My first beer is in primary

[jaytizzle]

Okay,

So I'm new here. I just started home brewing and I figured this would be a good place to come for help. For my first brew, I picked up a Brewer's Best Kölsch kit. I followed all of the instructions pretty well. It was a lot of fun to put this thing together.

Now for the meat and potatoes. I went into the fermenter (6.5 gallon glass carboy) a little high, my OG was 1.050 with a target of 1.042 to 1.046. I got a little antsy and added a bit more water to the fermenter before sealing it up and didn't take an OG reading. I figure I went in somewhere around 1.048.

Everything went swimmingly thereafter. Within about 20 hours there was a lot of activity in the carboy. A thick head had formed on top of the liquid (I understand this is called krausen?). The airlock was bubbling away and it appeared that there was a lot of activity in the brew, almost like someone was stirring it!

I'm sitting at about 48 hours in primary now and when I got home from work today I noticed that there was very little activity and the head had collapsed. Being my nosy self, I pulled the carboy out, pulled out a sample (made sure to sterilize with star san first!), and took a gravity reading. It came out to 1.016. I have a target FG of 1.010 to 1.013. Also, I grabbed a taste of the mix from the hydrometer vessel. It really tasted great considering it was a flat and warm beer!

So what should I do from here? I'm thinking I'll leave it sit for at least a few more days. Maybe on Thursday or Friday I can siphon it over to a 5 gallon carboy for secondary/clarification. Thoughts?

Any help is greatly appreciated for this newbie!!!

Thank you,

JT

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

first off, welcome aboard! second, RDWHAH..... have a commercial brew. congrat's on the quick ferment, as long as your temps weren't too high, thats a good sign. but you'll want to let that beer ride until you have stable FG readings over 3 or more days, so it'll probably be several more days before you get to that point. take the time to read some of the stickies in the 'beginners' and 'fermentation/yeast' forums here on the site, there's some great info in there. some of the best tips i can give you is that good beer takes good time, and brewing is a learning process, so always try to learn as much as you can. always relax, and remember, patience is a good thing. getting you first brew done is exciting, and you'll want to be drinking it soon, but wait til it's stable before moving it out of primary, and if you're bottling, give those bottles a few weeks at room temp, then a few days in the fridge, the beer in your glass will be much better for it.

 

[jaytizzle]

Thanks, Nordeast!

It has been holding steady at 70-72F. I am planning to keg after secondary, I don't want to fool with bottling right now. I'm sure I'll take that route for some beers eventually but I am planning to keg all of mine for now.

I'll do as much reading as I can. I've done a good bit already and I'm starting to understand the lingo and get this whole process to make sense. I'm already pretty good with patience as my other main hobby is saltwater aquariums and NOTHING good happens fast in that hobby!

 

[JohnTheBrewist]

As mentioned, your beer will be fine, but give a few more days. 70-72 is actually a little warm which is probably why it fermented out so fast. As a new brewer, the flavor difference this creates probably isn't something you'll really notice, but would be quite evident to a beer judge.

I know you'll be anxious to try it, but a Koelsch really benefits from more conditioning time. So after bottling, don't try the first bottle until at least three weeks. Then, be sure two save at least a couple bottles to try at 6 and 8 weeks. You'll be surprised in the difference in clarity and smoothness of the beer with the added time.

 

[jaytizzle]

John - yeah, that's what I am thinking. I'll need to find a cooler spot going forward. Also, I didn't use a kölsch yeast with this one, from what I've been reading. The kit had regular Notty yeast. As a result, I have read that this beer will turn out more like a blonde ale. This is fine with me and I may use an actual kölsch yeast in the future if I try this kit again.

Also, I'm going to keg it. How long should I wait to get into it after I keg it?

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

Thanks, Nordeast!

It has been holding steady at 70-72F. I am planning to keg after secondary, I don't want to fool with bottling right now. I'm sure I'll take that route for some beers eventually but I am planning to keg all of mine for now.

I'll do as much reading as I can. I've done a good bit already and I'm starting to understand the lingo and get this whole process to make sense. I'm already pretty good with patience as my other main hobby is saltwater aquariums and NOTHING good happens fast in that hobby!

you're not the only fish keeper to cross over to this hobby. i'm sure in keeping marine aquariums, you know how long good things can take.
since you're kegging, you'll be able to turn your beers around a bit quicker, but still make sure they're at FG and clearing before racking to a keg, and still don't rush it. you'll learn what i mean the first time you pull the last pint off of a keg and find it to be the best pint of that batch.

