts its duty, the temp inside the carboy will rise.
 
Hey Bx, how did you hook that filter up to your sink? I have a 2-stage whole house filter that I hook up to my outside spigot, but since it's below zero right now, I can't use it outside.

Just a simple garden hose adaptor. Sorry for the bathroom pics. Its our spare bathroom that i use as a water source and shower stall for cleaning equipment.

 
How bad is your water ? I noticed empty water bottles on the table. Beer used to be made by cave men i doubt you boned anything up. I rigged up a filter setup i use for my water that works really well. Beats having to buy bottled.


is your water coming from the toilet? :)
 
Awesome.......I got the same kit from William,s for Christmas too (American IPA) and did my first patch too. I have the buckets instead of car boys though.

Only thing I need is a propane burner.............

Visalia,

I bought the carboys and a bunch of other equipment before my wife got me the kit for Christmas. I know it is totally personal preference, but I had to have glass. It guess its the same way I feel about drinking beer out of glass or plastic bottles...or Coca-Cola. To me glass is always better. Did you do you first batch today? If so did you take pics?

And thanks everyone else for the suggestions...next time I will follow your advice and add half LME after turning off the burner and then add the last half at the end. I will also get me a thermometer strip tomorrow. After all I am going to the best German Restaurant in Florida and right next door IS....You guessed it! A freaking awesome brewing store! yay! And by the way. has anyone had Schofferhofer Grapfruit beer? I had my first one the other morning and omg was it good!

-Sapp
 
How bad is your water ? I noticed empty water bottles on the table. Beer used to be made by cave men i doubt you boned anything up. I rigged up a filter setup i use for my water that works really well. Beats having to buy bottled.


Here's what I've done on most, if not all my beers:

Force Carbonation:

  1. Set keg on it’s side, with Co2 still hooked up to 20 lbs and the Co2 valve open into the keg.
  2. Rock the keg back and forth with the Co2 inlet on the bottom, for 7-8 minutes. (Rock for 20 seconds, rest for 5 seconds, rock for 20 seconds, etc.)
  3. Now stand the keg upright, lower the pressure to 10-12 psi, and shake for about 30 seconds more.
  4. Pull the pressure relief valve to release any excess pressure.
  5. Hook up the fill hose, and dispense some into a glass to sample!
 
Here's what I've done on most, if not all my beers:

Force Carbonation:

  1. Set keg on it’s side, with Co2 still hooked up to 20 lbs and the Co2 valve open into the keg.
  2. Rock the keg back and forth with the Co2 inlet on the bottom, for 7-8 minutes. (Rock for 20 seconds, rest for 5 seconds, rock for 20 seconds, etc.)
  3. Now stand the keg upright, lower the pressure to 10-12 psi, and shake for about 30 seconds more.
  4. Pull the pressure relief valve to release any excess pressure.

Hook up the fill hose, and dispense some into a glass to sample!
 
Visalia,



And by the way. has anyone had Schofferhofer Grapfruit beer? I had my first one the other morning and omg was it good!



-Sapp


My daughter had it recently at Epcot and asked me to make her some...so what does a dad do? I threw together a recipe and it is the secondary now...can't wait to taste...going in the keg tomorrow.
 
X2 on the propane inside thing No one wants to lose you over 5 gallons of beer.

That and your kitchen is too damn clean. Get a couple of dogs or a few kids or something to fix that and yer good :)
 
soccerdad:

I have 3 kids and one on the way...I just cleaned prior to the pic ;) No pets though thank god. My kids would eat them if I did lol

loucurr:

I am 30 miles north of Daytona Beach in Palm Coast.

-Sapp
 
X2 on the propane inside thing No one wants to lose you over 5 gallons of beer.

