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MNBrewDad

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I've bee a lurker on this forum for years but I finally brewed my first homebrew today. It took longer than I estimated but I feel like I learned a lot from the experieince. I brewed the Irish Stout extract kit from Midwest Supplies. Tasted a sample before pitching and was pleasantly surprized. Hoepfully my sanitizing vigilance pays off! Cheers:mug:
 
MNBrewDad said:
I've bee a lurker on this forum for years but I finally brewed my first homebrew today.
Click to expand...

Congrats and welcome, Delano! I started with the Irish Stout too and had very encouraging results.

MNBrewDad said:
It took longer than I estimated but I feel like I learned a lot from the experieince.
Click to expand...

I was trying to make a YouTube video and made the same batch of Porter three times. Each time I did it, i made notes of what I forgot the last time or suggestions for improving my next try. So every time I brewed that same Porter, I got that much more efficient, but still ended up with the same amount of notes.

Now, I am finally ready to finish that Youtube video if I could just start the batch early enough to be done before it gets dark!
 
Welcome to HBT! You'll have to post updates on your first batch, and of course, plan your second soon! It's an addicting hobby, and for some, more than a hobby!
 
Thanks for all the welcome messages! First batch is actively fermenting. Once I transfer to secondary I want to try Midwest's Copper Ale. I can already tell this is going to become an obession of mine. My next brew day will go much quicker since everything is already clean and I know what to expect. @UncleLankyFrank, glad to hear you had encouraging results with the Irish Stout. Good luck with your YouTube video. It's tough when we only have so many hours of daylight at this time of year! Watching other YouTube videos of people brewing was a huge encouragement and helped give me the confidence I needed to get started. I hope to repay the favor someday with videos of my own. I will post updates as this first batch progresses. Thanks again for the support!
 
Update - my Irish Stout has been in the primary for 2 weeks @ 64 degrees and I finally took a hydrometer reading today. I was surprised to find that it was 1.022. My OG was 1.044. According to the recipe FG should be 1.010-1.012. I used the cheap Munton's dry yeast that came with the recipe and I'm thinking that may be the issue. However I tasted the sample and the flavor is good.

After reading about other people's issues with this type of yeast I decided to move it somewhere a little bit warmer and gave it a gentle swirl in an attempt to rouse some of the yeast. I plan on checking the gravity again tomorrow to see if it's changed at all. Do any of you think racking to a secondary might help it finish off or should I just bottle it as is if the gravity doesn't change?
 
MNBrewDad said:
Update - my Irish Stout has been in the primary for 2 weeks @ 64 degrees and I finally took a hydrometer reading today. I was surprised to find that it was 1.022. My OG was 1.044. According to the recipe FG should be 1.010-1.012. I used the cheap Munton's dry yeast that came with the recipe and I'm thinking that may be the issue. However I tasted the sample and the flavor is good.

After reading about other people's issues with this type of yeast I decided to move it somewhere a little bit warmer and gave it a gentle swirl in an attempt to rouse some of the yeast. I plan on checking the gravity again tomorrow to see if it's changed at all. Do any of you think racking to a secondary might help it finish off or should I just bottle it as is if the gravity doesn't change?
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Did you rehydrate the yeast before pitching or just sprinkle it on? Was the wort stirred or oxygenated before you pitched? Sounds like the yeast couldn't get the job done.

If swirling gently doesn't work, you can try pitching hydrated yeast again. Will take another few weeks to get moving, but at this point I think you know brewing takes patience!
 
I rehydrated the yeast prior to pitching according to the directions on the yeast package and aerated the wort by pouring it vigorously into the fermentor, shaking up the top up water and allowing it to chug into the wort then shaking the heck out of the primary after putting the cover on. I had a good four to five inches of foam on top by the time I was done shaking it. I realize that still might not have been enough but judging by the airlock activity it was actively fermenting within 6 hours. It continued bubbling like crazy for about 32 hours then all airlock activity stopped. The temperature was consistently 64 degrees the entire time.

I took an additional gravity reading last night and it was still 1.022. I gave it a more forceful swirl in the bucket without splashing it around in the hopes of reactivating some of the yeast. I have a spare packet of S-05 that I could make a starter with and repitch a high krausen if necessary. If I were kegging I wouldn't be too worried about it but since I will be bottling it I am concerned about bottle bombs. Plus I'd like the alcohol to be closer to the 4% it should be for the recipe. Would repitching the yeast change the flavor profile?
 
MNBrewDad said:
I took an additional gravity reading last night and it was still 1.022. I gave it a more forceful swirl in the bucket without splashing it around in the hopes of reactivating some of the yeast.
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Try playing it some Bruce Springsteen, preferably off of "Greetings from Asbury Park" or "Born to Run"
 
Yeah, that dreaded 1.02 bug with extracts. I wouldn't bother racking to a secondary with your stout, you'll be better off leaving it on the yeast a month or so and bottling straight from that. I've never had very good luck with Muntons either, so I might suggest using something a little more "premium" for the next go round.

