My First Brew: Brown Ale

[noshorts]

Hey All,

Long time drinker here; first time brewer here. I attempted my first brew last night :rockin: , and have a few questions:

I was supposed to add the Irish Moss for the last 15 min of the boil, but I accidentally added it with the specialty grains at the very beginning! How do you think this will affect the final product?

I bought two kits from Midwest Supplies, almost a year ago. I had dry yeast which I neglected to refrigerate. I decided to pitch both packets to increase the odds of success (it was bubbling strong this morning). Was this a bad idea? How will this affect fermentation/the final product? Do you need to refrigerate dry yeast, or does that only apply to liquid?

How do you guys feel about leaving the grains or hops resting on the bottom of the kettle during the boil? Is it better to keep them suspended (I used a nylon bag) ?

All in all, I am really glad I decided to try this. It only took me two and a half hours, which seems pretty good from what people have told me. Thanks in advance!!!

 

[carnevoodoo]

Hey All,

Long time drinker here; first time brewer here. I attempted my first brew last night :rockin: , and have a few questions:

I was supposed to add the Irish Moss for the last 15 min of the boil, but I accidentally added it with the specialty grains at the very beginning! How do you think this will affect the final product?

I bought two kits from Midwest Supplies, almost a year ago. I had dry yeast which I neglected to refrigerate. I decided to pitch both packets to increase the odds of success (it was bubbling strong this morning). Was this a bad idea? How will this affect fermentation/the final product? Do you need to refrigerate dry yeast, or does that only apply to liquid?

How do you guys feel about leaving the grains or hops resting on the bottom of the kettle during the boil? Is it better to keep them suspended (I used a nylon bag) ?

All in all, I am really glad I decided to try this. It only took me two and a half hours, which seems pretty good from what people have told me. Thanks in advance!!!

Not sure what adding irish moss at the beginning of boil will do. I'm guessing it will just not do what it is supposed to do. Not sure it will cause any ill effect.

You do not want grain in your kettle while you are boiling. With any partial mash or steeping grain kit, you want to hit your target temps and then when you're done, remove the grain. Boiling will give you a lot of tannin extraction and that won't taste too good.

Leaving them on the bottom of the pot would be even worse. They'd likely burn and you'd have some pretty awful flavors.

And yes, you should refrigerate your dry yeast. It'll keep it fresh longer. Pitching both packets is fine. Probably overkill, but it won't hurt anything.

 

[carnevoodoo]

ok, I found a little info on adding irish moss too early. I guess it can lead to protein issues, like chill haze. Your beer will probably be less clear than you hoped, but I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[phidelt844]

I'm pretty new myself, but I'll try to help you out.

I'm not sure about the Irish Moss for the duration of the boil, but my assumption is this may add a bit more of a bitter flavor to the beer.

Pitching two packets of the old yeast was probably a good idea. It shouldn't affect the final product. In the future, storing it in a cool place, such as a fridge, may help extend the life of dry yeast. I store mine in the unfinished area of my basement, and have not had any problems.

The grains should be in a nylong bag from my experience. I think they are usually steeped prior to the actual boil. Not sure on your recipe, though. The hops should be fine either way. I don't put my hops in a bag so mine usually float around with the motion of the boiling water.

I may be corrected on a couple points here, but I hope I was some help!

 

[noshorts]

I should be more clear when I ask a question. What I meant was: how do you guys feel about leaving the nylon bag (containing the grains or the hops) resting on the bottom of the kettle? I did not leave the grains in for the boil.

One other thing. My directions said to steep the grains for 20-30 minutes. I put the grains in the nylon bag, and turned the burner to med-high for 30 minutes. I am thinking now that maybe I should have got the water hot first???

Thanks carnevoodoo and phidelt844 for your replies!

 

[carnevoodoo]

I should be more clear when I ask a question. What I meant was: how do you guys feel about leaving the nylon bag (containing the grains or the hops) resting on the bottom of the kettle? I did not leave the grains in for the boil.

One other thing. My directions said to steep the grains for 20-30 minutes. I put the grains in the nylon bag, and turned the burner to med-high for 30 minutes. I am thinking now that maybe I should have got the water hot first???

Thanks carnevoodoo and phidelt844 for your replies!

yeah. Get the water to the right temp and then steep them for the amount of time needed. You can always heat it back up if you are losing heat, but that's ok. Honestly, I don't think the temperature climb makes a huge difference, so either way is good for steeping. When you get to a mini mash, I think it'd be better to hit the temps correctly.

As for leaving the grain bag on the bottom, same thing I said before, but even worse with a nylon bag. You're going to be hitting it with flame right through the kettle and you'll melt that grain bag. Then you'll have a bigger mess to clean up.