First Brew Ever (Extract) - Your thoughts please

[Brif]

First Brew ever from this past weekend. Any thoughts, comments, advice, or predictions are welcome. I was going for an Extract APA with Steeping grains.
Here's what happened:

Steeped 1# Crystal 45 for 30 mins at 155-165 in 3.5gal Store bought Spring Water
Added 2 gal to make 5.5gal pre-boil volume in 8 gal pot
brought to boil then turned off heat
added 3.15# Golden Light LME
added 4# Golden Light DME
brought back to boil
added 1oz Centennial (9aau) @ 60 min
(Boil over happened almost immediately and caught me off-guard. So, I panicked and threw bittering hops in at boil over and at least 1/2 of them boiled out immediately. To compensate, threw in 3/4 oz Cascade (6.5aau) from 55-45mins.
Whirfloc tab at 15 mins
1/2oz Cascade at 15min
1/2oz Cascade at 5 min
1oz Cascade at 1 min
Flameout
Whirlpool for 15 min
rehydrated 1.5 packs (11.5 g packs) of US05
Run wort through CFC with pre chiller into bucket
Lost siphon at end and left 1/4 gal wort in pot with Hop debris etc
ended up with 3.25 gal Wort at 80f
Place bucket in ice bath
Continued agitating Rehydrated yeast and placed in ice bath (tupperware with a few ice cubes to chill to 68 degs
Took at least 1 hr to get both wort and yeast down to 68ish degs.
(Wort bucket open during this time)
Strained wort from bucket into carboy. Issues with strainer clogging so this took about 45 mins
OG = 1.077
PA = 18.5
Shook the heck out of carboy for few minutes
Wort got very foamy
Pitched yeast.
Airlock activity started slowly at about 9 hours

Airlock Activity picked up slightly and has continued at that consistent pace since then

Have kept swamp cooler at 60-70 degs. Mostly at the middle of that range

Main issues:
#1) Too much boil off, and lost about 1/4 gal wort to hop debris etc
Probably lost 2 gals to boil off
#2) Lost much of bittering hops to boil over. Not sure if I replaced enough of them.
#3 Straining issues and clogs slowed things down
#4 Rehydrating and cooling yeast slowed things down
# 5 May have under pitched given low post boil volume and resulting high OG

OG = 1.077
PA= 18.5

Am I going to end up with an Imperial India Amber Ale instead of an APA?
Again, thoughts, comments, criticisms, advice, predictions all welcome.

Trying to post pic here -

 

[Brif]

pic here
http://s221.photobucket.com/user/brianfguitar/media/beer.jpg.html

 

[ChelisHubby]

Well what you did was pretty good. I see no problems but I do wonder what yeast and how much. That large of a beer would need either a second package of yeast when you pitch or a yeast starter to be perfect. you should have a good beer. Now you need to wait for fermentation to Finnish use a Hydrometer if you have one or at least 3 weeks if you don't.

 

[Brif]

Thanks ChelisHubby,
Yeast was Safale US-05. I rehydrated 1.5 packs of dry yeast, so 17-18 grams total. Yes I have a hydrometer so I'll use that for a few days once airlock activity stops.

 

[metanoia]

It's all about practice and repetition. Good to get all of these minor hindrances out of the way during your first brew, now you'll be prepared and ready with quicker reactions and backup plans for future brews. And who knows, maybe an Imperial Indian Amber Ale is just what the world needs right now!

 

[fosaisu]

Yeast was Safale US-05. I rehydrated 1.5 packs of dry yeast, so 17-18 grams total. Yes I have a hydrometer so I'll use that for a few days once airlock activity stops.

The Mr. Malty pitching calculator calls for 0.9 packets of dry yeast for 3.5 gallons of wort with an OG of 1.077, so you should be fine with the 1.5 packets pitched. You'll have a nice strong IPA here, should be tasty even if it's not exactly what you were shooting for! For the future, there's also no need to be shy about adding water to the fermenting bucket if you've lost a lot to boil off and have wort that's more concentrated than you like. But you'll also get a handle on your system as you get more brews under your belt and be better able to predict loss to boil off, trub, etc.

