DOH !! - First Brew

[CDGoin]

Dear diary (#4)..

Day four and temps outside dropped by 20 degrees.. in the garage by 8.

So.. my batch of GoinBrew started slowing down a lot.. Thats when I found this little baby in my tool box

Laser Temp Finder

And wouldn't you know it storage room dropped to 55-58 degrees..

So I cracked the door and pointed my garage heater at the opening.. viola.. room up to 65 degrees and it didn't take long for the yeast to get back and start doing its thing.

Leaving for a few days so, I am crossing my fingers when I get back Sunday the Krausen will have fallen and I can move it to the secondary.

Will check on it tomorrow before I leave and get the temps then. Good thing is tommorrow morning the temp will be as cold as is will get until I return Sunday.

BTW.. got a good looks at it, and some other pictures i found. It was definitely yeast rafts, they have fallen to the bottom already, and the Krausen looks actually quite stable.

 

[DrummerBoySeth]

Try not to worry about the spots too much. Even if it is moldy, (which is somewhat unlikely), you can usually rack out from underneath the mold, and leave it behind in the fermenter when you transfer to secondary or the bottling bucket. I doubt that you have anything to worry about with that.

 

[mikescooling]

Most of the work in brewing is cleaning and prep(I like PBW and star-san). If your going to do 5 gallon boils, a 10 gallon pot works well. They have aluminum pots for cheep, on amazon ect.. It sounds like you know what you did and didn't do, so next time it will be great. Every serous brewer on this forum has story's of brew-days that didn't go well. One comes to mind, a brewer just finished racking his wort into 2 six gallon glass carboys and the table he set them on broke smashing both.

 

[CDGoin]

Most of the work in brewing is cleaning and prep(I like PBW and star-san). If your going to do 5 gallon boils, a 10 gallon pot works well. They have aluminum pots for cheep, on amazon ect.. It sounds like you know what you did and didn't do, so next time it will be great. Every serous brewer on this forum has story's of brew-days that didn't go well. One comes to mind, a brewer just finished racking his wort into 2 six gallon glass carboys and the table he set them on broke smashing both.

OUCH.. !

That must have been fun to clean up..

 

[CDGoin]

OK I knew there was sentiment in this batch.. I knew it could be cloudy.

BUT.. My flashlight in the DARK can not penetrate it..

I can see the fermentation bubbles only about a 1/8" into the Beer then the light hits a wall..

Its there ANY chance this can be cleared up ? I am going to put it in a secondary in the hopes that will help. But I have little faith it will.

This BEER is as Dark as I have ever seen.. (That said, I am OK with that.. to a point) but I don't what it so cloudy as to have it feel like I'm drinking Hot Cocoa

 

[freisste]

Its there ANY chance this can be cleared up ? I am going to put it in a secondary in the hopes that will help. But I have little faith it will.

Get it cool right now so that as much of the trub as possible is left behind when you rack to secondary (this is assuming you are at FG, if not don't transfer). Leave it in secondary a week or two, then cold crash and use gelatin. If all of that doesn't make the beer clear, it is not meant to be.

Out of curiosity, how dark is the beer (on a scale of say, Miller Lite to Guinness). If it is very dark, it may be clear but you still won't be able to see through it...

 

[Ricochetbrew]

OK I knew there was sentiment in this batch.. I knew it could be cloudy.

BUT.. My flashlight in the DARK can not penetrate it..

I can see the fermentation bubbles only about a 1/8" into the Beer then the light hits a wall..

Its there ANY chance this can be cleared up ? I am going to put it in a secondary in the hopes that will help. But I have little faith it will.

This BEER is as Dark as I have ever seen.. (That said, I am OK with that.. to a point) but I don't what it so cloudy as to have it feel like I'm drinking Hot Cocoa

Ok first off relax. Have a home brew, of craft brew since this is your first batch. I am assuming by reading this thread that you are fermenting in clear glass. Also that you are brewing a stout. This being the case it is supposed to be very dark. In many cases even amber beers appear black when condensed into a carboy. It is NORMAL to not see light though the carboy. Once you rack to a secondary and then bottle it the color change will be apparent. There is a drastic difference in color ( at least appearance anyways) between. 5 Gallons in a carboy and 12 oz in a glass.
Secondly the color or your beer has very little to do with either thickness or flavor. By simply playing with the grains I can make light beer dark. The flavor changes will be minimal to an unprofessional pallet. You do not have to worry you will not be drinking hot cocoa. Haha.

