First beer, few questions

[CrixusOfCapua]

So I finally brewed my first beer! Since I live in an apt with wife, we are starting off small with the 1 gallon batches. On Saturday (12/31/16) we brewed the 1 gallon Brewer's Best American Brown Ale. Everything was going great until we accidentally had faucet water get into the beer while sink was filling with water for ice bath. While VERY small amount went in, was pretty discouraging. After that, I tested the beer and got an OG of 1.05. Not sure how, but somehow I messed up on the air lock, but realized it within 1 hr. I'm 90% sure half the water from the air lock went into the beer.

Will <1/4 cup water from faucet make any difference to the beer? The beer was still hot?

Will about 1TBSP of sanitized water from the air lock affect the beer?

We put the beer in the plastic 2 gallon bucket instead of the glass carboy, its been 3 days, and the bubbles have slowed way down, should we transfer it to the carboy?

Should we have 2 fermentation's? The instructions don't say anything about having 2 for this one.

Should/Can any of the stuff I used be cleaned with soup? If not, how should I clean everything besides with just water?

 

[SmokeyMcBong]

Tap water will likely make no difference. Also, if you used star San in your airlock, suck back shouldn't be a problem. You can transfer to the glass secondary if you like but its not necessary. It also gives one more chance to contaminate or oxidise the beer. Some do and some don't, kinda personal preference really. I wouldn't use soup or soap to clean my gear. Pbw is the gold standard but oxyclean free seems to also do a great job. Just rinse well...

 

[CrixusOfCapua]

How long should I wait to bottle if I'm not transferring to carboy? I read and was told to not pay attention to the bubbles while fermenting, should I just wait 14 days and then bottle? Does it matter how long I let it stay in the primary?

 

[SmokeyMcBong]

I've had beer in primary for 5 weeks before with no problems. Do you have an hydrometer to measure the gravity? This would tell you when fermentation is done. If not, I'd probably give three weeks primary on a blind ferment to be safe...

 

[Braufessor]

Some water getting into hot wort should be no problem. Suck back from air lock should not be a huge deal either.

As general practice when yo are starting out...... It is probably easiest, safest to just go with a 14 day primary and then bottle. For the majority of beers, there is no "need" to go to secondary vessel..... maybe if you are putting the beer on fruit, or oak, or it is a very high gravity beer.... but, for "normal" beer - primary is the way to go.

Also, you never really want to move your beer from one vessel to another too early (3-4-5-6-7 days)..... The yeast are still working on the beer and taking up compounds that can cause off flavors. Moving beer at that point will often cause the beer to "shut down."

 

[CrixusOfCapua]

Thanks for the fast responses! I have a hydrometer, how will that tell me when it is done? My OG was 1.05. How will I know what the FG should be at for it to be done?

 

[eadavis80]

A typical brown ale should finish between 1.010-1.015. With a one gallon batch, the beer is more valuable because you have less of it. It will take about 5-7 ounces of beer to take a gravity reading. When the reading is stable over 2-3 days, (14 or so ounces for 2 readings) the gravity is stable and you can bottle, but many just leave it in 3 weeks and then bottle. If you don't want to lose a beer's worth of volume, I would just let it sit there for 3 weeks and then bottle.

 

[Braufessor]

Thanks for the fast responses! I have a hydrometer, how will that tell me when it is done? My OG was 1.05. How will I know what the FG should be at for it to be done?

Often, people recommend taking gravity reading over successive days and when it stays the same for 2-3 days it is "done."

I don't recommend that. I think it is generally a bad idea to mess with your beer once it is in the fermenter. If you do the following, 99% of the time, on "normal" beers you will have no problem:

*Pitch healthy yeast in roughly the right amount
*Pitch to wort that is in a good temp. range (64-70 for ales)
*Maintain temperatures in a decent range.... maybe going up a bit over the course of fermentation (66-74).
*Temps. do not go down suddenly during fermentation.... like from 68 to 62 over the course of a day....
*Give the yeast 14 days.

The yeast will do its job every time.