For what it's worth, my general rule of thumb is to use 1 packet for 5 gallon batches with OGs up to 1.065, more if above that.

 

[mrboz]

First Brew ever from this past weekend. Any thoughts, comments, advice, or predictions are welcome. I was going for an Extract APA with Steeping grains.
Here's what happened:

Steeped 1# Crystal 45 for 30 mins at 155-165 in 3.5gal Store bought Spring Water
Added 2 gal to make 5.5gal pre-boil volume in 8 gal pot
brought to boil then turned off heat
added 3.15# Golden Light LME
added 4# Golden Light DME
brought back to boil
added 1oz Centennial (9aau) @ 60 min
(Boil over happened almost immediately and caught me off-guard. So, I panicked and threw bittering hops in at boil over and at least 1/2 of them boiled out immediately. To compensate, threw in 3/4 oz Cascade (6.5aau) from 55-45mins.
Whirfloc tab at 15 mins
1/2oz Cascade at 15min
1/2oz Cascade at 5 min
1oz Cascade at 1 min
Flameout
Whirlpool for 15 min
rehydrated 1.5 packs (11.5 g packs) of US05
Run wort through CFC with pre chiller into bucket
Lost siphon at end and left 1/4 gal wort in pot with Hop debris etc
ended up with 3.25 gal Wort at 80f
Place bucket in ice bath
Continued agitating Rehydrated yeast and placed in ice bath (tupperware with a few ice cubes to chill to 68 degs
Took at least 1 hr to get both wort and yeast down to 68ish degs.
(Wort bucket open during this time)
Strained wort from bucket into carboy. Issues with strainer clogging so this took about 45 mins
OG = 1.077
PA = 18.5
Shook the heck out of carboy for few minutes
Wort got very foamy
Pitched yeast.
Airlock activity started slowly at about 9 hours

Airlock Activity picked up slightly and has continued at that consistent pace since then

Have kept swamp cooler at 60-70 degs. Mostly at the middle of that range

Main issues:
#1) Too much boil off, and lost about 1/4 gal wort to hop debris etc
Probably lost 2 gals to boil off
#2) Lost much of bittering hops to boil over. Not sure if I replaced enough of them.
#3 Straining issues and clogs slowed things down
#4 Rehydrating and cooling yeast slowed things down
# 5 May have under pitched given low post boil volume and resulting high OG

OG = 1.077
PA= 18.5

Am I going to end up with an Imperial India Amber Ale instead of an APA?
Again, thoughts, comments, criticisms, advice, predictions all welcome.

Trying to post pic here -

Way to go! Keep in mind that your first few brews are going to be about perfecting process more than about perfecting recipes. As you brew a couple more batches, the process will slow down in your head and you'll become more comfortable anticipating next steps and maintaining a production flow.

As for boil overs ... DON'T ADD HOPS when boiling over. Boil overs are caused by the release of proteins and oxygen from the molecules in your wort ... this volume of released molecules is looking to dissipate out of the wort and when you create a surface tension (as these molecules come into contact with cooler air outside of boiling liquid, they reconstitute ... this is the foam you see ... and boil over). Prevent this by a) bringing your liquid up to boil a bit slower, b) keeping your volume of liquid about 20% less than the volume of your pot c) stirring as the liquid comes to a boil - breaking the surface tension d) having a spray bottle of water on the jet setting to break the surface tension of the boil.

I usually give my wort 10-15 minutes of boil before I start making hop additions, so that most of the released molecules that cause boil over can dissipate ... still, take care to add hops slowly ... getting ready for a potential boil.

Also, keep in mind that you can start with a much lower volume of liquid as you are bringing the wort to boil ... this will give you a bit of headspace if you are pushing the volume limits of your pot. You can then add water that you've boiled in another pot (teakettle, etc) to the boiling wort up to volume. You can even augment the water volume by topping off in your fermenter (boil and cool the top off water and add before pitching yeast).

