Completely New To This. Could Use Some Advice.

[Patchouly]

Okay, so, decided I was going to make some beer. I bought a beer/wine starter kit with hydrometer, glass carboy, bucket, three piece air lock, etc. etc. I also grabbed a Coopers Dark Ale kit and a bag of Dextrose.

First day, I sanitize everything, heat up the coopers kit, add the dextrose and water till I reach temperature, take the gravity reading (1.046) and then pitch the yeast.

After two days, the fermenting starts to bubble out of the air lock. Not knowing about blow off stuff (Only read about that option, today), I pulled out the air lock, washed and sanitized it, then returned it. I had to do this about three times a day for the next few days. (I hope I didn't introduce too much oxygen!)

So, today has been one week (I pitched the yeast on the 19th). No activity in the air lock since day before yesterday. I took a reading and got an SG of 1.008.

My question is, do I now move it into a second container or do I leave it alone? If so, for how long? Secondly, when I do bottle it, do I add the remaining dextrose to the main batch before bottling or should I simply add a bit to each bottle? I really don't know where to go from here and don't want to screw up my first batch!

Don't be afraid of offending me with a completely detailed response (As though talking to a guy who doesn't know anything about brewing). I really know nothing here...

 

[Patchouly]

By the way, I fermented in the plastic bucket and the carboy remains, currently, unused.

 

[ChugachBrewing]

Add it to the main batch when you go to bottle.
Get your bottling bucket, purge with CO2, if you can, then siphon beer into it. Boil your dextrose with water and then add it to the bottling bucket as well and stir gently. Then bottle away.

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[Setesh]

Congrats on your first brew!

You didn't introduce any oxygen since your beer was actively fermenting and producing CO2. The CO2 is pushing it's way out so the oxy can't get in.

Do not transfer it to the carboy, leave it where it is. Transferring will introduce oxygen and provide a chance for infection.

Leave the beer for another week, then you should be safe to bottle. You are safe to bottle when you measure the SG three days in a row and it doesn't change.

You Sir need How To Brew by John Palmer. Absolutely excellent book, and it will walk you through everything you need to know. You can read the 1st edition here but I would really recommend picking up the book from your LHBS as the 1st edition has some out of date info. I also highly recommend listening to the Brew Strong podcasts on The Brewing Network here.

Oh, and welcome to the forum!

 

[Patchouly]

Thanks for the quick response, guys!

Okay, just so I'm clear, I need to: wait one more week before I do anything. After that, carefully siphon the beer into the carboy. Mix in the dextrose that has been dissolved in boiling water and cooled to room temperature, gently stir then immediately bottle. Is that right?

I have one cup of dextrose left. Is that enough? Any idea how much I need to add to 22 liters of beer (I started with 23 but I assume, after taking samples out to test with the hydrometer there will be about 22 left).

Thanks again for the help! I love the science of this and, in the future, would like to move into more complex brewing. I have a feeling that, between the book you recommended and this great forum, I will be much better armed!

 

[dmashl]

http://www.brewersfriend.com/beer-priming-calculator/ this will tell you how much sugar to add.

 

[Setesh]

Thanks for the quick response, guys!

Okay, just so I'm clear, I need to: wait one more week before I do anything. After that, carefully siphon the beer into the carboy. Mix in the dextrose that has been dissolved in boiling water and cooled to room temperature, gently stir then immediately bottle. Is that right?

I have one cup of dextrose left. Is that enough? Any idea how much I need to add to 22 liters of beer (I started with 23 but I assume, after taking samples out to test with the hydrometer there will be about 22 left).

Thanks again for the help! I love the science of this and, in the future, would like to move into more complex brewing. I have a feeling that, between the book you recommended and this great forum, I will be much better armed!

Sounds good to me. The extra week lets the yeast settle a bit (don't worry, there will be more than enough to carb your beer) and also lets the yeast clean up after themselves a bit. You can use a priming sugar calculator like

http://www.tastybrew.com/calculators/priming.html
or
http://www.northernbrewer.com/priming-sugar-calculator/

Also, for your own safety, don't attempt to carb over 3 vols of CO2 in ordinary bottles. If you are off on your measurements or the beer isn't finished you can have bottle bombs all too easily.

