Brewers best fermentation question..

[user 98891]

It's blurry but those look like hop particles, did you use hop pellets?

 

[Bramstoker17]

It looks fine to me, and the green bits are probably just hop particles. The first batch is always stressful, everything always looks infected, and you always second guess yourself. That was certainly my experience. But since Ive learned that beer can look pretty strange while its fermenting and its usually fine, and that beers can behave differently in the way they ferment. Most importantly, I learned patience, and to just leave it alone to do its thing. That gets easier when you have a pipeline of homebrew to keep you busy!

 

[Aboo]

I get to say this.

Relax, have a home brew!

Beer looks disgusting when it's fermenting. Every one is a little bit different, but none of them are going to look all shiny and clean like a glass of american lager while their fermenting. I promise.

Your brew is fine. Stick it in a closet and forget about it until 3-4 days before you're planning on bottling it. Use the time to plan your next brew.

The green stuff is the hop pellets, the rest is your yeast working for you. Leave it sealed and leave it alone.

 

[pabloj13]

I'm sure no one would buy another kit if their directions made bad beer

For someone who doesn't know much about homebrewing, you sure "know" a lot about homebrewing. Their directions do not make optimal beer, they sell kits and quickly. Some kits say to rack after something crazy like 2 days. People here have been doing this a long time. If you ask questions, maybe it's best to heed the advice. IMHO, 4 days is way too soon to rack to secondary (if you secondary at all, which I agree is not really necessary in most cases). 3-4 weeks, stable gravity, bottle is a good rule of thumb for most average ales.

 

[jethro55]

I get to say this.

Relax, have a home brew!

Beer looks disgusting when it's fermenting. Every one is a little bit different, but none of them are going to look all shiny and clean like a glass of american lager while their fermenting. I promise.

Your brew is fine. Stick it in a closet and forget about it until 3-4 days before you're planning on bottling it. Use the time to plan your next brew.

The green stuff is the hop pellets, the rest is your yeast working for you. Leave it sealed and leave it alone.

+1 Very sound advice. Everything sounds and looks perfect. Be sanitary while curiosity pushes some investigation. Otherwise, time will make a great beer for you. Seven more weeks of working on new brews will give you a great taste test on this one.

 

[grem135]

For someone who doesn't know much about homebrewing, you sure "know" a lot about homebrewing. Their directions do not make optimal beer, they sell kits and quickly. Some kits say to rack after something crazy like 2 days. People here have been doing this a long time. If you ask questions, maybe it's best to heed the advice. IMHO, 4 days is way too soon to rack to secondary (if you secondary at all, which I agree is not really necessary in most cases). 3-4 weeks, stable gravity, bottle is a good rule of thumb for most average ales.

^^^ What he said..all of it
Done

 

[jethro55]

^^^ What he said..all of it
Done

Hindsight is 20-20. Sometimes the hindsight is necessary.

 

[grem135]

Hindsight is 20-20. Sometimes the hindsight is necessary.

LOL Isn't that the truth!
bottoms up

 

[bbell21]

Thanks for the info Aboo. I appreciate it.

And for everyone who disagrees with racking early it just depends on who you ask one of those topics like religion and politics that no one can agree on.

Take a look.

 

[bbell21]

I'm gonna try leaving it in my primary my next batch to see if I can taste any difference. Well maybe after my next batch. I got a Belgian Tripel on deck that's a high gravity beer so I'll need to rack that one.

 

[rice]

next time read the sticky posts before asking questions that you obviously dont want to be answered

 

[bbell21]

I don't think anythings a wrong with a little debate, now that I've heard people's opinion I'm gonna change it up and give it a shot next batch

 

[grem135]

I don't know how brewers best says to do their Belgian Triple but Northern Brewer says to primary 2 weeks secondary 6 weeks bottle 4 weeks.
I do agree with this though I think more like 8 weeks bottle condition might be better for a 8.5% beer. You will obviously try one earlier ( we all did when new )
See if anyone will chime in on this.

 

[bbell21]

Never mAde or tried one, the instructions say the same 5-7 primary, then rack, same as the ale. I'm gonna stick with your advice on that one though, I think higher gravity beers need alot more time on the yeast cake and more time in secondary and bottle conditioning. I hope it turns out good. My first batch of American light finished up today as tasted beautiful. Maybe a little too much sugar but Measured that one out per bottle instead of bottling bucket so I'll have to reduce the amount, the beer had a clean crisp but a little sweet taste as well

 

[budman8773]

you take your OG-FG X 131.25=abv if I remember correctly

 

[grem135]

I did Brewers Best my first few batches also because i could buy them locally. I now buy from Northern Brewer. Theirs are fresher, tons of recipes, more accurate instructions and they ship fast. You can also try Midwest and Austin.
More advice would be to wait to add your LME till the end of boil or even at flame out to get a more accurate color and less chance of scorching. start your boil with the wort from your steeped grains and DME.

 

[pabloj13]

Never mAde or tried one, the instructions say the same 5-7 primary, then rack, same as the ale. I'm gonna stick with your advice on that one though, I think higher gravity beers need alot more time on the yeast cake and more time in secondary and bottle conditioning. I hope it turns out good. My first batch of American light finished up today as tasted beautiful. Maybe a little too much sugar but Measured that one out per bottle instead of bottling bucket so I'll have to reduce the amount, the beer had a clean crisp but a little sweet taste as well

Autolysis, on the homebrew scale, is pretty non-existent. I wouldn't worry about how much time it spends on the yeast cake.

