New brewer and first beer

[madcore]

I have wanted to get into brewing beer at home for some time now. The biggest thing was my wife and I never really drank bottle beer at home but both love beer on tap. She finally gave me 500 to spend. After looking for all the equipment I would need I found the system below with all I need pulse a 2 keg system.

Only days after arriving I started my first brew with a kit that came with my equipment. A very late Oktoberfest, but not going to lager it instead I wanted to use White labs 001. So two days ago I started my first beer.

 

[lumpy5oh]

Good luck and Welcome to HBT!

 

[Newsman]

Congrats and welcome to the addiction that is home brewing!

 

[madcore]

Sorry I was cut off but after
Boiling and all I came out .03 under what I should have it is close but we will see what comes out in the next few days
I did cool the wort outside and used the snow instead of ice to help

 

[madcore]

And here it is today now just two days in

 

[kharper6]

Looks great.

If you have such a sweet kegging setup you might want to start looking into all grain when you get a bit more into it. Add a little bit of fun DIY-element to it.

That krausen is beautiful, keep that bad boy out of the light though.

 

[madcore]

Thank you, I have a shirt over it and a towel the only thing that sees any light is the airlock. sorry I have a correction my gravity after boil was .003 off not .03

 

[madcore]

Ok so 5days in now and the fermentation is starting to slow already. I know it's not done but I can see that it is much slower. I did raise th temp a little still with in the guidelines for the strain trying to see if it will kick back up or almost done.

 

[Newsman]

Don't be in too much of a hurry to get it out of the carboy. One thing I've read on here is that it's better to leave the finished product in the primary for a week or so after the fermentation is "complete" so that the yeast have a chance to clean up after themselves and help get rid of any "off" flavors.

 

[madcore]

Ah thanks for the heads up! I'll try to leave it in for a bother week. Just hope it's ready so I can keg it and drink it on New Years

 

[Newsman]

Yeah... try to cold-crash it say next Monday or so and that'll help the trub compact into a more solid mass and less likely to have a lot of stuff floating in your brew when you rack it off into the keg.

Since you want to pour it on New Years, it's going to be tight. I'd say cold-crash on Thursday, keg on Saturday and then force-carb (cold) through New Years, maybe 25-30 PSI, then take it off the CO2, release the pressure and then re-connect the gas lines at serving pressure.
OTOH, if someone with more experience (like Yooper) comes in, do whatever they say.

 

[Cottonmouth]

Looks good! Welcome to the club.

 

[madcore]

Sounds good. I was given gelatin to use too

 

[Newsman]

Sounds good. I was given gelatin to use too

That would work, but you need to be careful about using gelatin, because if you aren't, it could end up in your keg and you don't really want gelatin in the beer you drink. What I would do is cold-crash with the gelatin to help pull down the fine particles and consolidate them into the yeast cake. That would help the gelatin as well. Then siphon off from above the yeast cake. I'd cold-crash and give it at least 24 hours after the gelatin has been put in.

Note: I have no experience using gelatin, so I may be talking through my hat for all I know.

 

[Dolomieu]

When using gelatin you want the beer to already be cold. It will work when at room temp but in my experience not as quickly. I don't use it now that i can cold crash with out much effort. i have even used gelatin in a keg with no issue. Just had some beer snot at the bottom of the keg.

 

[madcore]

Sounds good Ty for the tips

 

[MindenMan]

I have learned a lesson about using gelatin, the beer does need to be cold, but not super cold. I had my beer almost to cold crash temps ( 32-34 F), I stirred while adding the gelatin, and two days later I had gelatin snot, not clear beer, and a lot of unsettled particles too. It may have been a fluke, but I now just cold crash for 5 or 6 days. I don't add gelatin, and the residual Irish Moss makes a very dense cake on the bottom. The people I know that add gelatin to their kegs, crash a few days, and the first one or two beers are cloudy, but after that the rest is clear beer. Just a thought...

 

[madcore]

Eww umm I'm kinda worried about using it now. I though I could keg my beer toss the mix in and dump the first pint or so and be good and clear

 

[LamIAm]

I had my beer almost to cold crash temps ( 32-34 F), I stirred while adding the gelatin, and two days later I had gelatin snot, not clear beer, and a lot of unsettled particles too.

This.

The guys I brew with are 50/50 split on gelatin but I've seen the snot issue come up way too many times.

Cold crash Friday night, rack into a keg on Sunday morning, and force carb while shaking it. Make sure that keg is cold to start with. Purge and serve.

 

[madcore]

Alright then glad I said something! I'll fallow your cold crash and keg Sunday

 

[snowtires]

If you want to drink it by new years cold crash it a couple days before. then I keg it and put 30psi on it for 12-18 hours(already cold) or 24 hours if the beer has to cool while carbing. Turn it down to serving pressure and being that young will def need a few days to clear. Pull a couple pints before you serve as it will likely have a lot of yeast still.
Or buy some beer for new years, wait 3 weeks before kegging and have really nice good clear beer.
Either way works I just kegged a week ILS ISA. Cheers

 

[madcore]

Thank you all I am now chilling my keg half fun of star San. Flipping it every day to make sure it's covered and cool is the plan

 

[snowtires]

Say what now?

 

[madcore]

ok question I have Zero airlock action and all thats left on top is a lot of floaty krausen bits...is it cold crash time?

 

[snowtires]

No. It doesn't sound like your going to make it sorry to say. I would wait it out, buy some nice beers for new years.

 

[madcore]

What it looks like before I remove anything to take a look( the lights normally off unless I'm checking on the beer)

Here's what I currently have

 

[Newsman]

Have you checked the gravity? If you've checked the gravity over a period of several days and it's not changed, you can keg it.

 

[madcore]

Yup last three days the same I kegged this morning because I want to go the beer store and get my next batch for my other keg.






And what was left behind.

 

[madcore]

Btw here's my og what is the alcohol constant

 

[madcore]