Just brewed my first batch and not feelin' too good abut it....need pointers

[PittATL]

Hello,


I just brewed up my very first batch of beer just now and it did not seem to go smooth at all.

- used True Brew IPA kit
- followed the directions fairly closely
- carboy fermenter
- seemed to take forever, complete start to finish was probably 3 1/2 hrs....is this normal?

My questions/concerns:

- I didn't realize how difficult it would be to get the wort into the carboy. My brew pot does not have a pouring lip on it so I had medium sized funnel in the carboy and tried to lift the pot to pour in but it was too hot. So I immediately thought to grab a smaller pot and scoop out of the brew pot and into the funnel. It worked fine at first but I soon noticed the funnel stopped flowing. Wasn't sure why until I saw it was all stopped up by strained ingredients (funnel hole has a small strainer over it).

So I grabbed my regular cooking strainer and placed that over the funnel as a initial filter and that worked better. However....it was about this time that I realized that I had not sanitized the strainer or the smaller pot that I was scooping with!

Is that a big mistake on my part?? Hopefully not...

Finally got all the wort in, added the oak chips and yeast, and I guess I'm good to go for now.


2. Should I have had that much strained ingredients after the boil?? It was quite a bit. I stirred very thoroughly when I added the extract and first batch of hops. I didn't know if this amount was normal or not. Is it??


3. What's the best way to get hydrometer readings from the carboy after a few days fermenting?? The siphon? How do I get the wort out of the carboy for this purpose?

4. Any tips/insight into how to get the brew pot contents into the carboy?

Any guidance would be much appreciated!


Thanks,
Aaron

 

[mojotele]

1. The pot was too hot to touch? Did you cool the wort? If not, you may have killed your yeast and potentially ruined your carboy (if it is glass). As for not sanitizing, well, there's nothing you can do now. Just hope for the best. If you didn't cool the wort, the upside is it probably killed any bugs simply from the heat.

2. Yeap. The guck is break material and stuff left over from hop pellets, assuming you used pellets.

3. Get yourself a wine thief. They're cheap.

4. Siphon it into the carboy, put a ball valve on the bottom of your pot that you can attach a nipple and hose to, or get a bigger funnel.

 

[billc68]

A plastic bucket makes it far easier, then siphon off the the beer from the sediment when done.

I am sure you will be fine, if the wort was hot, it likely killed anything that was on pot or strainer, however, if not, the chances of an infection now are not as serious as after fermentation.

 

[mojotele]

Oh, and a 3.5 hour brew time with extract is perfectly normal for a beginner. Even for an experienced brewer, it still takes 2+ hours on a brew day start to finish.

 

[blizzard]

Definitely cool your beer next time with either an ice water bath or a chiller. Then you can either siphon the beer into the carboy or pour using a funnel.

There usually is a lot of break material, so don't worry about that.

Do you think the temp was over 100F? If so, they are probably dead. It's not ruined, just get yourself another package of yeast and pitch that.

Rather than a wine thief I use a turkey baster to grab samples.

 

[mojotele]

Rather than a wine thief I use a turkey baster to grab samples.

My turkey baster can't reach the beer when I have it in my 6.5 gallon carboy. Hence the wine thief.

Maybe it could in a 6 gallon carboy, though.

 

[PittATL]

Thanks for the quick replies everyone.


I totally forgot the chill stage too. Weird....but I don't believe the Papazian book mentions that at all. Definitely at least no techniques on how to do so.

I'm thinking that it took me so long to get all the wort into the carboy and then I let it sit for a few mins...I'm guessing it was below 100 degrees when I added the yeast. Touching the carboy definitely gave off no heat at all.


Just saw a 2 qt funnel on Amazon....is that a good size for the carboy you think?

 

[PittATL]

Also...I just pinpointed it cause of the time I was monitoring.


It was 35 mins from the time I turned the heat off on the brewpot until I added the yeast to the carboy.

After turning off the heat, I moved the brew pot off the burner closer to the sink after probably 7-8 mins.

And then of course the scoop pots I used were room temp.


Do you guys think I'm ok in terms of it being under 100 degrees by then when I added the yeast??

Thanks again.

 

[billc68]

Well, the good news is double yeast can't hurt anyway, so if you have any available near by toss it in. If not, you'll know if it is working or not very soon.

 

[mojotele]

It often took me about 35 minutes (or longer) to get wort down to 70-75 in an ice bath. I'm guessing it was still pretty hot.

Like billc68 said, you'll know soon enough, but adding more yeast won't harm much.

 

[passedpawn]

If you don't see activity in that carboy within 24 hours, add more yeast. I guessing you cooked it. Some guys on here can't get their wort cooled under 30 minutes with special equipment!

 

[PittATL]

Gotcha, thanks again guys.


Pardom my ignorance...but what exactly SHOULD I see within 24 hrs if all is well?

And what will it look like if I indeed cooked the yeast??


Also...if I need to add more, do I need to get it from a homebrew store? Special kind?? Or is it available at the grocery store by chance?


I'm learning...

 

[TheWeeb]

Interesting, the comment about the Papazian book on wort cooling. In the beginner's section, (and I assume you mean the Complete Joy of Homebrewing), step 5 only mentions "when the temperature is ideally below 75 degrees . . " There is nothing on how to cool the wort until much later in the book. I can see how this could be missed, and yet it is such an essential step. I agree with above, throw in another packet of yeast to be sure.

 

[passedpawn]

Activity includes bubbling of an airlock or yeast islands forming on the surface of the beer. If you have a clear carboy, you might see churning inside.

If the top of the wort is absolutely still, with no sign of white foam or islands building, it might mean you have a problem. Sometimes it does take more than 24 hrs. to get things going, but you indeed have reason for concern already, and I wouldn't hesitate to put more yeast in there.