 

[pabloj13]

Thanks, Nordeast!

It has been holding steady at 70-72F. I am planning to keg after secondary, I don't want to fool with bottling right now. I'm sure I'll take that route for some beers eventually but I am planning to keg all of mine for now.

I'll do as much reading as I can. I've done a good bit already and I'm starting to understand the lingo and get this whole process to make sense. I'm already pretty good with patience as my other main hobby is saltwater aquariums and NOTHING good happens fast in that hobby!

I disagree. When things die in that hobby, they die fast.

 

[JohnTheBrewist]

Notty yeast is actually one of my favorites, and I use it often. I haven't tried it in a Koelsch but I probably will.

For kegging, I usually refrigerate it at 30psi for 2-3 days, then turn off the gas and release the pressure, then put it back on gas at the intended serving pressure for a few more days before serving. You can keg it as soon as you have a stable FG for 2-3days. Following my carbing method, you could start drinking it after only a week in the keg. At that point though, it will still be a little green. Every week longer in the keg, you'll notice the flavors smooth out a bit more and the beer becomes more enjoyable.

 

[jaytizzle]

Thanks, guys. I'll keep an eye on it. I'm pretty excited that I even got this far with my first attempt. And I was a bit wrong on the fermentation temp, it was more like 68-70. I don't think it ever crossed into the 72 range.

I'll check the FG again in a couple of days. If it's still the same then on to secondary/clarification it goes. There's still no airlock activity but I've been doing enough reading that I'm not at all concerned about that now.

I can see how this hobby is going to get interesting really quickly. I'm going to need to maintain a constant turnover and get to a point where I've got 2 kegs tapped, 2 conditioning in kegs, and 2 in fermentation at all times. I really can't wait for this first one to get into a keg so I can get going even further!

 

[unionrdr]

Just let it clear well before racking to the keg. And it'll still need a couple of weeks conditioning to taste really good. you can cheat carbonation by kegging,but not conditioning. It still needs time to mingle flavors & mellow.

 

[tknice]

Welcome JT!

Sounds like you are doing everything right! There is always a healthy debate on this but I don't go to secondary at all unless we're adding fruit or something like that. Almost every beer is three weeks (21 days) in primary, rack to a keg and throw it in the temp controlled freezer on gas at 35 psi for two days. Less to clean, less chance of infection.

I definitely don't want to tell you what to do because one of the great things about this hobby is you can find your own way and what works best for you.

Cheers!

-TK

 

[JohnTheBrewist]

Thanks, guys. I'll keep an eye on it. I'm pretty excited that I even got this far with my first attempt. And I was a bit wrong on the fermentation temp, it was more like 68-70. I don't think it ever crossed into the 72 range.

I'll check the FG again in a couple of days. If it's still the same then on to secondary/clarification it goes. There's still no airlock activity but I've been doing enough reading that I'm not at all concerned about that now.

I can see how this hobby is going to get interesting really quickly. I'm going to need to maintain a constant turnover and get to a point where I've got 2 kegs tapped, 2 conditioning in kegs, and 2 in fermentation at all times. I really can't wait for this first one to get into a keg so I can get going even further!

You're on the right track, man! I keep three in my kegerator all the time, and at least one or two kegs in the conditioning chamber ready to go.

I do want to clarify your second paragraph a bit though. If your FG shows fermentation is complete, there is no reason to transfer to secondary (unless you're still planning to add fruit or dry hop). I wish we could get away from using the terms primary and secondary, because I think they're really confusing. Back in the old days (I started brewing 22 years ago), we were told to transfer to a secondary vessel just after high krausen (but before fermentation was complete) to prevent autolysis from the yeast. So if you were following this practice, you would have had to transfer to secondary already.

I don't "secondary" anything anymore, since its been well documented that this autolysis isn't happening at the scale we homebrewers brew in. But conditioning, as Unionrdr said, is still important. With a Koelsch, this added time probably will clarify your beer more and reduce chill haze. But, there's no reason you can't condition your beer in the keg you'll serve it from, in your kegerator/keezer, where you can sample it from time to time.

 

[rifraf]

I second all the recommendations to let it condition. My beer is better and better each week. It's hard to put my finger on it, but everything just tastes smoother and more in harmony.

Ever tasted a chili on day two and noticed how much better it tastes? Same thing with beer just on a bigger time scale.

