First Time Brew, 2 questions

[ZmannR2]

OK so first of all howdy guys! Thanks for having me!

So I started my first brew last night (a summer crisp IPA that I'm jazzing up with some extra mosaic during dry hopping). First a couple observations, then some questions.

OBSERVATIONS:
1.) I need a pre-wort chiller for my wort-chiller. The first 100 degrees of drop happened super fast with my wort chiller but the last 40 degrees took forever! I think I'm gonna buy another wort chiller to stick in an ice chest just to cool the water before hitting the main wort chiller.

2.) Star-San sanitizer in a spray bottle is amazing! Made me worry free for contamination.

3.) I poured my cooled wort through a strainer and a cheese cloth type fabric (sanitized of course) and it clogged super fast with the hops residues). Not sure now if filtering it into the primary fermentaion bucket is all that important.


QUESTIONS:

1.) The wort, once in the primary fermenting bucket with added water to make 5 gallons was too foamy to accurately get a gravity reading from the hydrometer. How do you get your first OG reading, and at a day later is it too late now?

2.) I added an "alcohol boost" which is just a pack of powdery sugar that Austin Homebrew says increases your alcohol by 1% without affecting color, flavor or aroma. Does this make fermentation any longer? If so, how do I know how long to keep it before bottling if I don't have an OG reading?

 

[wyccad915]

If fermentation is already taking place then yes it's probably too late. Idk about the alcohol boost so I can't answer that.

 

[Jwin]

OK so first of all howdy guys! Thanks for having me!

So I started my first brew last night (a summer crisp IPA that I'm jazzing up with some extra mosaic during dry hopping). First a couple observations, then some questions.

OBSERVATIONS:
1.) I need a pre-wort chiller for my wort-chiller. The first 100 degrees of drop happened super fast with my wort chiller but the last 40 degrees took forever! I think I'm gonna buy another wort chiller to stick in an ice chest just to cool the water before hitting the main wort chiller.

2.) Star-San sanitizer in a spray bottle is amazing! Made me worry free for contamination.

3.) I poured my cooled wort through a strainer and a cheese cloth type fabric (sanitized of course) and it clogged super fast with the hops residues). Not sure now if filtering it into the primary fermentaion bucket is all that important.


QUESTIONS:

1.) The wort, once in the primary fermenting bucket with added water to make 5 gallons was too foamy to accurately get a gravity reading from the hydrometer. How do you get your first OG reading, and at a day later is it too late now?

2.) I added an "alcohol boost" which is just a pack of powdery sugar that Austin Homebrew says increases your alcohol by 1% without affecting color, flavor or aroma. Does this make fermentation any longer? If so, how do I know how long to keep it before bottling if I don't have an OG reading?

don't worry. Keep it sealed and let it ferment. You want to check gravity in 7-14 days. Then again a day or two later. Once you have reached your final gravity (FG), i.e. same reading twice in a row, it is done. You can estimate alcohol % with the listed OG on your kit. If it is extract, and you ended with the correct volume, it's probably very close.

Just don't go peaking into the bucket every 6 hours. Keep it sealed up and let it do its thing.
I would suggest reading how to brew in the time this is fermenting. Welcome to the hobby

 

[Jwin]

Howtobrew.com

 

[ZmannR2]

Thanks! Ya I've been reading how to brew for a week now. Bought the book before even getting my equipment. Still taking everything in. Nothing prepared me for foamy wort

 

[ZmannR2]

Oh and here's the alcohol boost:

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/Alcohol-Boost.html

 

[frazier]

I use a turkey baster (sanitized of course) to draw from below the foam in the wort, before pitching the yeast. If it is still foamy, just set it aside for a few hours, then test the gravity. No worries.

