Couple of Newb Questions...?

[dhaas66]

Hops...
What are the most used or common hops for brewing.. I am thinking of growing some and would like some ideas on what is most used. Also when using hops for the specified times.. Can I use a bag or will I get better results in getting a false bottem and letting everything just boil together? On the same lines... Pellets, plugs, and fresh..? Will I still get a good brew from all or any of these?

Aeration...
When inducing O2 into your wort.. With a oxygen tank and regulator.. How long? For 5 gal of wort and how long for yeast starter? Can you aerate too much?

Yeast...
Making a starter... I have found numerous instructions on making yeast starters and have a stir plate in the mail... Here is my question? Can I have too much yeast?
If my yeast starter is too larger can it consume all of its food and when racking to secondary have no food to continue? Also when bottling and giving more food... When you rack how are you ensured that there is still yeast in suspension to have it carbonate with your added sugar? As you clarify won't you also be lowering the amount of yeast in suspension?

Fermentation...
When starting my primary fermentor.. I have the plastic top that is orange with 2 holes.. Can I put a standard airlock on the vertical tube and a tube attached to the angled outlet into a jug or bucket of water? Will this help ensure that there are no clogs from a violent fermentation?

I am just starting out and trying to understand this whole process.. Will be doing my first batch in several weeks... I want to make some really good quality beer the will not compare to commercial beers. I don't consume alot but just want some quality beers.. I also have some friends that will consume some of my mistakes that are just not on per say....

Thanks in advance...

 

[dblvsn]

What styles of beer do you plan on brewing most?

Fuggles, Cascade, Northern Brewer, and Centennial are the main ones that I use at the moment.

 

[cweston]

Hops...
What are the most used or common hops for brewing.. I am thinking of growing some and would like some ideas on what is most used.

I'd think you'd get a ton of mileage out of dual-purpose hops that can be used for bittering and flavor/aroma: cascade, northern brewer, columbus.

Also when using hops for the specified times.. Can I use a bag or will I get better results in getting a false bottem and letting everything just boil together? On the same lines... Pellets, plugs, and fresh..? Will I still get a good brew from all or any of these?

Yes--all work with great results. Use what's available to you and works with your brewing process and don't worry about it. Many people (including me) think you get a little fresher taste from good quality whole leaf hops. But pellets are more consistent.

Aeration...
When inducing O2 into your wort.. With a oxygen tank and regulator.. How long? For 5 gal of wort and how long for yeast starter? Can you aerate too much?

20 minutes w/ an air system. A few seconds with a pure O2 system.

Yeast...
Making a starter... I have found numerous instructions on making yeast starters and have a stir plate in the mail... Here is my question? Can I have too much yeast?

Thoeretically, yes. But this is virtually never an issue for homebrewers.

If my yeast starter is too larger can it consume all of its food and when racking to secondary have no food to continue?

No.

Also when bottling and giving more food... When you rack how are you ensured that there is still yeast in suspension to have it carbonate with your added sugar? As you clarify won't you also be lowering the amount of yeast in suspension?

Unless it's been in secondary for months or something, there will still be plenty of yeast cells in suspension.

F

ermentation...
When starting my primary fermentor.. I have the plastic top that is orange with 2 holes.. Can I put a standard airlock on the vertical tube and a tube attached to the angled outlet into a jug or bucket of water? Will this help ensure that there are no clogs from a violent fermentation?

Airlock *or* blowoff. If you're doing 5 gal batches in a 6.5 gal carboy, you'll almost never have to worry about blowoffs unless you're pitching huge amounts of yeast and high-gravity worts.

How about the history of cultures and violence in the middle east? Any questions on that? (j/k)

Welcome to the obsession.

 

[dhaas66]

Mostly just ales...

 

[dhaas66]

Your right... Too many ? Will go back to lurking...

 

[cweston]

Your right... Too many ? Will go back to lurking...

Nah...I didn't mean it that way. You ask much more intelligent questions than most newbs. Most of the stuff you're concerned about is stuff you might start thinking about after brewing a few batches and getting your basic process down. Aeration, for example, is really not a big concern if you're doin partial boils and topping off with tap water (because the tap water is well aerated).

 

[dhaas66]

I will be doing a full boil... 10gal pot..

How much water should I boil to get 5 gal?

 

[cweston]

I will be doing a full boil... 10gal pot..

How much water should I boil to get 5 gal?

Depends on your burner, etc.

I usually collect about 7.5 gallons of wort to boil down to 5.5-6 gallons. But I boil in a 15.5 gal keggle, which means I can boil quite vigorously without worry about boilovers.

If you want 5 gallons in the fermenter, I'd try starting with about 6 gallons water in your wort. It's much easier to replace liquid if you undershoot your volume than it is to correct too much liquid.

Make sure your hops amounts are properly formulated for your boil size: most extract recipes are formulated for partial boils, and it makes a big difference in hops utilization.