Lessons learned through experience

[drewmedic23]

So I thought I would start s thread to help out newer brewers. As I look back to my first brew, I wish I knew some of the things I know now.

Post one or two tips/tricks/lessons learned to save someone some time, frustration, and lost beer.

My post will be keep track of your water quanities, don't just eye it (as I did for a long time) and add PBW to your cleaning list. I just started using it a few months ago and wow.

 

[Reindeer]

Take very detailed notes, including fermentation temperatures, etc.

Good way to figure out what happened if something went wrong.

 

[boydster]

Sanitation, yeast pitch rate, fermentation temperature control, and patience. Get control over these 4 things and you can consistently make great beer.

 

[roastquake]

Do plenty of research on special ingredients before using them, cases in point:

a porter with overwhelming anise flavor from using 1/2 oz of anise. kinda bad at first, got better with age

an undrinkable coffee stout from using a 1/2 pound of french roast at flame out. very very bad, ruined, even after aging

 

[NTXBrauer]

Pick up extra home brewing equipment when you have a chance.


It pays to have an extra hydrometer, hoses, bungs, bucket, etc. laying around. There will be a point, if you brew much, that you will need more than one or a quick replacement.

CL is a great place to pick up an extra kit for a great price, just for this purpose.

 

[roastquake]

HBT is your Bible

 

[Dan]

A check-list can save you from yourself. You can write and re-write it as often as necessary to make it your own. Even simple stuff like checking to ensure valves on a mash tun, or brew kettle or bottling bucket are closed before adding any liquid or even something obivious like pitching yeast; especially if you've had a few homebrews during the brew session.

 

[Jmat]

The kettle can tell when you are looking at it. It will boil over when, and only when, you look away.

 

[flars]

Don't believe anything you found on the internet unless it can be confirmed by two other sources.

 

[frazier]

Forget Mr.Malty, just make a big starter.

When you go all grain, calibrate your thermometer.

And, what Dan said about checklists.

 

[CKing]

RDWHAHB


oh, and get yourself a wort chiller ASAP.

 

[beergolf]

Sanitation, yeast pitch rate, fermentation temperature control, and patience. Get control over these 4 things and you can consistently make great beer.

This is great advice.

 

[irishrover32]

get a bottle rinser for sanitizing bottles it will save you some serious time. and rehydrate dry yeast for a quick starting and effect fermentation

 

[electrotype]

Validate your thermometer before brewing day!

Mine was so off, it wasn't even funny.

 

[kharper6]

Keep your fermentation temps consistent, take extra care to ensure a good mash efficiency

 

[Euphist]

The fermentation time in your kit instructions is only a guideline. Yeast can't read!

 

[fuzzy2133]

The kettle can tell when you are looking at it. It will boil over when, and only when, you look away.

Or if you are browsing HBT.

Keep the fermenter and bottling bucket (if using one) clean so when it is time a quick rinse and sanitizing is all it needs before use.

You have plenty of time in a 60min boil to sanitize all post boil gear.

 

[FatsSchindee]

Keep your fermentation temps consistent, take extra care to ensure a good mash efficiency

This. I got a used chest freezer from craigslist and the STC-1000 from eBay, and set up my fermentation chamber for under $100... Made a big difference from my first four batches (two in closet at ambient temps, and two in swamp cooler with ice, which was better but still not consistent). Wish I would have done this sooner! (Though four months after I started brewing isn't too bad...)

 

[kharper6]

This. I got a used chest freezer from craigslist and the STC-1000 from eBay, and set up my fermentation chamber for under $100... Made a big difference from my first four batches (two in closet at ambient temps, and two in swamp cooler with ice, which was better but still not consistent). Wish I would have done this sooner! (Though four months after I started brewing isn't too bad...)

I've noticed that with every beer I've fermented, the results are clean and excellent when it comes to drinking later.

I typically just do the bucket in my fermenter (mini fridge with temp control) for the first 3 days to keep the yeast in order and prevent them from going full potato and blowing up my bucket. Also a consistent cool temperature does a lot for the yeast health and flavor. After 3 or 4 days I just let it sit at ambient until it's time to cold crash or whatever I decide to do for that beer. Just those few days makes all of the difference.

