Brewed my First Batch; Did some things wrong; How bad is it?

[tragic8ball]

My girlfriend and I decided to brew our first batch using the Cincinnati Pale Ale recipe from the "Crash Course" from John Palmer's "How to Brew" site. After comparing this recipe with the detailed instructions on the SAME SITE, as well as the actual 3rd Edition book, she and I have some questions:

For reference, here is the "Crash Course" chapter from the 1st Edition (available free on HowToBrew.com):

http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter1-1.html​

Here is the "Boiling and Cooling" chapter"

http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter7.html​

Here we go:

1. The "Crash Course" recipe differs from the detail recipe on the SAME SITE. "Crash Course" says boil 2 gallons of water and put it in the fermentor. Then boil 3 gallons for your wort.

"Boiling and Cooling" chapter from the SAME SITE says boil 3 gallons of water and put it in the fermentor and then boil 3 MORE gallons for the wort. The rationale here is that some of the water will boil off or lost in the trub.

So what's the difference?

2. We used an enamel pot for boiling the wort. It had lousy contact with the electric stove top burner. We covered it with a lid to bring it to a boil, and then uncovered. There was surface activity, but we never got a very aggressive rolling boil until, near the end, we partially covered it with the lid periodically. How do we know if we got our "hot break"?

3. I let two ice cubes accidentally slip into the wort as it was cooling in the sink. It was still extremely hot at this point. But what a freaking downer, right? All the trouble to clean, sterilize, all the equipment, follow directions as meticulously I could, and, thanks to overzealous application of ice in the sink, I let some crappy Wal*Mart ice probably crawling in bacteria into my wort. How screwed am I?

4. "Crash course" says to pitch the yeast before you pour the cooled wort. Other sources (including a later chapter "Fermenting Your First Batch" ON the SAME SITE) say to pitch after you pour. Is there a difference?

4. "Crash course" says nothing about vigorously agitating the wort after you've poured it into the fermentation bucket. Just to pour vigorously into the solution of water+pitched yeast. Other sources, say to rock the bucket around for a few minutes or slosh it back and forth between the fermentation bucket and another source. Again, how scrwed am I?

5. This was just dumb. After 5 hours of having set the fermentation bucket in a cool, dark place, I realized that I had forgotten to fill the airlock with sanitizer solution. It was just dry. I whipped up a solution and filled the airlock. How screwed am I?

6. How and what do I look for issues with the fermentation? This is an opaque bucket. Is there any point in the (assuming it to be) two weeks of fermentation that I should re-open the bucket, and, given the issues that I've raised, what are the signs I should look for that it's ruined or on it's way to ruination? Do I just get a bucket opener, pry the lid off and look? Given my luck, I worry that that is just further potential for contamination.

I do have a 5 gal glass carboy. I don't plan on a second fermentation phase, unless it will mitigate any disasters caused by mistakes. Or it will aid as a learning tool.

So am I a cautionary tale?

 

[k47k]

I dont think any of the things you mentioned are a big deal. The lack of rapid boil may be the biggest, but you are still going to end up with beer.

I would leave it fermenting in the bucket for 21 days. its tempting to look inside but theres nothing going on in there that you have any control over at this point.

Make sure you maintain a stable fermentation temperature (whatever the recipe says) for an ale id shoot for low 60s F.

 

[tragic8ball]

Wow. Low 60's. Not gonna happen. I'm in Missouri, which is ridiculous hot this time of year. The lowest temperature I can hope for in air conditioning, anywhere in my house, is 72. Even in the basement.

 

[k47k]

Put your fermenter in a cooler full of water and frozen water bottles. You;ll have to change out the water bottles to maintain temp.

 

[Germelli1]

Just to put you at ease...it is VERY difficult to infect beer. Your lack of airlock solutions should not be a big deal...especially once fermentation begins, the heavy C02 with prevent anything from entering your fermenter.

1. The best was to do a partial boil is to have all the 3 "top off" gallons (not in your wort) boiled and ready to go. Once your wort is cooled and ready to be added to the fermentor, add the wort to the fermenter then add the top off water until you reach your target original gravity. Make sure the water and wort are mixed before you tak a gravity reading. That will ensure you have the right amount of wort/water. (more on response 4)

2. If you were ever close to a boil over, you got a hot break. The boil is mostly to kill anything undesirable in your wort, but it also helps seperate proteins, etc and allows hop absorbtion. Next time you could try placing it so it is in contact with two burners.

