Forgot to boil the water first...

[Bermed]

By the title I'm you guessed it that I'm a complete NOOB and this was my very first batch.

And yes, I went out and made a terrible mistake. I somehow completely forgot to boil the water before using it.

What are the chances of this batch turning out okay?

Is there anything I can do to save it?

 

[acarlotto]

Are you talking about not boiling your top off Water? If so you should be fine.

 

[progmac]

Can you describe your entire process? There are number of ways of making beer and different kinds of kits and extracts out there. It is hard to know exactly what you're talking about without more information.

 

[WhackedBear]

I think he might be referring to boiling the water prior to brewing (sanitizing it). If this is the case then you should not have a problem. The only way I see you having a problem is if you completely did not boil. The only way I see a problem is if you, just pour all of your ingredients into your fermenter and mixed?

 

[Bermed]

Are you talking about not boiling your top off Water? If so you should be fine.

Yes this is what I'm referring to.

First thing I did was sanitize all my instruments and holding tub then sterilized using Iodophor.

Then I followed these instructions from the Brewhouse kit I purchased.

Date_______________ S.G.___________ (1.040-1.050)

PRIMARY FERMENTATION
Sanitize and rinse the primary fermenter, spoon, hydrometer, test jar, measuring cup, thermometer
and kitchen spoon.

1. Add contents of package #1 to the sanitized primary fermenter. NOTE: Package #1 contains a pH
adjuster and essential. If it is omitted the finished beer will not taste good. Do not make the kit without
it.

2. Add 8 litres (1.8 Imp. gallons) of room temperature water (18-23°C[65-75°F] ).

3. The spout at the top of the box allows for easy pouring. Secure bag spout into box top.

4. Place box upright and remove cap. Tilt box and pour wort into primary fermenter. Stir vigorously for one minute.

5. Take and record specific gravity (S.G.) now. (my reading was 1.34 sg)

6. Sprinkle yeast on the surface - Do not Stir

7. Put the lid on the fermenter and store at room temperature (18-23°C [65-75 °F]). If possible, raise the fermenter approximately one meter (3 ft.) onto a strong counter or table to avoid disturbing the
sediment when racking.


When I looked at the beer this morning there was hardly any head on it, maybe a 1/4" to 1/2". When I had put the yeast on, there must have been a good 6-8" of head.

So to answer your question about the boiling, I didn't boil anything as it wasn't written in the instruction as it came in a bag full of liquid.

"Over 3 days the beer will develop a head of foam, indicating that fermentation is proceeding. When
this head of foam drops (Day 3)"

 

[Hello]

Okay whoa.

First, this is bunk:

1. Add contents of package #1 to the sanitized primary fermenter. NOTE: Package #1 contains a pH
adjuster and essential. If it is omitted the finished beer will not taste good. Do not make the kit without
it.

They should not just unilaterally make such a statement. pH adjustments may not even be necessary. But whatever.

Second, are you saying you didn't boil this at all? It sounds like you were told to add room temp water to a box of wort and stir. Was there any boiling of any wort involved?

Leave that "beer" for longer than 3 days, please.
Can you link to the box of whatever the heck this is so I can see it? I've never heard of a just add water situation with no boiling involved.

 

[Bermed]

Okay whoa.

First, this is bunk:


They should not just unilaterally make such a statement. pH adjustments may not even be necessary. But whatever.

Second, are you saying you didn't boil this at all? It sounds like you were told to add room temp water to a box of wort and stir. Was there any boiling of any wort involved?

Leave that "beer" for longer than 3 days, please.
Can you link to the box of whatever the heck this is so I can see it? I've never heard of a just add water situation with no boiling involved.

Man, my heart sunk... I hope this an exception as I didn't boil the wort. I've looked at a few videos online and none of them had boiled the contents from the box.

Here is a link to the kit I'm attempting to brew.

Brewhouse - Munich Dark Lager

 

[progmac]

don't worry! with a kit like that all the boiling, hopping, and other activities that we spend a lot of time talking about on this forum have been completed. it doesn't really matter that you didn't boil. in fact, doing so would have reduced the oxygen in the wort, which would be bad.

the Ph buffer is curious but such products exist that bring water Ph to a given level regardless of starting value. i think it's kind of clever to put that in a kit.

this is a pretty unconventional kit, but it sounds like you did everything right. i agree with the recommendation to wait more than three days.

 

[Bermed]

I don't mind waiting more time if I have to. I just want to make sure that I didn't mess anything up.

I chose this as my first kit as it seemed to be the easiest way to start. I figure that I can do a few of these to get used to the process then work my way to more complex brewing as I get more comfortable and gain more knowledge.

How long would you recommend to wait before I transfer over to the carboy?

 

[kombat]

I would not transfer to the carboy at all.

If it were me, I would leave it in the bucket for 3 weeks, then bottle it straight from the bucket.

