First time

[jbaysurfer]

Thanks for your input I will definitely learn from my mistakes.

About the hops:
Those r the crystal hops they were really easy to strain out. The liberty hops were pellets and didn't strain too well. I won't be buying pellets anymore.

I just use a hop sock for the pellets. You can get the cheap ones at the LHBS for dirt cheap (like 2 for a buck or cheaper) then just toss the whole thing in the trash when you're done.

I didn't mean to be a d!ck..I really do wish you the best, but I also think there are many great brewers here that have tried to help you, and I personally think that's a pretty awesome thing to get for free from the internet. Cheers and GL.

 

[derek81]

Im new to brewing and i wish i had the $$ money experiment with ingredients like you.



Trolololol

 

[mugen112]

Yes luckily I will be able to afford to get a new batch going every two weeks when I get all the equipment I need.

 

[JohnTheBrewist]

I haven't really seen any haters in this thread. Certainly everyone is entitled to their opinion, the same as anyone is entitled to brew however they want. As I said before, I don't see anything wrong with going all grain for your first brew. But you need to take it a bit more seriously if you want to make good beer, and if you want to keep receiving good advice. (free advice is not always good).

That said... Congratulations! You've made beer! Since you had an SG of 1.050, you did achieve some extraction of sugars from the grain. But since you mashed at too high a temp you're probably going to have some astringency. BTW when you took the gravity reading, had you already added the lactose?

Looking at your picture of the mash, I see something yellow in the bag. What is that?

72*F is a little high for most yeast strains, between that and not using a starter, your yeast may poop out early before converting all the starches.

Lastly, there is no reason to worry about some of the hop sludge going into your fermentor. Most of us use pellet hops without a bag or strainer with no problem.

 

[mugen112]

The lactose was already in during gravity reading and the yellow was flaked corn.

How much do you think the lactose effected the gravity?

With an average beer how long will the airlock bubble?

 

[JohnTheBrewist]

If I'm right, the 1 lb of lactose probably added about 4 points to both SG and FG. But you should use a recipe calculator or other table to verify this.

Bubbling in the airlock (or lack thereof) is not a good measure of fermentation. After a week or two, start taking gravity readings. Use a recipe calculator to determine where your gravity readings should be for SG and FG. If your gravity is at approximately the expected FG for more than 2 days you can bottle or keg.

 

[mugen112]

4 points isn't really that much.

I will check the gravity for sure but not til the airlock slows or dies.

 

[mugen112]

Looks like I will be kegging because I won't have the patience for bottles to carb up.

Any direction would be greatly appreciated.

Do I want a ball lock or pin lock keg?

 

[tektonjp]

"Do I want a ball lock or pin lock keg?"

Yes.

Do yourself a big beer education favor and research it. Self study is good. You seem like to type who prefers to walk to his own drummer. There are tons of info here on kegs. And basic brewing. And the virtue of patience.

 

[mugen112]

Looks like the ball are more common and used by pepsi and the pin are used by coke... At least that's what one video said. Either way shouldn't matter what I get.

Looks like I'll be picking up a keg this weekend.

I hope my brew is done fermenting by Monday morning so I can keg it.

I will post an airlock update as soon as I get home from work.

 

[mugen112]

Airlock update:

Fermenting like crazy at 67F. Bubbles bursting thru airlock every 2 or 3 seconds.

 

[mugen112]

How long does the airlock usually stay at this rate of activity?

 

[madchemist83]

Maybe day or two

 

[mugen112]

Airlock update:

Slowing a bit but still bubbling every 4 or 5 secs. If I see it slowing more at next airlock check maybe I'll check the gravity fri or sat.

 

[mugen112]

Temp update:

Fermenting at 66, still bubblin away.

The temperature is slowly falling because it's gettin cold outside and the brew is fermenting in the basement. It's been falling about a degree a day.

 

[mugen112]

What do you guys think about this keg?





I may order this if my local brew shop doesn't have a nice keg.

 

[jaytizzle]

Looks like a brand new corny. Any reason you're looking at brand new ones instead of reconditioned used ones for 1/3 the price? I just ordered three from kegconnection.com for $50 each and they're supposed to be washed, cleaned, fresh o-rings, pressure tested, etc.

 

[madchemist83]

Wrap it in blankets. Just let it be. Check gravity when bubbles are once a minute

 

[mugen112]

Looks like a brand new corny. Any reason you're looking at brand new ones instead of reconditioned used ones for 1/3 the price? I just ordered three from kegconnection.com for $50 each and they're supposed to be washed, cleaned, fresh o-rings, pressure tested, etc.

I just didn't know a reliable retailer for refurbished ones.

 

[jaytizzle]

10-4. Well if you can be patient I'll gladly let you know what happens with my order in about a week. I searched and searched and they had the best prices for CLEANED kegs. Some others were cheaper but they didn't clean them first. We'll see what happens when they come in but I'm expecting some pretty decent kegs.

 

[JohnTheBrewist]

Most prefer ball lock to pin lock, but there's not a tremendous difference. However, once you choose a style you're kinda stuck with it.

All the appropriate rebuild parts are readily available and not that expensive. You just need to be sure the company you buy from will guarantee it to hold pressure.

As I said, forget about the airlock. Some never show signs of activity, sometimes it seems to be over really fast, and sometimes it lasts forever. Airlock activity is not a good measure of fermentation! Be sure to give your beer at least a week before taking a gravity sample, IMHO you should really wait two weeks.

 

[mugen112]

When I get home from work I'm going to have a double red ale and stare at the airlock

 

[mugen112]

Airlock update:

Not bubbling much

Will take a gravity reading Friday or Saturday.

Drinking a nice double red so all is well lol.