What I would do is let your beer ferment for 13 days. On day 13 put the fermenter up on a counter top where you plan to transfer/bottle the next day (it will need to be up high when you transfer it for bottling.) You could take a gravity reading at this point..... you will likely find it in the 1.010-1.014 range ... If so, you are good to go almost for sure. If you find it is up in the 1.015-1.02 range.... that might be a problem.

Let it sit there for a day or so without moving until you are ready to transfer/bottle - this lets debris settles out.

 

[Braufessor]

A typical brown ale should finish between 1.010-1.015. With a one gallon batch, the beer is more valuable because you have less of it. It will take about 5-7 ounces of beer to take a gravity reading. When the reading is stable over 2-3 days, (14 or so ounces for 2 readings) the gravity is stable and you can bottle, but many just leave it in 3 weeks and then bottle. If you don't want to lose a beer's worth of volume, I would just let it sit there for 3 weeks and then bottle.

**3 weeks would be perfectly fine too if you want to give it a few more days. And, I agree - if you are doing a 1 gallon batch, you definitely don't want to be wasting your beer on gravity readings.

 

[GHBWNY]

A typical brown ale should finish between 1.010-1.015. With a one gallon batch, the beer is more valuable because you have less of it. It will take about 5-7 ounces of beer to take a gravity reading. When the reading is stable over 2-3 days, (14 or so ounces for 2 readings) the gravity is stable and you can bottle, but many just leave it in 3 weeks and then bottle. If you don't want to lose a beer's worth of volume, I would just let it sit there for 3 weeks and then bottle.

This^ Just to add... to take a smaller sample, I use a 100ml (3.38 oz) plastic syringe with a 12" long piece of 3/8 tubing on the end. This will fit right through the airlock hole without having to remove the lid of your fermenter. Sanitize first, of course. My hydrometer tube with the hydrometer in it fills to the top with ~90 - 95ml liquid, so I can get two samples --- one at 3 weeks, another in 3-4 days to see if FG is stable, using just under 7 oz. beer. I also like to taste the sample to see how it's going, so theoretically, nothing is wasted. To me, 7 oz. out of your 128 oz. is not very much to insure the success of the entire batch.

P.S. your beer will be fine!

 

[TomVA]

In addition to the yeast type and fermentation temperature/time, FG is also influenced by your level of unfermentables in the wort, which in turn is influenced by your grain bill, mash temperature, and adjuncts. For example, if you have a high level of crystal malts or roasted grains, and or mash at 156+°F and/or have added MD or lactose, your FG may come in at 1.020 - 1.025 with an OG of 1.050. This would represent an ABV of 3.3 - 3.9%, which is not uncommon for a brown ale.

TomVA

 

[CrixusOfCapua]

If you find it is up in the 1.015-1.02 range.... that might be a problem.

Let it sit there for a day or so without moving until you are ready to transfer/bottle - this lets debris settles out.

So if the FG is 1.015+, I should let it sit longer?

 

[CrixusOfCapua]

http://www.brewersbestkits.com/pdf/One Gallon Recipes/1426 American Brown Recipe.pdf

According to the link above, FG should be around 1.15-1.19 and ABV around 4.9% - 5.5%

 

[GHBWNY]

So if the FG is 1.015+, I should let it sit longer?

Yup. Let it sit for a couple weeks and check it then. You don't want to go strictly by manufacturer's instructions, but by your hydrometer. Brewing is not an exact science; you and I could brew the same kit on the same day and come up with slightly different FGs for different reasons. No matter what the FG is right now (after only 3 - 4 days?), it needs to sit long enough to finish and 'clean up'. The only thing a kit doesn't come with is a packet of patience --- you have to provide that yourself.

 

[Braufessor]

http://www.brewersbestkits.com/pdf/One Gallon Recipes/1426 American Brown Recipe.pdf

According to the link above, FG should be around 1.15-1.19 and ABV around 4.9% - 5.5%

Yeah - "Might" be a problem if gravity is 1.015-1.020 ..... but, not definitely a problem.

If it is under 1.015, you are almost certainly fine. If you take a reading and it is 1.019..... I would probably wait 2-3 days and take another reading. If it is still at 1.019... that might be all you are going to get and bottle.

If it drops to 1.017.... well, it is still fermenting and you better wait for it to finish because if you bottle it with additional sugar and it is still fermenting sugar in the beer - well, then you can get over carbonated beer.

