First Homebrew Attempt Questions

[Professor_Dill]

I'm going to be attempting my first home brew soon and just wanted to double check that the directions I have are correct (I came up with them based on everything I have read) as well as hopefully get some answers to a couple questions I have.

First, the homebrew kit I will be using is the Festa Brew Continental Pilsner (http://noblegrape.ca/beer/festa-brew-continental-pilsner/) which comes with the wort and yeast. I figured this would be the easiest way to start out. I will be bottling the beer using Grolsch pop-top bottles and the fermentation will be taking place in a basement.

Based on what I have read I am planning on NOT transferring to a secondary fermentor because of contamination risks and it seems like it can be skipped. Also, because I will be making this beer at a friends house (using his basement - I have limited space in my apartment) it is hard for me to get over there so I wanted to minimize the number of steps to take.

The directions (minus the sanitization because I feel that I have that part under control) that I have come up with are:

1) Pour the wort into the the fermentor
2) Take a sample to test the original specific gravity
3) Pitch the yeast
4) Leave it for anywhere from 10 days to a couple weeks until multiple specific gravity readings are the same
5) Once the gravity readings are the same, add the corn sugar to the bottling pail
6) Transfer beer from the primary to the bottling pail
7) Use a bottling cane to fill the bottle so that enough room is left for carbonation
8) Let the bottles sit to allow carbonation
9) Enjoy!

Now for my questions...

Q1) The kit I am getting comes with a fermentation bucket and a carboy. Should I ferment the beer in the bucket or the carboy, considering the one I don't use for fermentation will be used for bottling? My thoughts on this were that if I fermented in the carboy I could easily see the trub on the bottom when I was siphoning the beer into my bottling bucket. But if I had a bucket with a spigot the was high enough to avoid the trub then I wouldn't have to worry about it and I could transfer it to the carboy and bottle from there using an auto-siphon.

Q2) Also, I have read that if you are going to only primary ferment that you can leave the lid loosely on the bucket for the first couple days and then seal it and use a fermentation lock. Is that true, or is it better to just seal it right away using a fermentation lock?

Q3) How do you avoid oxygenating your beer when you are transferring it? Are there any "best" used methods to avoid this?

Q4) How long should the bottles be left to ferment before putting them in the fridge to cool? And how long should they cool before they are good to drink (taste and carbonation wise)? I've read that the time they sit in the bottle and the amount of time they spend chilled can affect the carbonation and finished product.

Q5) What is the best way to take readings so that you avoid contamination and oxygenating the beer? I read somewhere that some people use a wine thief to do this. Is that necessary?


I apologize for the excessive amount of questions, and I realize that the answers may depend on the type of beer etc. but I'm just looking for general answers for now. If there is anything else you think I should know, but that I missed asking, that would be really appreciated as well!

Thanks!

 

[jro238]

#1: doesn't really matter. Generally people don't ferment in buckets with spigots due to sanitation and air-tightness concerns (those spigots have all sorts of little places that nasties can take hold).

#2: You probably can, but I always lock my lid down and use an airlock or blow off tube (tube if I think fermentation is going to be aggressive). I figure less chance of contamination this way.

#3: avoid splashing. When racking, make sure your siphon tube is on the bottom of the bucket (or below/at liquid level).

#4: depending on temperature, at least 2 weeks. I would leave them for 2 weeks then put one in the fridge for a day or so and taste it.

#5: a wine theif works well if you're fermenting in a carboy. I ferment in a bucket so it's quite easy to just use a sanitized turkey baster or even just scoop out a sample with a sanitized glass. I wouldn't worry too much about oxygenating the beer here as long as you aren't splashing around in it--I just try to move with some purpose while I have the beer open to the air to minimize risk of infection.


Welcome to the obsession

 

[kombat]

Q1) The kit I am getting comes with a fermentation bucket and a carboy. Should I ferment the beer in the bucket or the carboy, considering the one I don't use for fermentation will be used for bottling?

