First Time Brewer!

[EnderXero]

Hey guys, I spent a while looking around the site and am happy to know how helpful everyone is around here.

Anyways, I have a few questions, simple albiet, but pertenant to my situation.
I only have one bucket to do both fermenting stages in, and wanted to know what the disadvantages/hazards I should be looking out for when I go to priming. I have already boiled and set up the wort for about 5 days now, and the kit I bought tells me to prime 5-7 days after the brewing. (I'm waiting till 7 or more days pass as I see that most people tend to wait about 2 weeks before racking to secondary.

also, I have heard that honey is a decent way to prime, I already have the corn sugar that came with my kit, and want to add just a little bit more than what the kit gave me. any suggestions?

Im making a smaller batch than most people do, a 2.5 gallon instead of 5, and its a nut brown ale for reference.

Thanks for any input guys!

 

[Fatabbot]

Why do you want to add more corn sugar than what came with your kit?

Do you only have one bucket? If so, I'd probably invest in a bottling bucket with a spigot as it makes it much easier to fill bottles from, and it allows you to rack the beer off of the yeast sediment in the primary.

Where in Dallas are you?

 

[BrewProject]

Why do you want to add more corn sugar than what came with your kit?

Do you only have one bucket? If so, I'd probably invest in a bottling bucket with a spigot as it makes it much easier to fill bottles from, and it allows you to rack the beer off of the yeast sediment in the primary.

Where in Dallas are you?

i agree a bottling bucket can be had for about $15, with the spigot. good investment.

btw, i'm in irving Fatabbot, what about you?

 

[Somerville]

If you only have one bucket total, I advise that you purchase a bottling bucket. I've been trying to imagine ways of conducting a two-stage fermentation without a bottling bucket or just another bucket. Unless you have some other holding devise, which can also be sanitized, then I cannot see you achieving any transfer of your beer whatsoever. You need to be able to rack the beer off of the trub at the bottom. If not, you're going to have some raunchy nuggets floatin around in your bottles.

Also, you stated that you would like to add more corn sugar or honey. I have to ask, why? Perhaps since you're making a smaller batch, you would like to use less corn sugar...? More corn sugar could result in exploding bottles. All the books I have read on priming your beer state that you MUST use the recommended measurement. If the bottles do not explode, you could end up having an unbeer-like sweet taste.

Hope this helps.

 

[Fatabbot]

btw, i'm in irving Fatabbot, what about you?

I'm in Coppell. What part of Irving are you in?

 

[BrewProject]

I'm in Coppell. What part of Irving are you in?

north irving, just off 635 and Beltline. i work in Coppell, close to Sandy Lake and 121

 

[Fatabbot]

north irving, just off 635 and Beltline. i work in Coppell, close to Sandy Lake and 121

Sweet, we'll have to get together the next brewday. I live off of Sandy Lake and MacArthur off of Mapleleaf Ln.

 

[BrewProject]

Sweet, we'll have to get together the next brewday. I live off of Sandy Lake and MacArthur off of Mapleleaf Ln.

cool, nice to me you dude... :rockin:

My name is Danny. I am a total noob. got my first brew in the secondary today.
Gonna buy another bucket next week and start another. Probably a Cherry Ale of some kind.

 

[Fatabbot]

cool, nice to me you dude... :rockin:

My name is Danny. I am a total noob. got my first brew in the secondary today.
Gonna buy another bucket next week and start another. Probably a Cherry Ale of some kind.

Ditto

Let's see, I guess I have my 5th batch in the secondary right now. Done an EPA, Mexican amber, Russian Imperial Stout, American Wheat and a Double IPA. Nothing too fancy but loving the new hobby.

I either brew out in my driveway or out by my friend's pool who lives in North Dallas.

 

[BrewProject]

Ditto

Let's see, I guess I have my 5th batch in the secondary right now. Done an EPA, Mexican amber, Russian Imperial Stout, American Wheat and a Double IPA. Nothing too fancy but loving the new hobby.

I either brew out in my driveway or out by my friend's pool who lives in North Dallas.

I'm on the stove in my apartment, hoping for no boil overs.... No problems so far.

Hope to get into a house next year, then I can go outside. My daughter and wife will appreciate that, they don't like the smell. what's wrong with them?

 

[EnderXero]

thanks for all the tips guys, Im kinda poor so I'll have to wait on the bottling bucket. I did, however go out and buy a 2 dollar bucket similar to the first one I had and racked it to that about a day after i primed the beer. I'm currently just covering the buckets with celophane(sp?) and poking a very small pin-hole in the middle. this is what the homebrew shop guy recommended I do since I'm such a cheap-ass.

I did, however get to taste just a little bit of the beer after transfering, and Im actually surprised that it taste like beer! not much carbonation after one day of the sugar being in there, but it certainly wasnt bad!

anyways, I guess I was being stupid about the whole adding more sugar to the beer because I wanted a slightly more alcoholic beer, I didnt think about it being extra-carbonated too. So i didnt end up adding any more sugar.

Thanks again guys, and I'll let you know how it comes out!

 

[myersn024]

Are you saying that you primed the beer but never actaully bottled it? If you don't bottle it then it'll never carbonate. It has to be in a closed air-tight container for carbonation to occur. Otherwise, you'll end up with a slightly higher alcohol content beer (like you wanted) but it'll be flatter than a sheet of paper.

 

[EnderXero]

wow, I've got a lot of reading to do it looks like. I thought it would carbonate in the secondary fermenter.... crap! well looks like i've got to get on bottling it soon...

 

[Exo]

http://howtobrew.com

Skip to the bottling section and see if you can save yer' batch. Then read the whole thing.

Or cripes, just invite a friend over and drink yer beer. Nothing wrong with a bucket o' beer.

 

[Yooper]

I"d go ahead and let it ferment out in the secondary. This could take a week or so. Then, before bottling, prime it with the recommended amount of priming sugar and bottle.

I understand being broke- but there are a couple of things that can make your life easier. One is an airlock- you NEED one and they cost 79 cents. This can protect your beer from bacterial infections, fruit flies, etc. And let you know how fermentation is progressing. It's worth it to protect your investment in the malt extract, hops, yeast, etc.

Lorena