Feedback on planned equipment/first brew please.

[Bobby_M]

I've been reading a ton and trying to absorb all the pros and cons of certain brewing equipment and methods and I think I have a plan. I wanted to get feedback before I pull the trigger on an order.

Equipment I'm buying:
6.5g plastic bucket primary
5 gal carboy with cap
3-piece airlock
2 racking canes, w/tubing
one-step sanitizer
5 gal bottling bucket w/spigot
All-extract Ale ingredient kit


What I have:
PET plastic bottles (born as Coors light bottles)
4 gallon stainless pot.

The plan:
Pre-boil about 1 gal water and freeze in two sanitized cool-whip tubs to be used for wort cooling, continue to boil remaining water and add some extract to make starter.

Brew day: Sanitize everything, Boil 4 gallons, add extract (45-60 minutes boil)and hops per ingredient directions. Cool in a icy salt water bath in the sink to about 110 F. Place one cool-whip icy puck (tm) into my primary and pour wort onto it and wait until it completely melts. If the temp is still too warm, I can throw the second chunk of ice in. Top up to full 5 gallons with pre-boiled water. Verify temp range 70ish and pitch in starter, cover and airlock. Wait a week.

Rack to carboy via carboy-cap siphon, cap, airlock, wait 2-3 weeks.

Rack to bottling bucket. Disolve 3/4 cup dextrose in boiling water, cool, add to wort, gentle stir, fill sanitized bottles, wait one month and start sampling.

Did I miss anything really crucial? Thanks so much.

Bobby

 

[BootYtRappeR]

As for equipment, I would get two 6 gallon Better-Bottles w/ valves instead of 6.5g plastic bucket primary and 5 gal carboy with cap!

but that's just me!

 

[Bobby_M]

I can appreciate the better bottles just fine, but then my method of wort cooling would have to be reevaluated as well. I wouldn't be able to fit those huge pieces of ice into the mouth of a BB. I'm trying to get started without building or buying a cooler.

Bobby

 

[user 4295]

I would not use ice directly placed into your wort to cool it. You are asking for an infection, especially if it is store bought ice. Your best bet to cool without a chiller would be to place the kettle into an ice bath in the sink or tub after the boil is complete.

John

 

[Bobby_M]

No offense meant John, but I didn't suggest putting store-bought ice into my wort.

"Pre-boil about 1 gal water and freeze in two sanitized cool-whip tubs to be used for wort cooling"

I planned to use bottled water, boil it, sanitize a sealable container in which i would freeze the preboiled water. This is the ice that would actually touch my wort and eventually melt to become part of my overall brew. I can't imagine where the source of infection would come from. Given that, do you see any issue? In my mind, this is really the fastest way to cool to pitch temp without a cooler.

Bobby

 

[user 4295]

No offense meant John, but I didn't suggest putting store-bought ice into my wort.

No offense taken Bobby. I'm glad to hear that you would never put store bought ice into your precious wort. If you are planning to go to that level in making ice for cooling your wort I don't see any issues whatsoever. It might take some experimentation to get your final volumes right. Unless you are not counting on the ice to get to your final volume, and plan on topping off with water. Best of luck and welcome to the forum.

John

 

[Yooper]

Looks pretty good to me- I'd add another airlock or two, and an extra grommit for the bucket for the primary. These are just a few cents, but almost ALL new homebrewers push the grommit through the hole trying to put the airlock in and then have to use duct tape, etc, to close it. An extra airlock just in case you want to start another batch right away, or one gets contaminated with overflowing wort. You just change them.

I don't recommend PET bottles for bottling. These just don't seem to hold the carbonation or something as well. I have 24 of them, and my husband can tell by taste which beer I poured him- one from the PET bottle with plastic cap or a glass bottle. I'd get bottles, caps (which usually come in your kit) and a $10 capper. I have a mix of used bottles, grolsch bottles, PET, and new bottles. The only ones I don't really like are the PET bottles. Of course, it that's what you have, that'll do.

I think you've got a pretty good plan and don't see anything crucial you're missing.

Lorena

 

[Orpheus]

Hey Bobby M,

I'm wondering how your frozen boiled water worked?

I'm not ready to invest in a wort chiller either, and the ice water bath is more bother and time than seems necessary.

How did it go? Did it cool down quickly? How much sanitary ice did you use?

 

[Mr Bigins]

I don't recommend PET bottles for bottling. These just don't seem to hold the carbonation or something as well. I have 24 of them, and my husband can tell by taste which beer I poured him- one from the PET bottle with plastic cap or a glass bottle. I'd get bottles, caps (which usually come in your kit) and a $10 capper. I have a mix of used bottles, grolsch bottles, PET, and new bottles. The only ones I don't really like are the PET bottles. Of course, it that's what you have, that'll do.

And that's why you don't want to use plastic with your beer at any stage including Primary.

 

[Bobby_M]

Hey Bobby M,

I'm wondering how your frozen boiled water worked?

I'm not ready to invest in a wort chiller either, and the ice water bath is more bother and time than seems necessary.

How did it go? Did it cool down quickly? How much sanitary ice did you use?

I'm still waiting for my equipment to show up. I ordered from Morebeer and I've read that they take a few days to get orders out.

I'm certainly not an expert in thermodynamics but i'm going to assume that if you take one gallon of water at 212 degrees and 1 gallon at 32 degrees (ice) by the time it fully melted, you'd have two gallons at about 90 (midway between the two).

However, since i'm planning on using a ratio of less than one gallon ice to 4 gallons wort, I really think i'll have to do the cool water bath for at least a few minutes so I'm not starting at 212. I'll let you know how it goes.

bobby

 

[veggiess]

I don't recommend PET bottles for bottling. These just don't seem to hold the carbonation or something as well. I have 24 of them, and my husband can tell by taste which beer I poured him- one from the PET bottle with plastic cap or a glass bottle. I'd get bottles, caps (which usually come in your kit) and a $10 capper. I have a mix of used bottles, grolsch bottles, PET, and new bottles. The only ones I don't really like are the PET bottles. Of course, it that's what you have, that'll do.

Don't know if it's a different brand, but I haven't had any problems with the PET bottles. In fact, one thing that is nicer about them over glass is that the yeast settles into the rounded bottom and stays there when you pour better than glass. They are also easier to clean and lighter to store. Carbonation seems to be fine. Just my 2 cents worth...

 

[gruntingfrog]

I just intentionally bought a case of PET bottles for only one reason. You can't take glass bottles on a boat here on Texas lakes and rivers. If you get caught you can be fined.

 

[Bobby_M]

I did a little more research on the ice cooling method. It turns out that ice has pretty good cooling potential. Using online calculators I found that:

Using 1 part ice to 4 parts wort @ 105dF will bring the mix down to 70dF by the time the ice melts.

At the same ratio, but wort temps of 212dF (just done boiling), the final mix will be 147dF.

In order to cool from boiling to pitching (212 to 70) using added ice alone, you need a ratio of 2.2 parts ice to 2.8 part boiling wort. I can live with doing a partial boil, but this is a bit too small.

I think it would be relatively fast to get it down to 105dF using a cold water bath.

Bobby