Classic rookie mistake - did I ruin my first batch?

[cjens19]

Man, now I'm also reading that it's not good to add your LME until flameout (which I take to mean as just at the end of boil)? But these instructions had me add it just as my initial 1.5 gal of water got to a boil. It didn't scorch or burn, so I'm not sure if it will end up being a mistake, but dang, these instructions seem SHADY! It also says to bottle after just a week. That seems very soon! I'm going to get a hydrometer next week. That way I can bottle when the proper FG has been reached. Did I mess up by not taking an OG reading? The kit didn't come with a hydrometer like I assumed it would.

 

[Roadie]

With an OG reading you can see how close you got to what recipe called for and you can use OG and FG to determine ABV. Not a huge deal that you forgot. Yes get the hydrometer so u can tell when it's done. Generally you wait a week and check gravity then wait a couple days and check it again. If the readings are the same the beer is done if not wait a few days and check again. It's done when it's done.


Almost Famous Brewing Company

 

[cjens19]

With an OG reading you can see how close you got to what recipe called for and you can use OG and FG to determine ABV. Not a huge deal that you forgot. Yes get the hydrometer so u can tell when it's done. Generally you wait a week and check gravity then wait a couple days and check it again. If the readings are the same the beer is done if not wait a few days and check again. It's done when it's done.


Almost Famous Brewing Company

So it won't hurt to pop open the fermenter to steal a bit of beer to check gravity? Is there a rule of thumb as to the max amount of time to keep lid off?

Gotcha, so I'll check gravity next Sunday. And then maybe wednesday test again. If the reading is the same, proceed to bottling? If it dropped a little, then maybe test again Friday?

Thanks man

 

[Roadie]

Try to keep fermenter covered as much as possible. Removing lid to withdraw beer for a gravity sample is fine. I'd wait a week before checking it the first time.

I have a wine thief that I spray down with starsan and it usually takes removing beer twice to fill up hydrometer cup so the airlock on my carboy is off a couple minutes maybe...no biggie. Once hydro cup has enough beer I let it set and get carboy sealed up again.


Almost Famous Brewing Company

 

[cjens19]

Well I've had some ice in the keg tub now for about an hour. Is it safe to just leave that in there and let it melt tonight? Will that get it too cold? Once it's melted it should get to room temp and stay there, but I don't want to get it too cold. Man, there's really a lot to this! I love it! I'm not expecting a drinkable first batch after following these crappy instructions. But 30 bucks for a learning experience isn't too bad. Maybe by batch 3 or 4 I'll have it down enough to make a decent brew

Thanks all. Appreciate the tips.

 

[Roadie]

I doubt it will get too cold so good to leave it. I don't have firsthand experience but if you search swamp cooler or some key words you'll see some people ferment in a tub with a wet towel wrapped around fermenter to control temps.


Almost Famous Brewing Company

 

[troy2000]

All else aside- sanitize your fermenter, bung, and airlock. 90f is much too high for pitching your yeast 65-68 is more ideal. Also, how are you planning to contr the temp
During fermentation ? You need to keep it at. 66-68 ideally.


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You're giving good rule of thumb advice as though it's iron-clad instructions. It isn't.... you may or may not be right, depending on what yeast they gave him.

I use a lot of Belle Saison dry yeast, from Danstar. Here's a quote straight from their Product Technical Data Sheet: "Sprinkle yeast on surface of 10 times its weight of clean sterilized (boiled) tap water at 30-35°C (86-92°F).

"Do not use wort, or distilled or reverse osmosis water, as loss in viability may result. GENTLY break any clumps to ensure that all yeast is in contact with rehydration medium. DO NOT STIR.

"Leave undisturbed for 15 minutes then suspend yeast completely and leave it for 5 more minutes at 30-35°C (86-92°F). Then adjust temperature to wort and inoculate without delay."

They go on to say that if your wort is cooler than the rehydrated yeast, you need to temper the yeast with wort to bring it within 10*C before pitching...

The award-winning Shipwrecked Saison recipe by Channel66 calls for WY 3726, and he gives these instructions: "Pitch the starter at 70f. Wait for fermentation to begin then start ramping the temperature upwards to 90f. Hold here for the remainder of fermentation.

If bulk aging bring the temp back down to ambient slowly. Allow to age in a dark room."

 

[cjens19]

Oh man i didnt even realize until now that the tub i have is in fact a swamp cooler. Haha. My wife has used it as a laundry basket for years. So thats currently what my fermenter is sitting in with a 20lb bag of ice around it.


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[pat1268]

I too am very new to this. C , keep,at it you,will do great! To,all the others out there , I just finished an IPA from true brew as well. Pitched my yeast after mixing it with cold water hope this is ok . As far as in fiction goes , how will I know? I let. My beer cool naturally with a lid on for a while. Is not advised?


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[cjens19]

You're giving good rule of thumb advice as though it's iron-clad instructions. It isn't.... you may or may not be right, depending on what yeast they gave him.