 

[bbell21]

When you guys mix your priming sugar in the bottling bucket is it okay to transfer them into something bigger than a 12oz bottle? Or is the priming sugar only good to mix in the 12oz bottles?

 

[grem135]

its good for whatever I also bottle in 22oz bombers. the larger bottles do take longer to condition and carb up though. give them a extra couple of weeks.

 

[pabloj13]

its good for whatever I also bottle in 22oz bombers. the larger bottles do take longer to condition and carb up though. give them a extra couple of weeks.

This. But don't bottle in growlers. That glass is not meant to hold the pressure during carbonation. Bombers, grolsch bottles, etc. are all fine.

 

[BansheeRider]

Okay I racked it into the secondary tonight and the SG reading was 1.007 projected FG is suppose to be 1.010-1.014 so I think I'll be okay if I leave it in the secondary for another 2 weeks, right?

Also the gravity reading is confusing to me. My hydrometer says it was 1.007 which is not even like 2% ABV, I never took the OG so is there any way I can tell what it's current ABV is? Appreciate the help guys.

If you bought a recipe kit it normally tells you the OG. Your beer should be accurate as long as you followed the instructions.

 

[jethro55]

I'm gonna try leaving it in my primary my next batch to see if I can taste any difference. Well maybe after my next batch. I got a Belgian Tripel on deck that's a high gravity beer so I'll need to rack that one.

You'll want to rig up with a blow-off tube on this one and others with such high gravity.

 

[bbell21]

You think I'll have a blow out in a 6.5 gallon fermentor? I brew 5 gallon batches.

 

[pabloj13]

You think I'll have a blow out in a 6.5 gallon fermentor? I brew 5 gallon batches.

Depends on the yeast, temp, recipe, etc. Hefe yeasts can be particularly vigorous. Higher gravity, higher temps, all cause larger krausens.

 

[grem135]

I would rather use a blow off tube and not need it than clean the walls, ceiling and everything else nearby

 

[eyemind79]

Hey,

Just wanted to give you some advice - Relax, Don't Worry, Have a Homebrew. This sounds like the cheesiest stuff on the planet, but it's the best advice around.

Fellow homebrew fanatics turned me in to "The Complete Joy of Homebrewing". It should be essential reading before Internet forums. Things will turn out fine for the most part. Trust me. I only have 3 brews under my belt. All have been fine. I wish I could temper the fear of the first batch, but just let it do it's thing. I ask my brew friends questions and what do they reply with?

One of the coolest things about HB is if you do your part (sanitize, keep a close watch on boil and schedule) you will make beer! It's like gardening. Do right, get right. I have never known a plant to disregard my attention to their needs, nor a beer to do the same. Granted, they are different, but you have to think of them as living ecosystems. They need their time, respect that.

Don't rush. Plan your own schedule and learn from success and mistakes. Rack the beer if you want to, keep a log to see if it works out.

 

[InLimbo]

Thanks for the info Aboo. I appreciate it.

And for everyone who disagrees with racking early it just depends on who you ask one of those topics like religion and politics that no one can agree on.

Take a look.

This is incorrect. It's pretty well agreed upon that you don't have to rack to secondary for the majority of styles.

I'm annoyed because you have started a thread, and ignored valuable information from people with far more experience than you. You're free to do what you want, but what's the point in asking questions if you're going to ignore the information you receive and just do whatever you want anyway? People actually do know what they're talking about here.

Oh, and that reply you got on autolysis, was fear mongering and 100% false. Autolysis doesn't happen on the homebrew scale. This is also something that has been discussed a lot here.

 

[bbell21]

Everyone has their own technique. Some rack, some do not. As you can read on the first post I AM RACKING. It was never a question, so flame somewhere else. I also stated I was going to pro long primary next batch because of some input. Thanks and have a nice day

 

[BWN]

Some rack and some do not. The difference is the ones who don't rack make better beer. There are times you will need to rack but a cream ale is not one if them lol. Using a secondary will not make any difference on clarity whatsoever. Do a search and look who gives what answers. 95% of experienced brewers would not have racked that beer to a secondary and would also tell you that the people who write those instructions do not know more than us. It's up to you but if you really want to make good beer you will get more info from this forum than anywhere else.

 

[snaps10]

I'm going to give you a little advice, from one brewer to another (albeit a brewer with a ton more experience).
A. Humility goes a long way. You know very, very little about brewing. There's nothing wrong with that, it's just the truth. This forum, and especially this section is full of brewers with years, decades, of experience. They are taking time out of brewing and their/our own lives to help you out. Listen a little bit, try to learn.
B. Don't start multiple threads asking the same question. It's rude to the people that have answered it and a waste of time for people who are answering the same question over and over.
C. Don't say in some threads that you forgot to get an OG, then in others ask why you got a really high OG. If you want an accurate answer, give all the information and you'll get the best answer.
D. Relax, don't worry, have a beer. This really does go a long way. A really long way.
E. Enjoy brewing. It is a hobby, art form, lifestyle that is one of the most rewarding experiences you'll probably have. The people, processes, the beer itself are extremely rewarding and are a sort of family. You will be hard pressed to find a friendlier group of like minded individuals. Even in the professional brewing world you'd be shocked to realize how little competition is allowed to affect the relationship between brewers and breweries. It is a family.

I hope I haven't offended you, and that you'll take my advice in the way it was intended, to help. To help you begin this process and to ease you into a wonderful, rewarding hobby.

Oh, and don't rack to secondary unless you're aging more than 3 months or need the fermenter. ;-)

Prost!