In the end, heed Charlie P's sage advice ... "relax, don't worry, have a homebrew".

 

[Brif]

Thanks Fosaisu!
Yeah, as long as its drinkable, I'm beyond happy.
One of my biggest frustrations during the process was the trasfer of wort from bucket (post CFC) to the CArboy through the funnel with filter screen.
It was a 10" funnel with a round filter screen that popped into place. It was a fairly fine filter screen too. It clogged almost immediately. Trying to come up with a solution to this PITA.

My two thoughts are to keep a bucket of Starsan nearby and just pull the screen, dunk in Starsan, and replace throughout the transfer process.

OR, possibly use something like a copper scrubbie thrown into the funnel as a screen. Keep 5 or 6 scrubbies nearby and just pull the clogged one out, chuck it, and replace witih a clean (and sanitized) scrubbie.

Any other thoughts on this part of the process?

 

[Brif]

Thanks Mrboz,
Great advice. Yes, the hop additions during boil over is hopefully a one-and-done mistake.

 

[Derrminator]

Ditch the funnel filter. I used it once. Either whirlpool, let it settle and siphon from the sides or just transfer everything and it will eventually settle in the fermenter. Cold crashing can sometimes help as well.

 

[mhurst111]

Ditch the funnel filter. I used it once. Either whirlpool, let it settle and siphon from the sides or just transfer everything and it will eventually settle in the fermenter. Cold crashing can sometimes help as well.

Congratulations on first batch of beer!

i second getting rid of the funnel filter. i have gone to using one of these paint strainer bags (sanitized).
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Trimaco-5-Gal-Elastic-Top-Strainers-2-Pack-11573-36WF/202061360

dump from brew kettle (after cooling) through the strainer into a bucket and then into the final fermentation vessel (if not using a bucket). The bags clean up pretty easily also.

 

[fosaisu]

Thanks Fosaisu!
Yeah, as long as its drinkable, I'm beyond happy.
One of my biggest frustrations during the process was the trasfer of wort from bucket (post CFC) to the CArboy through the funnel with filter screen.
It was a 10" funnel with a round filter screen that popped into place. It was a fairly fine filter screen too. It clogged almost immediately. Trying to come up with a solution to this PITA.

My two thoughts are to keep a bucket of Starsan nearby and just pull the screen, dunk in Starsan, and replace throughout the transfer process.

OR, possibly use something like a copper scrubbie thrown into the funnel as a screen. Keep 5 or 6 scrubbies nearby and just pull the clogged one out, chuck it, and replace witih a clean (and sanitized) scrubbie.

Any other thoughts on this part of the process?

I've never tried fermenting in a carboy so I can't help much with filtering solutions there. I ferment in a 6.5 gallon plastic bucket and have been extremely happy over the past two years using a 600 micron bucket-top strainer from US Plastics discussed in this thread. I tried the 100 micron strainer as well but found that it clogged too quickly. I still need to clean out the 600 micron strainer once or twice as I'm filtering a 5 gallon brew, but it only takes a minute and removes a tremendous amount of trub from the wort.

 

[fosaisu]

Congratulations on first batch of beer!

i second getting rid of the funnel filter. i have gone to using one of these paint strainer bags (sanitized).
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Trimaco-5-Gal-Elastic-Top-Strainers-2-Pack-11573-36WF/202061360

dump from brew kettle (after cooling) through the strainer into a bucket and then into the final fermentation vessel (if not using a bucket). The bags clean up pretty easily also.

This looks like another good way to do it! I use these paint strainer bags for mashing and they're great, very durable so you'd get plenty of uses out of them. Not sure how they compare in hole-size to the filter I recommended, and they're somewhat more of a pain to wash out, but could be faster depending on how quickly the wort runs out of them once you pull the bag up after transfering your wort from the brew kettle.

 

[mrboz]

Ditch the funnel filter. I used it once. Either whirlpool, let it settle and siphon from the sides or just transfer everything and it will eventually settle in the fermenter. Cold crashing can sometimes help as well.

