Fool's Stout...nubs first brew begins today!

[98EXL]

Today marks Day 1 of my first batch of homebrew. I picked up a Munton's Gold Stout kit from my LHBS, and I have a buddy arriving at any moment to assist with intel and supplies. I think I'll name it Foolishly Stout...since today being April Fools Day.

Anyway, I want to keep a log of this batch, and the rest of my brews, any good spreadsheets or things I should keep track of?

 

[98EXL]

It appears everything went great. Went to my LHBS and picked up a glass 6.5 gallon carboy for primary fermentation, instead of using a bucket. So far so good, looks nice and dark (duh) and we did take some pictures. I'll post those later.

 

[Tegerian]

Hope it turns out nice for you.

 

[BarleyWater]

Make sure you keep a towel wrapped around that carboy to keep the light out.

I used a Munton's Gold kit for my first batch, I was a little dissapointed because of the no boil thing, I really wanted to be a little more involved, but it's a great way to learn the fermentation process. That being said...

DO NOT follow the directions on the box as to how long you should ferment for. If you do, you will come out with a beer that didn't get a chance to finish, I got a stuck fermentation and ended up with something fit only for hummingbirds it was so damn sweet. 1 week primary, 2 weeks secondary, and 3 (if you can wait that long) in the bottle and it will be ready, of course you have to check one or two after a week.

Congatulations and welcome to the sport.

 

[98EXL]

I have a towel wrapped around the bottom on the carboy to shield it from light coming in from under the door.

I didn't know what to expect with the no boil kit, I thought it was great to learn the process on, so we'll see how that goes.

My LHBS gave me way better directions than the Munton's kit, so I followed those.

There already seems to be some action going on when I checked this morning, there are CO2 bubbles in the air lock

 

[98EXL]

Still needs some conditioning time, but here she be:

 

[BierMuncher]

Very nice.

When you start including some steeped grains in your recipe, you'll find that the head is thicker, creamier and has more staying power.

I'd say you're ready to get your pot on the stove and start moving this up a notch.

 

[98EXL]

Very nice.

When you start including some steeped grains in your recipe, you'll find that the head is thicker, creamier and has more staying power.

I'd say you're ready to get your pot on the stove and start moving this up a notch.

thank you!

get my pot on the stove....damn thing hasn't come off in two weeks. I've done 20 gallons of malt extract brewing already. I've been thinking about another 25-30 gallons of malt extract kits and maybe start to dabble in partial mashing. I dunno, we'll see. AG is out of the question for now due to time in the current house being up in the air

 

[thebikingengineer]

My first batch was one of those (the IPA kit). It ended up turning out pretty nicely, but it needed a month and a half of bottle conditioning to get to be drinkable. Your batch looks like it turned out quite nicely, how did it taste?

 

[98EXL]

tastes pretty good actually. Needs to sit around some more, but hey, all of the work is done, now it's time for patience

 

[jezter6]

tastes pretty good actually. Needs to sit around some more, but hey, all of the work is done, now it's time for patience

No, now's the time to BREW MORE BEER so that you don't run out and have to wait 6 weeks for another batch to be ready.

It's the first mistake I made as a homebrewer (over and over again) that I never have enough back stock to allow newer beers to sit long enough to get better. I'm always drinking right at the 2 week mark (in bottles) and finished the batch by the 1 month mark (in bottles).

I'm trying to ramp up the summer so that I can age, but it's more and more difficult as the drinking season gets underway.

 

[98EXL]

No, now's the time to BREW MORE BEER so that you don't run out and have to wait 6 weeks for another batch to be ready.

It's the first mistake I made as a homebrewer (over and over again) that I never have enough back stock to allow newer beers to sit long enough to get better. I'm always drinking right at the 2 week mark (in bottles) and finished the batch by the 1 month mark (in bottles).

I'm trying to ramp up the summer so that I can age, but it's more and more difficult as the drinking season gets underway.

don't you worry, in 6 weeks I've been working on 30 gallons!!!!! Don't worry, I've read about the keep on brewing theory, it's a beautiful thing!