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ThatFishGuy

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Hello everyone,
I was buying everything to get started up at my local brew shop today ad somebody told me i should check this site out. So just figured I'd say hello because I'll probably be need your help in the near future. I'm actually in the middle of my first brew right now! Hopefully this goes well. I've read up quite a bit so i think i'll be ok on the basics. The brew im making is a California Pale Ale. I'll post the rest of my intro later....time for the hops!

-Sam
 
ThatFishGuy said:
Hello everyone,
I was buying everything to get started up at my local brew shop today ad somebody told me i should check this site out. So just figured I'd say hello because I'll probably be need your help in the near future. I'm actually in the middle of my first brew right now! Hopefully this goes well. I've read up quite a bit so i think i'll be ok on the basics. The brew im making is a California Pale Ale. I'll post the rest of my intro later....time for the hops!

-Sam
Click to expand...

Hey man Welcome, There is an infinite amount of info here and lots of great people here. What are you brewing?
 
RICLARK- its basically a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale clone. i had wanted to start off with a Lager, but I still need to buy a temp controller for my dedicated freeze/kegerator/fermenting cooler....so maybe next time.
 
Welcome to HBT Sam! :mug:
Do you know who it was who directed you here? Maybe we know them! :rockin:
Let us know how your first brew turns out.
 
Actually I didnt get the guy's name. Wish I had...

The brew went well, easier than I had imagined...(or maybe i just screwed up ;) ). Cant wait to try it out, its unfortunate that I'm so impatient. I'll make sure to post any updates. Thanks for the warm welcome everyone!
-Sam
 
Hope everyone is having a great holiday weekend. Anyways just thoguht I'd let everyone know i had a first taste test today. I pulled a small sample just to have a random SG test and the test jar was begging me to take a sip. It tasted surprisingly like a finished product, but the test said otherwise. It does seem surprisingly close to the target SG though. Only day 4 and the SG went from 1.050- down to 1.019. (target is 1.014 I think). It had good color, smelled great, and had a wonderfully hoppy flavor. I barely had enough to taste though, as I want to save the full experience for the final product. I am VERY excited though, I cant wait to have a glass. Just thought I'd keep ya updated.

-Sam
 
hahaha Jaybird you have no idea!!! I tend to get a little obsessive with my hobbies... or maybe i just pick hobbies that require obsessiveness.... havent decided yet.

-Sam (the infected) ;)
 
haha well... about that norcal' thing.... I only go to school up here. Im actually a Socal guy! but thats ok....I would still have a beer with any of you! :mug:
-Sam
 
ThatFishGuy said:
haha well... about that norcal' thing.... I only go to school up here. Im actually a Socal guy! but thats ok....I would still have a beer with any of you! :mug:
-Sam
Click to expand...

If I was one of those idiots with a big a$$ "NorCal" sticker in my truck window we might have a problem! But, I like SoCal as much if not more than NorCal :). Just wanted to say hey, and welcome to the forum...I just started a few months ago and have been hooked. One piece of advice...brew another batch soon! Home brewed beer is so good it never lasts long...at least not around my house! :mug:

I think I'm feeling a regional brew day coming up....hummmmmm.
 
ya i dont plan on this first batch lasting long. I just need to buy a second keg so I can keep a rotation. haha or I could just drink 5 gallons every 2 weeks!

I'm game for a group brew day, I would like to see how others do it since im still in the learning stages. Only problem is Im only in town for another 2 1/2 weeks before Im back down south. I would love to do one, if not now then for sure when I come back up in the fall. or both.....
 
Oh i had a question though. My batch seems to be going a more quickly then expected, and some bad planning/impatience has led to me not having a regulator for my keg set-up. The batch still wont be done fermenting for a couple days im guessing, but I wont have the regulator for about a week. Can I just move the batch to a secondary and leave it in there for the week or so it takes to get the regulator?

