Hello from Portugal

[SpikPT]

Hello guys, I'm from Portugal and I got into brewing last year since I had nothing better to do during quarentine. It started before when I tried craft beer for the 1st time and it was simply the best beer I had tried till that moment (in fact that brew pub is still my favourite) and it completely changed my percetion of what's a beer. I always thought "super bock" (which is a typical commercial lager from Portugal) was like the best and you only had lagers, and some stouts that I used to call "black beer" but I luckily I've found this world, and decided to join it. I started with some simple brew kits but quickly I realized that I wanted to have much more control and decided to buy an all in one 35L eletric kettle, which was one of my best purchases ever. I did some beers with my friends in this kettle and suddenly corona virus peaked in Portugal and we were unable to do beer for several months (we're still in quarentine atm). From the beers I did during this time, I can say we did several mistakes. We didn't care for fermentation temps, and here in portugal we hit 12 celsius during the winter, so one of the main reasons why the beers didnt end up being great, and also beer pH, I guess. Still the beers were drinkable and I enjoyed them. Right now, I'm trying to fix this problems by building a fermentation chamber, buying a pH meter and reading several books like How to brew, and also planning reading more after it. I expect to learn a lot from you, and I would appreciate any recommendation, like what should I really try to improve in brewing, the most important equipments to buy, and the best books to learn from. Thanks for having me, hope we have a good time.

 

[Bilsch]

Well there is your trouble.. should have been drinking Sagres.

 

[D.B.Moody]

Ola! I've have wonderful memories of two trips to Portugal and Spain. One started in Lisbon and went south and then into Spain; the other ended in Lisbon coming south out of Spain through Porto. Fantastic trips.
I won't be any help to your brewing. You are starting out at a more advanced level than Brew at. But welcome to the hobby and HBT.

 

[Birrofilo]

Books: after the usual suspects which introduce you to the basic techniques, such as Papazian: The complete joy of homebrewing and The Homebrewer's Companion and Palmers: How to brew I can recommend: Gordon Strong: Brewing Better Beer.

A pH meter is useful only when you do "all grain" brewing. I use the PH5 model (stupid name) made by XS Instruments because its head is to be preserved dry (most pH meters want their head to be preserved wet, which is practical for somebody doing laboratory work for a living but unpractical for the homebrewer).

In the beginning you could use some pH strips of decent quality and precision and postpone the purchase of a pH meter at a later stage.

As far as heating is concerned, my solution is a heating pad (they cost around €25-30) such as this
https://www.amazon.it/gp/product/B08B8MTZDZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title
and an Inkbird ITC 308-S controller such as this: https://www.amazon.it/gp/product/B01AXQKAAK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title

They have a replaceable temperature probe and can also drive a fridge or a kegerator.

If you like playing with electronic you can have the same functions with a cheap but valid STC-1000 but you will have to assemble a box around it:
https://www.amazon.it/gp/product/B00KYL3W32/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title
I did assemble a box but when one takes the hassle and the expense into account I think the ITC 308-S is a better solution.

I am finding more and more important a fly killer racket such as this:
https://www.amazon.it/gp/product/B087JNVWRX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title
When you begin all grain a stainless steel spoon will save you some frustration.
https://www.mr-malt.it/cucchiaio-acciaio-60-cm.htmlThey are less poetic than wooden spoons but can be cleaned, sanitized, sterilized etc.

Among the cheap but very useful purchases I suggest a fast-reading electronic thermometer.
https://www.amazon.it/gp/product/B085ZTWW56/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_titleNot just they are cheap but they are way better than the immersion thermometer that I bought without ever using once. Electronic thermometer can easily monitor temperature in different spots of your kettle, can be read easily, and can be used for little samples (water for dry yeast hydration, sample for refractometer, sample for pH meter, syrup for priming).

Also I suggest you always keep the "Conversioni.txt" file which I attach here, because most people in this forum is metrically challenged and they use funny units of measures. This converts °F into °C and I use it many times a day.

 

[SpikPT]

Thanks guys ahah, first I'm not really into Sagres, we call it barley soup ahahah. Still there are even worse beers around here. Second, I agree we have some nice cities to visit, I wished I could visit them too, instead of being closed at home. I can't believe in what you're saying, I already saw you in another posts around the forum ahaah. I bet you're better than some complete newbie like me and for last, thanks for your big input birrofilo, I will look at those books you suggested, I currently have how to brew by john palmer as I already said but I also have designing great beers by ray daniels but will only get into it after finishing my basic research. I have 2heating belts and I also have some heating mats I use for seedlings, which I plan to use in my fridge to do different beers than in the chest fridge, but I want something in the chest freeze to be able to heat everything there, 4 fermenters of 25L = 6.6 gallons I guess, I made a thread for it in equipment section because I don't know if I should use a 90W piece or 240W for it. More details in the thread . For the thermostat unit I have 3 stc 1000, that I plan to use on different fridges and I already a fly killer racket, it's a must where I live, tons of mosquitoes since it's close to a water stream and it's hot, portugal you know... About the steel spoon, I'm already into all grain and I was using a plastic spoon but some weeks ago I decided to buy a steel spoon plus a steel mash paddle, about the thermometer I was actually using an immersion one, but I think I will follow your advice and buy an eletric one. I almost forgot about the pH meter, I was thinking about buying this https://www.amazon.com/Dr-meter-PH100-V-Resolution-Accuracy-Measurement/dp/B00ST3VTQ4 , I don't want to imagine spending over 100€ in a pH meter do you really think it's necessary one so expensive??