+1 on that. A lot of folks argue that settled hops and protein break actually serve as nutrient for the yeast (don't take it as gospel ... rather, doesn't hurt). If you've cooled your wort in the pot, you can also simply use your racking cane to transfer, rather than manhandling a pot full of sticky wort.

Finally, count me as a fan of buckets over carboys ... google gruesome carboy injuries and you'll see why. I find buckets easier to handle, to clean, cheaper, safer, etc. Learn to handle/clean them with care to avoid scratching (replace them periodically ... I do every 10 or so brews, which given my bucket rotation, means they last about two to three years.

To me, the only real issue with buckets is potential oxidation. Since you actually want a bit of oxygen during your primary, this is not a problem. Once primary kicks in, the CO2 created by the yeast will force most (if not all O2) out the airlock. So this is not an issue either.

Where there may be a problem is with persistent removing of the lid to take samples and with long aging. So don't be cracking your bucket open too much and if you are aging a beer, transfer to a glass carboy (I use corney kegs) for extended aging. Also, if you can invest in a CO2 system (for kegging), you can purge oxygen from your vessels.

 

[Brif]

I like the idea of the paint strainer bag

 

[Brif]

Read that thread on the bucket screens too. Both options look way better than that narrow funnel screen I was working with.

Thanks for all of the input and advice. I'm looking forward to seeing what I made.

Brian

 

[tooldudetool]

Try using hop sacks for the pellet hops, it will cut WAY down on the gunk going into the fermenter. Just use the 1 gallon nylon paint strainer bags at the local HD or Lowes, they work great!

 

[Brif]

no issues with leaving nylon paint strainer bags in the boil?

 

[brew_ny]

pic here
http://s221.photobucket.com/user/brianfguitar/media/beer.jpg.html

thought it was going to be the boil over

all the best with your batch

S_M

 

[Brif]

Sorry S_M,
No boil over pics. Too busy cussing and trying to calculate replacement hops.
It wasn't a huge boilover, but when I threw the hops on top of it, it just spit them all back out. Hops caked all over pot and burner. messy.

Going back to that paint strainer bag thing, would that be something good to use over the end of my auto-siphon when I rack into the bottling bucket??

 

[mhurst111]

Going back to that paint strainer bag thing, would that be something good to use over the end of my auto-siphon when I rack into the bottling bucket??

I have never tried that, but imagine it would clog up - especially with lots of hop junk in the yeast/trub. I try to keep the bottom of the auto-siphon above the yeast cake and tip the bucket to get the majority of the beer out with minimal yeast into the bottling bucket.

 

[fosaisu]

I have never tried that, but imagine it would clog up - especially with lots of hop junk in the yeast/trub. I try to keep the bottom of the auto-siphon above the yeast cake and tip the bucket to get the majority of the beer out with minimal yeast into the bottling bucket.

Agreed, seems like more trouble than it's worth adding a filter to the bottom of the auto-siphon.

In my experience you'll get best (clearest beer) results if you can cold crash for a few days before bottling but even if you can't most of the yeast/trub will have settled to the bottom after 3 weeks in the fermenting bucket. By keeping the auto-siphon just above the yeast you'll lose a few ounces of beer, but well worth it for cleaner, clearer beer.

 

[Brif]

I do keep reading about keeping in primary (if your plan does not include secondary) for a few weeks so that the yeast can clean up after themselves.
Rather than bottling immediately after a few consistent gravity readings. Lets the yeast do their thing with no chance (on a homebrew scale) of any adverse effect on flavor by keeping in primary for a month.

 

[Btaz]

There is a learning curve and a lot depends on the equipment that you have and what you plan to do with it. Here is the process I came up with, if it help s

http://blt.loosecannon.info/wordpress/?page_id=763

 

[Brif]

Ferm going strong and very consistent for almost 8 days. Just now starting to slow down slightly.

 

[Brif]

My swamp cooler temp has been in the 60-68 degree range through the first 9 days of fermentation (us-05), and I should be able to keep it in that range for the next 10-12 days. After that point I may not be able to monitor temp as closely.