I use a lot of Belle Saison dry yeast, from Danstar. Here's a quote straight from their Product Technical Data Sheet: "Sprinkle yeast on surface of 10 times its weight of clean sterilized (boiled) tap water at 30-35°C (86-92°F).



"Do not use wort, or distilled or reverse osmosis water, as loss in viability may result. GENTLY break any clumps to ensure that all yeast is in contact with rehydration medium. DO NOT STIR.



"Leave undisturbed for 15 minutes then suspend yeast completely and leave it for 5 more minutes at 30-35°C (86-92°F). Then adjust temperature to wort and inoculate without delay."



They go on to say that if your wort is cooler than the rehydrated yeast, you need to temper the yeast with wort to bring it within 10*C before pitching...



The award-winning Shipwrecked Saison recipe by Channel66 calls for WY 3726, and he gives these instructions: "Pitch the starter at 70f. Wait for fermentation to begin then start ramping the temperature upwards to 90f. Hold here for the remainder of fermentation.



If bulk aging bring the temp back down to ambient slowly. Allow to age in a dark room."

Whats the best way to monitor temp without opening the fermenter? Ive got an adhesive fermometer on order from amazon that i was hoping to stick on the fermenter at about the 4 gallon mark. Will that be accurate enough? Im envisioning the type of stick-on thermometer I used to have on my fishtank. But im guessing the plastic bucket will prevent the reading from being very accurate. Are there better ways?


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[pat1268]

Go to your local fish store they have them for tanks


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[cjens19]

Go to your local fish store they have them for tanks


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And these can stay on the fermenter right? For good? Or at least as long as adhesive sticks? Thanks!


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[pat1268]

Yep per so have one on my fermenter


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[troy2000]

Well I've had some ice in the keg tub now for about an hour. Is it safe to just leave that in there and let it melt tonight? Will that get it too cold? Once it's melted it should get to room temp and stay there, but I don't want to get it too cold. Man, there's really a lot to this! I love it! I'm not expecting a drinkable first batch after following these crappy instructions. But 30 bucks for a learning experience isn't too bad. Maybe by batch 3 or 4 I'll have it down enough to make a decent brew

Thanks all. Appreciate the tips.

One of the great things about this pastime is that most likely, you will get a drinkable first batch. It's amazing how resilient beer is.

I think brewing is like chess, in a way: there are enough complexities to keep you busy for the rest of your life if you want to delve into them, but you can learn enough in a very short time to play a respectable game and enjoy yourself - or brew a respectable and enjoyable beer.

 

[cjens19]

One of the great things about this pastime is that mostly likely, you will get a drinkable first batch. It's amazing how resilient beer is.



I think brewing is like chess, in a way: there are enough complexities to keep you busy for the rest of your life if you want to delve into them, but you can learn enough in a very short time to play a respectable game and enjoy yourself - or brew a respectable and enjoyable beer.

Heh, i like that. A hobby that has endless outcomes and possibilities. Sure beats the heck out of anything else ive been doing lately! Well, besides 18 holes when its 70 and sunny!


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[troy2000]

Whats the best way to monitor temp without opening the fermenter? Ive got an adhesive fermometer on order from amazon that i was hoping to stick on the fermenter at about the 4 gallon mark. Will that be accurate enough? Im envisioning the type of stick-on thermometer I used to have on my fishtank. But im guessing the plastic bucket will prevent the reading from being very accurate. Are there better ways?


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You know what? Don't even worry about it on this batch, if the ambient temp's in your laundry room are what you say they are. Stick the bucket in a corner, and let the yeasties do their thing. Typically a batch will ramp up a few degrees when it first starts going strong, then slowly taper back down to match ambient temp's.

You're getting a lot of well-meaning and generally sound advice, but I think the guys are pounding a little hard on the temperature issues. I brew in the middle of the Mojave Desert, and my beer comes out quite drinkable.

What specific yeast are you using? If you know that, you can look up the data sheets on it and see what the recommended pitching and fermenting temperatures are, instead of following rules of thumb. And if you let us know, members who have used that yeast can chime in with their personal experience...

 

[lowtones84]

This is all really good advice and it's great that you're asking a lot of questions, but I have to say it: RDWHAHB (Relax, Don't Worry, Have a Home Brew) although you may have to settle for a commercial beer for now.

In all likelihood your batch will be just fine. Yeast actually love warm temps, but that doesn't produce the best beer with most yeast strains. Pitching at 88F certainly is not ideal, but I'm confident it will be fine. I did something around that with my first few batches because I didn't know any better, and they were all good. Not the best beer I've made, but I was still proud of them and enjoyed drinking them!

Welcome to the hobby

 

[vamo]

Man, now I'm also reading that it's not good to add your LME until flameout (which I take to mean as just at the end of boil)? But these instructions had me add it just as my initial 1.5 gal of water got to a boil. It didn't scorch or burn, so I'm not sure if it will end up being a mistake, but dang, these instructions seem SHADY! It also says to bottle after just a week. That seems very soon! I'm going to get a hydrometer next week. That way I can bottle when the proper FG has been reached. Did I mess up by not taking an OG reading? The kit didn't come with a hydrometer like I assumed it would.

