First brew day is over...

[Geneticjim]

Hey all. I completed my first brew day. My OG is at 1.066 was supposed to be about 1.071. I assume that means my beer will have less alcohol than is supposed to. Also I am using a fast ferment conical fermenter. There is a tons of sediment it's a 5 gal batch but the sediment seems to be about 1/2 way up the fermenter. I hope that settles out more. My wort was really clear but all those hops! Lol. It was a long day but it was fun! When does the fermentation being? About 8-12 hrs? Thanks

 

[Singletrack]

Congratulations! Yes the ABV may be a little lower than planned, but so what. Drink more! That trub will settle and compact. My fermentations usually are active within 4 hours, but sometimes longer, so don't worry if it takes considerably longer. Depends on amount of yeast pitch, wort temp, type of yeast, etc.

 

[Calypso]

Congrats on your first brew! Fermentation can take anywhere from a few hours to 24+ hours to really start, depending on a lot of factors. My first couple beers I didn't aerate all that well and fermentation took over 24 hours to really start. I brewed a high gravity (1.100 OG) ale on Monday with a big starter and have really upped my aeration game, and fermentation was going gangbusters when I checked in on it 6 hours later.

 

[Sadu]

Congrats on the brew day.

Missing your gravity isn't a huge deal, happens all the time and it gets easier with experience. The beer should still come out just fine.

What kind of yeast and how much did you pitch in there? If you pitched 1 pack of dry yeast it might be a slight underpitch and the beer might take a bit longer than normal to get started.

 

[sillbeer]

Check it when you wake up tomorrow. Have you heard of a blow off tube? Sometimes blowoff tubes are better than air locks for some beers.

Cheers.

 

[MindenMan]

Congratulations on your first batch, it gets easier with every batch you make. I have a suggestion: next time before you pour your wort into your conical, line a strainer with cheesecloth, or use a 5 gallon paint strainer to pour though, that way the largest percentage of the trub will be caught and leave you more beer to start with.
The amount of beer lost in my experience, becomes almost none at the end of fermentation when it is run through some kind of a "filter."

 

[estricklin]

Congrats! Your first brew is like doing some other things for the first time in life, it's over fast, you'll get better at it as time goes by, and it's really...really fun!

What kind of beer was it?

 

[AkTom]

It is fun. Then comes cider, mead and wine. It's all fun until you run out... Then you better get brewing again.
Cheers

 

[Geneticjim]

Thanks all. It was a Citra double IPA. I put 2 packets of dry yeast in. I picked up the fermenter and shook it like mad. I did run the wort through a fine mesh paint strainer before going in the conical. I was surprised the color of the wort was almost dead on a double IPA I had from the store. I absolutely love my plate chiller. I was able to bring the wort down to 65*f in about 20 min or a little less. I forgot to check it this morning but I will look at it after work.

 

[Geneticjim]

Oh. And I have to dry hop it 2 days after the primary fermentation is done

 

[Geneticjim]

So in the airlock it's actively bubbling. Not super fast and there is no krausin yet.

 

[estricklin]

Nice! You'll love the Citra in IPAs.

 

[Singletrack]

Oh. And I have to dry hop it 2 days after the primary fermentation is done

I hear some of the finest brewers are calling that "cold hopping" now. [emoji57]

Edit: Ignore comment above. So far, only a few of us our advocating this change. Don't want to cause you any embarrassment.

 

[Geneticjim]

Lol OK. I'm cold hopping.

 

[dwhite60]

It is fun. Then comes cider, mead and wine. It's all fun until you run out... Then you better get brewing again.
Cheers

Nothing worse than pulling the case off top and finding the bottom one is all empties. Scary stuff.


Good luck and have fun!

All the Best,
D. White

 

[soccerdad]

Yeah - yer gonna hate it!

;-)

 

[sillbeer]

Thanks all. It was a Citra double IPA. I put 2 packets of dry yeast in. I picked up the fermenter and shook it like mad. I did run the wort through a fine mesh paint strainer before going in the conical. I was surprised the color of the wort was almost dead on a double IPA I had from the store. I absolutely love my plate chiller. I was able to bring the wort down to 65*f in about 20 min or a little less. I forgot to check it this morning but I will look at it after work.

Did the recipe call for two packs of dry yeast?

 

[Geneticjim]

Did the recipe call for two packs of dry yeast?

I don't have the recipe in front of me but it called for one pack of liquid yeast. My LHBS was out but had it in the dry packets. He suggested I use 2 packets of the dry.

 

[Calypso]

I don't have the recipe in front of me but it called for one pack of liquid yeast. My LHBS was out but had it in the dry packets. He suggested I use 2 packets of the dry.

Haaa. You'll be fine, but your LHBS got it backwards. Also, look into rehydrating dry yeast. You'll kill fewer than pitching dry into the wort

 

[Geneticjim]

The airlock is bubbling away and there is a nice krausin built up.