My first homebrew = disaster.

[Lifty901]

Hi guys.

Due to my love for craft beer I decided to get myself a home brew kit. Despite not knowing anything I followed a quick 6minute video on YouTube & bang my beer was made......

I feel I've made more than a few mistakes in the process. I boiled two litres of water (the video had 25g of cascade hops but I didn't have that to add) with 200g of brewing sugar, I then added coopers brew enhancer 2 followed by coopers Australian pale ale mix. After all that boiled & mixed I threw it into the keg with another 20 litres of water & the yeast.

I read a day or so later you can add hops to the mix half way through so 5 days after the initial boil I added 50g of citra hops & gave it a stir. It all foamed up & overflowed! After a while cleaning up I popped the lid back on & left it another week. The beer looks like a pineapple juice with bits of hops floating all around & it tastes like a watery shandy.

I didn't use the fermentor as it looked like the guy popped it right into his keg in the video.

http://youtu.be/puH7xkOxvPs
That's a link to the video if anybody fancies a look at it.

I've got an awful lot to learn.....

 

[ChelisHubby]

Hey Welcome to HBT. You are at the right place to learn how to brew beer.

 

[andrewsbromley]

I spent like a week reading through a book and a bunch of blogs before I brewed my first beer and I still made a bunch of mistakes. Just keep reading and working to improve your technique and don't dwell on the mistakes. Look on the bright side, you've got nowhere to go but up

 

[soccerdad]

I would brew with a buddy 2 or 3 times before attempting a solo flight. My daughter taught me to brew and we did 2 batches together. She also recommended good videos and good reading. I feel like that gave me a good footing.

 

[Pappers_]

Here's a couple of ways to go:


1) follow these directions exactly https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/beginner-extract-brewing-howto-99139/

2) follow the step-by-step directions in the first chapter of www.howtobrew.com

3) buy the learning how to brew DVD from basicbrewing.com

4) watch this youtube video [ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daCvVxvQzCM[/ame]

Good luck with your second brew! And welcome to HBT!

 

[tmendick]

The only time you will stop learning in this hobby is if you give up....and DON'T GIVE UP!!!
I tried a bottle of beer from my first batch about 9 months later and, wow was it terrible...most peoples first batchs aren't good.
Read the links above, search this site and ask questions.
If you can find a local homebrewer that would like to brew with you take the opportunity.
Good luck and have fun.

 

[unionrdr]

Well,first of all,you never boil pre-hopped extract (the Cooper's can). It turns any hop flavors & aromas to bittering over the boil time,changing the hop profile & darkening the beer. And dry hopping is usually done after FG is reached & the beer's settling out clear or slightly misty. Otherwise,the hop oils coat the yeast & trub,sinking to the bottom with them. I brew in a 20 Qt (5 USG) SS kettle with total boil volume of 2.5 to 3.5 gallons. That works better than putting a bunch of extracts,sugar,etc in only 2L of water. You can do it that way,but the higher boil volume will work better in my experiences.

 

[MrCousins]

"How to Brew" by Palmer. Pick up a copy of the book.

 

[alby44]

Have to agree with much of what's been said here....plenty of information via this site and videos available that will make your head spin. Upside is you made beer and can only get better as you continue refining your process.

Possible suggestion is that while the videos are helpful, nothing can beat a good a detailed set of instructions to help you get grounded. Read Palmer, and write out everything, and I mean everything (by the minute) to start....sanitation, how long until boil, boil time, hop additions, etc...use it as a checklist and cross stuff off as you move along.

Every screw-up you make (and we've all made them) is a step in the right direction.

 

[jfk69]

In this hobby, everyone makes mistakes. It seems that the more experienced you get, the mishaps are perhaps smaller but have equal consequences on the beer, both negative AND positive. Read the forums here, there is a TON of information. Ask questions, that's what this particular forum is for, and then try again. If you keep at it, and you're open to learning, you'll make solid beers in not time. As for this one, chalk it up to experience. You'll still get beer. Save one until you do several more batches. After about your 5th or 6th batch drink one of your originals along with the last beer you brewed. You'll be amazed at the difference!