last minute questions before first brew day

[radiogorillaz]

As the subject/title suggests, I'm trying to head-off any chaos on brew day. I have a few questions about some minor prep things.

I have grains I need to crack and from what I've gathered by doing a search, is that it won't be a problem to pre-crack them the night before. That's one questions I don't need to ask.

The extract recipe I choose uses a liquid yeast. From what I've gathered via searching, I need to make a starter. That means another trip back to the LHBS since I don't have any DME (I have to go back for something else anyways). Is 24 hrs to short to begin the starter before pitching? Is there an ideal amount of time? The wiki says 24-72 hrs.

Final question, after my boil and the wort is chilled, my fermenter is emptied of sanitized water, what should I do with lid, airlock, and spoon as I'm pouring my wort? Should I have my bottling bucket handy to dump the sanitized water from the fermenter? This way I can put my lid, airlock, and spoon in while I transfer the wort to the fermenter. Kind of a silly procedural question. I know that with chilled wort you have to be super safe and that's what I'm trying to figure out ahead of time.

Sorry for the newbie questions...

 

[Transamguy77]

I think the starter thing could go either way if the beer is in the 1.050-1.060 range you should be fine direct pitching and you could try a starter on the next batch.

As far as the sanitizing thing, I use a spray bottle with Starsan and spray everything within 10 mins of putting my wort in the fermenter, I spray the fermenter down then the lid and put the lid on (just set it on) to keep anything out, then when I'm ready I take the lid off and set it upside down fill the fermenter, pitch my yeast, respray the lid and put it on, fill the airlock and its ready to do its thing.

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

Its 1/3rd Tsp per 32oz of water if your filling a spray bottle to use StarSan in, its the most economical way and a single bottle of Starsan will last you years.

Since tsp dont come in 1/3 measurements as far as i know, i isually just do 1/2tsp, making it fractionally stronger isnt going to hurt anything.

 

[Hello]

I do something similar as the above but I leave the airlock and bung in star San and leave about a gallon of star San in my carboy until ready. The spoon goes in the sink.

24 hours should be enough time for a starter depending upon your OG.

 

[flars]

As the subject/title suggests, I'm trying to head-off any chaos on brew day. I have a few questions about some minor prep things.

I have grains I need to crack and from what I've gathered by doing a search, is that it won't be a problem to pre-crack them the night before. That's one questions I don't need to ask.

The extract recipe I choose uses a liquid yeast. From what I've gathered via searching, I need to make a starter.
Whether or not you need a starter is based on the estimated OG of your beer and the production date of your yeast.
http://www.brewersfriend.com/yeast-pitch-rate-and-starter-calculator/


That means another trip back to the LHBS since I don't have any DME (I have to go back for something else anyways). Is 24 hrs to short to begin the starter before pitching? Is there an ideal amount of time? The wiki says 24-72 hrs.

Using a stir plate 12 to 18 hours can be sufficient time. Shake and swirl method 24 to 36 hours. Depends upon how often you can aerate the wort.

Final question, after my boil and the wort is chilled, my fermenter is emptied of sanitized water
You don't need to fill the fermentor with sanitized water. With a sanitizer like Starsan, a few ounces, shake to coat with foam, dump into a bucket after two minutes.


, what should I do with lid, airlock, and spoon as I'm pouring my wort?

Put any utensils that will touch the beer or fermentor in a bucket with sanitizer. Spray the underside of the bucket lid with sanitizer.


Should I have my bottling bucket handy to dump the sanitized water from the fermenter? This way I can put my lid, airlock, and spoon in while I transfer the wort to the fermenter.

Yes.

Kind of a silly procedural question. I know that with chilled wort you have to be super safe and that's what I'm trying to figure out ahead of time.

Sorry for the newbie questions...

Don't forget to sanitize your hands. Happy brewing.

 

[radiogorillaz]

I think the starter thing could go either way if the beer is in the 1.050-1.060 range you should be fine direct pitching and you could try a starter on the next batch.

Thank you for the info about the gravity. Supposedly the OG will be between 1.048-1.052. Sounds like it wouldn't hurt with a 24 hr stater. Not ideal for my first brew to do a starter but I looked at a bunch of directions and it seems pretty simple. Good practice for the next day.

To flars; thank you for breaking down each part and responding. That helped a lot. Sounds like I need to grab a spray bottle. Sounds so much easier!

Another question, I was planning on letting the wort ferment in my 78°F basement, but the yeast is asking for a max of 75°F. Is that to much of a difference in temp?


-Nate

Sent from my iPad using Home Brew

 

[flars]

Thank you for the info about the gravity. Supposedly the OG will be between 1.048-1.052. Sounds like it wouldn't hurt with a 24 hr stater. Not ideal for my first brew to do a starter but I looked at a bunch of directions and it seems pretty simple. Good practice for the next day.

