First batch in primary

[pmatson]

Hi everyone. I just got my first batch of American Amber (Brewer's Best extract kit) into primary and wanted to want to thank everyone on Homebrewtalk for all the great information, especially in the sticky threads. I have been reading these boards almost nonstop for the past two weeks in preparation for making my first ever batch of homebrew, along with Palmer's book online. I am brewing in Santa Barbara, CA. I think everything went smoothly, though I almost capped my fermentation bucket without pitching the yeast into it. Thanks again and I look forward to participating in the community! Cheers...

 

[beerman0001]

Sounds like a great start!! Keep the fermenting temp down AND PLEASE JUST LEAVE IT ALONE!!

 

[ronjonacron]

Did you extract or ag?

 

[pmatson]

Extract recipe with specialty grain.
3.3lb amber LME
2.5 lb amber DME
1 lb caramel 80L (steep for 20min)

1.25 oz Brewer's Gold @60min
0.5 oz Willamette @ 5 min

WLP001 yeast

My OG was 1.047, but I forgot to stir the batch after adding the wort, so it may be a little off (calculated 0.049 on Brewersfriend).

I tasted the sample after measuring and am very optimistic for the future. Now I have to dial in my water bath. It is a little hot in my apartment, so I have the fermenter in an ice chest filled with water that I add frozen water bottles to as needed. I am going to try to keep it around 70 F.

I am planning to move it over to secondary once the SG drops, mostly so I career up my fermenter for another batch. Do I need to be as worried about increased temps (75-80 F) during secondary as I am during primary fermentation? I have another ice chest for an additional way bath if needed. Any suggestions are appreciated.

 

[Calder]

Good move getting the water bath. Probably the simplest and best thing you can do for the beer. Some would say 70 is high, but the water will act as a heat sink and stop the temperature from climbing further; it should stay pretty close to the water temp.

No you don't need to keep secondary temps low.

Before you rack to secondary. When fermentation slows, remove the fermenter from the water bath and let the temperature rise for a few days. Called a diecetyl rest, it will help the beer clean itself up.

 

[pmatson]

Update - Just bottled my first batch of home brew! I kept it in primary for 7 days and then moved it to a 5 gallon carboy to condition for 2 weeks (and free up my fermenter for another batch!). The beer looked pretty clear in my sample jar, and tasted pretty good as far as warm flat beer goes. I plan to try a bottle in a week (for educational purposes) but planning to wait ~2 weeks before putting the rest in the fridge to chill. My apartment is usually between 72-80 F; will this help it carbonate faster?

 

[beerman0001]

You should really wait for 3 weeks to make sure it is ready to go then put one in the fridge and see how it is.