First Batch - Dead Ringer IPA

[ukaH]

Hey All,
I just brewed my first extract kit on Saturday, the Dead Ringer IPA from Northern Brewer. Everything went well, besides the first hop addition which caused a quick and unexpected boil over, even though I used fermcap. The expected OG should have been ~1.065 but mine read 1.055 after topping off the fermenter. Could the boil over (which lasted no more than 2 seconds) have cause 10 while points to drop off the gravity? Or is this most likely due to not mixing the wort and top off water thoroughly?

Otherwise, it's been bubbling away just great in my big mouth bubbler. A little too hot at 72°, using us-05, but I've learned from that mistake to bring the temp down earlier in fermentation.

Thanks in advance, and cheers! :beer:

 

[Wolfbrau]

Boil-over loses a very small amount of volume, typically. If it's more than a small amount, your entire brewing area would be in serious trouble.

Did you adjust for temperature on your gravity reading? Are you certain that your gravity reading was taken off of a known volume of wort (5.5 gal/5 gal/etc.)?

 

[ukaH]

Boil-over loses a very small amount of volume, typically. If it's more than a small amount, your entire brewing area would be in serious trouble.

Did you adjust for temperature on your gravity reading? Are you certain that your gravity reading was taken off of a known volume of wort (5.5 gal/5 gal/etc.)?

Gravity was taken at 5 gallons, adjusted from 81 down to 60 degrees. If it's not the boil over, and since I'm doing extract, I'll have to assume my sample was from a poorly mixed portion and the OG is slightly higher

In the future, would it be better to take a sample of the wort after chilling, prior to topping off to get a better final volume to match the expected OG of the recipe?

 

[eadavis80]

Original gravity readings should be taken after the wort has been cooled and properly mixed with the right amount of top off water.

I keep toying with making the Dead Ringer IPA. I've had great luck with all my NB kits so far and have read a ton of good things about that kit.

Congrats on your first (of many) brews!

 

[ukaH2]

Thanks for the advice. Somehow my account was deleted after the database crashed so I had to reregister. Anyway, airlock is bubbling about once every 45 seconds after about 105 hours. Once it drops below 1 every minute, I've read that's the best time to rack to secondary to clear. I plan to leave it in secondary for at least 2 full weeks, possibly more. Any real train of thought here that there are do's and don'ts for this?

 

[ukaH2]

Just checked again today before work. No activity in the airlock, no Krausen on top, only clumps of yeast. Yeast stopped dancing in the tank. Didn't have time to take a gravity reading, but I plan to when I get home from work and again tomorrow before work. Assuming the gravity is the same, and less than 1.020, is it okay to rack to secondary? Not sure if I need more time for the yeast to finish the diacetyl clean up.

 

[jonkranked]

hi ukaH, i actually just brewed this same recipe myself, and its currently sitting in secondary. gravity was 1.018 when i racked to secondary, and this was after active fermentation ended and the krausen went down. i had it in primary for about 6 days (this was with a 1L yeast starter). so you should be OK.

regarding timing in secondary, take a readings every few days, once the gravity stops dropping you'll want to bottle/keg it - assuming you've given it enough time to dry hop.


also, glad to know my account wasn't the only one lost in the database crash.

 

[ukaH]

hi ukaH, i actually just brewed this same recipe myself, and its currently sitting in secondary. gravity was 1.018 when i racked to secondary, and this was after active fermentation ended and the krausen went down. i had it in primary for about 6 days (this was with a 1L yeast starter). so you should be OK.

regarding timing in secondary, take a readings every few days, once the gravity stops dropping you'll want to bottle/keg it - assuming you've given it enough time to dry hop.


also, glad to know my account wasn't the only one lost in the database crash.

Thanks jonkranked. I'll take a gravity reading tonight and report back. Hopefully looking at a similar gravity as you, although its only been slightly over 5 days in primary. Plan to dry hop next Saturday for 5-7 days then it goes straight to bottles!

 

[ukaH]

SG of 1.010. Tastes great! Gonna wait 24 hours, take another sample, and if its still 1.010 I'm going to rack to secondary tomorrow. Getting exciting!

 

[flars]

Why not dry hop in the primary? Are you planning the secondary because that is what is in the instructions. All of NBs instructions say to rack to a secondary vessel. It really isn't necessary. Dry hop in the primary after the yeast has dropped out.

 

[ukaH]

Why not dry hop in the primary? Are you planning the secondary because that is what is in the instructions. All of NBs instructions say to rack to a secondary vessel. It really isn't necessary. Dry hop in the primary after the yeast has dropped out.

To be completely honest, it is so I can take a shot at washing my yeast cake to use in a cider early next week. I'm interested in the process, and would like to get a jump start on it.

I'm impatient! Hah

 

[jonkranked]

Why not dry hop in the primary? Are you planning the secondary because that is what is in the instructions. All of NBs instructions say to rack to a secondary vessel. It really isn't necessary. Dry hop in the primary after the yeast has dropped out.

i've done a number of NB recipes, and i've found i get fewer off flavors by using secondary, as well as getting better clarity. to be fair, i also began using yeast starters around the same time - so it may have been a combination. YMMV.