I'm new to this.

[inzane]

I got the brew. share. enjoy kit for 100 from northern brewer, i have block party amber ale 5 gallons in the fermenter right now, its bubbling pretty good in the airlock. I put the recommended tablespoon of water in the airlock. is this ok? i hear of people using vodka or star san? looking back, i realised i grabbed a tablespoon out of the cabinet (it was clean) and added my water to the airlock.. obviously didn't use the cleaner on that spoon. is it to late?? its just bubbling really good.. i figure at some point that water will make it back to the beer? Yes i'm new..

I'm planning on reusing bottles i have when i get to bottling, which cleaners are best? was gonna order 1 step and star san.

hopefully i don't mess this up! i was reluctant to try, but it was so fun to make the wort.

should i consider a blow off tube? its going pretty good right now, 5 gallons, with like close to 2 gallons of room in the fermenter. didn't know if i will have a mess on my hands later.

the beer is in my basement room, dark. 66 degrees room temperature. covered with a box. I go in there once a day to get stuff that comes off the printer in there but otherwise its an empty room with a printer on a table.

mabee i won't end up with skunky beer!

 

[RedlegEd]

Hi! Welcome to HBT and the obsession! To answer your question about the airlock first, no worries. It's best to use Starsan or Vodka in the airlock simply because it will sanitize any air/fluid that might get sucked back in, but clean water is fine. To your other questions, use the search function on HBT or go look at the stickies in the Beginner's Forums. Almost everything you want to know has already been asked and answered before. If you don't find an answer, by all means, please ask. There are lots of knowledgable folks here who are more than happy/ready to help. If I could give you two pieces of advice, it would be 1. to follow the credo of Charlie Papazian, "Relax, don't worry, have a homebrew." You'll often see it as, "RDWHAHB." 2. Read How To Brew, by John Palmer It's available free to read on line. Again, welcome. Ed

 

[meatcleaver]

water in the airlock is not recommended...it can get moldy, & yes it can get sucked back into the beer. most of us opt for starsan, it's cheap & using vodka seems like such a waste.
for cleaning bottles I recommend pbw or oxyclean free & starsan for sanitation
many folks use blowoff tubes for the first week of fermentation... really not a downside. when in doubt, rig a blowoff tube... better safe than sorry.
keep your fermenting & finished beer out of the light as much as possible. short or occasional exposure isn't a big deal.
sounds like you're doing well so far... congrats!

 

[GrogNerd]

definitely don't worry about the water in your airlock, it's there so that CO2 can get out & nothing can get in

the only time you have to worry about suck back is when you cold crash, and sounds like you don't have temp control, so the sucking back won't be an issue.

sounds like you got plenty of headspace, so don't worry about a blow-off tube

reusing bottles: rinse them out after use & they should be fine until bottling day. then rinse and sanitize

a vinator and bottling tree are a TREMENDOUS help for washing, sanitizing and bottling

 

[Dee]

You should be fine with water in the airlock. With the plastic bucket fermenters, just gently pull the airlock out before you try to move the bucket. The pressure change from lifting and squeezing it usually causes the liquid in the airlock to get sucked into the bucket.

You've got plenty of headspace in a 6.5 gallon bucket. Unless you're making a big, heavy, fast-fermenting beer like a stout, you'll be fine without a blowoff tube. If the airlock has been bubbling happily along for a while, chances are it would have already foamed over if it was going to. But it won't.

And, Star San is probably the universal standard in this hobby.

It's good stuff.

Relax, follow the directions, and you'll be okay.

 

[Calder]

The water is OK - don't worry. But in future use sanitizer or cheap vodka, so you don't panic when you eventually do something that ends up with it sucking back into the fermenter (rare). Just make sure to loosen and/or remove the airlock anytime you move the fermenter.

Starsan is a popular sanitizer. I use Starsan, Idophor, and bleach for different purposes. Just start with Starsan, and see if you need anything else. It is reusable, so just make up a gallon and keep in a clean gallon water container for re-use a number of times. Mine lasts a few months.

Rinse bottle immediately after use and let drain in washing machine. Then all you need to do is sanitize prior to bottling.