So my question is, will slightly higher temps in the swamp cooler (70-72) during the yeast's clean up phase have a negative impact on flavor, or are temp-driven off flavors caused during active fermentation and not clean-up?

Thanks

 

[chuckcomm]

There is a learning curve and a lot depends on the equipment that you have and what you plan to do with it. Here is the process I came up with, if it help s

http://blt.loosecannon.info/wordpress/?page_id=763

I cant get the spreadsheet to come up...getting "Not Found" error.

I did like the detailed process and will save that.

 

[mhurst111]

My swamp cooler temp has been in the 60-68 degree range through the first 9 days of fermentation (us-05), and I should be able to keep it in that range for the next 10-12 days. After that point I may not be able to monitor temp as closely.

So my question is, will slightly higher temps in the swamp cooler (70-72) during the yeast's clean up phase have a negative impact on flavor, or are temp-driven off flavors caused during active fermentation and not clean-up?

Thanks

Temp control is important during the first 1-5 days (depending on type of yeast and who you ask/believe). Letting temp rise after most of the fermentation is done is encouraged for some styles and i believe not harmful for most. letting it get into the low to mid 70s should not be a problem.

 

[Btaz]

I cant get the spreadsheet to come up...getting "Not Found" error.

I look into that tonight and send out an update when it is fixed

 

[Brif]

Temp control is important during the first 1-5 days (depending on type of yeast and who you ask/believe). Letting temp rise after most of the fermentation is done is encouraged for some styles and i believe not harmful for most. letting it get into the low to mid 70s should not be a problem.

Thanks Mhurst. The other concern I have is that I added an ounce of cascade at 1 min, and I have now read in Palmer's book that very late addition hops or flameout hops can cause a grassy flavor. The aroma coming from the airlock is a bit grassy now. I'm hoping that some time in the bottle will diminish that.

I'm also not getting any malt aroma currently, and I think that will change. Time will tell, right?

 

[mhurst111]

Thanks Mhurst. The other concern I have is that I added an ounce of cascade at 1 min, and I have now read in Palmer's book that very late addition hops or flameout hops can cause a grassy flavor. The aroma coming from the airlock is a bit grassy now. I'm hoping that some time in the bottle will diminish that.

I'm also not getting any malt aroma currently, and I think that will change. Time will tell, right?

This is the point at which i say RDWHAHB, although since this is your first batch, you can't quite do that, so just relax, don't worry and have a beer.

There are tons and tons of recipes that call for hops late in the boil or at flame out. As you mentioned, time will tell. It all comes down to personal preference - It might be something you really love or it might be something you want to change next time you brew.

The only way to tell is to keep playing with a recipe (make it just like last time except omit the hops at 1 min OR double the amount of hops at 1 min OR change the hops from Cascade to Citra or some other hop). That is the joy (and source of frustration for some) of this hobby.

 

[fosaisu]

So my question is, will slightly higher temps in the swamp cooler (70-72) during the yeast's clean up phase have a negative impact on flavor, or are temp-driven off flavors caused during active fermentation and not clean-up?

I think this should be fine (and some would say beneficial for the "cleanup"). But I would recommending not letting it get too hot -- I had several batches that were at an OK temp for the first few days of fermentation, but then got up into the mid-80s during a crazy heat-wave, and they ended up tasting not so good.

Thanks Mhurst. The other concern I have is that I added an ounce of cascade at 1 min, and I have now read in Palmer's book that very late addition hops or flameout hops can cause a grassy flavor. The aroma coming from the airlock is a bit grassy now. I'm hoping that some time in the bottle will diminish that. I'm also not getting any malt aroma currently, and I think that will change. Time will tell, right?

I do large hop additions at 1 min/flameout in my Pale Ales and IPAs all the time and haven't noticed any "grassy" flavors. I think you'll be just fine. I also wouldn't sweat the smell coming from the airlock, in my experience that's not necessarily indicative of what the beer will smell/taste like.

