I'm Ready For 1st Brew Tomorrow...and updates

[fizzix]

Brilliant, madscientist! I'm going to do a BIAB lager next that uses a different yeast. But I'll save the Nottingham as you say.
I'm away from my notes and don't remember the recipe, but it's from the lager forum here.

 

[kh54s10]

Yeah the kit instructions recommended a gravity check to make sure things were on path. I'll wait until the 2-week mark before checking again as she should be done then.
I had sanitized the eyedropper "mini-thief" for the spectrometer gravity reading sample after sanitizing my hands and the (closed) bucket lid.

I am assuming that you mean hydrometer. If you are using a refractometer the reading needs to be corrected for the presence of alcohol. With a hydrometer, limit your gravity readings, That is wasting good beer!!!

Brilliant, madscientist! I'm going to do a BIAB lager next that uses a different yeast. But I'll save the Nottingham as you say.
I'm away from my notes and don't remember the recipe, but it's from the lager forum here.

Are you doing a California Common style where you use lager yeast but ferment at ale temperatures? If not do you have the ability to control the fermentation temperature near 50 degrees for 2 weeks, do a diacetyl rest then lager the temperature down to just above freezing temperature.

A lager also uses a lot of yeast. Make sure you use enough. Use a pitching calculator.
I like this one:
http://www.yeastcalculator.com/

 

[fizzix]

Yeah. Refractometer. Thanks. I'm used to "spectrometer" from electronics work. Not the first time I've made that error. Fixed it in my post above.

 

[r4dyce]

Don’t freak out about sanitizing before the wort starts cooling. And remember you’re just trying to give the yeast an advantage over other microbes, not create a biologically sterile environment. Even pretty egregious exposure (diving into the wort to retrieve your phone) doesn’t mean your beer is ruined.

Lol I did this too with a bowl of hops I threw in, including the bowl by accident. And yup, beer was great.

 

[r4dyce]

To the OP it sounds like you're already under way and doing well. If I'm giving real advice...one thing I've found very helpful is to get all my equipment etc out and set up the night before. I BIAB so I even get my water in the pot the night before. I find it very helpful to mentally run through my brew day and know I have everything set out to cut down on surprises or scrambling for some piece of tubing I forgot to get out on brew day etc. Probs not mind blowing advice: "Be Organized ". good luck!

 

[fizzix]

...I find it very helpful to mentally run through my brew day and know I have everything set out to cut down on surprises or scrambling for some piece of tubing I forgot to get out on brew day etc. Probs not mind blowing advice: "Be Organized ". good luck!

I run the process over and over in my mind, step by step. The equipment and sanitizer and water will all be set up and mentally run through.
My other hobby is similar to this, so reviewing processes and employing patience is no mystery to me.

My veteran brewing acquaintances keep telling me this hobby is easy. I don't say that just yet, but the steps sure are well defined for a noob like me. Have read my @ss off on these forums and feel pretty confident with the knowledge I've gained.

 

[kh54s10]

I have my brew area on my back porch. Everything I need for brew day is there. So there is not much to "set up".

I make up a recipe in advance and look it over several times before starting.

Sometimes I will mill the grains and weight out the hops the day before but not often. When I do that it is mostly to shorten the actual brew session.

I have now done 96 batches over the last 6 3/4 years so I don't have to "rehearse" the brew day any more..

But planning will lower the stress level and make the brewing more fun.

 

[Shaun-O]

Ah yes... iremember my first all grain brew. I called it Screwdriver Ale.....yes you guessed why. Even my bacteria infested forearm retreiving it didnt ruin the Ale.....

 

[fizzix]

Screwdriver Ale is slotted to have a twist to it.

 

[Cavpilot2000]

Congrats on joining a great and all-consuming hobby.
20 years later I'm still learning and refining my process and equipment.
Your first beer will probably be the best thing you've ever tasted.
In reality it won't be, but you'll convince yourself it is!
And that's as it should be.
Brew on!

 

[Cavpilot2000]

There's always something new to try and perfect too.
All grain, Lagers, Sours, Belgians, LODO, and the list goes on.

 

[Saggynate]

I’ve brewed twice now and both times some weird quarky “are you kidding me?” thing happened and both times the beer turned out ok. I’m still paranoid about sanitizing everything that even comes near my beer but I’ve learned that if a single “malevolent” sunbeam hits my carboy or if I forget to spray my hands with Sanitizer before removing the airlock that the beer will be ok.

 

[fizzix]

Tomorrow is my first bottling day. I have gone over it time and again in my head.
And when that's done, I'm going to tackle an all-grain (Bee Cave Haus Ale).
Hey, this hobby's kinda fun ...!

 

[fizzix]

Here we go....!

 

[fizzix]

Well I'm as excited as can be for first bottle opening this Saturday.
We'll be camping and away from the internet, so I'm posting now out of sheer exhilaration.
That'll mark 2 weeks in the bottle, and 4 weeks from brew day.
Delicious? Or putrid? It's Schrödinger's beer right now...

