Just started my First Brew

CornyKegs 728
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
NICE!!!

I just had one from the 3rd batch I had done, a super heavy stout called Mobil-1 Stout that went wrong, but after aging for almost 8 months, it is actually tasty now!!!

congrats on the brew!!
 
thanks...

i am a true beginner, just doing a John Bull American Beer this time.

Looking forward to future brews and new flavors/mixes... :D
 
there is no wrong place to start. So, is it an all extract kit, or is it w/a steeping grain or even a partial mash?

I started brewing back last september, and have been hooked since batch #1. I have 10 batches under my belt, literally......thank god for the treadmill.
 
btw, do I take my OG reading after adding my wort to the other 3 gallons of water in the primary?
 
yep. The OG will be the specific gravity of the entire wort. As you will be changing the overall % of suger content when you add it to fresh water, you should take it after. Don't worry too much if the reading is off a little one way or another. when I started, I was addicted to my hydrometer, and it was making me neurotic. I only use it as a progress guide now, and try to have faith in my execution.
 
np. glad to help. Bear in mind, though, that the further along we get tonight, the less you should listen to me, as I am drinking at a decent clip.
 
Truble said:
np. glad to help. Bear in mind, though, that the further along we get tonight, the less you should listen to me, as I am drinking at a decent clip.
Click to expand...

no problem :tank: :mug: :rockin:

i'm getting ready to join you after i pitch this yeast...:mug:
 
damn, i'm still drinking miller lite, for another month :drunk:

here's some pics...

dcam16199rv.jpg

dcam16201pb.jpg

dcam16267gl.jpg
 
Couple things, but no worries

While your wort is cooling, cover it- at this point, your brew is more prone to infection. I cool to the correct temp (i chill till mid.upper 70s) before disturbing. Looks like you had your primary still chilling, which means there was some pouring with higher temp wort- this can lead to HSA (Hot Side Aeration) which can affect the life of your beer. Once the boil stops, just bring all the way down to temp. If you are adding water to make a 5 gal batch from a partial boil, then also make sure that that water is down to temp. Not a big deal, but an easy step to avoid HSA.

For your yeast, it is a good thing to proof and hydrate dry yeast. I am also a dry guy, having only used liquid yeast in 1 batch so far. Check out Palmer's How To Brew for Yeast Preparation . By doing this, you ensure that you are pitching viable yeast. Palmer lays it out for you. the procedure I follow, which I derived from his book, is:

I use 2 packs of yeast. I boil 1 quart of water w/3/4 cup of extract. Cool it to below 80*F. Add the yeast and stir w/santized device. Cover w/wrap or foil, and place in room temp out of light for 1 hour. You should see some yeast activity by then.

What this all does is get the yeast hydrated- the yeast need to get re-acclimated when exposed to H20.This means getting hydrated and getting active. BY hydrating them in a "mini brew" solution of water and extract, you are also providing it with munchies to get going. This ensures that you are pitching yeast that will work. when you pitch dry yeast, it takes longer to get going, if it is not viable, you need to go get more and try that. By hydrating prior to the brew, the worst that happens is that you postpone your brew until you get more yeast.

Again, no big worries. God and everyone on the forum knows about all the things I did on my first brew, and it was still delicious. Looks like you are going to have some good beer in a couple weeks. Read Palmer, not just the yeast section- it will give you a good idea of the basics, and you can formulate your own style from there.
 
i am happy with the process thus far.

i take it 1.050 is a good start, huh?

btw, how much will the flavor change over fermenting/bottling?

of course, after i took my OG rating, i put the tube in the freezer for about 20 mins and then drank it. kind of a sweet, rich flavor. just wondering ahead of time what the flavor will be like :p
 
As there has been no fermentation yet, it will be sweet. As I learned on the forum, I taste at every stage. The flavor will mature and change over time. Are you planning on a secondary or just going to bottle after the primary? As painful as it is, let the beer age after you bottle. it will need a week or 2 to carbonate, so let it go for a couple weeks after that. I am still kicking myself for drinking batches too early, only to find that the last couple, after aging, were so much better. The flavor will mellow. Hop potency tends to fall over time, and I have a couple brews now that have pronounced flavors of the grains that I added after aging a couple months.
 
Truble said:
Couple things, but no worries

While your wort is cooling, cover it- at this point, your brew is more prone to infection. I cool to the correct temp (i chill till mid.upper 70s) before disturbing. Looks like you had your primary still chilling, which means there was some pouring with higher temp wort- this can lead to HSA (Hot Side Aeration) which can affect the life of your beer. Once the boil stops, just bring all the way down to temp. If you are adding water to make a 5 gal batch from a partial boil, then also make sure that that water is down to temp. Not a big deal, but an easy step to avoid HSA.