Welcome as well, always good to see more MN folk on these boards!
 
Definitely will try the Springsteen! Might also try some Beatles, Led Zeppelin or even Motorhead. It's killing me to leave it in the primary because I really want to brew batch number two but I know I need to be patient. I upgraded the yeast with my second kit to the Safeale S-05 dry yeast. I'm thinking about getting a heating pad to boost the temp by a few degrees since I don't have a kid proof spot to put the fermentor that stays warmer than 65 degrees on a consistent basis during the winter.

Thanks for the welcome HopsMan! There seems to be quite a few of us from MN on here. Which strains of yeast have you had good luck with or would you recommend for lower temperature (63-65) fermentation? I know extracts don't ferment as well as all grain but I can't justify the additional investment necessary to go all grain yet.
 
I use S-05 and S-04 quite often as I just enjoy a good clean yeast. I really should start branching out, but it's hard to commit to experimenting when you only get to brew so often.

Do you have a stick on temp strip for your fermenter? Before you buy your pad, I'd check to see what your actual fermentation temp is. If your ambient air is around 65, it's entirely possible you're fermenting at 70+, in which case you don't need a pad, and it's possible that you're just having the same issues a lot of people do with extract kits. If you're actual temp is around 65, then yeah, a belt or pad, or I use a heating blanket in my ferm chamber(ghetto, I know, but it works!)

As for temps, a lot of ale yeasts seem to have a low end temp of around 63-65. S-05 is a good yeast, I think, (some will tell you otherwise, but give it a whirl for yourself) and if you can maintain a temp of about 66-68, I think you'll be happy.

Good luck with the next batch, and remember, patience, patience, patience!
 
Thanks HopsMan! Someday I plan on experimenting further with different yeast strains but for now I figured I'd start simple. I have a stick on temp strip for the fermenter bucket and it's reading 64 which is definitely on the low side for the Munton's yeast. I have a heated matress pad that I thought I could use but it is much too large (queen) for my application. I'm a big fan of doing whatever works (ghetto or not) to get the job done. I plan on taking another hydro reading this weekend (3 weeks in primary) to see if the daily swirling for a week has helped it finish up.
 
I've had this problem in the past with extract kits. It stinks. Yeast is the key ingredient to your beer and because it is the easiest thing to do on the brewday I feel like it often gets overlooked by new brewers (myself included). So the US-05 will help with the next go round. If it tastes good now, just let it ride for a while then bottle it and drink a nice low ABV beer. Welcome aboard!
 
Swirlin', swirlin', swirlin', Man my kid is hurlin'...I really hope the hydro reading I take later on today will show some improvement and that I don't catch whatever is making my family sick right now. I found some more Schell's 2012 Snowstorm at the liqour store tonight and I'm loving it :drunk:
 
Happy New Year Everyone!:tank: Took the patient route and finally decided to get a hydro reading tonight, just over 4 weeks in primary, swirling daily for almost two weeks followed by a two day rest and it's 1.0205. When I opened the fermeter I noticed a thin layer of bubbles(not exactly Krausen) and after taking the hydrometer reading the airlock has been bubbling steadily. I discovered that it will stay warmer if I leave it in my furnance room and with the subzero temps outside it's probably the warmest room in the house. I'm sure moving the fermenter helped stir up some yeast and the increased temp should help it finish up. I tasted the hydro sample and noticed a faint green apple flavor. I'm hoping that's the result of Acetaldehyde given the awakening of the yeast but I am a little concerned it might be bacteria. I also noticed a distinct boozy smell to the sample that wasn't present the last time I took a reading. I'm thinking of waiting until next weekend to bottle and hoping I can the FG down to the target range if possible to avoid bottle bombs. Is it bad to leave it on the trub for 5 weeks?
 
Green apple is the normal flavor you'll get with a young beer, it should age out. 5 weeks is fine, I wouldn't sweat it. :)
 
Thanks for your replies BrewerBear and HopsMan. :) The strange part about the green apple apple flavor and the boozy nose is that I didn't get them when I sampled my prior hydro readings. Maybe because the beer wasn't finished fermenting yet? Temp seems to be holding steady at 66 now instead of 63. Looking forward to getting this one finished up so I can finally start on my next batch.
 
MNBrewDad said:
Looking forward to getting this one finished up so I can finally start on my next batch.
Click to expand...

Yeah, brewing is a lot like dating. The first time out, you have no idea what you're doing and you can't tell if it even worked. The next time out, you at least know a lot of things that didn't work.
 