 

[jfk69]

I wouldn't transfer it to the carboy to bottle, I would get a dedicated bottling bucket with the spigot at the bottom. After boiling and cooling the dextrose, poor it into the bottling bucket. Siphon you beer from your fermentation bucket into the bottling bucket. Try to set the hose on the bottom in a coil around the edge so as the beer flows into the bottling bucket you get a whirlpool effect, which will mix the sugar water with your beer. Once the beer is all transferred over, attach a piece of hose and a spring loaded bottling wand to the spigot and start bottling. Good luck and congrats on your first brew!

 

[unionrdr]

I give the beer 3-7 days after a stable FG is reached to clean up any by products of fermentation that can make off flavors. The beer will settle out clear or slightly misty at this same time. I use this calculator to get the right amount of priming sugar to style; http://www.tastybrew.com/calculators/priming.html
Then boil 2C of water a few minutes & stir in the priming sugar off the heat until the water goes clear again. When bottling bucket is sanitized,I rack the beer from primary into it with sanitized tubing halfway around the bottom of the bottling bucket to induce a swirling action. Then slowly pour the priming solution into the surface of the beer. When done racking the beer over,the swirling action should've stirred up the priming solution into it. then use a bottling wand to fill the clean,sanitized bottles & cap.

 

[Zinc_Saucier]

I wouldn't transfer it to the carboy to bottle, I would get a dedicated bottling bucket with the spigot at the bottom.

+1 This makes life much easier (until you switch to kegging which will make life even easier)

 

[Patchouly]

I'm getting two different amounts from the calculators. I weighed the dextrose I have (1 cup) and it comes out to 6.06 OZs. According to one of the calculators, I need to add 4.1 oz. for a CO of 2.1 (Should I aim for 2.1 for a dark ale?). The other calculator says 15.98 OZ or 2.27 cups for 2.1 CO. Sorry to be an idiot about this, but any further advice?

By the way, I'm going with PET bottles for this first batch. Mainly for safety but also to keep from buying the bottle capper etc. until I knew I was going to like this (which I do if I can get beyond the initial "First Brew Anxiety" I seem to have developed)!

 

[unionrdr]

What style did you click on? Beer volume? Temp? I'll see what I get with the tasty brew one...

 

[Zinc_Saucier]

I got 4.1oz with TastyBrew with 5.8gal (22L) at 2.1 volumes of co2 at 65 degrees.

Edit: Checked why my numbers didn't match up with Union's below. I had put in 2.2 vol (not 2.1), and mistyped 66 instead of 65 for temp.

 

[unionrdr]

Given the numbers used by zinc,& the tasty brew calculator,I got 3.9 ozs of dextrose for 2.1 volumes of co2.

 

[Puddlethumper]

starter kit with hydrometer, glass carboy, bucket, three piece air lock, etc.

Sounds like you are getting off to a good start. BTW, what size batch are you making? 5gal.? And what size is that carboy? If it is a 6 or 6.5 gal. you can use it as a second fermenter. If it is a 5 gal. just set it aside for now. It will come in handy later when you want to do some more complex beers.

Welcome!

 

[Patchouly]

Well, it's a 23 litre (6 gallon?) carboy. I've read a lot of debate over using a secondary vs. just leaving it in the primary. Still not sure where to go with that one...

As for the calculator, I selected an English Ale (I'm not sure what this Cooper's stuff qualifies as. It's just says "Dark Ale" on the can). I found my issue, With the "NorthernBrewer" calculator, I was adding in litres instead of gallons.

Anyway, playing with numbers, temperatures, gravity readings etc. etc. is quite enjoyable and the best part is, I get beer at the end of it all (assuming I don't screw up)!

Thanks for the warm welcome and the advice!

 

[unionrdr]

I used "American Brown Ale" for my calculation according to your numbers. but 2.1 vco2 is about right at any rate.

 

[Patchouly]

Perfect! I will go with 2.1 and see how that is. At only $20 a pop, there is certainly some room for experimenting. I may grab a similar kit for the next batch, but try adding stuff using some of the recipes here.

 

[Puddlethumper]

Well, it's a 23 litre (6 gallon?) carboy. I've read a lot of debate over using a secondary vs. just leaving it in the primary. Still not sure where to go with that one...

Anyway, playing with numbers, temperatures, gravity readings etc. etc. is quite enjoyable and the best part is, I get beer at the end of it all (assuming I don't screw up)!

Ya, I think a lot of brewers get a kick out of figuring these things out. (Main reason I think this forum is so active ) And the numbers you're getting for 4-5 oz. of priming sugar sound about right to me too. The priming sugar calculators are handy and pretty accurate.