 

[Brif]

Ok, so it appears that primary fermentation has ended. (It's been 12 full days since airlock activity began, i think due to the high OG of 1.077), and I think things are looking pretty good, fingers crossed.

I'm not dry hopping, so my plan is to avoid transferring to secondary and to just let this sit still for another week, let the yeast clean up some, let the beer clear some more, then rack from here to bottling bucket for priming/ bottling sometime next weekend.

Does that sound like a reasonable plan?

 

[fosaisu]

Ok, so it appears that primary fermentation has ended. (It's been 12 full days since airlock activity began, i think due to the high OG of 1.077), and I think things are looking pretty good, fingers crossed.

I'm not dry hopping, so my plan is to avoid transferring to secondary and to just let this sit still for another week, let the yeast clean up some, let the beer clear some more, then rack from here to bottling bucket for priming/ bottling sometime next weekend.

Does that sound like a reasonable plan?
View attachment 228428

Sounds reasonable to me! For a standard beer I usually shoot for about 3 weeks in the ferment then bottle/keg, and sounds like you're right on track for that. Just to confirm you're keeping that carboy covered when not taking pics, right? Important to keep sunlight away from the beer to avoid off flavors ("skunking").

 

[Brif]

You mention "for a standard beer", does that mean that with my high OG of 1.077 that it could use more time on the yeast?

Yes, carboy has been covered with a black t-shirt in a dark closet for entire fermentation.

(Also forgot to mention that I will certainly be taking a few gravity readings before bottling)

 

[mhurst111]

You mention "for a standard beer", does that mean that with my high OG of 1.077 that it could use more time on the yeast?

Yes, carboy has been covered with a black t-shirt in a dark closet for entire fermentation.

(Also forgot to mention that I will certainly be taking a few gravity readings before bottling)

Your plan sounds fine. 3 weeks on yeast will be fine even with your OG. Only thing I would add (if you can) is a cold crash step. After FG is stable, put the carboy someplace where temp is 40-50 degrees if you can. Outside or a garage is fine. You will get clearer beer with this step. Not needed, but if you can, I recommend it.

 

[Brif]

unfortunately I don't have a space large enough in a fridge to cold crash. I thought about getting a one gal apple juice jug or two to use for small batches and cold crashing at least a portion of my 5 gal batches, but I don't know how much apple juice I can drink in a week. Maybe I'll just get one jug this week (and an appropriate stopper) and just rack then cold crash one gal of my total 3.25 gal volume. I think my fridge is around 40f.

When you cold crash, how long do you do it for? a full week? Or, should I rack that one gallon to the jug a few days before I plan to bottle what stays in the primary?

thanks

 

[mhurst111]

unfortunately I don't have a space large enough in a fridge to cold crash. I thought about getting a one gal apple juice jug or two to use for small batches and cold crashing at least a portion of my 5 gal batches, but I don't know how much apple juice I can drink in a week. Maybe I'll just get one jug this week (and an appropriate stopper) and just rack then cold crash one gal of my total 3.25 gal volume. I think my fridge is around 40f.

When you cold crash, how long do you do it for? a full week? Or, should I rack that one gallon to the jug a few days before I plan to bottle what stays in the primary?

thanks

If you don't have space, I would say don't mess with moving just part of it. IMO, the risk of oxidation would out way the benefit.

I typically cold crash for 2 days, but only when it's cold outside and i just leave it on the porch or in the garage.

As I said, in your case, i would skip it and just bottle.

Now - what to do with a gallon of Apple Juice is answered here -
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f25/man-i-love-apfelwein-14860/

 

[Brif]

Took a gravity reading last night and its now at 1.016. Used the outer tube of my auto siphon as a thief, which was a Pain but worked. I was really careful about sterilizing everything. Now this morning there is evidence of some renewed airlock activity, and the top if the beer looks a little different. The beer tasted good last night, strong but good, but now I'm a little worried about an infection.

 

[Btaz]

I cant get the spreadsheet to come up...getting "Not Found" error.

I did like the detailed process and will save that.

the link should be fixed.