GreenDragon
Well-Known Member
So Saturday I attempted my second batch. It went 3000% better then my first attempt. Things I did differently are below for the other beginners.
Some instructions say to boil 2 gallons of water and put them in your fermentor to be added to the wort mix later. My stove is electric and takes forever to heat water so I skipped this step and used 2 gallons of bottled and sealed Ozarka water instead.
Last time I waited till the water was boiling and put my grain bag in, I found out later this was a bad idea. This time I tossed the bag in while the water was still cold and removed it once the water hit 150F. I made sure to bring the water slowly to 150F, which is not really an issue with my stove!
I threw the damn slap pack yeast that came with the kit in the trash and used dry yeast. I prepared the yeast according to the instructions on the back and made sure it was alive.
When checking my wort temps before pitching I made sure the thermometer was not touching the sides of the pan!
I purchased a stick on thermometer for my glass carboy and made sure the top of it is exactly at the 5 gallon mark so I can eyeball how much I have in it.
Got one of those rubber handles that goes on the next of glass carboys to make transporting it to the spare bedroom easier.
I wrapped the carboy in a blanket to help regulate the temps since it sits semi-close to an air vent.
That's about it. Things this time are going MUCH better. The yeast I used this go around is going crazy mad in there. It's like the yeast version of Studio 54.
Some instructions say to boil 2 gallons of water and put them in your fermentor to be added to the wort mix later. My stove is electric and takes forever to heat water so I skipped this step and used 2 gallons of bottled and sealed Ozarka water instead.
Last time I waited till the water was boiling and put my grain bag in, I found out later this was a bad idea. This time I tossed the bag in while the water was still cold and removed it once the water hit 150F. I made sure to bring the water slowly to 150F, which is not really an issue with my stove!
I threw the damn slap pack yeast that came with the kit in the trash and used dry yeast. I prepared the yeast according to the instructions on the back and made sure it was alive.
When checking my wort temps before pitching I made sure the thermometer was not touching the sides of the pan!
I purchased a stick on thermometer for my glass carboy and made sure the top of it is exactly at the 5 gallon mark so I can eyeball how much I have in it.
Got one of those rubber handles that goes on the next of glass carboys to make transporting it to the spare bedroom easier.
I wrapped the carboy in a blanket to help regulate the temps since it sits semi-close to an air vent.
That's about it. Things this time are going MUCH better. The yeast I used this go around is going crazy mad in there. It's like the yeast version of Studio 54.