As mentioned above by another brewer prior to bottling cold crash your beer in the secondary. I in no way mean to insult you if you already know what this is however on my first brew I had no clue. So, basically chill the secondary fermenter full of beer prior to bottling. I recommend low 40's for 24-48 hours. This will cause heavier suspended yeast to drop to the bottom of the fermenter so clearer ( not completely clear) beer can be racked off the top into bottles.
This however will do nothing in the way of lightening color however it will help improve haze and extra sediment from forming in your bottles.
All in all you did fine for your first brew.
Good luck on future brews.
Ryan.

 

[CDGoin]

Thanks for clarifying what Cold Crashing is, when to do it, and how. I was wondering about that and have a full sized old school refrigerator in the garage that can do that quite well Was wondering about the final conditioning in the bottle and how the yeast would work in it to create carbonation if they were dead. I see now cold crashing is to clear the dead ones out.. and that makes more sense now.

Anyway, I expected this batch to be black and dark (Its a Milk Stout after all), it was the impenetrable cloudiness that threw me. Although that wasn't a complete surprise either as the #1 screwup in this (my first batch) was not taking the grain bag out after it was seeping. I should have known it was supposed to be pulled before the boil ( IT was in the directions after all - Thus the DOH In the title.) So I kind of expected my batch to be cloudy, but trying to look through it was literally like trying to look thru milk chocolate..

Putting the flashlight at one side, the beer is so opaque as the light doesn't even diffuse through the cloudy beer..the light it hits a wall (That is my beer) and gets bounced back the the flashlight, where it promptly smacks the flashlight upside its head and asks what it was thinking.

As for RDWHA<C>B - I will defiantly be having a few craft brews

I am also kind of keeping a somewhat daily log of all my first experience here, in my engineering way, with what I find etc.. so maybe this could be a thread for Newbies like myself as each phase passes and they worry, then RDWHAHB and go to the next stage too worry.. etc..

So, instead of creating a million different threads.. Figured I would ask my question in this one, do some searching and research and come back to this thread and in some cases answer my own questions and then get confirmation for the more experienced out there.

So far covered :

1) What not to do (Use the right size pot and take the grain out)

2) Vanilla and other flavor enhancers go in the secondary or bottling stage.. Do not boil a whole bag of Vanilla beans into your wort unless you LOVE Vanilla.. (Which actually I do, so it maybe good for me)

3) No its not infected.. thats yeast cake

4) Clarity and cold crashing

So, now I guess the next question.. that I have gotten a lot of mixed opinions about is adding water and ABV

My batch as mentioned it is thick..

So.. lets say primary is over and time to go to secondary..

If the flavor is over done, and the ABV low after primary. Can I add a 1/2 gallon of boiled sugarwater (maybe with some) to bring up levels to thin it out and bump the ABV ?

Because I am planning on POSSIBLY, If needed. Adding coffee or cocoa to the bottling/secondary stage to counter the vanilla. From what I gather cocoa in the secondary, cold pressed coffee in the bottling stage.

 

[rklinck]

Don't worry about the cloudiness/darkness. The first batch that I brewed in a carboy (as opposed to a plastic bucket) was a pale/red Irish ale. I could not see through it with a flashlight because it was dark and cloudy. And that was a pale red, not a stout. Once the beer was kegged and conditioned, the beer was clear and a perfect pale red color.

I can't help with your latest question. My approach has been to just leave the beer alone once it's in the fermenter. If it ends up a bit too strong, too week, too malty, too hoppy, etc., I accept it.

 

[DrummerBoySeth]

You CAN add boiled sugar-water to the fermenter to re-start fermentation and increase ABV some. This technique is often used by brewers of Belgian styles and super-high gravity beers to avoid "shocking" the yeast. However, I would not do that on this batch. You have already had a few things that did not go according to plan. Adding another variable at this point would not be likely to improve the final product any at all. I suggest letting the beer finish fermenting, bottle or keg, and save any modifications for the next round.

 

[CDGoin]

Update #5

Nevermind..!

Fermentation is close to ending (No movement from the vent.. and when you look into the beer you still see some bubbles, but not a lot of activity)

Pulled from the tap enough for the hydrometer

SG - 1.018 or 4.7% ABV

The beer was remarkably clear in the tube, and to add to that had a nice head on it already..
(Should I be concerned with too much sugar in bottling?)