5 weeks and 2 days in the primary and now it's reading 1.016:) Apparently the bubbling was a good sign. I'll take another reading on Thursday and if it's still at 1.016 I'm going to bottle it on Saturday at 6 weeks. It's still a few points away from the upper finished gravity of 1.012 but the flavor has definitely improved. Saw a few yeast rafts floating around and got freaked out before I learned what they were.
 
Gravity still at 1.016 @ 6 weeks. Planning to bottle today. Should I go easy on the priming sugar since apparent attenuation is only sitting at 63.64% or does it matter after fermenting so long with this strain?
 
I wouldn't mess with the priming sugar, I think it's safe to say that primary ferm is done. Bottle away, give it a couple of weeks and enjoy! Let us know how it turns out!
 
Finally got the stout bottled on Saturday after 7 weeks in the primary! FG was 1.016. Still tastes green so hopefully a few weeks in the bottles will help the flavor develop. I'll update in a couple of weeks when I crack one open.

Brewed my second batch, Midwest's Copper Ale this morning and the hydro sample I took before pitching the yeast tasted great:) I upgraded the yeast to US-05 so hopefully I'll get better attenuation this time around.

Thank you all for your support:mug:
 
Glad it's working out! Don't be surprised if you find it takes a bit longer than 2 weeks for your flavors to really meld and the beer to really start tasting fantastic. I can't tell you the number of times I have assumed the recipe was bad, or something went wrong with a porter or stout, and then find that a month later, as the keg is about to blow, it's really starting to taste great.
 
Good to hear HopsMan! I'll patiently wait for the stout to bottle condition and carb up before I finally get to try one of them.

The Copper Ale I brewed on Sunday with US-05 fermented steadily all week:) When I checked the fermenter last night I noticed the temperature had come back down to ambient (64) and the bubbling in the airlock had slowed down considerably. I was surprised to see that it had climbed to 73-74 during high krausen but I know that's not unheard of with this yeast. Clearly I'm going to have to figure out an inexpensive temp control solution before summer. Swamp cooler? Hopefully it didn't get quite high enough to throw some funky esters but only time will tell. I plan on leaving this one in the primary for at least a full two weeks but I'll take a hydro reading mid week next week to see where it's at.
 
I think the temp won't be too big of a deal. It may leave some off flavors ,but if you primary for a bit longer and let the yeast really clean things up, the flavors shouldn't last long once you start conditioning. Take a look at doing month long primaries, I'm a recent convert to this practice, and the results have been great!
 
Life events have kept me from updating sooner but I wanted to let everybody know that my stout is finally drinkable!! It carbed up nicely but it took about six weeks in the bottle before the flavors finally melded nicely. You were spot on HopsMan! There is still a slightly off flavor to it but overall it's a very drinkable stout.

I ended up leaving the Copper Ale in the primary for a month before bottling it. I tried one last week after 3 weeks in the bottle @ 60 degrees and it was just barely carbed. I plan on swirling the settled yeast in each of the bottles and moving them to a warmer location for a week to see if that helps. I stopped the siphon before any of the trub transfered to the bottling bucket. Should I have let some pass through to make sure enough yeast got transfered or does it matter?
 
Glad to hear the stout is coming together, congrats! As far as the off flavor thats lingering, I've found my stouts and porters have that as well. I can't pinpoint it, but the only thing I can come up with is that my water here is geared much more toward lighter styles of beer. This last batch of a Black IPA I did, the 5th time I've brewed it, I did some changes to the water, so hopefully there will be some noticeable result with it. It may or may not be the issue, but we'll see I guess!

Your plan for the Blonde is exactly what I'd do, swirl it and warm it a little. It still may take some time, some batches just do for some reason or another. I would not let trub through the next time you bottle though, or you may just end up with some nasty/yeasty tasting beer after a month or two. There should be plenty of yeast still in suspension to do what needs to be done as far as carbing goes. Good luck!
 
Figured I would post a final update on my first two batches of beer for anyone who might be interested. I had one of the stouts this past weekend and it was actually pretty tasty. All of the off flavors have disappeared and although it isn't exactly a dry stout it is very enjoyable and flavorful.

I continued to have issues with the copper ale bottles carbing. After opening many low carbed ones and a couple of gushers I did some research and think I figured out where I went wrong. I racked the beer into the bottling bucket on top of the priming sugar solution but I never stirred it prior to filling the bottles. I had read somewhere that the simple act of racking the beer onto the sugar solution would be sufficient to mix them together but from now on I will be gently stirring the mixure in the bottling bucket to avoid the uneven carbonation issue in the future. The beer itself tastes good even with lower carbonation levels but I'm sure it would be even better properly carbed.

I'm going to brew Midwest's Honey Weizen on Saturday if all goes well. Got my first yeast starter ready and will be trying out my new DIY wort chiller:D Man this hobby is addictive!
 

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