There are some strong opinions in both directions re: moving the beer out of the primary. For now I think you'd do well to just leave it in the primary until you are ready to package it. It is simpler and it works. Meanwhile, you have a second fermenter there! You can start another batch while this one is fermenting.

 

[Patchouly]

You can start another batch while this one is fermenting.

Now that's smart thinking! I may just do that!

 

[Puddlethumper]

Now that's smart thinking! I may just do that!

Be ready with a blow-off tube in case you get a big rolling fermentation going and it overwhelms that 1 gal. of headspace. Other than that it should work just fine.

 

[Dan]

By the way, I fermented in the plastic bucket and the carboy remains, currently, unused.

Jumped on this thread here. Buckets are great! No light infuses them, they dont break, easy to clean up, easy to store.


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[ChugachBrewing]

Jumped on this thread here. Buckets are great! No light infuses them, they dont break, easy to clean up, easy to store.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

You just need to be careful when aging a while because buckets are much more permeable than barrels, glass, better bottles, etc.

 

[Patchouly]

You just need to be careful when aging a while because buckets are much more permeable than....

When you say "a while" am I good at two weeks? I assume you are talking about much longer durations.

 

[Puddlethumper]

You just need to be careful when aging a while because buckets are much more permeable than barrels, glass, better bottles, etc.

According to David Miller in "Brew Like a Pro", HDPE buckets are the least permeable to 02 of all the plastics we use. Polycarbonate (Lexan) which is used in most water bottles is middling in its permeability. PET which is used in Better Bottles, soda bottles, etc. has about 1/10th the permeability of Polycarbonate. But HDPE is only about 1/3rd as permeable to o2 as PET. Granted, glass is best in that regard, but for the time required for fermentation buckets will do just fine.

The main drawback to using buckets is that they can and probably will scratch over time. This can provide hiding places for bacteria that can lead to infection. The good news is that the buckets are fairly inexpensive and can be replaced easily.

The second drawback that I see to using buckets is for long-term aging. I don't like the idea of all that headspace exposing the large surface area of the beer to o2. If I'm going to age a beer more than a month (my rule of thumb - not a rule) I will move the beer to a 5 gal. glass carboy and fill it all the way into the neck. This reduces the surface area to about nothing and completely eliminates the possibility of o2 permeation through the sidewalls of the carboy. The beer can sit there for months on end without fear of oxidation.

 

[ChugachBrewing]

When you say "a while" am I good at two weeks? I assume you are talking about much longer durations.

Yes, you will be fine for a couple weeks. If you do any long term aging, with bigger beers, wild brews, etc., you should get something less permeable.

There is a great table in Wild Brews that shows permeability for various fermenters.

 

[Patchouly]

Man, you guys are a fountain of knowledge!

Thanks again for all the help!

 

[Puddlethumper]

Man, you guys are a fountain of knowledge!

Thanks again for all the help!

LOL. Kinda reminds me of the son of a famous astronomer who asked his next door neighbor a question about stars. The neighbor was surprised by the question and replied, "Why don't you ask your Dad? He's an astronomer and knows a lot more than I do."

To which the boy replied, "I would but I really don't want to know that much."

Hope we didn't try to tell you that much!

Cheers and good luck in your brewing!

 

[Setesh]

LOL. Kinda reminds me of the son of a famous astronomer who asked his next door neighbor a question about stars. The neighbor was surprised by the question and replied, "Why don't you ask your Dad? He's an astronomer and knows a lot more than I do."

To which the boy replied, "I would but I really don't want to know that much."

Hope we didn't try to tell you that much!

Cheers and good luck in your brewing!

I like that story

I think the fact that you are never 'done learning' makes brewing one of the best hobbies you can have. It is simple enough that you can do it with very little knowledge, but true mastery requires a lifetime of learning and experience.

 

[Patchouly]

I think the fact that you are never 'done learning' makes brewing one of the best hobbies you can have. It is simple enough that you can do it with very little knowledge, but true mastery requires a lifetime of learning and experience.

It is truly an artisan craft. I'm a guitar player and I used to teach guitar at a local music school. I find this to be a similar pursuit. Anyone can learn to hum and strum on a guitar (or brew beer from a simple kit). But as you progress, you find that there is always more to learn. Always more things you can do to improve your skills. Tweaking, adjusting, practising, learning from others.

I think there are even similar issues when it comes to gear. Always looking for a new guitar. Looking for the perfect tone. With brewing, it's always looking for the best fermenter or chiller etc. etc. We call it "G.A.S." or "Gear Acquisition Syndrome".