Help me through my first brew

[chris24300]

so two days ago i went to this homebrew shop kinda nearby, they had a bunch of recipes to pick from so I picked up my brew equipment kit and decided to go with an 'award winning' recipe judged by Michael Jackson... I got started last night.

Well from what I've read here already I made two mistakes; threw the hop pellets in the muslin bag with everything else (except the corn sugar) and went basically from a boil to my primary almost immediately.

In my defense the recipe had no instructions and was simply the ingredient list. So I was using the basic brew in the book with the equipment kit (that didn't have hardly any ingredients I was using) and after boiling for 30 min that I should add it to my primary that had 3.5 gal of cold water. Never mentioned letting it cool. I sprinkled the yeast on top and let it sit for ~10 minutes.

One other thing that confused me was in the recipe had two bags of cascade hop pellets; hop pellets in boil, and hop pellets in finish. what does that mean? I googled it for a little bit but nothing conclusive.

here's the kicker, this recipe uses honey. from what I've read I need to dilute the honey and pasteurize it at the same gravity as the wort.. how do I measure the gravity? I'm not sure if the kit came with this device. When would you guys add the honey?

Some other questions:
1. what do you guys use for cleaning tablets? I don't want bags of the cleaning solution the kit came with, a bottle with tablets sounds like the way to go.

2. i bought a 5 gal keg and it doesn't appear to have a stem..? this comes separately?

3. should i build another set of buckets to make another batch? this batch could take 1+ months to fully ferment (cause of honey from what i've read) and if it tastes bad I want another beer ready to go.

Thanks for all your input!!

 

[TyTanium]

Welcome to the forum!

First of all, check out How to Brew - By John Palmer
or better yet, buy the updated version of the book. This walks you through a lot of the basics in a systematic way that will help you more than piecing together info from threads.

A few of your questions:
Heard the commercials for Miller Lite being triple hops brewed? Well, that's just marketing, but the three uses for hops are generally:
Bittering: Hops have bitter acid oils. We know oil and water don't mix. But when oil is boiled for a long time, the oils are "isomerized" allowing them to dissolve in water. Bitter hops are added at the beginning of the boil. Most of the flavor/aroma boils off. This adds the palate-cleansing bitterness to balance the sweet malt.
Flavor: Added with 10-30 mins left - aroma boils off, but some of the flavors are left
Aroma: Added with 0-10 mins left. Essential oils in hops are very volitile so adding at the end makes sure they stick around.
Often flavor/aroma hops are combined/interchanged.

As for cooling, generally hot liquid + cold glass = shattering. Having 3.5g of cold water insulated you there. The other reason for cooling is the yeast. They're alive, so obviously adding to boiling water kills them. Adding your hot liquid to 3.5g of cold water most likely dropped the temp safely below 160 degree kill-zone, so no worries about dead yeast. However, most beer yeasts prefer 65-70 degrees, so adding if it's higher won't kill them, but it won't produce optimal flavors. Hopefully your liquid dropped to room temp somewhat quickly, so you may be ok. If you have "off flavors", it's most likely from fermenting too warm.

Re: honey - I'm no expert there. Tons of threads on best practices.

Cleaning: Most use PBW or Oxyclean as a cleaner - to remove scum. Then use use StarSan or an iodine cleaner to sanitize - kill 99% of germs. Both are a solution that you dilute in water, give it 30 seconds of contact time and don't need to rinse. Very easy.

Re: more buckets - buckets are cheap. If you want more beer, get another bucket!

 

[Aschecte]

+1 to the above comment only addition I have is for the honey add it at the last 15 minutes as this will "pasturize " the honey as well as mix it into the wort. Alot of mead enthusiasts will actually reccomend adding the honey raw and not to boil at all as it changes the flavor. 15 minute addition is a good compromise. good luck and def get a palmer or papazian book. good luck !!!

 

[Unibrow]

I stopped adding honey when I realized it takes way longer to ferment out, and does not add any kind of honey taste. It's a lose-lose situation unless you're making a mead or another honey based drink.

 

[BamaRooster]

+1 on the above posts. The only thing I would add, if you are going to use oxyclean, good stuff, make sure you use Oxyclean Free. It is the same cleaner only with out the perfumes. You do not want to clean your equipment with perfumed cleaners. PBW is the best but a little pricey.

Buckets....they sell food grade buckets at Home Depot and this is a great way to get several fermenting vessels on a budget. But make sure they are food grade or some bad flavors can leach into your beer.

Good luck and RDWHAHB!

 

[chris24300]

Oh I should have mentioned I have a few books (like complete joy of homebrewing), but I couldn't wait to read, i had to jump in head first.. but luckily I was not using glass so no shattering here.

So maybe I should just bail on the honey? My problem is I don't know what the gravity of the wort is now and I pretty much have 5 gallons so adding the honey will definitely put me over. the wort is also sitting now so I'd rather not allow my beer any chance at contamination.. looks like honey might have to sit out of this one.

