Hhhmmm...to brew a second batch or not to...

[flyingfinbar]

Hello everyone I'm a brand new brewer. I have 5 gallons of Irish stout fermenting since 11/8, my first, and I'm already hopelessly addicted to this hobby.

My question is: I have the urge to get another batch going! Should I wait it out and see if I made any mistakes to the first batch before I begin a second, or should I just rack the first batch into carboy/or get another ale pail and get swinging on another?

Based on your experiences, are there many first timer mistakes that need to be fleshed out before going on to batch 2? Thanks!

 

[yancydc]

Brew another! The first will come out fine, and so will the second.

One first timer mistake I remember was sanitizing with bleach, yikes. I took Papazian to heart, I guess.

My second mistake was not being patient enough. The beer (a pale ale) was a lot better after it aged a while. I wish I had left it in primary for longer, but I switched to secondary after a week, which was unnecessary, and then bottled after another week. 3-4 weeks in primary would've made it much better.

Came out tasting pretty damn good, though, and so will yours.

 

[Christianb17]

Whats wrong with sanitizing with bleach?

 

[TopherM]

Brew another!! First time brewers typically are very very conscious of sanatizing and the basic techniques that their first beers turn out great, assuming they are patient enough to let them carb and condition properly!!

Some experienced brewers start to get lazy on sanitation and basic techniques, and that's where the real troubles, like infections, come from.

Oh, and after you brew another......BREW ANOTHER!!!

 

[bredstein]

One first timer mistake I remember was sanitizing with bleach, yikes.

What was wrong with the bleach? Do you mean you could smell/taste it in the beer? Or it didn't sanitize well? I am using bleach and have no complaints about it, although many people around keep saying that it's a big no-no. Am I missing something?

 

[stratslinger]

Definitely brew another, and definitely invest in at least a second primary fermenter (sounds like you're using buckets - get at least one more!!!).

Your beer will be better, the longer it sits on the yeast cake (up to a certain limit that you're not likely to be patient enough to discover). So you'll be best served by leaving that first beer alone in the primary for a while and getting your second beer going in parallel, in a second vessel.

Welcome to the obsession!

 

[Denny's Evil Concoctions]

Brew another! The first will come out fine, and so will the second.

One first timer mistake I remember was sanitizing with bleach, yikes. I took Papazian to heart, I guess.

My second mistake was not being patient enough. The beer (a pale ale) was a lot better after it aged a while. I wish I had left it in primary for longer, but I switched to secondary after a week, which was unnecessary, and then bottled after another week. 3-4 weeks in primary would've made it much better.

Came out tasting pretty damn good, though, and so will yours.

Nothing wrong with using bleach as long as it is well rinsed off. So using bleach is not a first timer mistake. I used it for years, due to it being readily available for a low cost.

Chlorine Bleach does have it's downsides. Besides the above, it is nasty on clothing, carpets, etc.

I personally prefer oxyclean (sodium percarbonate), or other oxygen cleaner. Walmarts GV oxi cleaner works well. And of course there are a ton of other sanitizers like starsan, iodine, etc...

 

[beergolf]

Get another fermenter, or even better get two more and brew away.

I brewed 4 batches before I even tasted my first one.

If you pay attention to sanitation, temps. Yeast etc. You will make beer.

 

[Smashing]

Brew - You'll be sorry if there's downtime between you finishing this batch and when the next is ready.

Nothing wrong with a mild bleach solution - just make sure you rinse the hell out of it before use.

 

[flyingfinbar]

Enablers! All of you!!

Exactly the answers I was looking for

It will have to wait a little, though...nearly lost my finger in a bagel slicing incident at work today:X

 

[TyTanium]

I like bottling & brewing on the same day. I only need to mix up 1 batch of sanitizing solution, and, depending on the style, I can repitch some of the yeast slurry from 1st batch directly to my 2nd batch.

Sorry about the bagel slicing incident. Bagels are dangerous.

 

[HerbieHowells]

I would say get going on another batch when you have the time. Beer isn't like pie crust, where you pull it out of the oven and know right away if it turned out well or not. The beer is going to change with each extra week or month that it sits in the bottle, and the only way to know how it turned out is to taste it over a period of weeks or months. You don't want to wait that long for your second beer, so brew away now.

 

[frazier]

So tell me - were you thinking about beer when you cut your finger?????

 

[Smashing]

Enablers! All of you!!

Exactly the answers I was looking for

It will have to wait a little, though...nearly lost my finger in a bagel slicing incident at work today:X

They make bandaids for that. Get brewin!

 

[Smashing]

Must have been a flax bagel. Those seeds can be sharp!

 

[flyingfinbar]

So tell me - were you thinking about beer when you cut your finger?????

I'm not even kidding...I think I was!

The knife went in my finger tip and basically filleted the pad of my finger along the bone for about an inch and a quarter....ugly. I had to have a plastic surgeon stitch me up; I play bass guitar, and I need to maintain sensation in my left hand index finger!

Everyone is bringing up great points that I honestly hadn't even considered yet...as soon as my entire hand stops throbbing and I can use it, it's brew time!