Yes, get a blow-off. You don't need it for this brew as you are past the 'danger' stage. I always use one for initial fermentation ..... I don't need it often, but when I do, I'm glad it is there. A fermention that tries to get out of the fermenter can create a lot of mess to clean up. I've had airlocks fly 6 feet across the room, with a trail of yeast/beer following it. I once had beer/wort on the ceiling, which wasn't fun to clean up.

Have fun.

 

[seabrew8]

I always just use water in the airlock and if you needed a blowoff it would be the very beginning of the fermentation.

Brew cleaners are fine but in a pinch you can immerse the bottles in a 5 gal bucket with maybe a 3/4 - 1 cup of bleach. I've done it many a times.

And if you have a large bucket and lots of headspace IME you don't need to use blowoff tubes anymore. I don't use glass carboys anymore, there a mess if you ask me. Those big mouths are cool but i would rather spend the money on more grains.

 

[inzane]

thanks for the information. so what do i do if i didn't rinse out my bottles before i threw them in a box? I figured i'd deal with that later.. so now i know. but i have about 30 beer bottles like that.. i'll be rinsing them out real good and draining going forward. any tips on the cleaning process of the ones i haven't rinsed? I'll search around as well

I'm brewing the block party amber ale.. i'm not a big fan of this style of beer, i did have a fat tire today, and it was OK. assuming the beer will be along these lines. i figured if i messed up a 5 gallon batch of block party, no big loss for me.. however, i'm sure it should turn out fine! next time around i want to pick a good IPA type of beer, as that block party came with the kit.

so instructions say 1 to 2 weeks in primary fermentation. I'm in no hurry here, i'd like to have it ready for july 4th. the bubbling stopped after 3 days, assuming this is normal.. How do i know when to move to the next phase. 1 to 2 weeks seems rather vague. I have no hydrometer.. however, was gonna order stuff online, so along with my sanitizing stuff would pick up one of those. If i check the specific gravity of this beer whats the best way to get it out without contamiation. so it came with a siphon thing, do i just sanitize that and siphon some out? i'd hate to pull the lid off and all that. OR do i need not worry about a hydrometer on this one?

 

[RM-MN]

thanks for the information. so what do i do if i didn't rinse out my bottles before i threw them in a box? I figured i'd deal with that later.. so now i know. but i have about 30 beer bottles like that.. i'll be rinsing them out real good and draining going forward. any tips on the cleaning process of the ones i haven't rinsed? I'll search around as well

I'm brewing the block party amber ale.. i'm not a big fan of this style of beer, i did have a fat tire today, and it was OK. assuming the beer will be along these lines. i figured if i messed up a 5 gallon batch of block party, no big loss for me.. however, i'm sure it should turn out fine! next time around i want to pick a good IPA type of beer, as that block party came with the kit.

so instructions say 1 to 2 weeks in primary fermentation. I'm in no hurry here, i'd like to have it ready for july 4th. the bubbling stopped after 3 days, assuming this is normal.. How do i know when to move to the next phase. 1 to 2 weeks seems rather vague. I have no hydrometer.. however, was gonna order stuff online, so along with my sanitizing stuff would pick up one of those. If i check the specific gravity of this beer whats the best way to get it out without contamiation. so it came with a siphon thing, do i just sanitize that and siphon some out? i'd hate to pull the lid off and all that. OR do i need not worry about a hydrometer on this one?

Oxiclean Free is probably about the best for washing the bottles. I'd use it on the bottling bucket and the fermenter when you get that empty. Rinse well, then rinse again as any residue from the Oxiclean will kill the head on your beer.

One to 2 weeks is intentionally vague although I would have put that at 2 to 3. One week is too short in my opinion as if you bottle that quickly you get a huge amount of sediment in the bottles. By day 10 it will be much better and the longer you leave the beer in the primary fermenter the less sediment you get in the bottles. You do need a hydrometer to check that the fermentation really is done. 2 readings that match over a 3 day period tells you it is done. I use a turkey baster to pull the sample from the fermenter bucket. I take the lid off, pull the sample, and put the lid back on. As long as you don't leave the lid off for a long time it won't hurt your beer.