Thanks for the info on the hops, definitely come in handy for my next batch. Anyone know where I should look for a tasty cider? I'm thinking about a pear cider.

Yea I'm going to have to get more buckets but the issues I have is a damn multi tap tower for my kegerator, run $220 (for 2 taps) and up...

 

[Unibrow]

I would skip the honey at this point, for sure.

Never done a cider before, but I just did my first batch of Edwort's Apfelwein, this seems to be super popular and easy with the masses.

 

[chris24300]

Now that it's winter up here basically, do you guys have like 'warm rooms' or let them ferment near the heater? I've read lagers ferment at lower temps so this will work great for me now but if I needed to sit around 70s then i'd have to spend big $$ (i have oil heat)

 

[Unibrow]

I used to live in Allston, Mass and we had oil heat too - not the best

Fermentation should be cooler than 70 in most cases with ale yeast. I try to go for mid 60's, but never tried lager yeast. That needs WAY lower temps for fermentation.

 

[chris24300]

I would skip the honey at this point, for sure.

Never done a cider before, but I just did my first batch of Edwort's Apfelwein, this seems to be super popular and easy with the masses.

Whao thanks for that apfelwein, looks easy to brew. looks like I'm going to need a few carboys.

 

[chris24300]

I used to live in Allston, Mass and we had oil heat too - not the best

Fermentation should be cooler than 70 in most cases with ale yeast. I try to go for mid 60's, but never tried lager yeast. That needs WAY lower temps for fermentation.

yea I can set my kegerator to the temp i need and it'll stay at that.. looks like i'm in for a larger winter lol

 

[Unibrow]

Winter in Boston is the worst - and this is coming from a lifelong Clevelander

 

[TyTanium]

Keep in mind that active fermentation creates heat, which raises your temp 5-10 degrees. I like my ambient temp to be low 60's (62-63) during active fermentation, which means the liquid temp is 67-70ish, right on the low end of the range. This produces a cleaner flavor profile. Easier in the winter, but doable year round - search forum for "swamp cooler"

EDIT: Or kegarator custom control. Perfect for fermentation chamber (except no beer on tap...)

 

[chris24300]

Yea I can use the temp controls on kegerator. have you guys purchased a keg without a pickup stem? Might have to take a ride back to the homebrew shop and see whats up.

 

[BOBrob]

Hello chris24300. I followed from the newguys forum. I would suggest reading alot before jumping further into your new hobby. There are steps in each process of brewing that you really need to understand before you begin to brew. +1 for TyTanium on the "John Palmer" web site. What was your recipe, extract or partial mash? The hops go in the boil in stages as stated above, but pitching the yeast over 80F is a nono. You should see bubbles in the airlock within a few days if you did`nt kill the yeast from to high a pitching temp. In that case just pitch another yeast pack to start fermentation. Fermenting in mid 60s is usually best ; again that depends on the brew your making. I would also suggest learning brewing and bottling before even thinking about kegs, that is more than you need right now. Yup bail on the honey it is to late , but what did you do with the corn sugar? Was that for the priming or the recipe? OH so much to learn, but have fun doing it. I probably caused more questions,ask away we help. Cheers

 

[chris24300]

Keg controls only go up to mid 40's... oh well I can always keep it next to the boiler if it needs to be warmer.

Hello chris24300. I followed from the newguys forum. I would suggest reading alot before jumping further into your new hobby. There are steps in each process of brewing that you really need to understand before you begin to brew. +1 for TyTanium on the "John Palmer" web site. What was your recipe, extract or partial mash? The hops go in the boil in stages as stated above, but pitching the yeast over 80F is a nono. You should see bubbles in the airlock within a few days if you did`nt kill the yeast from to high a pitching temp. In that case just pitch another yeast pack to start fermentation. Fermenting in mid 60s is usually best ; again that depends on the brew your making. I would also suggest learning brewing and bottling before even thinking about kegs, that is more than you need right now. Yup bail on the honey it is to late , but what did you do with the corn sugar? Was that for the priming or the recipe? OH so much to learn, but have fun doing it. I probably caused more questions,ask away we help. Cheers

I am reading the complete joy of home brewing but I couldn't wait to get started, lots to learn and looking forward to it. My recipe called for (all came pre measured so just poured into muslin bag) wheats, cascade hops, don't remember the malt but did not come in a can, irish moss (or something like that) maybe another ingredient but that's about it. Supposed to be a honey lager.

i saved the corn sugar for priming, didn't think it was part of the recipe, didn't see other homebrews using sugar in recipe.

I saw the airlock filled with bubbles after the first 24 hours and is still there, so I didn't kill the yeast? I looked at videos of fermentation and saw bubbling (bubbles bursting every so often) which I do not see (yet?). When I'm home the temp is around 62 (hanging out in my living room with me) and when I'm not it could be down to high 50s.