The fermented Wort at day 6 SEEMS to really require NOTHING but bottling at this point. I tasted the sample.. other than being a tad flat tasting (Although it did seem to have a wonderfully dense but at the same time light head)

Very Malty, with wonderful chocolate and coffee flavor. The slightest aroma and moderate flavor of Vanilla.. light on hops, but sweetness can best be described as that of having a spoon of sugar in your coffee. Literally so light on hops, that they are there to do the job and not affect flavor..

It was absolutely one of the smoothest beers I have had in a long time.. !! And its not done yet

My thought is to go ahead and put it in the secondary (IF the SG is the same tomorrow) and then immediately cold crash it for a few days, then go to bottle.

I can't believe as much as I really "screwed up" that its almost EXACTLY what I was striving for.. I am a bit concerned that beginners luck, will haunt my next few batches

 

[mikescooling]

I know it seems hard but waiting at least 2 weeks will make a better beer. Most people wait at least 3 weeks, the yeast still have work to do.

 

[CDGoin]

Its going to be even harder when the "green" beer tastes so damn good..

So are you saying its too soon to bottle condition and I should wait two weeks or would that be fine now..?


Depending on how you read the directions it either says to bottle after 6 days and condition for 2 weeks.

OR secondary (after 5-7 days) for two weeks and then bottle condition for 2 weeks.


I was thinking cold crash secondary in fridge for 3 days and then bottle condition for 2 weeks.

 

[CDGoin]

BTW.. I love our local craft brewer ( Legend Brewing in Richmond, VA ) but I am REALLY pissed at them right now.

Perfect bottles to reuse, but the labels are cheaper paper labels that I am having to scrape off..

The Sarnac and Brickenridge labels just pulled off

That was after sitting in a tub of hot water for an hour.. Scraped them all of and they are getting a second soaking to get the glue off.. what a PIA

Of course 2/3 of my bottles were Legend.. :smack:

 

[mikescooling]

Wait, it will turn colors the next two weeks as the yeast clean up, 3 weeks is the standard time in the carboy, your choice if you want to move into a secondary. I, as many others only use one fermentor. To take the lables off you can soak in hot oxyclean or PBW; or run the dishwasher on steam cycle for 20min, then peal them off quick before they cool.

 

[CDGoin]

OH.. but the patience I will have to have.

Secondary is primarily so I can have the primary back for round 2

As for labels.. I am keenly aware of how they SHOULD come off.. and all my bottles BUT the Legends came off that way.

The Legend Brewery's label decinigrated into little pieces.. they would not come off in one piece.. thus the scrapping..

Wife is against using the dishwasher until they are clean enough for the sanitation cycle.. she doesn't want me damaging the dishwasher, and no amount of telling her I won't will let me put in bottles with any trace of glue or label.. So manually with a scrubber and hot water tub is best I will do. Half way there now.

 

[CDGoin]

One last thing.. IF I deem the brew is not only drinkable but rather good.. how long would I need to wait to go and bottle. I understand the "waiting" for a brew to mature and get better. But what if I like it the way it is.. and all I think it needs is to carbonate?

The key is that I have made more than a number of mistakes on the brewing of it, that it may have accelerated or changes other aspect of the "normal" brewing cycle.

Just curious is all as it came so perfect out of the fermenter. That and I have the patience of a ADHD Monkey on Meth.

 

[mikescooling]

I drank my first brew after only a week, it's like a rite of passage. I give a little warning, yeast is a laxative. Their is no beer police, go for it!!!

 

[mikescooling]

Actually their is beer police the department of ABC, but that is not my point. Get your next batch going as soon as possible. Try a (Brew In A Bag) BIAB.

 

[CDGoin]

I drank my first brew after only a week, it's like a rite of passage. I give a little warning, yeast is a laxative. Their is no beer police, go for it!!!

I had thought about the fact it could make one "gassy"...

Hadn't thought about THOSE consequences though..

Thanks for the heads up

Maybe it will get a few more weeks..

 

[freisste]

I've noticed a few of my craft brew bottles are hard to de-label. Goo gone works wonders.

 

[CDGoin]

I've noticed a few of my craft brew bottles are hard to de-label. Goo gone works wonders.

Well after scrapping all the labels off, I have decided to let them soak for another complete day is fresh water. Hopefully the glue will come off that way.

If not then other methods will be tried.

I have learned saving a few bucks on bottles, not necessarily worth it.. I think I will buy the bottles I need next time

Some things are just false economy.

BTW.. speaking of the other issue. Could I go ahead and bottle and just leave it to condition in the bottle longer..? Would that take care of the yeast..?

 

[masterfool101]

Well after scrapping all the labels off, I have decided to let them soak for another complete day is fresh water. Hopefully the glue will come off that way.

