First brew in primary

[9/9]

I know that there are always a bunch of threads like this, but I just wanted to thank everyone for their help here. We tried our first brew tonight. I am the type to worry, so I imagine that we screwed a bunch of things up, but we wouldn't have made it this far without all of the help and info here. You all are great!

The beer is a Bell's Two Hearted clone from AHS. It took us 4.5 hours from start to finish. The kit's predicted OG was 1.062 and ours read at 1.056 (I think, since I don't have much experience reading a hydrometer). I don't know if that is really close enough or not. I guess we will find out...

 

[TexLaw]

Congratulations! Enjoy!


TL

 

[Silviakitty]

Isn't that an awesome feeling?? Congrats. Keep us posted.

 

[Poindexter]

If you can leave the lid closed for 7 days. I know, a whole week - but if you can leave the lid closed for seven days you will, for the first time in your life proably, finally taste beer with no preservatives and no condioners in it, just beer.

It is going to be awesome, pretty soon.

 

[9/9]

If you can leave the lid closed for 7 days. I know, a whole week - but if you can leave the lid closed for seven days you will, for the first time in your life proably, finally taste beer with no preservatives and no condioners in it, just beer.

It is going to be awesome, pretty soon.

We actually planned to do the brew today because on Friday we are leaving town for a trip to the in-laws. So, as long as fermentation starts up alright, we will be gone and won't be tempted to check on things.

Thanks for the good words, all!

 

[MikeFlynn74]

let it sit- I suggest working on others in the meantime.

You came close on the OG- next time have some DME or corn sugar ready to up it to your target.

 

[9/9]

let it sit- I suggest working on others in the meantime.

You came close on the OG- next time have some DME or corn sugar ready to up it to your target.

Thanks. So, we can just add some corn sugar to the wort in the primary to up the OG? How much sugar are we talking about here?

 

[MikeFlynn74]

I dont know the formula- But in a 5 gallon batch 1lb is good for almost a full abv % point.

Look around theres a formula for how much to add- maybe someone will link it

 

[9/9]

I dont know the formula- But in a 5 gallon batch 1lb is good for almost a full abv % point.

Look around theres a formula for how much to add- maybe someone will link it

Excellent. Thanks!

 

[Chad]

Congratulations! I'm sure things went better than they seemed. It's natural to obsess and worry. Luckily, beer is difficult to screw up. It may not be exactly what you were shooting for, but odds are that it'll be pretty darn close.

As for your OG -- can we safely assume that this was an extract or extract+steeping grains batch? If so, you probably didn't stir enough. This is a common problem. A new brewer gets a low OG with an extract kit and doesn't realize that it is very nearly impossible not to hit their target OG. A specific amount of extract has a specific amount of fermentable sugar. As long as you put the extract in the right amount of water, you have the right amount of fermentable sugar. However, it does tend to settle out a bit, with the heavier portion sinking. If you check your hydrometer without really stirring the heck out of the wort you'll get a false reading.

Chad

 

[9/9]

Congratulations! I'm sure things went better than they seemed. It's natural to obsess and worry. Luckily, beer is difficult to screw up. It may not be exactly what you were shooting for, but odds are that it'll be pretty darn close.

As for your OG -- can we safely assume that this was an extract or extract+steeping grains batch? If so, you probably didn't stir enough. This is a common problem. A new brewer gets a low OG with an extract kit and doesn't realize that it is very nearly impossible not to hit their target OG. A specific amount of extract has a specific amount of fermentable sugar. As long as you put the extract in the right amount of water, you have the right amount of fermentable sugar. However, it does tend to settle out a bit, with the heavier portion sinking. If you check your hydrometer without really stirring the heck out of the wort you'll get a false reading.

Chad

Thanks. Yes, it was an extract+steeping grains kit. Are you talking about stiring it in the primary, at the end? Or stiring during the brewing process?

In other words, you are saying that my OG was probably closer to the predicted than I realized?

 

[Professor Frink]

I think what Chad was saying that if you did a partial boil, you poured your wort into the fermenter, then topped it up with water (or vice versa). If you pulled out a sample from the fermenter, it might not have been fully mixed. Either way, 1.056 vs. 1.062 isn't anything to worry about.

Congrats on your first brew!

 

[9/9]

I think what Chad was saying that if you did a partial boil, you poured your wort into the fermenter, then topped it up with water (or vice versa). If you pulled out a sample from the fermenter, it might not have been fully mixed. Either way, 1.056 vs. 1.062 isn't anything to worry about.

Congrats on your first brew!

Although I hadn't though of it, that makes perfect sense.

 

[Nurmey]

Congrats on the brew! I hope you and your wife had lots of fun brewing. I think everyone should have as much fun brewing with their spouse as Hubby and I do.

It such a shame when I read the posts about the wives complaining about the time their hubbies spend brewing when they could be doing it together! Maybe we should have a couples brewing club and get t-shirts with funny sayings on them.
"Couples that brew together ......" Darn, can't think of anything.

 

[Yooper]

"Couples that brew together ......" Darn, can't think of anything.

Um, Nurmey, you just don't have a dirty enough mind! I thought of a rhyme for "brew" right away....................................

But your og is probably right on the expected, so don't worry about the brew. It's going to be fine!

 

[9/9]

Um, Nurmey, you just don't have a dirty enough mind! I thought of a rhyme for "brew" right away....................................

But your og is probably right on the expected, so don't worry about the brew. It's going to be fine!

Yeah, I thought of a rhyme too, but wasn't sure if I should mention it.

We put the primary away at about 11 last night and when I got home at 3 today it was bubbling away...

 

[Nurmey]

Okay, okay I thought of that rhyme too but didn't want to write it out.

 

[9/9]

Okay, okay I thought of that rhyme too but didn't want to write it out.

It just means that couples that brew together also enjoy carpentry work together. Right?

 

[Dr Vorlauf]

Awesome. Don't worry you did a great job on you batch. Just leave it alone for at least 3 weeks and your good.

 

[9/9]

Just bumping this up to say that we cracked open the primary today to add the dry hops, and took a gravity reading while we had it open (we have been out of town for a week, so haven't been able to check). The gravity is 1.011, which seems pretty close to the predicted 1.008. Even better is the fact that it actually tasted like beer! Warm, flat beer, but beer none the less.

Of course, now there is just another set of things for me to worry about, mostly about whether anything got in to infect it (of course we sanitized the baster we used to get the sample, though I feel paranoid that I may have bumped part of my arm against the inside of the lid). Thankfully I have a good store-bought beer to sit and relax with!

Thanks again for all of the help, everyone.