For your yeast, it is a good thing to proof and hydrate dry yeast. I am also a dry guy, having only used liquid yeast in 1 batch so far. Check out Palmer's How To Brew for Yeast Preparation . By doing this, you ensure that you are pitching viable yeast. Palmer lays it out for you. the procedure I follow, which I derived from his book, is:

I use 2 packs of yeast. I boil 1 quart of water w/3/4 cup of extract. Cool it to below 80*F. Add the yeast and stir w/santized device. Cover w/wrap or foil, and place in room temp out of light for 1 hour. You should see some yeast activity by then.

What this all does is get the yeast hydrated- the yeast need to get re-acclimated when exposed to H20.This means getting hydrated and getting active. BY hydrating them in a "mini brew" solution of water and extract, you are also providing it with munchies to get going. This ensures that you are pitching yeast that will work. when you pitch dry yeast, it takes longer to get going, if it is not viable, you need to go get more and try that. By hydrating prior to the brew, the worst that happens is that you postpone your brew until you get more yeast.

Again, no big worries. God and everyone on the forum knows about all the things I did on my first brew, and it was still delicious. Looks like you are going to have some good beer in a couple weeks. Read Palmer, not just the yeast section- it will give you a good idea of the basics, and you can formulate your own style from there.
Click to expand...


i actually read most of the Palmer book online, planned on rehydrating, but didn't get around to it. Too busy watching the extract bubblin :drunk:

I did cover my wort most of the time during cooling, not during that one pic however.

Secondly, I had drawn my clean 3 gallons of water at the start of the boil. Being in an extremely warm environment (North Texas), that clean water ended up raising the wort temp after i poured it into the primary. i had my wort @ 75 degrees prior to mixing it in the primary, when it promptly when back up almost 10 degrees..., so i ran to the store for more ice :mad:

thanks for the pointers... :rockin:
 
Truble said:
As there has been no fermentation yet, it will be sweet. As I learned on the forum, I taste at every stage. The flavor will mature and change over time. Are you planning on a secondary or just going to bottle after the primary? As painful as it is, let the beer age after you bottle. it will need a week or 2 to carbonate, so let it go for a couple weeks after that. I am still kicking myself for drinking batches too early, only to find that the last couple, after aging, were so much better. The flavor will mellow. Hop potency tends to fall over time, and I have a couple brews now that have pronounced flavors of the grains that I added after aging a couple months.
Click to expand...

thanks again, i assumed it would lose some sweetness.

i am planning on a secondary. how long should i wait for that? til my airlock is only getting a bubble a minute?

i will be patient and wait for the bottles too, in anticipation of sharing a nice cool one with friends... :mug:
 
BrewProject said:
i actually read most of the Palmer book online, planned on rehydrating, but didn't get around to it. Too busy watching the extract bubblin :drunk:

I did cover my wort most of the time during cooling, not during that one pic however.

Secondly, I had drawn my clean 3 gallons of water at the start of the boil. Being in an extremely warm environment (North Texas), that clean water ended up raising the wort temp after i poured it into the primary. i had my wort @ 75 degrees prior to mixing it in the primary, when it promptly when back up almost 10 degrees..., so i ran to the store for more ice :mad:

thanks for the pointers... :rockin:
Click to expand...

In that case, you are all set. RDWHAHB (Relax don't worry have a (home) brew- home in parantheses for a couple weeks) Forgive my harping.
 
As long as the yeast is good you are all set. Most people will never have a problem. I do it because it is an insurance policy and it promotes quicker yeast activity. I have gotten heavy airlock activity as soon as 4 hours after sealing.

As long as the yeast is viable, there is no real wrong way. If you use liquid, however, do a full starter, as the cell count in liquid products is lower than in dry.
 
Truble said:
In that case, you are all set. RDWHAHB (Relax don't worry have a (home) brew- home in parantheses for a couple weeks) Forgive my harping.
Click to expand...

You're not harping... I appreciate all your responses.

Criticize when necessary dude.... But so far, i have heard any criticism, just constructive comments...
 
Passload said:
I have throw'n my dry yeast in the cooled wort with out rehydrating alot. I have never had any problems at all. When i did extract brewing.

1.050 is really good for an extract beer.

Cheers!
Justin
Click to expand...

sweet, good to hear. ;)

so with a 1.050 OG, i can hope for a 4-5% Alcohol volume. :D
 
Truble said:
As long as the yeast is good you are all set. Most people will never have a problem. I do it because it is an insurance policy and it promotes quicker yeast activity. I have gotten heavy airlock activity as soon as 4 hours after sealing.

