First brew day, have questions

[schrutebucks]

Bought the midwest groupon kit with the Irish Red Ale. Completely new at this and have a few questions.

1st - Proof the yeast or not? From reading how to brew, it says to proof the yeast to make sure it's still alive and ready to pitch. I just bought it from my LHBS yesterday, do I still need to proof? I'm using the Safale US-05 yeast. Also, should I use 1/2 cup of water at 80-85F then pour in the yeast? Do I stir it in or just let it sit? Should I rehydrate right before I pitch, or is it OK to do it when I'm waiting for the brew water to boil?

2nd - Temp control on a gas range - I really suck at cooking in general on a stovetop. The Irish red ale calls for steeping the grains in 155F water. I'm using bottle RO water from the store for everything, so I'm assuming I don't need to boil it, but I let the water get up to about 190F. So do I turn off the burner and let it cool down to 155F, then steep the grains? Should I leave the heat on medium to keep the temp constant at 155?

3rd - Sanitation - I'm terrified of having dirty equipment. I'm using a warm tap water & LD Carlson easy clean solution to clean everything with a sponge. Then I put it directly into my StarSan sanitizing bucket and let it sit until I need it. Is it ok to put it directly into the sanitizer after cleaning? Also, do I need to dry off things like the stirring spoon, yeast jar, spoons, etc after taking out of sanitizer to use?

4th - Hydrometer use - Pretty confused on this, even though it seems really simple. I don't have a thief to easily draw a sample from the wort, so how do I get the wort into the tube? The tube the hydrometer came in is what I put the wort in right? Also, do I measure the OG before I pitch the yeast?

Thanks in advance, this seems like a great community!

 

[SD-SLIM]

Hello, congratulations on your purchase and welcome to the hobby...to answer question #1, you can just pour the yeast contents directly in to the fermenter after cooling your wort, I would probably go this way since it's your first brew...but going forward you should always create a starter to make sure you have active yeast, but at this point if your yeast doesnt work get some new stuff and re-pitch...to answer question #2, get your water up to 155 by turning it on high, then back it down a couple of spots to maintain, you need to be close to 155 in order to extract the sugars from the grain...190 is way to high and will ruin your beer....question #3, everything you are doing is fine, with the exception of a sponge (they harbor bacteria)...question #4 since you dont have a wine thief, you can use a turkey baster or auto siphon to fill the hydrometer tube.

Good Luck!

 

[schrutebucks]

Thanks! My temp is right at 155F, and I'm keeping the heat a little under medium. What should I use to wipe stuff down with the cleaning solution? Paper towels? Also, is the tube that the hydrometer came in what I should be drawing my sample into? I was told that was just packaging to make sure it didn't break.

 

[trevor_b]

I brewed my first batch two weekends ago and I used the tube the hydrometer came in. Worked well for me.

Do you have Star-San or Iodophor?

 

[schrutebucks]

Star-San

 

[SD-SLIM]

Hello...you can use paper towels or rags (just make sure they get washed between usage)...in regards to what to sanitize with, I strongly recommend using Star-San, the reason is that you can keep the solution for months (in a covered container), so an ounce of this stuff goes a long way...the draw back to this is that it shouldn't be used with soft metals, so an oxygen based cleaner works well on aluminum kettles, and they are all the same so get the cheepest...in regards to your hydrometer tub, it is for packaging only, but I used mine for 6 months with no issues, then I bought one from Northern Brewer for $4.00...the only difference was a wide bottom base and a thicker cylinder...but again the hydrometer tub will work. Happy Brewing!

 

[schrutebucks]

Thanks for the advice everyone. My first batch is in the primary now and the airlock's bubbling away, so I'm assuming that's a good sign. Unfortunately I put the fermenter in a closet and the temp for the first 24 hrs was around 80 degrees. I've since moved it (keeping splashing to the absolute minimum) to a rarely used spare bedroom, put a thick black sheet over the window, and turned the AC down, so it's sitting at 75 degrees now.

 

[harpdog]

I got the same kit and recipe - bottled it on Monday and it smelled FANTASTIC. A taste test was very encouraging.
I used the yeast that came with the kit, and I rehydrated it according to the instructions on the packet, though you can also pitch it dry.
I saw a video on line where a guy sanitized his hydrometer and just put it right in the fermenting bucket to get his original gravity...I'm trying to figure out if that's a smart shortcut or a risk...
I also use paper towels - they come pretty well sanitized, plus the solution is on them.