 

[jaytizzle]

I'm planning to go to "secondary" (I know, should just call it clarification) for two reasons. I want to give the brew time to settle and condition AND I want to clear up my 6.5g carboy to start a new brew! I'm going to order my kegs tomorrow when I get paid so I can get everything going with that.

I have a crawfish boil for a bunch of friends on April 7 and I'd like to have two brews on tap and fairly well conditioned by then. Does this seem reasonable? My second will be a English Brown Ale kit from Brewer's Best. By April 7, the koelsch will be 6 weeks old and the Brown Ale will be 5 weeks old.

So many questions!!! After I get through fermentation and go to the keg, does it need to be stored at chilled temp or can it be stored at room temp for conditioning? I have enough CO2 tanks from my aquarium stuff that I can pressurize and sit it at room temp but I am limited on refrigerated space for the time being.

 

[JohnTheBrewist]

OK, makes sense. I just like to discuss the reasons to transfer to a secondary vessel, so new brewers aren't doing it just because their kit told them to. You should be fine by April 7th. That gives you 2 weeks for fermentation and 3 weeks in the keg. I served an Alt Bier at a party last weekend that fermented 3 weeks, and was only a week in the keg. I could tell it was still a little green, but it was a fine beer and my guests enjoyed it nonetheless.

Cold conditioning is better, but as long as you can keep it below 70* you should be OK. Since you're going to transfer to a secondary anyway, I'd suggest cold crashing the beer (get it at least below 50* if possible)for a couple days before you put it in the keg. That will be sure any yeast still in suspension drops out, and will help with the clarity. If you don't have the ability to do that, don't sweat it, you'll still have a great tasting beer.

 

[jaytizzle]

I don't have the equipment, as far as I know, to cold crash. What do you use?

I also just ordered a BUNCH more stuff. Got my dual tap tower (kegerator conversion) with perlick 525SS faucets and a dual controlled CO2 regulator and 3 corny kegs from kegconnection.com. I also ordered a smaller pot (5-gallon stainless) to use instead of my 100qt crawfish pot, carboy brush (LHBS didn't have any), wine thief, and another beer kit (AIH Vanilla Porter). This is so much fun!!!

 

[JohnTheBrewist]

I have a couple dedicated freezers. But I wouldn't worry about cold crashing at this point.

I know you've already bought the 5 gallon pot, but 8,9 or 10 gallons would have been better.

 

[jaytizzle]

Yeah, I've been doing some reading. I'm fine with buying a bigger pot later when I make the switch to AG. In the mean time I'm really enjoying these kit brews and am quite content to do the next 10 to 20 beers in 2.5gal boils with 2.5gal top-ups. The pot was only $30 so I'm sure it will serve me well and be better than using my crawfish pot for the foreseeable future!

At the very least, it'll give me a pot where I can boil 4+ gallons of water for clean/sterile water usage in the future when I'm on to bigger and better pots.

Thanks for all of the help! This noob REALLY appreciates it!

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

Yeah, I've been doing some reading. I'm fine with buying a bigger pot later when I make the switch to AG. In the mean time I'm really enjoying these kit brews and am quite content to do the next 10 to 20 beers in 2.5gal boils with 2.5gal top-ups. The pot was only $30 so I'm sure it will serve me well and be better than using my crawfish pot for the foreseeable future!

At the very least, it'll give me a pot where I can boil 4+ gallons of water for clean/sterile water usage in the future when I'm on to bigger and better pots.

Thanks for all of the help! This noob REALLY appreciates it!

dude, i brewed kits doing partial boils in a 5 gal kettle for quite some time before moving to AG and PM batches. i made great beer, was always happy, and i still brew about one extract kit a month, and i sometimes i say f it and grab the small stockpot and do a partial boil.... still get great beer. sure there's differences between those and some of the AG beers i brew, but it doesn't mean the AG and PM beers are superior. a lot of it is about process and getting the most out of your equipment and ingredients. my suggestion would be to make advancements in your brewing (i.e. switching from extract to PM or partial to full boil) when you feel comfortable. if you're doing partial boils on extract kits and the beer that hits the glass makes you smile, that's awesome. brew strong and do what works best for you!

 

[JohnTheBrewist]

Cool, I'm glad you got a good price on it. I too have various sized pots for different things, and I still use small pots to make small experimental batches.