Cheers,

 

[Jwin]

Most take an independent sample via ball valve for their OG reading. You c an put the hydrometer straight in, but it is not recommended.
Also, it you are using water to top off the fermenter, it can skew the reading unles b it b is 100% mixed in
Again, with extract Not getting a OG isn't a big deal. Now, all grain is different but I assume you are not there just yet. And most doing AG have a pot with a ball valve. Keep up the spray star san. I use a syringe from the pharmacy, the kid you use to give medicine to kids to measure mine. You need a chemical resistant spray bottle. A regular plastic bottle will break down. I have two, then I split a gallon of distilled water into the two bottles and add my star san. What is left over will keep for weeks if kept out of UV light. Note, distilled water must be used to keep for long periods as the metals in tap water will cause it to brake down in short order.

 

[SteveHeff]

Welcome to the fund sucking hobby that is home brewing! And congratulations on your first home brew. Most people have many more questions for their first home brew, so I think you did a good job of reading up and being educated before starting. Let's go over a few things, though:

1. What is the expected original gravity, as indicated by the recipe you used?
2. Was this an extract only recipe, or did you have steeping grains?
3. What yeast was used in the recipe? We can figure an approximate original gravity by calculating the attenuation of the yeast when you obtain your final gravity.

4. Don't worry about filtering out all of the hop debris. I do filter mine, through a large metal strainer. I usually have to clear it out once or twice for a 5 gallon batch. I've done it the other way, where you don't filter, and you just dump everything into the bucket. I don't think there is really any gain either way.

5. I believe the "alcohol booster" was probably dextrose. How much of this did you add? Many people will add this 2 or 3 days after fermentation has started. This gives the yeast the chance to consume the more complex sugars from the starches rather than the simple sugars from the dextrose. Again, not a big deal. Some people have reported stalled fermentation and this might be the cause.

6. As far as obtaining your original gravity, you can always pull a glass full of wort and keep it in your kitchen, overnight. If you still have the tube that your hydrometer was packaged in, just pour the wort in to the vessel and plop the hydrometer in there. It might take a little bit of work to get the hydrometer to sit evenly in the tube, but you would at least have a better guess at what your OG is.

Good luck with the brewing. I hope it turns out great, but if it doesn't, do it again!

 

[Jwin]

And remember the surface must first be clean before it can be sanitized and needs 2 minutes of contact time to work.

 

[Jwin]

IMHO the keys to brewing are cleanliness/sanitation and temperatures.

 

[SteveHeff]

Wow. This thread blew up kinda quick.

 

[ZmannR2]

Thanks for the help! I tried to answer your questions below

1. What is the expected original gravity, as indicated by the recipe you used?

The kit says it should be approximately 1.058. But with the alcohol boost (here's the link to it) I would think it's a bit different.

2. Was this an extract only recipe, or did you have steeping grains?

It had steeping grains

3. What yeast was used in the recipe? We can figure an approximate original gravity by calculating the attenuation of the yeast when you obtain your final gravity.

here it is White Labs California Ale WLP001

4. Don't worry about filtering out all of the hop debris. I do filter mine, through a large metal strainer. I usually have to clear it out once or twice for a 5 gallon batch. I've done it the other way, where you don't filter, and you just dump everything into the bucket. I don't think there is really any gain either way.

5. I believe the "alcohol booster" was probably dextrose. How much of this did you add? Many people will add this 2 or 3 days after fermentation has started. This gives the yeast the chance to consume the more complex sugars from the starches rather than the simple sugars from the dextrose. Again, not a big deal. Some people have reported stalled fermentation and this might be the cause.

See the above link I posted under 1.

6. As far as obtaining your original gravity, you can always pull a glass full of wort and keep it in your kitchen, overnight. If you still have the tube that your hydrometer was packaged in, just pour the wort in to the vessel and plop the hydrometer in there. It might take a little bit of work to get the hydrometer to sit evenly in the tube, but you would at least have a better guess at what your OG is.

Man the tube mine came in doesn't seem to be made to fill and make measurements in. Which is why I thought I could just throw it in the whole pot

Good luck with the brewing. I hope it turns out great, but if it doesn't, do it again!

 

[ZmannR2]

Wow. This thread blew up kinda quick.