1. Just about every recipe I've used instructs to add extract at the beginning of a 60 minute boil. Some people like to add it later to prevent it from becoming carmelized at the bottom; once carmelize the yeast don't use it as well and it can result in less abv and a residual sweetness. Also if you're going for a lighter style the beer might end up a bit darker than what you were shooting for.

2. OG is mostly used to calculate the abv, you can enter in all your ingredients into an online recipe creator to get a theoretical OG, most of them default to 5 gallon volumes so be sure to change it to whatever your volume was.

3. Most beers are not ready until after 2 weeks, you may have a fast working yeast though, 1 week is not totally unreasonable. To do things right you need the gravity to be the same for 3 days straight. It won't hurt things to leave it in the fermentor a bit longer than your kit recommends.

It sounds like you bought a very simple kit targeted at beginners. I would think in such a kit you would have an extremely hardy (near idiot proof) ale yeast. Though for future references you want to pitch an ale near whatever your fermentation temperature will be.

Don't worry you'll most likely have something drinkable in 2 to 4 weeks.

 

[reallySMH]

Bravo! Excellent troll thread cjen (aka pat)! Actually an ok discussion and good advice for a troll thread Your homebrew vocabulary and apparent knowledge is way to big to be a first time brewer. You havent posted on any other threads, you and "pat" are posting 1 minute apart, both on your "ipad using homebrew". And pat miraculously starts a new troll thread "abv too low" that written in the same context as your first post. You both joined the same day, not posting on other threads. You both bought a kit from Monster Brew and your profiles have zero information. Sorry, just not buying it.

But I digress....its way better than other troll threads I have seen. And you have sparked some decent conversation, so its not all bad. Just hope your doing it for the right reasons my brew brother and not to be an arse.

No harm, no foul.

Cheers!

 

[boydster]

Ha! I think I just got sucked into the other thread...

So are you the third of the multiple personalities of this same individual? Great first post

 

[cjens19]

Bravo! Excellent troll thread cjen (aka pat)! Actually an ok discussion and good advice for a troll thread Your homebrew vocabulary and apparent knowledge is way to big to be a first time brewer. You havent posted on any other threads, you and "pat" are posting 1 minute apart, both on your "ipad using homebrew". And pat miraculously starts a new troll thread "abv too low" that written in the same context as your first post. You both joined the same day, not posting on other threads. You both bought a kit from Monster Brew and your profiles have zero information. Sorry, just not buying it.

But I digress....its way better than other troll threads I have seen. And you have sparked some decent conversation, so its not all bad. Just hope your doing it for the right reasons my brew brother and not to be an arse.

No harm, no foul.

Cheers!

Sorry, not a troll. And yes, this is my first brew. But i have done research so I may not be as green as other first-timers, but I definitely realize I have an immensely long ways to go. I haven't posted on any other threads because I just joined last night while I was mid-brew and worried that my first batch would be ruined from not sanitizing properly.

But I guess I could see how it seems trollish. Once you have experienced enough trolling, I suppose any thread could show troll-like qualities. But not me sir. I'd like to think I'm as genuine as they come.

Thanks to all for the great advice. Got my fermenter sitting in a swamp cooler. Ice melted overnight but the leftover water was very cold, so I topped off the swamp cooler with a couple gals of room temp water. Thinking the water will provide a nice barrier from too many temp fluctuations.

Now we play the waiting game

 

[cjens19]

Ha! I think I just got sucked into the other thread...

So are you the third of the multiple personalities of this same individual? Great first post

Nope sorry, cjens19 is my only persona I'm afraid. See my post on Twitter at jensonc for proof

 

[boydster]

I believe ya, congrats on your first batch!

 

[cjens19]

I believe ya, congrats on your first batch!

Thanks man. Nervous that it won't turn out, but that's just the perfectionist in me. Looking forward to subsequent batches though! Once I learn the process better, I think the brew days will be a lot of fun. I was running around like a nervous nelly yesterday, afraid I would miss something. Haha. But I'm sure that gets better with experience.

 

[uatuba]

B-brite isn't rated as a sanitizer, but based on its ingredients and the product of the reaction that is formed when mixed with water, it should work as a sanitizer. You basically make hydrogen peroxide when you dissolve it in water, which is very hostile to bacteria.




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[pat1268]

Never heard the term troll before anyone care to define for me?


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[boydster]

Never heard the term troll before anyone care to define for me?


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http://lmgtfy.com/?q=What+is+an+internet+troll



I don't think you are trolling. But if you are, I praise your subtlety.

 

[cjens19]

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=What+is+an+internet+troll



I don't think you are trolling. But if you are, I praise your subtlety.

Lol. Subtle indeed.

 

[pat1268]

Cool not me !


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[cjens19]

Just got home from being gone for about 24 hours and my beer is doing science!!! Air escaping about once every 2 seconds. Such a proud papa! Smells pretty delicious too