Intro

[Mreggmnstr]

Hello all,
I am Mreggmnstr. Last night my wife and I attempted our first brew, a Porter. Lots to learn, and I hope we did well. We used 32 oz of grain (five types) 7lb liquid malt, 8oz dry malt, 1.5oz bittering, 1 flavor, and 1oz finish. We had a tiny problem with our liquid yeast exploding but our local brew shop helped us out and gave us another bottle. Looking forward to results and gained experience.

 

[NTXBrauer]

Hello Mreggmnstr and Welcome! You have definitely taken the first step, and will only improve your experience as you brew each new batch. The hardest part now, is the wait.

 

[unionrdr]

Welcome to your new obsession! And the next time you go to open a yeast vial,swirl it around first to stir up the settled yeast. Then crack it open slightly to relieve some co2 pressure. like a 2L soda bottle. Then,right before it spews,close it repeat. close it,repeat till the pressure is gone. Then you can pour all the yeast.

 

[Mreggmnstr]

Thank you All. Excellent tip about the yeast also. The yeast is dancing and we are seeing about a bubble a second right now. I hope this batch turns out well.

 

[gdbrewer]

Thank you All. Excellent tip about the yeast also. The yeast is dancing and we are seeing about a bubble a second right now. I hope this batch turns out well.

Congrats on your first brew!! Just remember though, although bubbling in the airlock is a good sign, it doesn't mean anything as far as fermentation is concerned. If you haven't already gotten a hydrometer, I suggest you do. It's the sure proof way to know your beer has fermented properly. Again, congrats!

 

[eltorrente]

Thank you All. Excellent tip about the yeast also. The yeast is dancing and we are seeing about a bubble a second right now. I hope this batch turns out well.

Also - another tip about the yeast.. shake it and crack it open when it's still cold, there will be less pressure inside. If you wait until it's warm, there's much greater chance it'll foam. Do it when cold, then warm it up in the palms of your hands before pitching.

 

[Mreggmnstr]

Thank you. Another great tip. I can use all I can get at this point.
Reading before yeast was 1.080 not sure what that means, but that's what it was. Haha

 

[eltorrente]

Thank you. Another great tip. I can use all I can get at this point.
Reading before yeast was 1.080 not sure what that means, but that's what it was. Haha

Make sure you adjust the reading to account for temperature. 60degrees is where most hydrometers are calibrated to. Anyway - 1.080 means it's gonna be a big beer with a lot of alcohol.

In the future, for a 1.080 OG beer, you would want to make a "starter" or at least pitch another vial of yeast to help it out. No harm though - it should be alright, but in the future you want to have some more yeast for such a big beer.

 

[Mreggmnstr]

Luckily the first yeast vial blew up, so we only got half of it in there. So we added an another vial of yeast just to be safe.
I'm really starting to enjoy this forum. Everyone is very helpful.