Ya, I'm glad I made an acct here as there seems to be more responses than beeradvocate

 

[HomebrewSupply]

OBSERVATIONS:
1.) I need a pre-wort chiller for my wort-chiller. The first 100 degrees of drop happened super fast with my wort chiller but the last 40 degrees took forever! I think I'm gonna buy another wort chiller to stick in an ice chest just to cool the water before hitting the main wort chiller.

Another idea, some people use a small submergible pump in a bucket of ice water (or cooler, etc.) to help get it down those last few degrees.

2.) Star-San sanitizer in a spray bottle is amazing! Made me worry free for contamination.

Couldn't agree more!

1.) The wort, once in the primary fermenting bucket with added water to make 5 gallons was too foamy to accurately get a gravity reading from the hydrometer. How do you get your first OG reading, and at a day later is it too late now?

The yeast has probably already started working, so I'd leave it alone and estimate based on the kit instructions, as others have suggested. You can use a wine thief or turkey baster to pull a sample to take a hydrometer reading.

2.) I added an "alcohol boost" which is just a pack of powdery sugar that Austin Homebrew says increases your alcohol by 1% without affecting color, flavor or aroma. Does this make fermentation any longer? If so, how do I know how long to keep it before bottling if I don't have an OG reading?

Having never used it, I can't say how much longer it would add, but I would suggest confirming your that you FG is stable by taking a hydrometer reading 2-3 days apart and ensuring they are consistent. This might help you out: http://www.homebrewsupply.com/learn/when-to-bottle-your-homebrew.html

Cheers!

 

[SteveHeff]

Just following up. How did it turn out?

 

[ZmannR2]

Just following up. How did it turn out?

It actually turned out AMAZING! I'm now on my 5th batch and that first batch still may be my favorite (batch 2 was a Rye IPA and it's prolly the best honestly) and I've switched to mini mash since that first LME batch.

My next batch will be my first all-grain (BIAB). Think I'll try that for a while and possibly switch to a mash tun but I keep reading how BIAB is just as good and much easier (aside from maybe cloudier wort).

I also have switched to kegging and bottling the force carbed beer using the beer gun.

Lessons learned:

The kegging and beer gun method is amazing but when you drink beer that was brewed just 2.5 weeks ago, it is still VERY green and cold conditioning for at least two more weeks makes a GIGANTIC improvement in clarity and flavor.

Wort chillers are good, pre-chillers submerged in a bucket of ice water paired with a wort chiller is FANTASTIC!!! I'm chilling 3.5 gallons from boiling to 78 degrees in about 11 minutes.

The SS brew bucket replaced my ale pale and carboy and I'll never look back.

Smoked malts and hops dont pair well together. Smoked IPA was batch number 4 and I'm not impressed.

Since I don't bottle condition I used all my bottling sugar to toss in at flameout to get an extra alcohol boost (not much though). And the 1% alcohol boost is amazing to bring that 4.5-5.5% beer recipes up a tad!

Star-San is still the best thing since sliced bread

 

[LostHopper]

Concerns about filtering (getting clear beer) seem to be common when starting.
I think it's a waste of time especially when going from kettle to fermenter. A little trub (or even a lot) will settle to the bottom.
Then learning to master the siphoning technique to bottling bucket will result in nice beer even after dry hopping.
All of those paint strainer bags and funnel filters are just something else to sanitize.

 

[ZmannR2]

Concerns about filtering (getting clear beer) seem to be common when starting.
I think it's a waste of time especially when going from kettle to fermenter. A little trub (or even a lot) will settle to the bottom.
Then learning to master the siphoning technique to bottling bucket will result in nice beer even after dry hopping.
All of those paint strainer bags and funnel filters are just something else to sanitize.

So as far as BIAB, the cloudier wort should still settle out with cold conditioning in my keg for a good week or two?

 

[LostHopper]

So as far as BIAB, the cloudier wort should still settle out with cold conditioning in my keg for a good week or two?

I can't speak to kegging but my BIAB brewed and bottled beer turns out fine. I bottle condition for two weeks at room temp then one week in the fridge before popping the first one.

 

[m00ps]

So as far as BIAB, the cloudier wort should still settle out with cold conditioning in my keg for a good week or two?

just about anything will settle out in a cooled keg