 

[mojotele]

FYI putting very hot liquids in a glass carboy can weaken the glass substantially. Just be careful handling the carboy. If you start to see cracks, get yourself a bucket, another carboy, or a Better Bottle.

EDIT: The foam being described should look a lot like the foam in this picture (the foam in the carboy in the background, not the foam in the foreground).

It's called krausen (kroy-zen).

 

[PittATL]

Ooohh, that's what krausen is, ok.

There already is a thin layer of foam on the top and thick peanut-butter colored layer at the very bottom it appears.

Thanks to who backed me up on the Complete Joy book. I would've definitely done so if it was in there....that is kind of weird indeed.


Can someone please answer the question about buying more yeast?? Does it need to be a certain kind from a homebrew store only? Or is there other places like the grocery store for example? My homebrew store is a solid 20 miles away...

 

[billc68]

Ooohh, that's what krausen is, ok.

There already is a thin layer of foam on the top and thick peanut-butter colored layer at the very bottom it appears.

Thanks to who backed me up on the Complete Joy book. I would've definitely done so if it was in there....that is kind of weird indeed.


Can someone please answer the question about buying more yeast?? Does it need to be a certain kind from a homebrew store only? Or is there other places like the grocery store for example? My homebrew store is a solid 20 miles away...

You should use a proper ale yeast for your brew, but really any yeast will work but will give you different flavours and characteristics.

 

[mojotele]

You ideally would want to use the same kind of yeast you put in at the start in order to get the intended result. Do you know what it was?

FYI, the "peanut butter colored layer" on the bottom is trub (troob).

 

[mikeysab]

yes, it needs to be purchased from a Homebrew store. I've read about people using bakers yeast, but I don't think the results are very good. So far, New York is the only place I know of that doesn't have a homebrew shop nearby, so maybe you have one by you. pick up a pack of Notty or US 05 and you'll be good to go.

On a sidenote, how do you keep posting, but your post count never goes up? Don't answer, my 9 % ABV Quad is putting a hurting on me and I'm probably just seeing things.

 

[mojotele]

On a sidenote, how do you keep posting, but your post count never goes up? Don't answer, my 9 % ABV Quad is putting a hurting on me and I'm probably just seeing things.

It is going up, it's just updated on every post he's ever made.

If you look at my first post ever, it'll show my current post count of 500-some.

 

[PittATL]

Thanks again for all the guidance guys.


So just so I"m clear.......this time tomorrow night, if I see good amount of foam on top and maybe some "yeast islands"......I should be alright?

I'll go if I have to, but I'd rather avoid the post-work trek to the homebrew store if need be.

Thanks again.

 

[mojotele]

Yup. And yeast islands (also called rafts) look like this but in smaller clumps:

That yeast is actually a lot more dense than I wanted to show you, but you get the idea I hope.

 

[PittATL]

It's already starting to look like that on top mojo...except probably not as thick. I have oak chips in there too and they're on top of course.

Also...the airlock is indeed bubbling a little bit and the trub is starting to creep upward in the carboy.

Good signs??


Also...I have the carboy in the kitchen on the floor in the corner. It's nowhere near direct sunlight and the brightness in there during the day is average at best.

Is that ok?

 

[billc68]

It's already starting to look like that on top mojo...except probably not as thick. I have oak chips in there too and they're on top of course.

Also...the airlock is indeed bubbling a little bit and the trub is starting to creep upward in the carboy.

Good signs??


Also...I have the carboy in the kitchen on the floor in the corner. It's nowhere near direct sunlight and the brightness in there during the day is average at best.

Is that ok?

You're fine. no worries, but it is the Krausen that is creeping up, the trub is on the bottom... don't worry about the terms too much at this point.

 

[tozebeach]

I brewed this a few weeks back. Also added 1 oz of cascades to boil (half at 30 mins half at 0 mins) and dry hopped with 2 oz cascades. Did not add the wood chips. First brew ever. Pitched a bit too high ~85F but got good quick activity 6 hours later. Airlock bubbled very strongly for 2-3 days. Have a week and a half left till carb is done. Tried my 3/4 full bottle after 1 week and it tasted very green...a decent amount of malt...very bitter but not hoppy (strange). I can't recall ever tasting a beer that was so bitter without much hop taste. Let us know how your final product comes out...I'd be very interested if others get similar results as mine.

 

[Livendadream]

Here is what I do to get a hydro reading from the carboy. This is before fermentation starts. I try not to get anything near wort at this time. First put carboy on floor, get a coffee mug put it on the floor. Now with dry hands grab the neck of the carboy, line up the mug and slowly tip the carboy until it starts pouring your sample into the mug. Careful not to let the carboy slide on the floor, pour at least half full. Take reading in your hydro tube, then drink sample do not put it back in carboy. Ummmm tastes good doesn't it? Now after fermentation listen to the the brewers in the above posts and use a turkey baseter or better yet a wine thief sanitized of course. Let us know how this turns out. I thought I ruined a few brews but they always turn out good. J

 

[brownsbrews]

Another thing that i learned the hard way. CALM DOWN IT WILL BE OK and relax its your first batch

 

[PittATL]

Things appear in full motion!


There's a THICK foamy layer on the top now and it even appears to have some foam up near the cork in the carboy mouth.

The airlock is also constantly bubbling right now.


It does not appear that I need to add more yeast correct??

 

[mojotele]

It does not appear that I need to add more yeast correct??

Correct!

blah blah too short

 

[passedpawn]

Things appear in full motion!


There's a THICK foamy layer on the top now and it even appears to have some foam up near the cork in the carboy mouth.

The airlock is also constantly bubbling right now.


It does not appear that I need to add more yeast correct??

Maybe you will learn about blowoffs soon