My first brew progress ??

[Salty-Dawg]

Ok guys.....

My first beer (Coopers Canadian Blonde Extract kit) was brewed on 12-07-14 and has been fermenting since.

The temp in the room is at 66-68* F. and I have a thermometer sitting on the lid of the fermenter and it has been at 67-69 F

My OG was 10.40

It was bubbling at about 1 bubble / sec. it has now slowed to 1 bubble / 2-3 sec's. I suspect that is about what to expect and I plan to just leave it alone for at least 7 more days. It may reach it FG before then but my thoughts are that it wouldn't hurt to let it settle out some before bottling.

Does this seem like it is going as it should ? Let me know if I am mistaken on any of this.

 

[m00ps]

Those temps look spot on. Better than my first brew. The bubbling usually stops by day 4 or 5 with most yeast strains but it also depends on OG and temperature. But it will still be "fermenting" even without airlock activity

The earliest id recommend taking a reading is maybe day 10 or so. If the readings is the same on days 10 and like 14 (usual 2 weeks) Id bottle. A blond ale should finish pretty quickly.

 

[ronjonacron]

Sounds about right. Leaving it for a little while to clear will make it a lot nicer to bottle without a bunch of sediment, which I had my first few brews because I was super impatient.

 

[ronjonacron]

Also, hydrometer is your guide. bubbling is a side and bubbles can be misleading (off gasing and temperature fluctuations). The only way to be absolutely sure it's done is gravity readings a couple days apart.

 

[TheCADJockey]

The airlock is not indicative necessarily of the fermentation being complete. As far as I know, it can still be actively fermenting even once visual evidence in the airlock has ceased. I would imagine letting it go another week would be the first step, and then once you feel it is time.. take a sample and check the gravity. Check it again the following day or two and if it remains the same, I think it is safe to assume fermentation is complete and you can bottle or whatever ya need to do.

I am sure someone else will clear this up but this is the way I understand it. Hope it helps.

 

[Salty-Dawg]

The airlock is not indicative necessarily of the fermentation being complete. As far as I know, it can still be actively fermenting even once visual evidence in the airlock has ceased. I would imagine letting it go another week would be the first step, and then once you feel it is time.. take a sample and check the gravity. Check it again the following day or two and if it remains the same, I think it is safe to assume fermentation is complete and you can bottle or whatever ya need to do.

I am sure someone else will clear this up but this is the way I understand it. Hope it helps.

Thanks for the reply,

I will definitely check the Specific Gravity once it has reached it's time to make sure that it has reached it's FG before bottling

 

[Salty-Dawg]

It's now been 5 days and I still have the airlock bubbling once every 3 seconds.

Just gonna let it do it's thing. Looking good so far !

 

[Salty-Dawg]

Update on my first brew !

Airlock activity has come to a stop. FG = 1.006

Beer is somewhat clear and has a great taste !

ABV = 4.45%

Plan to transfer to bottling bucket tomorrow and bottling.

I plan to let it carbonate for two weeks then put it in the fridge.

Looking forward to giving it a try. :rockin:

Please feel free to give me your thoughts on the results based on the info here.

 

[ronjonacron]

I'll need to see some pics before I give feedback on tights.

 

[Salty-Dawg]

I'll need to see some pics before I give feedback on tights.

Thoughts.........I guess I overlooked the typo.....my bad

Funny how you picked that out but had no intelligent feedback to the subject matter of my post.............

 

[ronjonacron]

Guess my wife is right amd im not as funny as i think i am. Lighten up man, you're making beer! I made some contribution above. Make sure you weigh and not volume measure your priming sugar. Sugar density can vary and "just under 2/3 C" may not always be the same thing.

 

[Salty-Dawg]

No worries and you're right I should lighten up some. I usually don't come off that way. Thanks for your feedback earlier in my post.

Back to Beer discussion....

My priming sugar is weighed. I am planning to batch prime using 5oz. For the 5 gal. brew. (LHBS recommended). Your thoughts on this ?

On a different note... I am considering kegging in the future. Do you keg ? If so, do you think it is worth the additional cost to get that going ?

I want to keep beer in the pipeline but if I have to buy another fridge to keep bottled beer I'm thinking I may as well go ahead and start kegging. Also thought that I could maybe use the additional fridge to ferment lagers at some point.

Good grief.... I guess the possibilities / options are endless. Where does it end..or does it ? LOL.

 

[doug293cz]

Update on my first brew !

Airlock activity has come to a stop. FG = 1.006

Beer is somewhat clear and has a great taste !

ABV = 4.45%

Plan to transfer to bottling bucket tomorrow and bottling.

I plan to let it carbonate for two weeks then put it in the fridge.

Looking forward to giving it a try. :rockin:

Please feel free to give me your thoughts on the results based on the info here.

Two weeks may not be long enough to get good carbonation. I too am impatient and usually refrigerate and try one after two weeks, and it's usually not ready. Three weeks or more are usually required. Don't refrigerate all of them until you are happy with the carbonation level.

