Getting Started

[HometownHoosier]

I've been checking out the forums for awhile and decided to join.

Last month a friend asked me to help him brew some beer. That's all it took, I'm hooked. I got a kit and I'm on my way to brewing.

 

[halite]

Welcome to the club

the only thing I should warn you about though is that once you start you can't stop, brewing is a way of life

 

[DragonTail]

Welcome

 

[HometownHoosier]

Thanks guys.

I'm picking up a brew kettle and supplies tomorrow and will be brewing sometime this week. I've been reading the forums and I'm going to try to use the biggest brew kettle that I can reasonably fit on the stove. I have an electric range, so the volume of the boil maybe limited. Going to do a test to see if I can get 5 gallons or more to boil.

I'm going to do a pale ale for my first solo brew, unless someone thinks I'd be better off with something more forgiving for the first time.

 

[Pappers_]

Thanks guys.

I'm picking up a brew kettle and supplies tomorrow and will be brewing sometime this week. I've been reading the forums and I'm going to try to use the biggest brew kettle that I can reasonably fit on the stove. I have an electric range, so the volume of the boil maybe limited. Going to do a test to see if I can get 5 gallons or more to boil.

I'm going to do a pale ale for my first solo brew, unless someone thinks I'd be better off with something more forgiving for the first time.

Welcome! If your range won't boil 6.5 gallons for a 5 gallon batch (you have to allow for water to boil off), there's nothing wrong with doing partial boils (say 3 gallons) and topping off - that is a common technique for extract brewing.

Good luck with your first brew!

 

[HometownHoosier]

Thanks for the advice regarding a partial boil. I think that is going to be easiest for me at this point.

Okay, So here is the recipe for my first batch

6 lbs of light LME
1st Flavoring 1.25 oz. Cascade
2d Flavoring 1.5 oz. Cascade
Aromatic .5 oz. Willamette

For yeast I was going to go with one of Wyeast's Activator pouches. American Ale II is the strand I've picked, but that is open for debate as well.

I was wanting to steep some specialty grains prior to adding in the LME. Any suggestions on what would go well with this recipe, or is this asking for disaster? I've seen some extract recipes that call for 8 oz of crushed crystal malt to be steeped.

Thanks

 

[Pappers_]

Thanks for the advice regarding a partial boil. I think that is going to be easiest for me at this point.

Okay, So here is the recipe for my first batch

6 lbs of light LME
1st Flavoring 1.25 oz. Cascade
2d Flavoring 1.5 oz. Cascade
Aromatic .5 oz. Willamette

For yeast I was going to go with one of Wyeast's Activator pouches. American Ale II is the strand I've picked, but that is open for debate as well.

I was wanting to steep some specialty grains prior to adding in the LME. Any suggestions on what would go well with this recipe, or is this asking for disaster? I've seen some extract recipes that call for 8 oz of crushed crystal malt to be steeped.

Thanks

Yes, steeping a 1/2 lb of 40 L or 60 L crystal malt (the number refers to the roast of the crystal malt, bigger number, longer/darker roast) would make this a nice amber ale, very tasty!

For your hops additions, do you know the timing of the additions? 60/20/5 minutes, for example?

 

[HometownHoosier]

Thanks for the help. I'm going to do 60/20/5 minutes on the hop additions and steep 40 L crystal malt.

I'm going to brew this Thursday, I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[HometownHoosier]

Originally I was not going to brew until this Thursday, but anticipation got the better of me. Since I don't have to get up early on Wednesday, I decided to brew on Tuesday. It was a blast. The SWMBO is really into helping and it was great to have a team project. I've created two monsters. A yeasty beasty and an obsession. It was bound to happen.

I had to modify the recipe a little because the yeast I was planning on using was not available, so I went with my local home brew's suggestion of using wyeast's northwest strain, steeping 40 L crystal and cutting back a little on my hops. I managed to get 5 gallons boiling on my electric range and a couple of tense hours later I had just over 4 gallons of wort ready to chill. No boil over!

Everything was going smoothly. I thought I'd be done around 9:30, but I don't have a wort chiller. Apparently it takes a really long time to cool without an IC, AND at 2:30 in the AM I am butter fingers. Managed to dip a couple of fingers in the wort when I was stealing wort to test the gravity, but RDWHAHB. The starting gravity is a little under 1.050 and the beast bubbles.

Thanks for the warm welcome and I'll keep you all posted as I progress.

 

[HometownHoosier]

Bottled the brew this evening. Everything went well. It took a while to get my bottling station setup, but next time it will go even better. There is a bit of a learning curve, but the challenge of getting into a good rhythm makes me want to come back for more.

So, three more weeks of waiting. SWMBO has told nearly everyone that I'm brewing. I think she has already invited more people over to taste it than I have beers. Guess I'll have to brew another batch. Life is tough.