My First Brewer's Best Belgian Tripel Pic Heavy

[bb0bbby]

First beer brew for me. I have done a few wine kits and couldn't resist the urge for one of my favorites. Not sure if I didn't stir enough when I added the clean water to the ferment bucket but my OG seemed low. According to recipe instructions, should be between 1.083 - 1.086. I may have pitched a bit too warm (77) since I started way later than anticipated last night and kept falling asleep waiting for it to cool down. (lesson learned, chiller is next on equip list) Needless to say I woke up this morning to a huge head of yeast and am not sure if I should stir it back in or not.

Any feedback greatly appreciated. I cannot wait to do a Hoegaarden clone & Coconut Porter clone if I can find a good one.

A few pics:

Steeping grains



Wort



Adding DME



Adding LME



1st set of hops



Boilover :'-(



Cooled down, not low enough though...



Moving to fermenter







OG appears low but could be not enough mixing of clean water...any suggestions?



6 hours later, should I stir?





I put the cap on but did not push down all the way. I have read that this kit can blowback quite a bit.

 

[webby45wr]

Welcome to homebrewing! To answer your questions, yes, your gravity may be off because the water hadn't properly mixed with the wort. Do not stir the yeast. The yeast eating the sugar in the wort will create a lot of agitation for you and mix everything up. Thus, it's not necessary and makes you more susceptible to an infection.

If you are worried about blowing your lid off, you can create a blow-off tube. Basically, put a tube where you have the airlock and put the other end in a bucket/container of water. You can search the forum for examples.

I hope everything turns out well for you!

 

[bb0bbby]

Thanks for the reply webby!

What about all of the brown stuff starting to dry around the kraeusen?

 

[DocScott]

Brown stuff is normal. It is called krausen and is made up of protein, hops, and yeast and is a sign that primary fermentation is full under way. Do not stir it or do anything else to it at this point. Just cover it back up and walk away for two weeks.

In a week or two, the krausen will start to break up and fall back into the beer. The brown ring on the fermenter will stay there and is no problem. Once you see the krausen fall completely, check the gravity. Then wait another 2-3 days and recheck the gravity again. Once it stops changing over 2-3 days, your beer is finished and can be packaged. I would advise waiting another 5 days after final gravity is reached before packaging to let the yeast settle out which will clear the beer.

Patience is the hardest part of this hobby. Especially at first. It will pay off though, with cleaner, clearer, more consistent beers. Most brews will take 2-3 weeks to finish - some a little shorter, many a bit longer. Welcome to the hobby!

 

[bb0bbby]

Thanks Doc!

So excited to be here. I now want to have at least 6 beers going at once