Too late the bail on the keg, already have it.

Thanks again for everyone helping me out!

 

[chris24300]

For a lager, is the ideal fermenting temp 33-40?

Does anyone use a temp controller 'fridge' (for lack of a better word)? If I need to get higher fermenting temps the only thing I can think of is to use a makeshift wood box with a heat lamp or the like. Could throw a ebay temp controller/timer in there too to get fancy

 

[ghank15]

Most strands of lager yeast ferment ideally at 50 degrees F but can be fermented between 45-55 without too many ill effects. However, you'll most likely want to "lager" your lager.

Generally, most people perform a "diacetyl rest" (moving the beer to room temperature after primary fermentation has ceased for about 2 days. Then, the preferred method is to transfer to a secondary fermenter (better bottles work great) and move to a fridge/converted chest freezer at 35-40 degrees for about a month. Then your lager is ready for bottles.

 

[chris24300]

Most strands of lager yeast ferment ideally at 50 degrees F but can be fermented between 45-55 without too much I'll effects. However, you'll most likely want to "lager" your lager.
if i'm understanding correctly, I should kept my lager at room temp (high 50s - low 60s) where it's been fermenting for about 5 days. When you say "lager" my lager are you referring to dropping the temps in secondary fermentation or from the get go?

Generally, most people perform a "diacetyl rest" (moving the beer to room temperature after primary fermentation has ceased for about 2 days. Then, the preferred method is to transfer to a secondary fermenter (better bottles work great) and move to a fridge/converted chest freezer at 35-40 degrees for about a month. Then your lager is ready for bottles.

I need to get a few carboys but just have the plastic buckets that came with the kit. I can dump the secondary in my kegerator and let sit around 40 for a few weeks then I have a corny keg ready to go where I'll drop it to 36. Is filling a keg the same as bottling? dilute the sugar with some water then mix together and fill keg?

 

[ghank15]

if i'm understanding correctly, I should kept my lager at room temp (high 50s - low 60s) where it's been fermenting for about 5 days. When you say "lager" my lager are you referring to dropping the temps in secondary fermentation or from the get go?

No. Lager yeasts, due to the lower fermentation temperature, generally take AT LEAST 5-7 days before primary fermentation has ceased, and can take 2-3 weeks. The only way to be sure is to use a hydrometer to check the gravity.

What I was referring to at room temperature is called a diacetyl rest. I'm not 100% sure about the science behind it, but diacetyl is a chemical that can be left behind during lager fermentation. After primary fermentation is over, and before the beer is lagered, performing a diacetyl rest for a few days at room temp (60-70) will help the chemical dissipate.

I need to get a few carboys but just have the plastic buckets that came with the kit. I can dump the secondary in my kegerator and let sit around 40 for a few weeks then I have a corny keg ready to go where I'll drop it to 36. Is filling a keg the same as bottling? dilute the sugar with some water then mix together and fill keg?

I would personally would not use a bucket for secondary, due to the chance of infection. I don't see a problem with using a keg for a secondary vessel though. I wouldn't try to carbonate it until a few more weeks of conditioning have taken place.

The reason Lagers are called lagers is because the word lager literally means "to store." Traditionally, Lager beers were stored, or lagered, in cold caves for a few months, which helped to clarify and condition the beer. However, if you skipped this step, I can't imagine the beer being undrinkable, it just wouldn't be a traditional lager.

 

[chris24300]

No. Lager yeasts, due to the lower fermentation temperature, generally take AT LEAST 5-7 days before primary fermentation has ceased, and can take 2-3 weeks. The only way to be sure is to use a hydrometer to check the gravity.

What I was referring to at room temperature is called a diacetyl rest. I'm not 100% sure about the science behind it, but diacetyl is a chemical that can be left behind during lager fermentation. After primary fermentation is over, and before the beer is lagered, performing a diacetyl rest for a few days at room temp (60-70) will help the chemical dissipate.



I would personally would not use a bucket for secondary, due to the chance of infection. I don't see a problem with using a keg for a secondary vessel though. I wouldn't try to carbonate it until a few more weeks of conditioning have taken place.

The reason Lagers are called lagers is because the word lager literally means "to store." Traditionally, Lager beers were stored, or lagered, in cold caves for a few months, which helped to clarify and condition the beer. However, if you skipped this step, I can't imagine the beer being undrinkable, it just wouldn't be a traditional lager.

OK so because of the POS instructions that came with my kit I didn't take an original gravity reading (although they provided a hydrometer..) so I'm just watching the airlock, which still has bubbles. Gives me time to get a few carboys so I can catch up on my years of missing out.

one thing, I looked at fermentation vids on youtube and saw some airlocks that have much more 'activity'. Is this rare to be bubbling (and poping)?

 

[TyTanium]

All fermentations are different, so airlock activity is a poor indicator. If it's bubbling, your yeast is having a sugar-eating party and you can rest assured that beer is being made.