 

[MindenMan]

When I was new, I really didn't understand the whole "sparge" thing and made barely drinkable beer. As soon as you can, make a lauder/sparge tun, by using the Zapap method to make it on the cheap. Using my brew kettle for a mash tun, and using a Zapap tun, will really dial in your O.G., as I really had no clue as to not put the grain in a metal strainer, and pour way too much sparge water. Go to your local HD or Lowes, and get a pack of paint strainers to help keep your grain debris under control. Oh, and get a hydrometer.

 

[Thunder_Chicken]

Lay out all of your boil additions in a row with sticky notes next to them indicating the time remaining when they go in. Start the boil, start the timer, and you're good.

 

[BlackGoat]

Keep it simple in the beginning. Hold off on making your jalepeno rasberry coffee mint IPA until you have a handful of successful brews under your belt and fully understand the basic processes. Start out making clean basic styles without funky additives so that you'll better be able to zero in on what went right and what went wrong. An old photography saying is to "learn the rules before you break them". I think this applies to making beer.

 

[MindenMan]

I know an Immersion Chiller has been mentioned, I just built one from some on sale copper tubing from Home D. I purchased 5/8", for $28.00 as that was all they had on sale at the time. Major pain in the butt to bend tubing that size w/o kinking. Anyway, it's done, it's ugly as hell, it wasn't the design I was shooting for, it's still missing the connectors, and it will be done before my next batch gets brewed. My list would be: 1) have a thermometer, 2) have at least 2 buckets with spigots, 3) have a hydrometer, 4) buy 2 more 5 gallon buckets and make a Zapap tun, 5) buy a propane burner and the largest pot you can afford at least a 8 gallon, ( look for a used turkey fryer on CL or other sites) most turkey fryers are 30 quart, and have enough BTU's to bring 7 or so gallons to a boil rather quickly.

 

[GibbyGibson]

Dont pack your brew kettle in snow to chill!!!!! It insulates it and takes forever to chill. Also, have fun with it. If you make a bad brew, stomach it and move on.

 

[boydster]

...oh, and learn how to turn caps lock off when writing posts

WHATchooTALKINbout?

Edit: Aw, c'mon, stand by your first statement!

 

[TAK]

Checklists, definitely.

I have an excel SS that has things I need in one column and the brew day step-by-step on the other. I update the sheet based on the recipe/schedule, print it off, and check as I go. The check list of things needed helps get everything in order quick. I found I'd spend an hour or more setting up before I got more organized. It even helps to get as much stuff in place the day before as possible.

And like Dan said, I even have "check valves" on my things-to-do list. It only took one time sparging into my kettle with the valve open and walking away, not realizing hot wort was going straight onto the garage floor, to figure that out.

 

[GibbyGibson]

WHATchooTALKINbout? Edit: Aw, c'mon, stand by your first statement!

I had everything in caps and as soon as I submitted, it all went bye bye. 😪.

 

[GibbyGibson]

I had everything in caps and as soon as I submitted, it all went bye bye. dde2a.

. Son of a b. the "dde2a" is supposed to be a crying face. I guess I am out of luck with having witty remarks on this thread...

 

[GASoline71]

Don't plan your brew day the same day you head to the LHBS to buy brewing supplies. Or at least call ahead to make sure they have what you need for your brew day. Nothing sucks worse when you want to brew a beer with a specific yeast strain or certain malt or hop, and it is out of stock. I have had to think on the fly right at the counter to try to throw a recipe together so I could still brew. Especially when your time is valuable and you set aside an entire day with friends to brew.

Gary

 

[Thunder_Chicken]

When you go all grain, calibrate your thermometer.

That's worth doing even for partial and BIAB mashes, too. You also need good temperature measurements to correct your hydrometer readings, so a calibrated thermometer is important to all brewers.

The thermometers provided in kits and in LHBS stores are mass produced and the printed scales assume a uniform bore diameter of a certain dimension, which is actually very difficult to manufacture. Calibration is critical as these thermometers can be off by 10 degrees or more at mash temperatures.

I wrote up a procedure to do a two-point calibration of these thermometers:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/thermometer-calibration-procedure-data-392801/

 

[NTXBrauer]

Don't just drop your hydrometer into the test flask/jar. The liquid may not prevent it from striking the bottom, which "after time" will most likely lead to a broken hydrometer. Place it in slowly and then give it a spin.