You're well on your way! The vanilla porter sounds like a great choice too. I've got a small batch of porter waiting for me to bottle, I can taste it just thinking about it.

 

[jaytizzle]

Slight update. On Monday my gravity reading was at 1.016. Today I'm at 1.011. The target FG for this brew is 1.010 to 1.013. This puts me, assuming OG of 1.048, at 4.85% ABV.

I'd guess at this point that fermentation is pretty damn close to done if it's not already. I just tasted my gravity sample and there's a small level of fruity taste, a little fizzy texture, and an overall crisp impression. I'm no expert but I can say that I like how this one tastes thus far.

Would I be missing anything by racking to secondary at this point? I'm not in a hurry as my new pot won't be here until Monday so I probably won't do my second batch until then (I'll need this larger carboy at that point). My impatience tells me to rack it over now, my gut tells me to sit tight and rack it over on Monday when I actually need the space.

Here's the carboy from earlier this week:

Here's the sample I just took:

 

[ScoRas]

I'm a noob too, but from what I have learned here, you should make sure the specific gravity stays stable for a few days in a row. The primary looks like it still has a healthy krausen on it.

 

[CPFITNESS]

Slight update. On Monday my gravity reading was at 1.016. Today I'm at 1.011. The target FG for this brew is 1.010 to 1.013. This puts me, assuming OG of 1.048, at 4.85% ABV.

I'd guess at this point that fermentation is pretty damn close to done if it's not already. I just tasted my gravity sample and there's a small level of fruity taste, a little fizzy texture, and an overall crisp impression. I'm no expert but I can say that I like how this one tastes thus far.

Would I be missing anything by racking to secondary at this point? I'm not in a hurry as my new pot won't be here until Monday so I probably won't do my second batch until then (I'll need this larger carboy at that point). My impatience tells me to rack it over now, my gut tells me to sit tight and rack it over on Monday when I actually need the space.

Here's the carboy from earlier this week:

Here's the sample I just took:

Leave it alone. Check gravity on Monday and if its steady then rack it

 

[jaytizzle]

I'm a noob too, but from what I have learned here, you should make sure the specific gravity stays stable for a few days in a row. The primary looks like it still has a healthy krausen on it.

Agreed on the SG stability. That shot was from earlier in the week. The krausen broke on Monday morning and now it's just a couple of yeast rafts on top.

 

[ScoRas]

Good luck! I'm bottling my first brew Saturday, and filling a couple of tap-a-draft bottles (naturally carbonating). It has been at a stable FG of 1.014 for a week.

 

[malevolent]

Let it stabilize at the FG for several days, then instead of racking you can just stick it in a cold space around 40 degrees to let the yeast and particulates to come out of suspension.

 

[JohnTheBrewist]

Hey JT, will your kegs be there on Monday too? If so, wait til Monday and rack it into your keg. If not, it really won't matter if you move it to secondary now or Monday.

 

[jaytizzle]

John, I don't think the kegs will be here on Monday. I haven't gotten the shipping notification on them yet so I'm figuring they won't be here until mid or late next week. We'll see, though.

 

[jaytizzle]

I'm thinking about cold crashing this one before it goes to secondary/clarification. I noticed that my refrigerator can run several different temps from 47 on down to 32. I keep it at 32 normally. I have room for the carboy in there for a few days, I'm sure. Should I do it? At what temp?

 

[RM-MN]

Would I be missing anything by racking to secondary at this point? I'm not in a hurry as my new pot won't be here until Monday so I probably won't do my second batch until then (I'll need this larger carboy at that point). My impatience tells me to rack it over now, my gut tells me to sit tight and rack it over on Monday when I actually need the space.

My gut tells me that you should take a wad of cash to your LHBS and buy a couple more bucket fermenters. My LHBS charges something like $15 each with lid and airlock, that's why you need the wad of cash because you might as well buy more than one.

You never want to rush your beer at any point in its development. Never rack it to secondary until it is well finished with its job in the primary. Any question about it and the answer is no it isn't ready yet. The next question is "if I shouldn't hurry to rack it why not leave it in the primary longer?" and the answer is you should leave it longer. Beer clears up whether in the primary or secondary, it just takes time.

 

[jaytizzle]

I'm thinking about cold crashing this one before it goes to secondary/clarification. I noticed that my refrigerator can run several different temps from 47 on down to 32. I keep it at 32 normally. I have room for the carboy in there for a few days, I'm sure. Should I do it? At what temp?