To flars; thank you for breaking down each part and responding. That helped a lot. Sounds like I need to grab a spray bottle. Sounds so much easier!

Another question, I was planning on letting the wort ferment in my 78°F basement, but the yeast is asking for a max of 75°F. Is that to much of a difference in temp?


-Nate

Sent from my iPad using Home Brew

An ambient temperature of 78°F is much to warm. Yeast produces heat as it works. The warmer the ambient temperature the higher the initial fermentation activity will be. Increased fermentation activity will produce even more heat.
Don't do your brew unless you can control the fermentation temperature. Fermentation temperatures that are to high can produce terrible off flavors such as fusel alcohols. Various styles of swamp coolers on the cheap. This is mine.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/photo/swamp-cooler-61314.html

You can also use a tub of water and add ice filled plastic soda bottles to drop the temperature of the water in the tub.
Is your bath tub in use. Could set the fermentor in a tub filled with cold water.

Hold the temperature of your wort near the low end of the yeasts ideal range. WY1056 right in the middle, about 65° to 67°.

 

[hou_me]

When I did extract on the stove top I used to sanitize a plate or the fermenter lid to use as a surface to put tools like my spoon. I also used a spray bottle for any extra sanitizing I needed or if something needed to be touched up. As far as your yeast, 78 is a bit warm. If you can keep it colder then that would be better, especially for the first couple of days of fermentation. Even at 78 the beer would probably be drinkable but you may create some off flavors. Good luck, and welcome to the world's second greatest hobby!

-ben

 

[Trox]

At the OG you specified above you are fine just direct pitching the liquid yeast, but if you want to do a starter 24 hours should be enough time.

For sanitizing I had an extra 5 gal. bucket w/lid laying around so I just cleaned it out and just mix in 2.5 gal of StarSan into it. That will last me a few months easily, and I have a spray bottle that I keep filled. While my wort is transferring over I'll just keep the small items in the bucket until I am ready for them. You will actually want two spray bottles for brew day; one for StarSan, and the other fill with water to spray the foaming down if it looks like you'll have a boil over?

75-78 degrees is definitely too hot for fermentation; you'll get a lot of off flavors if you leave your beer at that temperature. What I do to keep my temps low is got one of the large ice buckets you'll see being used at parties holding sodas/beers put my fermenter in it, fill it up to around the beer line with water, and then add in some bottles of ice to drop the temperature. I can usually keep it around 62-64 easily by switching out my bottles twice a day, but I'm only taking it down from around 70 so you might need to switch out a little more often.

 

[ballsy]

All has been answered here, what I will add is what i do re the star San. I do have a spray bottle but I also have a 5 gal bucket from Home Depot which i fill w/ star San, use it for 2-3 batches or 2 months and then mix a fresh batch, dip spray bottle in bucket to fill each fresh batch I make. Pour star San into ferment bucket with air lock stuff in it, when done w/ boil then pour star San back into depot bucket and save for next batch.

 

[radiogorillaz]

I have my spray bottle and I'm going to do the 1/2 tsp to 32 oz.

I saw that flars was using a carboy, but my plan is to use a bucket. Will the colder surrounding water be able to transfer through the plastic like it would with glass?

The example flars and other poster (sorry can't go back on iPad) spoke about with the fan and water ice bath is do-able. The plastic vs. glass is my only concern. I can always ferment in a carboy. I just wasn't ready for that leap yet.

By the way, thanks so much for everyone's input!!!


-Nate

Sent from my iPad using Home Brew

 

[chawn]

A bucket will work fine and it’s much easier to clean. I sometimes use the evaporative cooler method wetting the towel 2 or 3 times a day. It drops the temperature of the wort 11°.

 

[flars]

I have my spray bottle and I'm going to do the 1/2 tsp to 32 oz.

I saw that flars was using a carboy, but my plan is to use a bucket. Will the colder surrounding water be able to transfer through the plastic like it would with glass?

The example flars and other poster (sorry can't go back on iPad) spoke about with the fan and water ice bath is do-able. The plastic vs. glass is my only concern. I can always ferment in a carboy. I just wasn't ready for that leap yet.

By the way, thanks so much for everyone's input!!!


-Nate

Sent from my iPad using Home Brew

Bucket will work just as well as a glass carboy. Once the plastic is cool it will stay cool. May take three or four seconds longer than glass, but it will work the same in a swamp cooler.

I keep my Starsan in one gallon water jugs. Easier to set on a shelf or generally just move around. I sanitize in 5 gallon frosting buckets and then use a funnel to pour back into the gallon jugs. The small self measuring Starsan bottle makes it is easy to mix one gallon at a time.