I just started my 4th batch ever. It's a Black IPA from Northern Brewer. I'm going to share some experiences and ask a couple of questions.
I used a yeast starter with liquid Wyeast. I started it 3 days before pitching. I think it worked out well because the fermenter is bubbling nicely 2 days in.
The recipe says to add 6 lbs of the LME at minute 45 of a 60 minute boil. After adding all this the pot wasn't boiling any more because naturally it was cooled down. This was also when I put in the wort chiller. I wanted to make sure that the chiller and the added ingredients were suitably heated so I added 4 or 5 more minutes to the overall boiling time.
What's people's experience with adding volume late in the boil?
I used an aerator. I am pretty disappointed with it because the aeration tube with the stone on the end tends to float up and curl up and I have a really hard time getting the stone near the bottom. Plus the wort is dark and the foam on top makes it impossible to tell whether the stone is near the bottom. Next time I think I'll try sticking a thin metal rod in the tube (I'll sanitize it) so that it is rigid and I can keep it near the bottom.
How do others handle the aeration system?
At the end of the boil the recipe calls for 1lb of corn sugar. This is in addition to the 3.15 lbs of malt syrup at the start and 6 lbs at 45 mins. That seams like a lot of sugar for a target OG of 1.075. My hydrometer read 1.073. How accurate do you think the hydrometers that come with beginner's kits are?
I kind of feel like using corn sugar is cheating. Can you assuage my guilt?
Feedback welcome. Thanks for indulging me.
I used a yeast starter with liquid Wyeast. I started it 3 days before pitching. I think it worked out well because the fermenter is bubbling nicely 2 days in.
The recipe says to add 6 lbs of the LME at minute 45 of a 60 minute boil. After adding all this the pot wasn't boiling any more because naturally it was cooled down. This was also when I put in the wort chiller. I wanted to make sure that the chiller and the added ingredients were suitably heated so I added 4 or 5 more minutes to the overall boiling time.
What's people's experience with adding volume late in the boil?
I used an aerator. I am pretty disappointed with it because the aeration tube with the stone on the end tends to float up and curl up and I have a really hard time getting the stone near the bottom. Plus the wort is dark and the foam on top makes it impossible to tell whether the stone is near the bottom. Next time I think I'll try sticking a thin metal rod in the tube (I'll sanitize it) so that it is rigid and I can keep it near the bottom.
How do others handle the aeration system?
At the end of the boil the recipe calls for 1lb of corn sugar. This is in addition to the 3.15 lbs of malt syrup at the start and 6 lbs at 45 mins. That seams like a lot of sugar for a target OG of 1.075. My hydrometer read 1.073. How accurate do you think the hydrometers that come with beginner's kits are?
I kind of feel like using corn sugar is cheating. Can you assuage my guilt?
Feedback welcome. Thanks for indulging me.