 

[Cyclman]

Welcome to the group, from Colorado

sounds like a great start!

 

[Birrofilo]

I almost forgot about the pH meter, I was thinking about buying this https://www.amazon.com/Dr-meter-PH100-V-Resolution-Accuracy-Measurement/dp/B00ST3VTQ4 , I don't want to imagine spending over 100€ in a pH meter do you really think it's necessary one so expensive??

I don't think it's necessary. I bought mine because it is designed to be stored dry, which I find of great peace of mind. Most pH meters want to be stored wet in some kind of solution. If you store them dry, some of them can be damaged, as I read around. Actually it's the probe which gets damaged, and that is not always replaceable, or is replaceable at a cost which is similar to the entire instrument.

I suggest you download the instruction manual before buying.

Maybe it's urban legend, but I just bought something that, by the instruction manual, fit my typical foreseeable use.

Also, a real laboratory instrument gives reliable readings. An instrument which would not be used in a laboratory could be used for homebrewing, but then you would be left asking yourself whether the measure is really precise.

Certain litmus papers can be decently precise. If I must fork out money for an instrument, then it must give me a precise reading and the comfort of knowing this is a real laboratory instrument. It must not be some sort of electronic litmus paper. My pH meter has a +/- 0,01 pH accuracy. A pH meter which costs half can have a declared accuracy of 0,1 pH and the real-world accuracy could be even less. I pay twice as much for a result which is 10 times more reliable, so to speak it's a bargain.

 

[SpikPT]

Thanks cyclman, this is just the beginning, I'm eager to improve.
Birrofilo can you tell how much did you pay for your pH meter? I will try to search more in depth about the pH meter but currently I was only looking into amazon and maybe I shoud look into different stores. I agree with you when you say " I pay twice as much for a result which is 10 times more reliable " and I will try to do a better research on pH meters since the one I showed you it said to be 0,01 accuracy but for the reviews I can't really say it's reliable. Really appreciate your help. Thanks.

 

[Monstro das Lagers]

What's up spikpt? I've seen you in another forum no? I kinda remember your name from someplace else...

 

[SpikPT]

Yeah, probably in a hops forum, no? I'm also growing hops and I plan to use them later in my beer. I'm currently growing 4 of each of these (cascade, columbus, nugget, magnum, fuggle, saaz) and maybe in other years I'll add more variety to it but you already know what's going on if you know me from hops forum...

 

[Birrofilo]

My pH meter is this:
https://www.xsinstruments.com/pocket-testers-/50014063/ph-5-tester-kit.htm
I paid €119,95 on May 2018 from a Belgian shop, Homebrewshop.be .

Be careful not to confuse "measure resolution" with "accuracy".
The 0,01 pH measure resolution only tells you that this instrument displays a second decimal figure. This datum is sometimes also referred to as "precision".

Accuracy is actually how correct is the measure (what people calls "precision" in normal talk).

The web page for the object you referred to says "high accuracy" in the title but doesn't give a number.

I found this manual:
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/A1wc-Q+al+L.pdf
As you can see, accuracy is 0,02 and temperature accuracy (which is important for the ATC function at that level of accuracy) is 1 °C accuracy.

My pH meter has a 0,01 pH accuracy and a 0,2 °C temperature accuracy.

This pH meter can be perfectly good for beer and I am not saying you should spend more.
They have two different technologies.

This "cheap" pH meter must be kept wet or, if kept dry, must be revived by keeping the head in a solution for some hours.
The instructions of my pH meter advice to keep it dry if not in use, and to "revive" it with half an hour (going by memory) in tap water. More than the precision I like this "no much trouble" aspect.

 

[SpikPT]

I think I'm interested in your pH meter but I only found it in one spanish shop Medidor digital de pH / ORP / Redox y Temperatura XS pH5 (G-PHT5ECO) 130€ can't find it anywhere else. Maybe I'll go for it I have to think. The only extra things I have to buy is pH buffer solutions, no need for storage/cleaning solution on this one, seems a good deal. The replaceable probe is kinda expensive atleast in the only place I found one for sale, for 60€ but if it last many years it will end up being worth it.

 

[Birrofilo]

I have looked around for prices. The cheapest I found was more expensive than the one you found, I see prices around €150 give or take €10. I was lucky to find it when it costed less.

I suggest you dig the internet for reviews about this Dr-Meter. It certainly is better than litmus paper, which in wort can give you only a vague idea of where you are - in the ballpark or out of the ballpark.