Yesterday was my first ever brew day and I just wanted to record my issues and excitement. Overall I'm optimistic and I can tell this is going to be an addicting hobby.
Issue 1: I was aware of this going in, but since I only have a 2 gal brew pot I did a split boil which extended my brew day by about 2 hours.
Issue 2: After my first boil I had my LME sitting in a warm water bath with the lids off. Now that the tubs were half empty it created more buoyancy. My attention was elsewhere and when I returned one of the tubs had tipped and mixed with the water. Instead of tossing it I just added the mixture to my boil.
Issue 3: The homebrew kit I bought http://www.homebrewing.org/Beginning-Homebrew-Kit_p_352.html didn't include a sanitizer but instead a cleanser with "sanitizing properties". I didn't want to risk anything so I recalled in John Palmer's book a bleach solution. I know it's not ideal but I was working with what I had at short notice. I rinsed well.
Issue 4: And despite rinsing well I got bleach in my beer anyway! I used the same solution in my airlock which vacuumed into my beer. I don't think it will be dangerous to drink, one tbsp diluted to one gallon of water, of that solution, about a tbsp into 5 gallons of beer. However, it might create bad flavors. Had I been thinking, I could have just used unscented mouthwash.
At the end of the day, my OG was exactly on and my airlock has begun bubbling after only 12 hours. The ambient temperature is about 64f. Cheers!
Issue 1: I was aware of this going in, but since I only have a 2 gal brew pot I did a split boil which extended my brew day by about 2 hours.
Issue 2: After my first boil I had my LME sitting in a warm water bath with the lids off. Now that the tubs were half empty it created more buoyancy. My attention was elsewhere and when I returned one of the tubs had tipped and mixed with the water. Instead of tossing it I just added the mixture to my boil.
Issue 3: The homebrew kit I bought http://www.homebrewing.org/Beginning-Homebrew-Kit_p_352.html didn't include a sanitizer but instead a cleanser with "sanitizing properties". I didn't want to risk anything so I recalled in John Palmer's book a bleach solution. I know it's not ideal but I was working with what I had at short notice. I rinsed well.
Issue 4: And despite rinsing well I got bleach in my beer anyway! I used the same solution in my airlock which vacuumed into my beer. I don't think it will be dangerous to drink, one tbsp diluted to one gallon of water, of that solution, about a tbsp into 5 gallons of beer. However, it might create bad flavors. Had I been thinking, I could have just used unscented mouthwash.
At the end of the day, my OG was exactly on and my airlock has begun bubbling after only 12 hours. The ambient temperature is about 64f. Cheers!