Edit- It was a flagel...those nasty flat bagels. I always knew I'd damage myself cutting those paper thin, hard skinned bastiges!

 

[Denny's Evil Concoctions]

Enablers! All of you!!

Exactly the answers I was looking for

It will have to wait a little, though...nearly lost my finger in a bagel slicing incident at work today:X

I'd go out and build a AG rig with 15 gallon capacity, then go and get some 12 gallon fermenters. I have several. SO If I was you I'd get at least 3.

I don't use a secondary but I do filter, with my march pump and dual cylinder filter setup.

I would run out RIGHT NOW and buy as much gear as you can, then budget at least 15% of your income to the hobby! Go big or go home. Since you are already at home, then go big.

 

[jholen]

Get a second batch going!

This last weekend was my first weekend brewing, and I did two batches back to back - American Hef on Thursday, and an America IPA on Friday! Will make waiting the 3-4 weeks (primary fermentor only) worth the wait, to turn two beers out at the same time - though I'll probably split up the bottling days.. MAYBE.

Already thinking of getting two more fermentors and getting two more batches going. lol

 

[whitehause]

4 Finger Ale?

 

[lgilmore]

I tend to transfer to secondary and brew at the same time. I clean my primary while the next batch cooks. That way I am sterilizing all my equipememnt at one time and getting double/triple duty out of cleaners. It keeps me busy and helps fill the dead time while brewing.

 

[yancydc]

What was wrong with the bleach? Do you mean you could smell/taste it in the beer? Or it didn't sanitize well? I am using bleach and have no complaints about it, although many people around keep saying that it's a big no-no. Am I missing something?

Nothing wrong with using bleach as long as it is well rinsed off. So using bleach is not a first timer mistake. I used it for years, due to it being readily available for a low cost.

Chlorine Bleach does have it's downsides. Besides the above, it is nasty on clothing, carpets, etc.

I personally prefer oxyclean (sodium percarbonate), or other oxygen cleaner. Walmarts GV oxi cleaner works well. And of course there are a ton of other sanitizers like starsan, iodine, etc...

While you're both obviously right, and people used bleach for years, I consider it a rookie mistake because since you have to rinse it really well, presumably with tap water, the last thing to touch your fermenter or what have you is possibly contaminated tap water. And if you don't rinse it really well, you could have a nasty batch on your hands. No-rinse sanitizer is much easier and gives a better piece of mind. I know it's very unlikely that tap water can be infected, but why risk it?

Also, tap water in DC is gross.

 

[Lancer033]

4 Finger Ale?

Perfect Name

now get to brewing

 

[flyingfinbar]

Perfect Name

now get to brewing

I can't wait! Gonna get the love2brew vanilla creme ale extract kit and try my hand at that...it'll be my first shot at secondary fermentation. I plan on floating some of my Irish stout that is now fermenting on top of the VCA once both are done

BUT FIRST

Figure out how to open and close a button fly one handed

 

[Christianb17]

What was wrong with the bleach? Do you mean you could smell/taste it in the beer? Or it didn't sanitize well? I am using bleach and have no complaints about it, although many people around keep saying that it's a big no-no. Am I missing something?

I also use bleach and have had no problems? What are you talking about?

 

[Christianb17]

Disregard that last message I just read the answer

 

[bredstein]

I also use bleach and have had no problems? What are you talking about?

That's exactly my question. Search for "bleach" and you'll see that most people do not use it. There was even a poll sometime ago. Only a few percent go with bleach. There are two major anti-bleach arguments: it stains clothes, and it has to be rinsed with tap water which may be contaminated. Both arguments seem weak. 1) A concentration of 1 tbs per gallon will not stain your dark clothes unless you soak it overnight or boil. After all, why not be simply careful? Lye can do much more damage, but it doesn't mean that one should not use it to make good pretzel. 2) Tap water, especially hot tap water, has enough bleach to be clean for rinsing. Another option is rinse with distilled water for under 1 buck per gallon.

 

[Denny's Evil Concoctions]

While you're both obviously right, and people used bleach for years, I consider it a rookie mistake because since you have to rinse it really well, presumably with tap water, the last thing to touch your fermenter or what have you is possibly contaminated tap water. And if you don't rinse it really well, you could have a nasty batch on your hands. No-rinse sanitizer is much easier and gives a better piece of mind. I know it's very unlikely that tap water can be infected, but why risk it?

More of a case of inefficient methodology.

 

[ZamaMan]

Get on it son! I had 3 5gal batches in fermenters by day 7 of brewing! =]

 

[ZamaMan]

Just listened to brew strong on sanitization. Bleach isn't a good choice. Also they differ in strength and lose concentration over time.

 

[Denny's Evil Concoctions]

Just listened to brew strong on sanitization. Bleach isn't a good choice. Also they differ in strength and lose concentration over time.

OK, this has been debated to death in the past so I don't see a need for further debate on this matter.

• Bleach can be used. Period.
• There are other options that may be better for a variety of reason. Period

Now back on topic.....