As long as the yeast is viable, there is no real wrong way. If you use liquid, however, do a full starter, as the cell count in liquid products is lower than in dry.
Click to expand...

i appreciate your help man...

i plan on rehydrating next time.

a buddy i work with mentioned that his yeast failed him once. he ran to his LHBS and bought more and pitched it in. Saved that batch of beer according to him...

i will start looking for me some airlock bubbles later tonight or in the morning... :ban:
 
as long as the yeastie boys get up and get down, you should be fine.

Are you doing a secondary or just going to bottle?
 
Truble said:
as long as the yeastie boys get up and get down, you should be fine.

Are you doing a secondary or just going to bottle?
Click to expand...


secondary...

how long should i wait til i siphon it over?
 
Passload said:
I do the 1..2..3.. method. One week primary Two weeks secondary (for clearing the beer more) and (at least) three weeks in the bottle.
Click to expand...

that's cool, i have not heard of that method.

i was thinking 1 in primary, 1 in secondary, 2 in the bottle.

if you think 1, 2, 3 will produce a better beer, then i can wait :mug:


EDIT: BTW, i appreciate both of you guys and the pointers...
 
BrewProject said:
if you think 1, 2, 3 will produce a better beer, then i can wait :mug:


EDIT: BTW, i appreciate both of you guys and the pointers...
Click to expand...


No problem for the pointers.
As for the 1, 2, 3 method it will for sure make the beer much better. Oh.... and do not forget to tast, your beer at every stage in the brewing process.

Cheers!
Justin
 
Passload said:
No problem for the pointers.
As for the 1, 2, 3 method it will for sure make the beer much better. Oh.... and do not forget to tast, your beer at every stage in the brewing process.

Cheers!
Justin
Click to expand...

i can absolutely follow through on the tasting at every stage. no problemo there...;)

BTW, i know some people live and die with hydrometers and others could care less. i guess as a beginner it's interesting to me at this point. so i would think i should take a reading at each stage also. true?

i'll look up the formula again soon so i can measure my alcohol percentage. i would assume that after the primary most of the fermentation has taken place. true?
 
BrewProject said:
BTW, i know some people live and die with hydrometers and others could care less. i guess as a beginner it's interesting to me at this point. so i would think i should take a reading at each stage also. true?
Click to expand...

Hydrometers are great for jumping committng suicide. That said hydrometers are also great for making sure fermentation is complete in very big beers (very high alcohol). For regular beer it is not as necessary unless you want to know the ABV. At each stage that would be berfore you pitch the yeast and before you bottle.

BrewProject said:
i'll look up the formula again soon so i can measure my alcohol percentage. i would assume that after the primary most of the fermentation has taken place. true?
Click to expand...
Yes

Cheers!
Justin
 
Agree with the hydro advice above. I was too focused on my readings in the beginning. On my lates batch I used it just to get a ballpark on the brew, which was around 1.060, not adjusted for temp. I might measure it again when I bottle, but I am not too worried. I know that I got a got fermentation, so I am all set.
 
well no bubbles in the airlock yet, 12 hours in... i was hoping to see them this morning, but i realize that in reality it usually takes longer than that.

one other thing. my air temps right around my primary are 78-80 degrees. i hope this will work.

should i consider the wet towel and fan trick?

thanks
 
FERMENTATION HAS STARTED :ban: :ban:

So roughly 18 hours after pitching... :rockin:

Getting 1 bubble through the airlock every 10-15 seconds. :mug:
 
Congrats. I just racked my first batch to secondary after about a week in primary. I had kreusen after about 6 hours within my pitch and fermentation was almost nonexistent within 24-36 hours. I took a taste when I was racking, and it does indeed need some aging, but the flavor is there and it is really good. I kept my batch at around 68-70 degrees by putting it in a bucket of water and letting it sit. It kept the temps constant which was really nice.


Dan
 

Similar threads

NorthTundran
Just Starting
Replies
3
Views
193
Zanatrik
Zanatrik
B
Newbie already made a mistake?
3 4 5
Replies
187
Views
5K
Bagarge
B
hilljack13
TDS starting point
Replies
5
Views
320
Buckeye_Hydro
Buckeye_Hydro
K
Head ache beer
Replies
13
Views
876
mac_1103
mac_1103
S
Starting Gravity Question.
Replies
7
Views
315
MightyMosin
MightyMosin
Yakima 300

Latest posts

Back
Top