If not then other methods will be tried.

I have learned saving a few bucks on bottles, not necessarily worth it.. I think I will by the bottles I need next time

Some things are just false economy.

BTW.. speaking of the other issue. Could I go ahead and bottle and just leave it to condition in the bottle longer..? Would that take care of the yeast..?

1). If you wan glue and labels to come off easy, soak overnight in a batch of PBW. If you don't use PBW as your cleanser, oxyclean works just a well.

2). Nothing wrong with buying bottles, but oxyclean and PBW are cheap ... And the overnight soak will also do wonders for getting them clean.

3). If you have a stable gravity, you can bottle. Most beers will be just fine with bottle conditioning as opposed to bulk conditioning.

 

[CDGoin]

Update #7

Last for a while.. I think.

Again sampled with the Hydrometer.. and for the last three days (Tested Friday-Sunday) has been steady at 1.020 (Right on the recipe)

Sampled the almost final product, and again no real difference from last time (Other than it is getting a tad flatter.. as I would expect)

In secondary.. poured quite clean out of fermentor. Through the clear 1/2" transfer tube it looked like a clear and good quality beer actually.

I know others say wait it will get better.. but to be honest.. I don't think it could get much better. Also read where it seems Ports and Stouts age sooner than others as well, so that maybe part of it. Not to mention other things that may have affected age and flavor (My mistakes)

Long story short.. I am following the Brewers Best timing on this beer from the recipe.

So I expect to bottle in a week and then give those 2 weeks.

That said, I think the next beer up will be a Martzen / Octoberfest style.. that one I expect to take longer and go more by the HBT "Rules of thumb", and I will have more patience with.

 

[CDGoin]

One question.. Being that I am going to bottle a little young, should I use less or more priming sugar? or just get those priming tablets for more control per bottle ?

 

[freisste]

One question.. Being that I am going to bottle a little young, should I use less or more priming sugar? or just get those priming tablets for more control per bottle ?

Assuming you have reached FG, don't change the amount of priming sugar you use. And if you aren't at FG, DON'T BOTTLE.

As for the tablets, I would batch prime (personally). However, the tablets wouldn't exist if they weren't at least a decent product, so if that's the path you choose, it shouldn't be a big issue.

 

[CDGoin]

Thanks.. I plan on taking one more FG reading before I bottle. To be sure.

Now the question is if my FG IS lower than it was the last 3 days after going through the cold crash.. can I restart fermentation in the secondary by just warming it back up..? What are the pluses and minuses of doing that ? Other than creating bottle bombs.

 

[alers22]

Hey CD,

You should come to the local homebrew club (James River Home Brewers) meetings. They are on the second Wednesday of the month at Mekong on Broad Street. This month's meeting is this Wednesday. There are a lot of experienced brewers there and it's great to talk with them and taste everyone's beers.
Check it out!

 

[CDGoin]

Will do.. ! (If not bottling )

BTW is it just me or are Legends labels a PIA to get off

 

[CDGoin]

Update #8

Went ahead and bottled early, as the FG was steady after the cold crash.

Day 1 - 1.020
Day 2 - 1.020
Day 3 - 1.018 <<-- This confused me.. But I THINK I used a different hydrometer on this measure.
Day 4 - 1.020


I think one of the numbers I real along the line may have been off or I used the other hydrometer I have and since they have nothing but a piece of paper in them to read.. one could be a little different than the other. My FG was 1.020

Since I didn't have a bottling bucket to mix the priming sugar in, I racked to the cleaned up primary and used it to bottle. Won't be doing that again. Let's suffice it to say I lost at least 2 bottles in the process. Anyway.. got 42 beers out of my batch.

Tasted a bit watery and lost some of its flavor.. but think that had more to do with the yeast mixing back into the suspension, and the priming sugar than anything else. I will wait 3 weeks and return to see how I did.. thinking of doing an Oktoberfest next.. Great thing about homebrewing is being able to do those seasonals you love when they are out of season.

Not sure right now.. after bottling for the first time, I am defiantly looking hard at either larger bottles, or a keg for the next batch.

OH and BTW.. Thank you Billy Mays.. Oxyclean in hot water got the goo and other stuff off the bottles in a hour. These were bottles I had soaking in plain water and detergent for 2 days and nothing seemed to get the goo to soften. Thinking Oxyclean needs to start being added to the list of can't do without home items. I.E: Duct Tape, WD-40, Coat Hanger, Pliers, Flat Screw Driver, Phillips Screwdriver, Oxyclean.