Brew on

 

[ronjonacron]

There are priming sugar calculators online to determine how much of that 5oz pack you want to use. When I used to bottle I don't ever remember getting overcarbonated bottles using the whole bag though.

This hobby can truly be as expensive or as frugal as you want it to be. I usually recommend to bottle for a while for a couple reasons; to make sure you enjoy and have time for this hobby, and to sort of appreciate how much easier it is to keg. Kegging is very simple once you have everything set up. Sanitize and clean one thing versus 50 and then hook it up to carbonate. And no bottles all over the counter for your wife to yell at you about. Plus, how cool is it to walk over and pull a pint in your own home?

I do keg. If you are patient and wait for deals you can find stuff pretty cheap. Kegs are getting expensive and the used soda kegs are getting harder to find. Depending on how many kegs you want to have and how much money you want to spend, and how handy you are ( from my experience, the kind of people that gravitate towards this hobby are generally pretty handy) it can be done for a few to several hundred dollars.

For instance, I have 5 kegs, each somewhere between $25-60 each. The fridge I found on craigslist already had 4 Taps and 4 shanks, $80. Taps alone would've cost me this. Regulator, co2, odd and ends, and hoses add up too. A lot of people do keezer builds (check some of them out on here and marvel and envy their craftsmanship, haha), but my first "kegerator" set up was a couple kegs stuffed into an extra fridge in the garage. I'll take a couple pics of my set up to give you and idea.

 

[doug293cz]

On a different note... I am considering kegging in the future. Do you keg ? If so, do you think it is worth the additional cost to get that going ?

I want to keep beer in the pipeline but if I have to buy another fridge to keep bottled beer I'm thinking I may as well go ahead and start kegging. Also thought that I could maybe use the additional fridge to ferment lagers at some point.

Good grief.... I guess the possibilities / options are endless. Where does it end..or does it ? LOL.

And so the trip down the rabbit hole begins. The more times you bottle, the more you will want to move to kegging. At least that's how it works for most of us. If you have the means, go for it. Have fun on your journey

Brew on

 

[ronjonacron]

Here is a picture of my old original setup. I was able to fit 3 kegs on the bottom and the co2 on that top shelf.

And this one is my current setup. It easily fits 4 and that all the taps I have also. When I buy a house next year I will do a keezer build so I can have 6-8.

Why they are loading sideways I have no idea.
Edit: weird, they posted correctly

View attachment 1419103233994.jpg

View attachment 1419103322649.jpg

View attachment 1419103338162.jpg

 

[Salty-Dawg]

Nice !

I think I will probably bottle for a while and in the meantime start picking up kegging equipment as I go along. I may even just build a Keezer...

Thanks for the input and advice.

 

[kh54s10]

I bottled for a couple of years then got a barebones two keg kit with picnic taps. I found a local source and bought two more kegs. The fridge I already had holds 3 kegs so first I added one faucet, then later two more faucets. It will not be too much longer until I want to make a keezer for at least another 3-4 kegs. I like variety. Also with that many kegs I will be less likely to run out if I don't brew for a while, like mid winter (too cold for outside) or mid summer (too hot).

 

[bragona71]

Nice !

I think I will probably bottle for a while and in the meantime start picking up kegging equipment as I go along. I may even just build a Keezer...

Thanks for the input and advice.

I said the same thing.. I now am 4 months of brewing 9 batches a kegerator two kegs two fermentors... I'm not even close to being done I have the bug..be careful you might get it too

 

[Salty-Dawg]

I said the same thing.. I now am 4 months of brewing 9 batches a kegerator two kegs two fermentors... I'm not even close to being done I have the bug..be careful you might get it too

I hear ya !

We just bottled our first batch. Went to the LHBS today. I now have a second batch in the fermenter for one week. Now up to three fermenters. Bought three more ingredient kits today and a glass Carboy. It just keeps growing and growing. LOL.

I think I might be showing symptoms of that bug you speak of.

 

[Salty-Dawg]

Update...

My first batch is bottled. Now I just have to wait for a couple of weeks for it to carbonate and then chill.

Have a second brew in the fermenter for a week now. (Belgian Wheat)

Planning to brew tomorrow. (Big Ass Texas Brown Ale)

 

[bragona71]

I hear ya !

We just bottled our first batch. Went to the LHBS today. I now have a second batch in the fermenter for one week. Now up to three fermenters. Bought three more ingredient kits today and a glass Carboy. It just keeps growing and growing. LOL.

I think I might be showing symptoms of that bug you speak of.

more than just symptoms you are full blown!! enjoy..

PS....READ ALOT!!!!!!!! there is so much to learn..HBT forums are amazing

 

[Salty-Dawg]

more than just symptoms you are full blown!! enjoy..

PS....READ ALOT!!!!!!!! there is so much to learn..HBT forums are amazing

Right on...

Got the Big Ass Texas Brown Ale in the fermenter and bubbling away !

Merry Christmas !