Extract beers tend to finish with higher gravity than all grain beers. With an extract beer like yours, you could definitely get a gravity at the end that is more in the 1.014-1.018 range.

 

[AZCoolerBrewer]

That Brewers Best kit uses DME which in my experience attenuates well. The specialty grains are a small portion even for a one gallon beer so I would expect to see a lower FG. Another indicator that an all barley beer is done fermenting is when it begins to clear.

 

[CrixusOfCapua]

That Brewers Best kit uses DME which in my experience attenuates well. The specialty grains are a small portion even for a one gallon beer so I would expect to see a lower FG. Another indicator that an all barley beer is done fermenting is when it begins to clear.

Unfortunately, I have it in the plastic tub because I thought you should always do a secondary. I was going to transfer it to the carboy. So I wont see if it is clear unless I open to take FG reading.

 

[Braufessor]

Unfortunately, I have it in the plastic tub because I thought you should always do a secondary. I was going to transfer it to the carboy. So I wont see if it is clear unless I open to take FG reading.

What do you mean ....."I have it in a plastic tub"???

 

[VagueSkunk]

Definitely dont use soup to clean your brewing gear. Dont ask me how I learned about this the hard way...

 

[SmokeyMcBong]

What do you mean ....."I have it in a plastic tub"???

His primary is a two gallon plastic bucket...

 

[CrixusOfCapua]

His primary is a two gallon plastic bucket...

^This. My 1 gallon Kit came with the glass carboy and the 2 gallon plastic bucket. I should have put it in the glass carboy, but thought that could be the secondary if needed.

 

[CrixusOfCapua]

So its almost that time to prime sugar and bottle. This weekend will make the 2 weeks. While I am thinking about maybe letting it go to 3 weeks, I don't think it needs it. Hasn't bubbled since Day 2 in primary. While I know you can't always judge by that, I'm assuming 2 weeks was fine in the primary for the Brewers Best American Brown Ale. As a refresher, I put it in the 2 gallon plastic bucket instead of the carboy thinking I had to transfer into the secondary.

So on bottling day should I do this: Prime sugar and cool to 68-70 degrees F, funnel into Carboy, siphon beer from primary into carboy and bottle from the carboy making sure very little oxygen is added to it.

Or should I siphon into carboy and let sit for a few days to make sure if I sucked up any sludge it's at the bottom before bottling?

Should I hit1 gallon with the priming sugar or without the priming sugar?

 

[Brownalemikie]

Hmmm, I'd just auto-siphon from the bucket to the bottle. Not sure about your priming sugar as I just use 1 sugar cube per bottle right before capping.

 

[CrixusOfCapua]

Couldn't the auto-siphon siphon up sludge from the bottom and get into the bottles? It's in the bucket so I can't really see the bottom to see how much sludge there is. Also, I don't have sugar cubes, just priming sugar.

 

[jmcdaniel0]

I would think Soup would be a viable cleaning agent... Or at least my wifes soup could be....

Honestly though, I am excited to see how this turns out for you.

My first batch is on day 5. I plan on letting it run for 14 days and then bottling. My kit came with Priming drops, So I am going to use them this time around, but on my second batch I am going to switch over to sugar cubes... They are much more cost efficient.

 

[Brownalemikie]

Couldn't the auto-siphon siphon up sludge from the bottom and get into the bottles? It's in the bucket so I can't really see the bottom to see how much sludge there is. Also, I don't have sugar cubes, just priming sugar.

Well, I've only brewed 27 batches of Brown Ale since last June, but usually there's only about a 3/8" of trub in the bottom of my carboy and the auto-siphon has a built-in lift cone on the bottom so it sucks above the trub. Besides, what little trub that gets into your bottles will settle at the bottom of the bottle after conditioning....no big deal because I always decant my beer into a glass before drinking.

Just be sure to sanitize the auto-siphon.

 

[CrixusOfCapua]

Wont adding the priming sugar to the bucket stir up the trub in the bottom?

 

[Brownalemikie]

Wont adding the priming sugar to the bucket stir up the trub in the bottom?

Try using sugar cubes....one per bottle. No stirring required.