Ferment in the carboy, then rack to the bucket to bottle. Don't bother with secondary, just leave it in the carboy (primary) for 2-3 weeks, then go ahead and bottle.

Q2) Also, I have read that if you are going to only primary ferment that you can leave the lid loosely on the bucket for the first couple days and then seal it and use a fermentation lock. Is that true, or is it better to just seal it right away using a fermentation lock?

As I mentioned in my answer to question 1, I would recommend that you ferment in the carboy, in which case you'd need an airlock (or blowoff tube) right from the start. If for some reason you decide to ferment in the bucket, and if your lid has a hole for an airlock (which I assume is what you mean by "fermentation lock"), then use it right from day 1. My bucket lid doesn't have a hole, so I just put it on snugly (but not sealed) and put some weight on top of it (phone books) to keep it in place and relatively sealed, but it still permits CO2 to escape once it's built up a little.

Q3) How do you avoid oxygenating your beer when you are transferring it? Are there any "best" used methods to avoid this?

Use a racking cane/autosiphon, and rack below the surface of the liquid in the destination vessel. That is, the "out" end of my autosiphon tube will actually be beneath the surface of the beer as I'm racking (once the first little bit has been transferred, of course). The goal is as little agitation as possible. If you're bottling, then angle the tube output along the outside edge of the bucket so you get a swirling action to mix in the sugar solution, without creating any foam or splashing.

Q4) How long should the bottles be left to ferment before putting them in the fridge to cool?

3 weeks at 72° F.

And how long should they cool before they are good to drink (taste and carbonation wise)?

Give them a day or two to cool down and allow any CO2 in the neck to dissolve back into the cold beer (which is now better able to absorb it).

Q5) What is the best way to take readings so that you avoid contamination and oxygenating the beer?

Wine thief is one way (as you mentioned). I use a stainless steel turkey baster (sanitized, of course). I would not recommend putting your sample back into the carboy after you take your measurement. I would drink it or discard it. That said, I don't bother taking gravity measurements during fermentation. I just wait 3 weeks, then cold-crash and fine with gelatin, then rack it straight to a keg. While racking to the keg, I lift the siphon tube and collect some in a pitcher to assess the final gravity, then return the tube back into the keg to finish filling. That sample, however, is merely to determine F.G. and calculate ABV.

Good luck, can't wait to hear how it turns out!

 

[phuff7129]

1) Pour the wort into the the fermentor
2) Take a sample to test the original specific gravity
3) Pitch the yeast
4) Leave it for anywhere from 10 days to a couple weeks until multiple specific gravity readings are the same
5) Once the gravity readings are the same, add the corn sugar to the bottling pail
6) Transfer beer from the primary to the bottling pail
7) Use a bottling cane to fill the bottle so that enough room is left for carbonation
8) Let the bottles sit to allow carbonation
9) Enjoy!

Between number 2 and number 3 should be aeration/oxygenation. You have to get oxygen into the wort. Yeast need oxygen to do their job. Some ways you can aerate your wort are pouring the wort into the fermenter from high above the fermenter. Agressively stirring the wort for 10 minutes. Pouring the wort into your fermenter, sealing the fermenter and shaking the crap out of it. You can buy stir sticks at your lhbs that fit in a drill and will aerate the wort nicely. If you want to do it the absolute best way you can buy an oxygenation kit at your lhbs and oxygenate with pure o2. Be sure to add this step to your list.

 

[rilshoc]

1. If it is a six gallon carboy i would use that to ferment and the bucket to bottle but if is only a five gal I would ferment in the bucket unless you rig a blow off tube. Depending on activity of the yeast you may not leave enough room.
2-5 pretty much answered above

 

[Cyclman]

You are brewing a Pilsner, if it is true to style, that's a lager and requires a temperature controlled fermentation, and optimally, cold lagering.

Some kits use ale yeasts for "Pilsners" if that's the case, you're fine.

I typically recommend a darker or hoppier beer for your first batch, as any flaws are better hidden and you're more likely to enjoy your first batch. A lagered Pils is definitely a more equipment intensive, higher challenge beer.