I will give you a great discount for sharing my experiences, since they have only a few weeks seniority over yours. That will be 90 SchruteBucks please.

 

[kyle6286]

Thanks! My temp is right at 155F, and I'm keeping the heat a little under medium. What should I use to wipe stuff down with the cleaning solution? Paper towels? Also, is the tube that the hydrometer came in what I should be drawing my sample into? I was told that was just packaging to make sure it didn't break.

I thought about doing that, but didn't feel comfortable as I thought it was just for packaging the hydrometer, but I guess it works. I also bought the kit from Midwest via Groupon. Because I didn't have a tube at the time, I didn't take a starting gravity reading. However, in addition to your LHBS (if you have one), Midwest Supplies has the wine thief for less than $8 and you can choose $5 shipping, which is what I did. I received mine a few weeks ago and it works great.

 

[schrutebucks]

However, in addition to your LHBS (if you have one), Midwest Supplies has the wine thief for less than $8 and you can choose $5 shipping, which is what I did. I received mine a few weeks ago and it works great.

I plan on going to my LHBS real soon to get a wine thief and a 12" thermometer to clip to my kettle for my next brew. That's one thing that would've made my first brew easier, having a constant temp reading.

 

[kyle6286]

Love the name by the way. Schrute's beets!

 

[mr_bell]

Even though you're done, my 2 cents on your questions:

1) Don't proof, but do rehydrate. I can't say that I base re-hydrating on personal experience; more on what I've read from experts like Jamil Zainesheff, John Palmer and Chris White. They all recommend re-hydrating. Among these experts, re-hydrating seems to be a best practice. (As an experiment, I'm planning on doing a split batch soon, using dried yeast in 2.5 gals, and the same quantity of re-hydrated dried yeast in the other 2.5 gals. Should be interesting--I'll post results)

2) 155 is a good temp for steeping. If it falls above or below a little, no need to worry. Don't let the temp go above 170 or tannins can be extracted, which will give an astringent flavor.

3) It is not necessary to dry these items after sanitizing with star san. It continues to work when it is wet. It has no negatie effect if it gets in wort/beer, and don't worry about the foam either.

4) I have a thief now, but didn't always. I've put the sanitized hydrometer right into the wort in the bucket, and everything came out fine. I prefer to use a 6.5 gal glass carboy as my prim. fermenter now, so the thief is a necessity.

Absolutely get a thermometer; a thief is nice. If you don't already have an autosiphon, definitely worthwhile too.

Congrats, your first brew will be awesome.

 

[stratslinger]

Thanks for the advice everyone. My first batch is in the primary now and the airlock's bubbling away, so I'm assuming that's a good sign. Unfortunately I put the fermenter in a closet and the temp for the first 24 hrs was around 80 degrees. I've since moved it (keeping splashing to the absolute minimum) to a rarely used spare bedroom, put a thick black sheet over the window, and turned the AC down, so it's sitting at 75 degrees now.

Just a head's up, you might still get some off-tastes in this beer; 75 is still too high! Typical Ale yeasts ferment best around 65-ish.

It won't ruin anything, it'll still be beer. But if you get a little funkiness in the taste, you'll know at least one thing you can improve on for your next batch!

 

[SD-SLIM]

Actually 75 degrees is the top end of the manufactures fermentation temperatures (from manufactures site: Recommended fermentation temperature: 15C – 24C (59-75F).
But i would always try and shoot somewhere in the middle to be safe!

 

[stratslinger]

I guess I've read some conflicting information regarding fermentation temperatures.

When a manufacturer recommends a temperature range, are they recommending that as an ambient temperature, or the temperature of the contents of the fermenter?

Fermentation generates heat, so the vessel is likely to be at least a few degrees higher than ambient. If the vendor's recommendation is based on ambient temp, then you're "safe" being at the top end of that range. If the vendor's recommendation is based on the temp of the contents of the fermenter, then you're likely to be a tad too high.