 

[boydster]

I wouldn't transfer this one. I would let it ferment until you reach a stable FG (2 identical gravity readings over a 3 day span) and then bottle.

 

[Bermed]

Why would you not transfer it?

 

[boydster]

It is basically an unnecessary step, which means you increase the chances of something going wrong (oxidation, infection) for no practical gain. I only use a secondary for adding oak, fruit, or sometimes bulk aging.

 

[JDGator]

don't worry! with a kit like that all the boiling, hopping, and other activities that we spend a lot of time talking about on this forum have been completed. it doesn't really matter that you didn't boil. in fact, doing so would have reduced the oxygen in the wort, which would be bad.

the Ph buffer is curious but such products exist that bring water Ph to a given level regardless of starting value. i think it's kind of clever to put that in a kit.

this is a pretty unconventional kit, but it sounds like you did everything right. i agree with the recommendation to wait more than three days.

this!!

These kits are set up so all you do is add water, toss in yeast, and wait. super simple and make decent beer. it's a great way to get your feet wet in brewing beer!!

 

[kombat]

Why would you not transfer it?

Why would you?

 

[Bermed]

Why would you?

Because that is what it says in the instructions?

 

[heckler73]

the Brewhouse Kits do not require boiling. You're good to go.

The wort is made by Spagnols in an all grain process (boiled and cooled), then sealed into a bag (package #1) that you dumped into the primary, added 8 litres water and pitched yeast. You're good to go.

 

[heckler73]

just follow the instructions with the kit, plain and simple.

 

[Bermed]

just follow the instructions with the kit, plain and simple.

In that case I should wait the 3-5 days as they say and transfer it into the carboy.

What does transferring into the carboy actually do? What's the reasoning behind it?

 

[kombat]

Because that is what it says in the instructions?

If you stick with this hobby, you'll see that kit instructions are generally considered to be pretty bad. They're aimed at the lowest common denominator, to ensure you end up with beer. But if you make a few changes, you can make much better beer (then eventually graduate away from kits altogether).

That said, I reluctantly agree with heckler. For your first few forays into brewing, in the interest of keeping things simple, you're probably better off just following the kit instructions until you get comfortable making changes.

 

[btbnl]

...
Date_______________ S.G.___________ (1.040-1.050)
...

5. Take and record specific gravity (S.G.) now. (my reading was 1.34 sg)

Something doesn't seem right with your gravity reading. At first I assumed you'd just missed the zero in 1.034, but that would then be very low. It's also odd that the kit itself gives you such a range since there's really no opportunity for inefficiency/variability (except for adding the wrong amount of water!)

 

[boydster]

In that case I should wait the 3-5 days as they say and transfer it into the carboy.

What does transferring into the carboy actually do? What's the reasoning behind it?

The reason is to get it off the yeast cake to prevent off flavors and yeast autolysis. That is an issue for pros with giant conicals, but kind of a fairy tale on the home brew scale for the short time this will take to ferment. IMO, it is a pointless step for this beer and offers no benefit - it just amounts to playing with your beer. If done correctly, it also won't hurt your beer, but that becomes an unnecessary risk. Just my opinion, though.

 

[Hello]

Well color me shocked to see a just add water box-o-beer kit.

So no, no boiling is fine. The pH thing is still silly to me but it is what it is. Wait a week or more and check your gravity. If the kit says that is nonsense then ignore the kit.

You're all good. I guess there are times when you can make beer similar to how I've made kool-aid.

 

[Bermed]

The reason is to get it off the yeast cake to prevent off flavors and yeast autolysis. That is an issue for pros with giant conicals, but kind of a fairy tale on the home brew scale for the short time this will take to ferment. IMO, it is a pointless step for this beer and offers no benefit - it just amounts to playing with your beer. If done correctly, it also won't hurt your beer, but that becomes an unnecessary risk. Just my opinion, though.

Thanks for the clarification. I think that since it's written in the instructions, I will do it and I won't the next time around. This way I can compare the two and see/try the differences for myself if there are any.

Thanks to all of you for answering my questions. Much appreciated.

 

[gregfreemyer]

As to the water. I have clean quality county water here, so if I top off post boil I just add regular tap water. I haven't had an infection from that yet, but I'm a relative newbie. (10 brews)

I read more that once that as you refine your process one of the biggest things you can do is get to the point you're doing full volume boils. I did that on my last brew. In that situation you no longer add in post boil water, so that is one less potential source of infection.

fyi: I think the main value of a full volume boil in a extract recipe is to do a better job of pulling out the flavor from the hops. Your recipe has done all the brewing in advance, so you are just adding water and yeast and letting it ferment.

 

[Bermed]

Well I figured I would let you know that somehow the head on the wort has risen back up to 6-8" again.

I wonder if that had to do with the temperature change from when I added the additional 8 liters of water?

Or would that be cause by the yeast? (I've always thought the yeast would increase the head)