My first Beer Brew day. Questions

-Fusion · Mar 30, 2015

The wife and I had our first brew day on Sunday. Recipe the LHBS gave us for a Widmer Hefeweizen clone as follows:

1/2 lb Munich
1/4 Crystal 40L
1lb Flaked Wheat
7 lb Liquid Wheat Malt
2oz Tettnanger
1/2oz Cascade
White Labs American Hefeweizen WLP330

I used water that was treated @ 1/4 Campden tab per 5gal and let if off gas for 10 minutes before using it. Boiled 2gallons water to 160 took off heat and steeped for 30 mins. Then boiled with the Tettnanger for 45 mins, Cascade for 15 and took an ice bath in the sink. It cooled down to 100 relatively quick and I wasn't sure how much the room temp water would take it down so I pour into my carboy on top of 2 gal room temp water. Topped off with about 1.5 to get 5 gallons. This is where I ran into problems my wort was 84 degrees and was not cooling very fast as I shook it. I gave the entire carboy an ice bath for about 90 minutes to get it to 73. Pitched yeast directly into car boy and shook. I have a blow off on and it's been 24 hours, no activity. 1.050 OG

Few questions.... Should I have added nutriants? Is it too late to? Did the length of time to cool my wort cause me future issues? And the last is the color, it's a nut brown color, pretty but not hefe color.

Thanks for any help!!

billl · Mar 30, 2015

Relax. You've made beer. Nothing sounds like a fatal error to me.

For color, LME tends to darken. A trick to keep the color lighter is to add some at the beginning of the boil and the remainder right at the end.

atoughram · Mar 30, 2015

Give it another 24 hours - that yeast, when it gets started, is an animal...

-Fusion · Mar 30, 2015

Thanks guys! Ahh... Add 1/2 of the LME up front and the rest at the final 15 mins?

-Fusion · Mar 30, 2015

I also have 1.5oz of Cascade left. What beers do these usually go in? Any suggestions?

ibrewmyown · Mar 30, 2015

billl said:
Relax. You've made beer. Nothing sounds like a fatal error to me.

For color, LME tends to darken. A trick to keep the color lighter is to add some at the beginning of the boil and the remainder right at the end.

It's been years since I did extracts but it's near impossible to get a really light straw like color with them like you can with all grain.