I'm thinking my next recipe will be a Belgian dubbel. Anyone have tips about dubbels?

 

[mugen112]

Airlock: bubbling exactly once per minute. I will be checking the gravity and kegging tomorrow afternoon. I hope my brew shop has a keg I can buy.

 

[madchemist83]

Way too early. Wait another week.

 

[SittingDuck]

Agreed. Gotta let it finish and condition. It may still be fermenting. Wait until you get three days in a row of the same gravity reading, then wait another three days.

 

[mugen112]

Can it not ferment in the keg?

 

[mugen112]

I've too many strange variables effecting my beer. It makes sense when people say my beer may not turn out good. So I want to rush this batch so I can get a legit batch going.

Good learning experience though.

 

[mugen112]

Can I safely take the lid off my fermentor and check the gravity (I'd also like to visually inspect the brew) then put the lid back on with minimal risk of infection? I just want to check on it I will wait another week like everyone is saying before putting in keg.

I would star San the lid and airlock before putting it back on. Everything would be sanitized.

Instead of buying the keg tomorrow I will get another fermentor and get a second brew going. Also giving my first brew another week to ferment/condition.

 

[khiddy]

Yes, you can open the lid to take a reading and a peek. Dip your hands in starsan before you open and handle the lid, and/or wear gloves. Make sure there's no fan blowing or heater vent nearby to blow airborne nasties into your brew.

And then, wait at least another week before kegging. Always wait. Start a new batch of your next brew in the meantime. The pipeline is your salvation.

 

[SittingDuck]

A second fermenter was going to be my exact advice. It will be easier to leave the first batch alone to condition if you have a second batch to fiddle with.

 

[mugen112]

When I peek inside the first I want to throw in a couple oz liberty.

Do I have everyone's blessing?

 

[mugen112]

Omg something happened guys. Before brewing this batch I watched some vids on how to make beer. This guy was putting rum in his airlocks and spraying everything down with vodka.

So I thought cool I'll put liquor in my lock. All I had was that licorice sambucha crap, but it's 42% so I thought it would work.

Then I got to thinking. What if all the alcohol evaporates? That'd leave a bunch of sugar for bacterias to feast on. I fixed it by puttin a drop of star San in.

Checked on the airlock this morning and it was foaming over from the star San! And the foam was not going away cuz it was mostly sugar. So my whole airlock was encased in what looked like soap bubbles but were actually sugar bubbles.

I dumped star San solution on the lid and put my thumb over the airlock to pull it out, making sure the crap wouldn't suck into my beer from inside the lock. That worked. But one drop of star San solution made it into the beer thru the hole in the lid. Based off my procedures I believe the drop to mostly be star San solution but I do mix it a little strong.

Will star San ruin beer?

I cleaned the lock and placed it back into lid, filling with star San solution. Then cleaned the lid. The lid was never removed.

 

[fozzman]

Nothing wrong with experimenting, that's how we learn. I do agree that you should get the techniques down first with more traditional brews, just makes it easier in the long run. I don't have a lot of experience yet, just getting ready to start my third batch. However, I am learning from each batch and plan on my forth batch being a recipe that I have come up with on my own. I have to go against the majority on the secondary though. Beer just seems to come out clearer and cleaner. Just my opinnion, brew the way you want but stay connected to this forum. The information and experience within this site is amazing and everyone seems very helpful. Best of luck.

 

[mugen112]

Omg something happened guys. Before brewing this batch I watched some vids on how to make beer. This guy was putting rum in his airlocks and spraying everything down with vodka.

So I thought cool I'll put liquor in my lock. All I had was that licorice sambucha crap, but it's 42% so I thought it would work.

Then I got to thinking. What if all the alcohol evaporates? That'd leave a bunch of sugar for bacterias to feast on. I fixed it by puttin a drop of star San in.

Checked on the airlock this morning and it was foaming over from the star San! And the foam was not going away cuz it was mostly sugar. So my whole airlock was encased in what looked like soap bubbles but were actually sugar bubbles.

I dumped star San solution on the lid and put my thumb over the airlock to pull it out, making sure the crap wouldn't suck into my beer from inside the lock. That worked. But one drop of star San solution made it into the beer thru the hole in the lid. Based off my procedures I believe the drop to mostly be star San solution but I do mix it a little strong.

Will star San ruin beer?

I cleaned the lock and placed it back into lid, filling with star San solution. Then cleaned the lid. The lid was never removed.

After all of this I think I will skip the gravity reading and skip the extra hops too.

Besides, I spied some foamy stuff thru the airlock hole. Isn't that krausen and doesn't that mean it's not done fermenting?

 

[MotorcycleMatt]

After all of this I think I will skip the gravity reading and skip the extra hops too.

Besides, I spied some foamy stuff thru the airlock hole. Isn't that krausen and doesn't that mean it's not done fermenting?

why skip a gravity reading? you have no idea if fermentation is over, and what the alc content of this beer is going to be. Seriously, sit down and read some, it sounds as if your going into this completely blind.

 

[mugen112]

If it's still fermenting why bother with gravity reading? It will need to sit another week anyways I'll check it then. Less chance for contamination.

It's only been 5 days since the yeast was pitched...

 

[madchemist83]

Yep. Just put it in the corner and forget about it. I know it's hard, but you can just read a book about beer

 

[mugen112]

Yep. Just put it in the corner and forget about it. I know it's hard, but you can just read a book about beer

I've been looking at getting the book [brew like a monk].

 

[JohnTheBrewist]

Starsan won't hurt your beer at all. It sounds like the foaming in the airlock might have been caused by high krausen, since you underpitched the yeast, it might have taken off a little later than usual. Let it sit another week then take your gravity sample. BTW, I always fill my airlocks with starsan solution and don't bother with alcohol.