That and your kitchen is too damn clean. Get a couple of dogs or a few kids or something to fix that and yer good :)
 
Congratulations on your first brew day! I too am new to the hobby with only three batches under my belt, but, have a couple of suggestions that the veterans can speak too if I'm wrong.
1. CO is a dangerous colorless and odorless gas that kills many every year. If you must brew inside buy a non-slip matt for under your burner. Spilled liquid, moisture could equal a slip into it resulting in severe burns and one hell of a mess..SWMBO will not be happy!
2. Again if inside, good job on ventilation but get a CO monitor or a couple to have in the general area because on a calm day CO will build up and slowly get into you and whomever is around systems.
3. Airlock, I know I'm paranoid about bugs/nasty’s getting into my beer so get some 100 proof alcohol in the airlock...some bugs/nasty’s can swim through water and get into your precious payload!
Stay safe and enjoy the new hobby! :mug:
 
An hour of chilling seems excessive. Did you stir the wort around your chiller?

If you are filling a 55 gallon tub half full to sanitize, that will become expensive for sanitizer.

Before you look into all grain brewing, I would look into controlling your fermentation temp. 68-70 ambient temp is probably too warm for most ales. The fermentation will probably raise that temp to over 75. This can cause hot alcohol flavors and higher levels of esters. Your beer will be definitely drinkable but this would be one of the biggest variables you can control to improve your beer.

You can get campden tablets to eliminate your chorine and use the tap water for extract beers. Will save you $7.

Thought I'd give my two cents, congratulate and welcome you. Cheers!
 
loucurr:



I am 30 miles north of Daytona Beach in Palm Coast.



-Sapp


Too bad...we have a good homebrew club down here in Lakeland.

The hour cool down is some concern but knowing FL water, it takes time and that is why I use a pond pump submerged in ice water to cool the wort quicker and get a good cold break.
 
Before you look into all grain brewing, I would look into controlling your fermentation temp. 68-70 ambient temp is probably too warm for most ales. The fermentation will probably raise that temp to over 75. This can cause hot alcohol flavors and higher levels of esters. Your beer will be definitely drinkable but this would be one of the biggest variables you can control to improve your beer.

You can get campden tablets to eliminate your chorine and use the tap water for extract beers. Will save you $7.

Thought I'd give my two cents, congratulate and welcome you. Cheers!


I ferment in my pantry which stays a relative constant 72...no problems with most ales and have had some good completion scores...no winners yet...hmmmmm.

As far as the water....Walmart @ .37 cents a gallon on there refill machine and it is carbon filtered. That is what I used to do until I bought an RV water filter.
 
Just a simple garden hose adaptor. Sorry for the bathroom pics. Its our spare bathroom that i use as a water source and shower stall for cleaning equipment.


thanks. I may have to go to Home Depot tomorrow, see if I can find an enlarging adapter for my sink.
 
Visalia,

I bought the carboys and a bunch of other equipment before my wife got me the kit for Christmas. I know it is totally personal preference, but I had to have glass. It guess its the same way I feel about drinking beer out of glass or plastic bottles...or Coca-Cola. To me glass is always better. Did you do you first batch today? If so did you take pics?

And thanks everyone else for the suggestions...next time I will follow your advice and add half LME after turning off the burner and then add the last half at the end. I will also get me a thermometer strip tomorrow. After all I am going to the best German Restaurant in Florida and right next door IS....You guessed it! A freaking awesome brewing store! yay! And by the way. has anyone had Schofferhofer Grapfruit beer? I had my first one the other morning and omg was it good!

-Sapp

Cool......I don't really have a preference but I'll admit glass looks cooler. I took a couple of photos.....I bet them on another thread and also posted a time lapse of the fermentation.........
 
Took a quick peek today and the airlock is bubbling like a mofo! I am super excited! I know its nothing to you veteran brewers, but I could watch it for hours! I am getting a good steady bubble every 5-10 seconds. 3 weeks is going to be forever!

-Sapp
 
My daughter had it recently at Epcot and asked me to make her some...so what does a dad do? I threw together a recipe and it is the secondary now...can't wait to taste...going in the keg tomorrow.


Well...after some forced carbing we tasted the beer today and she said almost spot on!
 
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