first time making beer

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sorefingers23

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ok so ive been wanting to make my own beer for a while now, and the other day i finally gave in and got myself a starter kit and a can of malt extract, and i have a few questions

my kit came with a plastic fermenter, and a secondary fermenter 23l glass carboy, the only thing is, that the plastic fermenter's cover does not have a whole for the fermenting lock, do i need that in the fisrt stage of fermenting? and also the cover is starting to bubble up, and im kinda worried it might pop and make a huge mess everywhere. is ok for me to open the cover once in a while to let the air out??
 
Open it and leave it loose or drill a hole in it for an airlock.
Either way it has to vent CO2. Better hurry.

BTW expect a lot of CO2 to come out and you might get a beer shower to go along with it.
 
ok so i opened the lid and just lest it loose, is it bad for air to get inside while its fermenting, would i be better off to get a cover with a hole for the fermenting lock for my second batch??
 
Our primary bucket and us method isnt the same, For the primary, you only have to put the lid on and dont press it to seal it, let it repose on the bucket, And for the secondary, you just need to put your barboteur on your carboy, If any question you can PM me, and btw I speak french ;)
 
did i ruin my beer by opening the lid to let the air out?? is it ok to take of the lid in a few days to check the gravity rating? or will that ruin the batch??
 
As your beer ferments, it is getting covered by a layer of CO2, which protects is. Having the lid just resting on the top of the bucket is less than optimal, but you should be okay.

After this batch, I would drill a 3/8 inch hole in the lid and insert a 3/8 inch INNER diameter rubber grommet, which you can pick up at most home improvement stores for about $2 (US)

EDIT: I wouldn't check the gravity until about day 19. Then, check it again every other day until you get 2 readings that are the same.

P.S. GO PENS !! Cheers, and welcome.
 
day 19?? ive seen alot of info saying to put it in the secondary fermenter after 7-10 days

oh and Habs all the way!!
 
i would invest in an air lock and drill the hole asap but lid loose should be fine for now...go habs screw crybaby crosby(and this is comin from a leafs fan)
 
day 19?? ive seen alot of info saying to put it in the secondary fermenter after 7-10 days

oh and Habs all the way!!

You guys definately wanted it more tonight. Congrats (shakes fist at you). :D

You typically rack it to the secondary after about a week, but you still generally want it to sit in the secondary for about 2 weeks if you use one. Whether you use a secondary or not, most people leave the beer for about 3 weeks minimal before bottling/kegging. That's where I came up with the 19 days for the 1st reading. That would put your 2nd reading at day 21, and if it is the same as day 19, you are good to bottle at 3 weeks total. Some beers may take longer, but I have found it is a good general rule to follow. Your Hydrometer is the real judge, but if you keep checking the gravity too frequently/early you really start to increase the risk of infection.
 
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