 

[mr_bell]

For me, brewing has been a continual learning process. Yes, generally better to start cool and warm up than to do the opposite. You'll have beer. Hopefully, it's still awesome.

 

[SD-SLIM]

I guess I've read some conflicting information regarding fermentation temperatures.

When a manufacturer recommends a temperature range, are they recommending that as an ambient temperature, or the temperature of the contents of the fermenter?

Fermentation generates heat, so the vessel is likely to be at least a few degrees higher than ambient. If the vendor's recommendation is based on ambient temp, then you're "safe" being at the top end of that range. If the vendor's recommendation is based on the temp of the contents of the fermenter, then you're likely to be a tad too high.

Statslinger you are right, normally ale yeast does ferment in a range from 60-72...but per this manufactures specs it's a little higher (not sure why), here is the website for there yeast (you will need to download a pdf file for each strain): http://www.fermentis.com/fo/60-Beer/60-11_product_rangeHB.asp

 

[stratslinger]

SD-SLIM - I get what you're saying, really I do!

But I think my point still stands - if the manufacturer's specs are based on wort temp and not ambient temp, then keeping the wort in a room who's ambient temp is the very top of the range for wort temps is likely to mean the wort itself is warmer (ambient + 3-5 degrees, maybe, during peak fermentation) than the recommended range...

So - does anyone know if those specs are for wort or for ambient temp?

 

[schrutebucks]

Actually 75 degrees is the top end of the manufactures fermentation temperatures (from manufactures site: Recommended fermentation temperature: 15C – 24C (59-75F).
But i would always try and shoot somewhere in the middle to be safe!

Living in TX this summer it'll be pretty hard to keep it below 70 without our electric bill doubling. :-\ Hope I don't have alot of funk in my beer.

 

[weekapaug19]

got the same groupon started kit and plan on making my first batch over the weekend. I watched the dvd that came with the kit, but the directions were pretty bad. They sent me the wrong beer kit, so I ended up with the irish stout (which is fine by me). I'm sure I have a ton of questions, but my first is how much water should you start off with in your kettle? 5 gallons? 2-3 gallons and then add the remaing water in the fermentor to make the 5 gallons? thanks for any help/advice you can provide.

also, it talks about inspecting the yeast. Mine came with a small packet which I put in the fridge, how do I inspect this without opening it?

 

[schrutebucks]

got the same groupon started kit and plan on making my first batch over the weekend. I watched the dvd that came with the kit, but the directions were pretty bad. They sent me the wrong beer kit, so I ended up with the irish stout (which is fine by me). I'm sure I have a ton of questions, but my first is how much water should you start off with in your kettle? 5 gallons? 2-3 gallons and then add the remaing water in the fermentor to make the 5 gallons? thanks for any help/advice you can provide.

also, it talks about inspecting the yeast. Mine came with a small packet which I put in the fridge, how do I inspect this without opening it?

Read as much as you can on here, especially the stickies at the top. Also, go to www.howtobrew.com and read the extract brewing section, that's what I used for my first brew rather than the DVD from midwest. I used 3 gallons in the kettle and 2.5 gallons in the fermenting bucket. I read somewhere that some water gets lost to evaporation during the boil in the kettle, so if you use the 3 gallon kettle/2 gallon in fermenter mix you'll actually end up with less than 5 gallons in the end.

 

[stratslinger]

Living in TX this summer it'll be pretty hard to keep it below 70 without our electric bill doubling. :-\ Hope I don't have alot of funk in my beer.

There are ways to do it without keeping your whole house down that low - do a couple of searches for "swamp coolers", you'll get some inexpensive ideas that way. Or, if that sounds like too much work (I'm not crazy about the idea of constantly swapping in new containers of ice myself) and you've got a few bucks available, there's plenty of ways to modify freezers or refridgerators to be ideal fermentation chambers.

 

[SD-SLIM]

Living in TX this summer it'll be pretty hard to keep it below 70 without our electric bill doubling. :-\ Hope I don't have alot of funk in my beer.

I live in Texas as well...I would recommend going to Walmart and buying a tub a little bigger than your fermentor, put your fermentor in it and fill with water (try to get the water on the lower end of temp range), put the buckets in the coolest place in your house, and this should hold temps all day...I did this for a couple of summers and then finally invested in a fermentation chamber.