-Sam
 
That's cool. I just started brewing to. I bought a ton of stuff for my first brew...until I brewed and bottled I thought I might have went overboard. Now I've got to buy more stuff to get me through the summer...and the stuff is so cool, how you help not wanting a kegerator even if you have to make it yourself...but wait thats even better...it's not so much what you can buy...it's what you can fashion for yourself that makes the biggest difference...or maybe I'm just cheap...who knows. Anyway...glad to see other new people kickin around in here.
 
haha Im all about making everything myself. This is actually the second kegerator I've made. well i think they call it a keezer? the new set up is a chest freezer that will be controlled by a Ranco. The other one I had made was for my dad for fathers' day last year. I love buying/making any new gadgets though....its like my kryptonite. I HAVE to get every cool new thing i see. Good luck to ya!

-Sam

-oh yeah does anyone have an answer/guess to my earlier question?
 
ThatFishGuy said:
Oh i had a question though. My batch seems to be going a more quickly then expected, and some bad planning/impatience has led to me not having a regulator for my keg set-up. The batch still wont be done fermenting for a couple days im guessing, but I wont have the regulator for about a week. Can I just move the batch to a secondary and leave it in there for the week or so it takes to get the regulator?

-Sam
Click to expand...

Sam.... yes you can just move it to a secondary. Dont forget to sanitize EVERYTHING, purge w/ Co2 (if you can) and TRY not to oxygenate your beer. Under the right conditions you can leave it in there for months.
Cheers
JJ
 
I knew the sanitation was key but the CO2 purging is a great point. didnt even think about it. As far as not oxygenating....should i just try not to splash around while siphoning?
 
ThatFishGuy said:
My batch seems to be going a more quickly then expected, and some bad planning/impatience has led to me not having a regulator for my keg set-up. The batch still wont be done fermenting for a couple days im guessing, but I wont have the regulator for about a week. Can I just move the batch to a secondary and leave it in there for the week or so it takes to get the regulator?

-Sam
Click to expand...

You just brewed on the 24th? Just leave it in the primary. It can stay there (and will get better) for 2-3 weeks, no problem. Impatience is the biggest hurdle that new brewers have to clear...both futzing with the beer while it's fermenting, and then drinking it too soon. Do yourself a favor, and start brewing another batch NOW. It will keep you from monkeying around with batch #1. And don't think about drinking batch #1 until July.

:mug:

And welcome to HBT!
 
I would rather just leave it in the primary if I can, I would rather not mess with transferring right now. I just wasnt sure if i could do that. Does it keep fermenting or is it just siting in there conditioning at that point?
 
ThatFishGuy said:
I knew the sanitation was key but the CO2 purging is a great point. didnt even think about it. As far as not oxygenating....should i just try not to splash around while siphoning?
Click to expand...

Yep thats it! Then just put an airlock on it and call it good. Dont forget to take hydrometer readings (samplings) and chill to 60 Deg F before reading.

Cheers
JJ
 
ThatFishGuy said:
I would rather just leave it in the primary if I can, I would rather not mess with transferring right now. I just wasnt sure if i could do that. Does it keep fermenting or is it just siting in there conditioning at that point?
Click to expand...

I just kegged 26 gallons that I left on the yeast for a month (under the correct temps)
and they are clear and ok!!!
you dont have to transfer now. you can leave it for a bit in primary just not to long. 3-4 weeks is a streach.
Cheers
JJ
 
another week and a half would be the max, so it looks like im good to go. thanks for the help guys. What would be the "correct temps" if I used WLP 051...? anything out of the ordinary or as long as it stays in range?
-Sam
 
officially kegged and getting carb'd! My regulator finally came in, its so pretty and shiny.

I had some issues when i pressure tested the keg. it was fine, then i checked the pressure relief valve. one pull; nothing...another pull; worked fine. so i preceded to rack the beer into the chilled keg and set the pressure. then I heard a leak. I tried putting some lube on the lid...still leaking. It was the relief valve. The little rubber tip had separated from the working mechanism. So i drove to the brew store and back (almost 2 hrs total) but they were out of those valves. ugh...so i superglued the rubber back on which i should have tried in the first place. so that stopped but i still heard leaking. I had forgotten to put teflon on the QD threads where they attach to the hoses. after all that fun, it all works just fine. thank god because i was starting to panic. But its all good now!

So what serving temp would normally be used for this style? (Cali Pale Ale)
I've read everything from 39-50 degrees so I was just wondering what you guys like.
Thanks,
Sam
 

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