I normally use just water in the airlock. Without chilling the fermenter there will always be positive pressure so no water will suck back. If it does, it is just water and still won't likely hurt. It is pretty hard to contaminate the beer that is in the primary fermenter enough to cause infections. One fun advantage of using Starsan in the airlock is when you check for bubbles. Starsan bubbles hang around for a while so when you look for bubbling, you don't have to wait if the bubbling has slowed. There will be bubbles in the airlock to let you know if fermentation is going on.

You can stop worrying about skunky beer while it is in the bucket. It takes fairly strong UV light to skunk beer so without the box over it the bucket protects it so the beer won't skunk. Take the box off. Yeast give off heat while actively fermenting and while your basement is 66 degrees, inside that box it can be warmer which in turn can make the beer warmer which then causes the yeast to throw off flavors.

 

[seabrew8]

If you want it ready for july 4th i would ferment it for 2-3 weeks - even longer if you want less sediment - and then bottle, its takes around 10-14 days to condition in the bottle. I would test one and when they are carbonated i would place a case or so in the fridge to see if i have chill haze. If so i would lager/cold storage them until July 4th. Even if they have no chill haze i would store then in a cool place. Fridge preferably.

Its really not that complicated just everyone has there own process/style.

 

[inzane]

thanks for all the input. I ended up bottling the block party amber ale at the 2 week mark as the instructions recommended. Not to much worried about it. me and the wife bottled 48 beers from the 5 gallons and there was about 6 oz left we sampled and it seems like its going in the right direction. will probably open one at the 10 day mark just because i'm so curious.

I got the zombie dirt IPA in the fermenter now, i'm addicted. it smells so good so far. using a blow off tube this time on that batch. not sure if its needed. working fine though. its bubbling real good. i really don't want a mess. the instructions on the zombie dirt have me adding 3 oz of citra hops during secondary fermentation. not much info besides add it in.. so do i not need to mix it in or anything? didn't specify in the instructions.

 

[MaryB]

The Block Party is a pretty decent beer actually, especially for summer drinking!

 

[AZCoolerBrewer]

Just dump in the dry hops for your zombie dirt. Hops are anti-bad stuff. It is normal to dump them in "as is" for the dry hop. Dry hops add only deliciousness, no worry about infections.

 

[RM-MN]

thanks for all the input. I ended up bottling the block party amber ale at the 2 week mark as the instructions recommended. Not to much worried about it. me and the wife bottled 48 beers from the 5 gallons and there was about 6 oz left we sampled and it seems like its going in the right direction. will probably open one at the 10 day mark just because i'm so curious.

I got the zombie dirt IPA in the fermenter now, i'm addicted. it smells so good so far. using a blow off tube this time on that batch. not sure if its needed. working fine though. its bubbling real good. i really don't want a mess. the instructions on the zombie dirt have me adding 3 oz of citra hops during secondary fermentation. not much info besides add it in.. so do i not need to mix it in or anything? didn't specify in the instructions.

With pellet hops I just dump them in and the pellets break up and settle out before I bottle. Whole leaf hops tend to float on top and probably need to be bagged and weighted to get the full goodness from them. When whole leaf hops are used they tend to plug the siphon unless bagged. Use a large enough bag so the beer can freely circulate through the hops.

 

[inzane]

I'm thinking i'm gonna get a kegging system. which one of these would be worth it? quite a price difference, the one from morebeer.com had plenty of good reviews.


https://www.kegoutlet.com/basicpin2...gFkeSu_465YHUo6h-oqPhUh9niGsjupOOcRoCf2jw_wcB

or

https://www.morebeer.com/products/h...9Mrzb3jCpFkZc31QFZ4MLQhY2MDhC1OcTexoCS0bw_wcB

 

[ericbw]

I'm thinking i'm gonna get a kegging system. which one of these would be worth it? quite a price difference, the one from morebeer.com had plenty of good reviews.





https://www.kegoutlet.com/basicpin2...gFkeSu_465YHUo6h-oqPhUh9niGsjupOOcRoCf2jw_wcB



or



https://www.morebeer.com/products/h...9Mrzb3jCpFkZc31QFZ4MLQhY2MDhC1OcTexoCS0bw_wcB

There are some differences.

