First attempt at brewing

[zdc1775]

So like the title says I just brewed my first beer. I first found this site when I started looking for recipes and directions to make an ESB since none of the local breweries here make one. After gathering knowledge I started putting together a budget brewing set up and corny kegs since I already had a keezer. Overall I bought a fermenter from one of the members here, brewing bags from wilserbrewer, a used 10 gallon Bayou Classic stainless steel pot on Craigslist, 4 pin lock kegs and connectors from KegConnection, and a few fittings from a local store to convert a 10 gallon water cooler I already had into a mash tun. Total upfront costs were about $250.00.

A found several different recipes both on here and on other websites for ESB's so I picked one, modified it slightly, and brewed it.

The recipe I used was
10 lbs Marris Otter
12 oz. Caramel 40L
4 oz. Caramel 120L
1 oz. Challenger as first wort
.5 oz. EKG @ 30 min
.5 oz. Fuggle @ 30 min
.5 oz EKG @ flame out
.5 oz Fuggle @ flame out

I had all grains double crushed and planned to do a full volume mash at 154. After I got the grains stirred in completely I was at 156 so I just kept stirring until it got to 154 which took about 10 minutes.

Since I had no idea what my boil off rate and efficiency were going to be I researched it and made a swag. I was expecting a 2 gallon boil off and 75% efficiency with the end result being 5.5 gallons of 1.054 boiled wort going into my fermenter. I ended up with 6 gallons of 1.056 wort. Slight adjustments to make for next time.

I made a 1 liter starter and used wyeast 1968 London ESB yeast. I pitched the yeast on 4/21/2018. I fermented at 63ºF and expected a final gravity of 1.014. Unfortunately we had a cold spell for a few days the end of April and the temperature of the wort dropped to 53ºF and the yeast went dormant when the wort was at 1.020. Gently raising the temperature to 68ºF for a week didn't get the fermentation to restart so I went ahead and kegged the beer on 5/7/2018.

I purged the keg three times, put the beer on 40 PSI at 38ºF for 24 hours then reduced the CO2 to 10 psi, purged the keg, and let the pressure stabilize. I then poured my first pint of my home brewed beer.

The beer was slightly cloudy from the yeast, slightly over carbed, and was sweeter/maltier than I originally expected but otherwise good.

 

[ncbrewer]

Congrats. You got off to a good start.

 

[brewgar]

@zd That's an interesting recipe. Brew on Bro!

 

[Hopsimus]

Nice work!

 

[whiskeyjack]

Good job! Looks like you did your research and made a good brew. Wouldn't be a bad idea to get some kind of automated temp control. Probably to late in the year but a heater mat and ink bird temperature controller are cheap and easy ways to keep a wort from going to low. I ferment in my basement at times, and its really cold in the winter, perfect for ales though in the summer. In the winter I have to use heat to keep it from going into the 50's.

 

[mongoose33]

An excellent first brew! I like ESB's too, and that's a great recipe for one, IMO.

One suggestion: every time you brew, try to do at least one thing better than the last time. A process of continuous quality improvement will having you getting better and better. You already know about controlling fermentation temp, so maybe that's the thing you focus on the next time.

BTW: the actual temperature of the fermenting wort can be 5-10 degrees higher than the ambient temp, as yeast is exothermic and produces heat during fermentation. So take that into account. A too-warm fermentation may result in off flavors.

Good luck and keep it up!

 

[burntchef]

Whoo Hooo! and welcome to the club.
Eric

 

[JohnSand]

Yep, that's a great start. Keep studying and practicing, you will amaze your friends.

 

[zdc1775]

Good job! Looks like you did your research and made a good brew. Wouldn't be a bad idea to get some kind of automated temp control. Probably to late in the year but a heater mat and ink bird temperature controller are cheap and easy ways to keep a wort from going to low. I ferment in my basement at times, and its really cold in the winter, perfect for ales though in the summer. In the winter I have to use heat to keep it from going into the 50's.

I was actually using an inkbird controller to supply power to a 110 volt window AC unit to keep the temperature down. Just didn't think I would need to heat the wort based on the temps we were having. Basically wasn't expecting it to get cold enough to need it and wasn't keeping a close enough eye on it. Won't make that mistake again.

An excellent first brew! I like ESB's too, and that's a great recipe for one, IMO.

One suggestion: every time you brew, try to do at least one thing better than the last time. A process of continuous quality improvement will having you getting better and better. You already know about controlling fermentation temp, so maybe that's the thing you focus on the next time.

BTW: the actual temperature of the fermenting wort can be 5-10 degrees higher than the ambient temp, as yeast is exothermic and produces heat during fermentation. So take that into account. A too-warm fermentation may result in off flavors.

Good luck and keep it up!

That's exactly what I am planning. As of right now I plan to make the same recipe again on the 19th but add Irish Moss to the boil and add a small heater to keep the wort temp up. Might also swap the caramel malt for crystal but that's up in the air as of right now.

 

[zdc1775]

So the second batch of this beer is now in the keg getting carbed up. I brewed on 5/19 and kegged on 5/27 so I should be able to actually taste it on either 5/31 or 6/1.

I used the same recipe but swapped the caramel malts for crystal malts, added 1.5tsp of Irish Moss at 15 minutes, and raised the fermentation temperature to 65ºF. OG was the same at 1.056 but FG was much closer to my target at 1.016 so as best I can tell my efficiency was basically the same and the yeast's attenuation was better. Still trying to get the boil off rate dialed in. I subtracted 1/2 a gallon from the mash amount and still ended up with just slightly less than 6 gallons in the fermenter.

I also harvested the yeast cake this time with the plan to wash out the trub and divide the yeast into 3 or 4 pint jars. Right now the whole thing is in a sanitized 1 gallon jug in the fridge so I need to get that done after work today.

 

[zdc1775]

I also made a Berliner Weisse for my wife using the Quick and Dirty Berliner recipe I found on here. Should be able to taste it around the same time to see how that worked.

 

[JohnSand]

Nice. I brewed many batches my first year to learn. I'm still learning, but I now brew everything I drink at home.

 

[zdc1775]

Well the keg from the first batch is now gone. Hopefully my prediction of being able to drink this one by the weekend will hold out.

Nice. I brewed many batches my first year to learn. I'm still learning, but I now brew everything I drink at home.

That is my intention as well. My wife and I did have a circuit of sorts of the local craft breweries and one craft beer bar that we would visit at least a couple times a week to each get a growler. Now we still go out to meet with friends most every Thursday but otherwise haven't went really went out.

 

[mongoose33]

If I may, let me make a suggestion as someone who is experienced but still remembers the beginning days of brewing.

Here it is: every time you brew, strive to do something better. Fermentation temp control, water, crush, mash temps, boil, whatever it is, do something better. This process of continuous quality improvement will reward you well.

 

[Dcpcooks]

Your off to a great start, it took me about a year before I got a keg set up. I also relied heavily on a few buddies recipes in the beginning, they both brew professionally so I had great ideas and good tested recipes. Since I relied on them I probably slowed my personal advancement in the craft but I learned a lot of thing early that ultimately saved me some frustrations and failure so I guess it was a wash in the end.

Mongoose is correct in recommending you try to make something better each brew. You’ll shorten your learning curve. Best of luck to you! The good folks on HBT are here to help if needed. [emoji482]

 

[burntchef]

In the spirit of doing better, I stirred my mash 1/2 way through this time, and got better og then the recipe estimated. My fail is that I will kick keg number two from my first brew day. prior to this batch being ready..... Drink less? Never! Start the next batch sooner? You bet!
Eric