Beginning questions

[jimba009]

hello everybody! I just started brewing last week so this is still an anxious time. I brewed my first batch on the 23rd of last month using the "Home Brewers Bible" suggested first recipe. My LHBS did not have cascade hops so i used 1 oz haaz and 1 oz glaciar, 6.6 #'s amber malt extract and london ale yeast. Everything seems to be going ok, but the head has regressed into nothing and never got much over 1.5" in height, is this normal?. It is still in the primary (6 gallon glass carboy) and not much activity in the air lock. OG of 1.046, is it time to move to secondary? Thanks for the help.

 

[BigKahuna]

Welcome!
Yes it's normal.
I recommend that you just give it a total of 14 days in primary and then rack to your bottling bucket and bottle from there.
The yeast really does a nice job of "Cleaning Up" after themselves if you give them an opportunity, and the reduced exposure from moving from primary to secondary really decreases your chances for oxygenation of the finished beer.

 

[Slappy White]

You have to take a hydrometer reading to make sure that your beer has hit the FG before moving to a secondary. There is also nothing wrong with leaving your beer in the primary well after it has hit the FG...its your call tho...

 

[Slappy White]

Also your FG should be right around 1.013.

 

[jimba009]

thanks! I have read about some warnings not to use sugar with your malt, dry malt extract should be used instead. Does this refer to the priming sugars or the boiling stages? If it is the boiling stages is that for more advanced styles?

 

[TheJadedDog]

I have read about some warnings not to use sugar with your malt, dry malt extract should be used instead. Does this refer to the priming sugars or the boiling stages? If it is the boiling stages is that for more advanced styles?

Pretty sure they are talking about using sugar as part of your fermentables. It is perfectly acceptable to use corn sugar for priming when bottling.

Also +1 on leaving your beer at least 14 days, then taking hydrometer reading to ensure that it really is done. Remember that airlock activity is not an accurate indicator of fermentation.

 

[jimba009]

ahh yes. bottled the first batch yesterday with the help of my neighbors. the two weeks was well worth the wait, a nice clear amber color with a fg of 1.012. can't wait to try it this weekend...

 

[Slappy White]

let us know how tastes. Congrats on bottling your first batch

 

[monty3777]

ahh yes. bottled the first batch yesterday with the help of my neighbors. the two weeks was well worth the wait, a nice clear amber color with a fg of 1.012. can't wait to try it this weekend...

O.K., I am totally new at all this so take this FWIW, but isn't a week in bottles a bit too soon to start drinking? Revvy posted a youtube vid where a guy showed week by week the carbonation process and it took something like 3 weeks in the bottle to get a really carbonated beer. Anyone else want to chime in?

 

[tom777]

Yes, you are correct, 3 weeks @ 70 degrees F is a good guideline for carbonation. Nothing wrong with sneaking a sample every week to see how it's progressing though.

 

[AndrwHock]

sneaking one or two before three weeks are up isn't the worst thing that could happen. I just had a bottle of my IPA last night that was in the bottle for 2 weeks, and it was prety tasty, a bit spicy, needs to mellow, but still pretty tasty. You can learn a lot about how a beer ages by tasting a couple during the process. My IPA still needs 2-3 weeks more to mellow to reach its full potential.

 

[TheJadedDog]

I often sample one each week to see how the flavor changes and to determine when it is carbed and ready to be put in the fridge and shared with friends.

 

[jimba009]

i would like to taste how the beer matures since this is my first batch. i took a big swig of what i took my final gravity reading of, pretty tasty. my cousin also brews and she was telling me that head space is very important, leave about an inch. she had a batch that she filled closer to the top and it did not carbonate at all. i filled the bottles all of the way up and when i removed the stem there was about an inch of space so i just went with that. any advice on the head space in the bottle?

 

[Bob]

That's the perfect fill! Change nothing!

Those bottling wands are designed to displace the appropriate amount of beer in a 12oz bottle to leave the perfect headspace. But that only works for 12oz bottles, dunnit? So what to do with other kinds of bottles?

A good rule of thumb is to fill to a point halfway between the shoulder and the mouth of the bottle. That rule has worked for me for all bottles, from 12oz to swingtops to 22oz.

Good luck and have fun!

Bob

 

[Homercidal]

Who can resist drinking samples after one week! Especially if there is no other homebrew in the house

 

[jimba009]

so i went to my local hbs yesterday, completely out of hops. i find this out after crushing the grain for the easy wit recipe, will they be ok for a few days until i can order hops? i am thinking i will order a few types for future use to save on shipping, could you peoples suggest some easy recipes? i enjoy schmitwics and bass if that helps.

 

[jimba009]

ah yes. tried the first brew from the first batch. it was already carbonated and had great head retention. my hand was shaking when i was poring it i was so worried about turning out like krap. thanks for all of the suggestions and help.

 

[jimba009]

one more quick noob question, if i am using American Caramel 80°L in an extract recipe do i need to steep it or can i just put it in when i add my extracts? that is the only "grain" in my recipe if that helps.

 

[MCH]

one more quick noob question, if i am using American Caramel 80°L in an extract recipe do i need to steep it or can i just put it in when i add my extracts? that is the only "grain" in my recipe if that helps.

You'll need to steep them. Temps of over 170 degrees will release unwanted tannins. Not a flavor you'll be expecting, I'm sure.

I usually do 30-45 minutes at 160. I stick the grains in a nylon bag and throw them in the water. Turn on the heat and wait until the water hits 160. I then remove them from the heat and let them steep. I keep an eye just to make sure that the heat doesn't get too low, but it normally doesn't.

 

[jimba009]

it is for an irish red recipe, i think it is mostly for color and a little flavor. there is only 1lb of it called for.

 

[MCH]

it is for an irish red recipe, i think it is mostly for color and a little flavor. there is only 1lb of it called for.

From what I've read on here, jim, you never want to boil grains. There might be instances that I'm unaware of where its appropriate, but I beleive in your case, you need to steep them.

 

[JoMarky]

Do what MCH said in post # 19. Definitely do not boil.

 

[jimba009]

I just saw a warning about dogs consuming hops, they can be fatal. holy crap, did not know the little guys could harm.

 

[jimba009]

i have a wit fermenting right now and there seems to be a whitish residue on the "veins" of the carboy. is this infection or just the yeast hanging out? any info would be appreciated.

 

[jimba009]

here is a pic of the carboy i am talking about(the one on the left)

Free Digital Photo Storage and Sharing - Nikon my Picturetown

 

[DutchK9]

here is a pic of the carboy i am talking about(the one on the left)

Free Digital Photo Storage and Sharing - Nikon my Picturetown

I couldn't see your picture without signing up, and I didn't want to do that. Sounds like the yeast from what you wrote. My pilisner yeast clung to the walls of the primary as well. If you do a search on this forum, you can see pictures of what a real infection looks like.

 

[jimba009]

right on, i appreciate the help. i wouldn't sign up for it either, it was the only way (i think) to show a pic right now...

 

[jimba009]

anybody ever sanitize copper with starsan or iodine?

 

[BOBTHEukBREWER]

Taste a bottle after 7 days, after 14 days, after 21 days and you tell us!

 

[Throckmorton]

anybody ever sanitize copper with starsan or iodine?

What do you need to sanitize that is made out of copper? If it is a pot (which I doubt) there is no need to sanitize if you are using it for the boil. If it is a copper coiled immersion chiller, you just need to make sure it is clean and put it in the boil for the last 10 mintues.