 

[fourfarthing]

Well I'm as excited as can be for first bottle opening this Saturday.
We'll be camping and away from the internet, so I'm posting now out of sheer exhilaration.
That'll mark 2 weeks in the bottle, and 4 weeks from brew day.
Delicious? Or putrid? It's Schrödinger's beer right now...

Just remember that it is earlier after bottling, so if there are some odd flavors, they are likely because the beer is a little young still. That said, I can never make it before week 2 before sampling mine.

 

[r4dyce]

Just remember that it is earlier after bottling, so if there are some odd flavors, they are likely because the beer is a little young still. That said, I can never make it before week 2 before sampling mine.

There seems to be a "sweet-spot" for consumption. Too early and there's off flavors from the carbing mini fermentation. Too long and the fresh flavors of the beer are gone. Hoppy or lighter beers seem to do better on the early side, darker and spiced beers seem to do better later. Well of course I'm speaking unscientifically from my own experience haha , your results might vary per usual.

 

[r4dyce]

Oh another note just because you mention you will be camping... Make sure the bottles are chilled really well I'd say a minimum 8 hours before opening. The cold helps keep the CO2 start dissolved in the beer, otherwise you'll get a big hiss of co2 when you open and the beer will be semi-flat. Also if you can keep them still for a while it'll help keep yeast/particulates caked at the bottom of the bottles. These are just ideal conditions, if you can't do either don't fret. It'll still be good.

 

[fizzix]

Thank you, r4dyce. Will do.

 

[fizzix]

Well to close out this thread, I apparently have five gallons of vinegar. Acetobacter infection may be the likely cause.
Very discouraging as I know my sanitation was outstanding.
Likely the slow cool down after boil can be an explanation for letting in an airborne bug. I did have trouble with cooling.

But beer can be made and I'm not giving up.

 

[fourfarthing]

Try another one at least to make sure that it wasn’t just that bottle (or cap)

 

[fizzix]

Try another one at least to make sure that it wasn’t just that bottle (or cap)

Thank you for the hope, fourfarthing, but 4 random samples (out of 53) are just yuck.
I'll let them sit another week and try some more.

I've acquired a large ice tub for future cool downs now that I'm a little wiser.

 

[fourfarthing]

Keep rocking. Pretty sure we have all been there.

 

[RM-MN]

Well to close out this thread, I apparently have five gallons of vinegar. Acetobacter infection may be the likely cause.
Very discouraging as I know my sanitation was outstanding.
Likely the slow cool down after boil can be an explanation for letting in an airborne bug. I did have trouble with cooling.

But beer can be made and I'm not giving up.

I doubt that you have vinegar. Unless you have a bunch of acetobacter bacteria in the air of your house and left the bucket open for quite a length of time the acetobacter wouldn't have had time to grow a big enough colony to turn the entire batch to vinegar in that amount of time. I think you may be tasting the "yeast bite" from yeast that is still suspended and that added to (perhaps?) acetaldehyde that the yeast hasn't cleaned up yet plus the fact that the beer is still young. Give this beer another week and sample one (just one!!) bottle after it is chilled. Sample one again at 2 weeks and see if it has changed.

 

[kh54s10]

Well to close out this thread, I apparently have five gallons of vinegar. Acetobacter infection may be the likely cause.
Very discouraging as I know my sanitation was outstanding.
Likely the slow cool down after boil can be an explanation for letting in an airborne bug. I did have trouble with cooling.

But beer can be made and I'm not giving up.

How slow was you "slow cool down" I have moved to Florida and the tap water is pretty warm. I use an immersion chiller and can only get the temperature down to about 80 before I give up. I was using a swamp cooler and it has taken at least 24 hours to get to pitching temperatures. The beers I have done here have been quite good. If you do have an airborne bug, it is not necessarily a result of the slow cool down.

I too suggest that you let the bottles sit for at least another week before making a decision.

 

[r4dyce]

Sorry to hear it wasn't as expected. As others have said, sit on it for a little while. patience has a tendency to clear up some issues. The other thing I might wonder is if the hops were good or well utilized. I made a gruit once using various bittering herbs instead of hops. I undershot the bitterness by a mile and it came out quite sour because of the lack of bittering. Maybe this is unlikely in your case especially if it took a long time to cool.
Do you know what your final gravity/abv was at bottling? I mention this because the hops along with the alcohol act as natural preservative if the ABV was especially low for some reason that could contribute to a possible infection.
Either way that's gotta be frustrating. I hope it clears up, but if not keep trying. Im sure others agree it gets easier with better results with each brew, especially in the beginning.

 

[fizzix]

I'd say 2~3 hours for cool down, but certainly not 24 hours, kh54s10!
It doesn't really smell of vinegar and when you taste it it's like "What is that flavor? Vinegar?"
And my brother chimed in with his bottle, "Yeah. Vinegar."

This was an extract kit from my local shop so who knows how long it was sitting there, too.

But I will wait. No dumping yet!