First brew: brew day through bottling day notes

[land3r]

Hi everyone,
New here & thought I'd share my notes. I bought a beginner kit from Northern Brewer, and they were great with pre-sales questions and replacing the airlock, which I didn't replace during brewing.
That said, as noted in my other thread, I tried joining their forum to ask some questions, but I couldn't because of some kind of email glitch, which I never heard back about.
Anyway, any thoughts/suggestions are greatly appreciated.
---------------------------------------------
Source
Northern Brewers

Kit
American Wheat (in beginner hardware kit)

Brew Day
11-5-2023

Cool to temp
66F

1st Gravity
11-5-2023
1.04



--------------

2nd Gravity
11-12-2023
1.02
ABV 2.62

-----------------

Bottling Day
11-19-2023
3rd Gravity
1.01
ABV 3.93

Notes
As of 11-8, no bubbles, unsure about fermentation
11-9 better krausen, no bubbles in airlock
11-12 better krausen, no bubbles in airlock
11-19 Krause reduced, no bubbles in airlock

Filler stopped working after 4.5 bottles
Sanitized & used pitcher & funnel
Yield: 8 bottles
Ambient storage temp 68F

Next batch: start with 8 fizz drops
Filter before bottling?
Refractometer?

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

• the topic "1 gallon brewers unite" has good discussion on the spigot-ed "Little Big Mouth Bubblers"
  • start scanning in about the year 2019
• be sure to clean the spigot after each batch
• one can create a little more room under the spigot by moving the trub to the other side of the fermenter
  • ferment at a slight angle with the spigot side higher (a short 2x4 is sufficient)
  • I've also seen people build a custom stand
• for many strains, one can also use gravity to help the yeast / trub fall out of suspension
  • adds about 1 week between brewing and bottling
• for hoppy styles, let the wort sit in the kettle for a couple of hours before transferring to the "Little BMB"
  • the hop trub will settle to the bottle of the kettle
  • avoid transferring the hop trub from the kettle
• given the location of the spigot, there is probably 1 or 2 bottles of dead space
  • anticipate a yield of 7 bottles rather than 9 bottles
• using a funnel will oxidize the beer, bottling techniques related to avoiding oxidation are unlikely to help

Filter before bottling?

Give it a try, over time most people find easier approaches.

Refractometer?

Remember to adjust the measurement when measuring beer (vs wort)

 

[land3r]

Thanks for the great notes. Looks like I have some homework to do.

• the topic "1 gallon brewers unite" has good discussion on the spigot-ed "Little Big Mouth Bubblers"
  • start scanning in about the year 2019
• be sure to clean the spigot after each batch
• one can create a little more room under the spigot by moving the trub to the other side of the fermenter
  • ferment at a slight angle with the spigot side higher (a short 2x4 is sufficient)
  • I've also seen people build a custom stand
• for many strains, one can also use gravity to help the yeast / trub fall out of suspension
  • adds about 1 week between brewing and bottling
• for hoppy styles, let the wort sit in the kettle for a couple of hours before transferring to the "Little BMB"
  • the hop trub will settle to the bottle of the kettle
  • avoid transferring the hop trub from the kettle
• given the location of the spigot, there is probably 1 or 2 bottles of dead space
  • anticipate a yield of 7 bottles rather than 9 bottles
• using a funnel will oxidize the beer, bottling techniques related to avoiding oxidation are unlikely to help

Give it a try, over time most people find easier approaches.


Remember to adjust the measurement when measuring beer (vs wort)nks