Guten Tag from Germany!

[Sefferston]

Well, currently stationed in Germany. My name is Seth

Just got my first gallon starter kit from Love2Brew, Irish Red Ale, and I have no idea what I'm doing :rockin: Well kinda don't know really. I've read through the instructions a few times. More worried about screwing up the first batch than anything.

Any tips/tricks for starters? Any information is good information at this point.

Thanks!

Seth

 

[roastquake]

Welcome Seth, you'll learn a lot on HBT.

Don't worry, that's my advice, I'll let the rest take it from here

 

[Sefferston]

I see. I'm going through the DIY threads and some of these are straight blowing my mind. Most of what I would like to do will have to wait until my wife and I get back to the states.

 

[unionrdr]

Chill the wort down to the temp that the yeast you're using likes. Keep your fermenter in a dark, cool place. Or covered with a dark tee shirt or something. Let it go till it starts to settle out clear or slightly misty. Then check with a hydrometer for a stable FG.

 

[Sefferston]

Chill the wort down to the temp that the yeast you're using likes. Keep your fermenter in a dark, cool place. Or covered with a dark tee shirt or something. Let it go till it starts to settle out clear or slightly misty. Then check with a hydrometer for a stable FG.

I should have clarified a bit better, the most I know about brewing is that hops, and yeast is used in the making of it.

I've got a crawl space I can use to store the carboy until it's ready, nice and cool down there

 

[johngaltsmotor]

The #1 thing to remember is: have fun.

It doesn't take much attention to detail to make pretty good beer. As long as you sanitize everything that will touch your wort after the boil you'll be fine.

I would do a dry run before if you are worried. Just walk through the steps so you have everything handy, know what needs to be sanitized, familiarize yourself with the tools, decide when you'll need to be careful about hot liquids (i.e. when you remove the steeped grains (do you need tongs?) the drippings will be hot so you might want a bucket to put them in instead of making a sugary mess all across the floor). Things like that.

 

[unionrdr]

There's plenty of info on here to study about hydrometers, steeping, mashing, etc. If you can't find it, feel free to ask...

 

[Sefferston]

Will do. I'm active on different forums for different things, I'm well versed in the terms of the search function

I've got very minimal supplies, really only what came with the kit, but I also have a coworker who initially got me interested that can help, who has a fairly large set up.

 

[unionrdr]

Even better! He can help immensely with what's needed & what to do.

 

[Homercidal]

Making beer is pretty easy. Making really good beer is only slightly more difficult. Be sanitary with anything after the boil, and chill the wort down to pitching temp (mid 60s) and keep it there until the Krausen starts to drop, then you can let it rise if you like.

Then the hard part: waiting. Give it 2-3 weeks before bottling to let it finish fermenting and clearing. After bottling, another 3 weeks to fully carb up (You may want to sneak a taste at 1, 2 and 3 weeks...)

There are NUMEROUS other things to play with, but to start with, the basics will be enough for ya. As you keep brewing you will decide what things you want to read more about.

Most of all, relax, don't worry, and have a homebrew! (unless you don't' have any, then substitute with a commercial brew...)

 

[Cyclman]

Welcome to the hobby, and the group, from CO

Watch a few Basic Brewing videos, those guys are awesome.

Read How to Brew, but read through the technical stuff quickly.

Then brew, you'll be shocked how great of a beer you can make with your first batch.

oh, also read the stickies in the forums, lots of great tips there!

 

[MaxStout]

Welcome to the group!

Cruise through some of the forum categories and especially, check out the sticky threads. Lots of good fundamentals to find there. Get your buddy to help out on brew day. It's always nice to have an experienced hand during those first brews.

The main things are: sanitation, fermentation temps, pitching enough viable yeast. And patience--the reward is coming, you just have to wait a month or so.

 

[atoughram]

Wie Gehts!