First batch tomorrow and could use advice.

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CatHead

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I got my equipment and kit in today and will make my first batch tomorrow. I have been researching as much as I can over the last couple of weeks but still have some questions.

First question is on adding hops. I know the schedule but do I just throw them in or put them in a bag? Or do I bag one and throw other in? If I just thtow them in the boil do I leave them in when transferring to fermenter because I'm not sure how I will get them out if I don't have them bagged. My head already hurts.

Second, I am already thinking about the future. My first two I plan on relatively easy and then try a bigger beer. Is there a guideline on what beer gets bulk aged in a carboy or is best to just primary them all and bottle.

Third any other advice would be appreciated as well. I have gotten two of them down sanitize and study instructions.
 
I don't bag my hops, but you certainly can if you'd like. If you use a bag, make sure the bag is large enough that the hops are quite loose, because jamming them in tightly can really reduce their ability to bitter the wort.

I don't bag mine, and they all fall out in the bottom during primary. I'm really proficient with racking, and it's never been an issue for me.

I almost never use a carboy for a clearing vessel now, but I will if I'm oaking something or for all of my lagers.
 
You can bag the hops or do them loose. If you have pellets, they'll turn to mush and if you have whole hops they'll also turn to mush, but less so. Either way, I don't want them in the primary and try to strain them. So I would suggest either strain asyou pour into the primary or bag 'em before boiling. (Although bagging doesn't allow diffusion of the oils as easily, so you may get less effective hop)

Big beers usually mean big flavor paired with high alcohol content (ABV). It's the high ABV that allows and benefits most from the extended bulk aging. Generally bulk aging is good for any beer, and reduces the time required in bottle for development of flavors (will require the same amount of time for bottle carbonation)

Random advice:
Cool the post-boil wort as quickly as possible, whether by cold water bath, adding ice to reach the final volume or using a heat exchanger.

Create a yeast starter of some of the wort watered down and cooled down to pitching temp. This will get the beer fermenting right away so that you don't need to worry about it.
 
Hey CatHead, good luck tomorrow with your first brew. Concerning the Hops, I toss them right into the boil (no bag). When pouring from the boil pot I have the wort pass through a strainer. Cleans things up. Concerning your second question. I'm not sure what your asking. Are you asking about moving a bigger beer to a secondary after the primary or are you asking about cold aging? The only bigger beer I've done was a blonde that came in around 8% abv. I did notice the beer becoming smoother after one month in the fridge.
Hope this helps.
 
Random advice: Don't look too far into the future, or you'll miss something here and now. There is no such thing as an 'easy beer', they all deserve the same amount of attention.

That being said; have fun with brewing. There are more than a dozen ways to achieve the same results when brewing beer: late extract additions, full boil, partial boil, partial mash, all grain, ice bath, wort chillers, plate chillers, etc. etc. etc. Experiment! And don't be afraid to mess up.

You'll rarely mess up so bad that beer won't happen.
So relax, breathe deep, you got this.
 
Hey CatHead, good luck tomorrow with your first brew. Concerning the Hops, I toss them right into the boil (no bag). When pouring from the boil pot I have the wort pass through a strainer. Cleans things up. Concerning your second question. I'm not sure what your asking. Are you asking about moving a bigger beer to a secondary after the primary or are you asking about cold aging? The only bigger beer I've done was a blonde that came in around 8% abv. I did notice the beer becoming smoother after one month in the fridge.
Hope this helps.

Moving a bigger beer to a secondary after primary. Like stronger Winter Ales and Barley Wines. From looking around it looks like they take a minimum of two to three months to be very good so I was wondering how most age them. Not even close to working on cold aging or lagering yet. Too much to worry about before I start with trying to maintain temperatures.
 
Random advice: Don't look too far into the future, or you'll miss something here and now. There is no such thing as an 'easy beer', they all deserve the same amount of attention.

That being said; have fun with brewing. There are more than a dozen ways to achieve the same results when brewing beer: late extract additions, full boil, partial boil, partial mash, all grain, ice bath, wort chillers, plate chillers, etc. etc. etc. Experiment! And don't be afraid to mess up.

You'll rarely mess up so bad that beer won't happen.
So relax, breathe deep, you got this.

I have a hard time with the first piece of advice even though I know you are right. Almost everything I do I think 2-4 steps out even when, like now, I still don't know how to do the first very well. And reading the instructions I agree with no "easy beer". I should have said easier beer or beer with fewer steps.
 
The hops question has been answered. I don't use a bag in my hopping though. "Big beer" is up for debate, but the higher the ABV, the longer you should plan on aging for the most part. There are lots of sugars to convert and the beer usually tastes very hot/boozy/like alcohol for a while until the flavors are able to blend and mellow out a bit. Whether you choose to do this in the primary fermentation vessel or transfer to a bright tank/"secondary" is up to you and is greatly debated on this forum. The answer to your question lies in what you decide to do in your beer - you're the boss! Basically which side of the debate you fall into after reading the forums, books, literature about aging on/off the yeast cake. (people argue this point to death, so I'll stop there)

As to other info - read lots and take good notes on brew day and after. Ask lots of questions. Start easy and get your process down, then progress to more complicated recipes. Don't worry if you make mistakes, it almost always comes out with a good final product. Most of all, have fun, otherwise what's the point?
 
My comment concerns purely your aging query. Some styles require it, others do not and it has a lot to do (well, almost entirely...) with yeast flocculation, aging, and additional flavor additions that you may want to ad.

Flocculation: Some higher gravity beers take longer to do this, i.e. a carboy or secondary is required as leaving your beer on top of a yeast cake for too long can produce some off flavors after your food for them has run out...I transfer EVERY beer I make. Also helps with clarifying. Everyone loves a pretty product...

Aging: This sort of pertains to the previous but it can be interpreted many ways. Yooper mentioned oaking, it would fall in this category (except instead of a carboy, an oak barrel takes it's place). Also you can add different types of yeast, for example Russian River's "Brux" has brettanomyces bruxellensis to help contribute to the flavor profile as well as for bottle conditioning.

Additional Flavors: The carboy is traditionally home to the "dry-hopping" step. You may be familiar with this already but if not: it is the act of adding hops directly into the beer upon racking to your secondary. You can steep them in a bag for your desired amount of time or add them directly to the beer in concordance with your fermentation/fermentation schedule so you can expose the beer the hops for the desired time. Also fruits of sorts can be added, this breaks away from more traditional brewing guidelines of course but can be used to produce some more interesting flavors. Again Russian River (yes I'm obsessed with them, they are a block away from me here in Santa Rosa) adds cherries to their "Supplication" ale in the barrels.

Happy brewing friend and as Papazian says, "Relax, and have a homebrew" which for you will happen in a few weeks! :)
 
Thanks for all the help and advice. I truly appreciate it and will be visiting here almost daily. I just finished brewing my first batch and discovered what jwalk meant with there is no easy beer. I studied the instructions at least 4-5 times before beginning, had them by me, and looked during slow moments and still found myself making stupid mistakes. But I think as long as I didn't contaminate it that it went well. Now the really hard part, waiting.
 
What helped me, and helped pass the time waiting on the beer, is to watch videos of other people brewing beer. It helps to watch someone else's process and it sometimes provides more efficient ways of doing things. YouTube and Brewing TV is a great way to kill time and it lets you learn more about your new favorite hobby. Congrats on the first brew! :mug:
 
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