3. If your wort was over 160ish degrees for 20+ plus minutes after the ice, you have 0 reason to worry. If not youe hav .000001% reaso to worry...beer is hard to infect!

4 A. I would wait until your "top off water" is added to pitch yeast. If you add water to the fermenter before your wort, you have a change of undershooting your target gravity.

4 B. The point of this is to airate the wort giving the yeast oxygen required to multiply. Typically the act of pouring the wort/water in is enough for this. I have never rock/swirled/shaken my fermentor and have never had a problem

6. Try not to open the bucket if you can help it...but i knew I was curious on my first batches (and still am). Like I said before, once fermentation begins the C02 will keep any significant amount air from entering your bucket...even an open bucket. So sneak a peak if you wish. Early on a kreusen will form (yeast/sediment on top). This is normal. Later on the kruesen will fall to the bottom but the yeast will still be working.

Remember airlocks are NOT an indicator of fermentation, but your hydromer is the only way to tell if it is fermening and when it is done.

Leave the beer in the primary at least 3 weeks because the yeast will consume their byproducts leaving clearer, better tasting beer!

 

[tragic8ball]

Put your fermenter in a cooler full of water and frozen water bottles. You;ll have to change out the water bottles to maintain temp.

So you mean like a camping cooler, large enough for the fermentation bucket to sit in, cooler top opened with water and ice bottles?

 

[k47k]

So you mean like a camping cooler, large enough for the fermentation bucket to sit in, cooler top opened with water and ice bottles?

yup exactly.

 

[Pilgarlic]

So you mean like a camping cooler, large enough for the fermentation bucket to sit in, cooler top opened with water and ice bottles?

Do this. Don't let it slide. Fermentation temp control is extremely important to the quality of your beer.

 

[BrookdaleBrew]

So you mean like a camping cooler, large enough for the fermentation bucket to sit in, cooler top opened with water and ice bottles?

I use a plastic rubbermaid tub I got at walmart for like $3. You don't have to use a cooler, but if you did I'm sure it would help your temps stay lower.

 

[dividend]

Hey, this is the OP's GF. I just checked the temp on the fermentation bucket, and it's reading 70°F. It's been fermenting now at this temp or a little hotter for 28 hours. I plan to get a plastic tub that's large enough tomorrow morning, and fill it with cold water/frozen bottles. Have we left it too long for that to be effective? I hope not. It sounds like everyone feels like we do when they're attempting their first batch. Thanks for all the helpful advice guys!

 

[Centexbear]

I'm a total newb but I think you're ok at 70 degrees..that's a good temp!

http://www.target.com/Rope-Tub-Blue...t_com_brand-bin&searchRank=price&frombrowse=1

I use one of these (18 gallons- works perfectly and it's cheap!) to control fermentation temps and it works great. Buy some of those gel pack things you can freeze or just fill up some soda/water bottles and freeze. Get 4 or 6 so you can put 2-3 in at a time, then swap em out every 12 hours or so.

 

[tragic8ball]

As a follow-up, I bottled this beer about two weeks ago, and cracked open my first homebrew this past Monday. Well, actually, that's a lie. I cracked open my first homebrew 2 days after bottling, and it tasted like bananas! The girlfriend and I were discouraged, but we left for vacation, hoping that the taste would mellow in the recommended week minimum after bottling.

Okay so I cracked my SECOND beer this past Monday.

It was good beer! A tasty American Pale Ale! Shared it with friends, and now I'm down from 48 bottles to 8! Going to let remaining 8 age in the bottle a month or two and see how the taste is affected.

 

[smokey]

It was a bumpy road, but you made beer!! The more you brew the better you get and the more adicted you will be. Just learn from your mistakes!

 

[sportscrazed2]

I brewed my first batch last night. I was pretty sure i screwed up in every way imaginable and was pretty much a total wreck. i wake up this morning to find fermentation is underway already. i wouldn't worry too much about it. i just hope it's drinkable at the end. and doesn't taste like star san because i was super paranoid about bacteria. i never achieved a rolling boil either