The keg outlet set up uses a 20 oz paintball tank. That will beef filled more often but will last a while (I would guess more than 1 keg, maybe more than 2).

I had that tank and it works well. You can get it filled at Dicks Sporting Goods.

The more beer has a bigger tank, so less frequent filling, but heavier and you have to go to a gas place or brew store. Also, you might end up swapping the tank instead of filling (like swapping out the propane grill tank), so you'll get a less shiny tank in exchange.

The more beer also has two gauges. One for the pressure and one for how much is in the tank. The one for how much is in the tank might not really work well anyway. It's not really necessary.

Keg outlet will help you configure the set up you want. Have them price a 5lb tank (with the right adapter) and remove the one gauge to compare.

I would probably get the keg outlet set up because it's cheaper and can grow.

 

[inzane]

thanks for the info. their is a home brew shop near me, that can fill the tank. so having to exchange shouldn't be an issue. i'm assuming a 5 gallon keg will fit in a fridge? i got a pretty good sized fridge not being used for anything but beer in my garage

There are some differences.

The keg outlet set up uses a 20 oz paintball tank. That will beef filled more often but will last a while (I would guess more than 1 keg, maybe more than 2).

I had that tank and it works well. You can get it filled at Dicks Sporting Goods.

The more beer has a bigger tank, so less frequent filling, but heavier and you have to go to a gas place or brew store. Also, you might end up swapping the tank instead of filling (like swapping out the propane grill tank), so you'll get a less shiny tank in exchange.

The more beer also has two gauges. One for the pressure and one for how much is in the tank. The one for how much is in the tank might not really work well anyway. It's not really necessary.

Keg outlet will help you configure the set up you want. Have them price a 5lb tank (with the right adapter) and remove the one gauge to compare.

I would probably get the keg outlet set up because it's cheaper and can grow.

 

[inzane]

I dry hopped the zombie dirt IPA last week, its been 1 week. i just did as the instructions said. it looks pretty cloudy, with hop particles throughout.. and of course the stuff floating up top. Northern brewer suggested give it a twirl or whatever to get things to settle.. it kinda did. but wondering if this is normal? i sampled a little just to kinda see. it tastes good, . with the hydrometer readings looks like its just under 6 percent ABV last check. I have the kegging stuff all ready to go, next weekend was the plan, then was gonna let it carbonate in the keg with the c02 for the week.

is this stuff gonna be drinkable with all the dry hops? will it settle out?

the block party amber ale i did turned out so good.. i kinda got into it early, a week conditioning in the bottles and i started drinking it now and again.. it was good, but i noticed in week 2 and 3 .. it was dangged good! and now its gone! lol. i'd probably brew that one again even though i normally don't like that style of beer.

 

[ericbw]

Which keg set up did you end up getting?

The dry hops will settle out, although it might be a little hazy from them. In the keg, they'll settle, so the first bit that comes out will have a lot of hops in it. Usually draw off a couple of ounces and throw that away, then pour your drink. The longer it sits between pours, the more sediment you get. I mean if you wait a week or something, you'll have more.

Have you read about balancing the keg system?

 

[inzane]

I'm not sure. its a 5 gallon pepsi keg, with a regulator and 5lb co2 tank i just got filled. found it on craigslist. it was in good shape. the guy i got it from kinda walked me through some things and went over it which was nice, plus i saw some good youtube vids, i wasn't gonna try to force carbonate, but do as northern brewer said and set it for 12 psi? and let it sit in the fridge for some time.. i probably have alot more to read up on this week then.

they (NB) said something about cold crashing?

Which keg set up did you end up getting?

The dry hops will settle out, although it might be a little hazy from them. In the keg, they'll settle, so the first bit that comes out will have a lot of hops in it. Usually draw off a couple of ounces and throw that away, then pour your drink. The longer it sits between pours, the more sediment you get. I mean if you wait a week or something, you'll have more.

Have you read about balancing the keg system?

 

[MaryB]

That Block Party kit makes a good summer lawnmower beer!

 

[inzane]

I agree there! definetly was nice to have one of those after grass cutting. was very easy to make for my first go around.

That Block Party kit makes a good summer lawnmower beer!