Newb from Columbus, OH

[ScottieByNature]

Hey gang,

Glad to be here! My lovely and brilliant wife got me a homebrewing starter kit for Christmas, including a Brewer's Best IPA ingredient kit. Planning on getting started sometime this week, just need to pick up a stock pot and a hydrometer. Looking forward to getting into this fascinating (and rewarding) hobby!

Cheers to my fellow Buckeye state brewers!

Scot

 

[bighoss]

A big welcome from a fellow Buckeye! O-H!

 

[Hugh_Jass]

I-O

Welcome from a bit north of you.

 

[rerobb]

I'm down here in Grove City. Welcome, there's a ton of valuable information on here.

I would reccomend using bottled water from the store, I've found that Columbus city water seems to have a bit of chlorene in it, and that will give your home brew some off flavors. I can smell it once in a while, but not too bad, but I've made a few batches that have all had the same taste(2 brewers best kits, and 2 Mr. Beer kits).From what i've read, it's caused by chlorene in the water.

 

[MeadWitch]

Hello, Howdy and Hola from the state of Texas!

 

[bad67z]

Welcome the the Forum, there is an almost endless amount of info here. I would also suggest check out the Columbus Beer Fest next weekend. My fellow S.O.D.Z."s brethren will be helping out. Here are a couple of links to help you on your way.

S.O.D.Z.

Columbus Beer Fest

 

[EuBrew]

I'm down here in Grove City. Welcome, there's a ton of valuable information on here.

I would reccomend using bottled water from the store, I've found that Columbus city water seems to have a bit of chlorene in it, and that will give your home brew some off flavors. I can smell it once in a while, but not too bad, but I've made a few batches that have all had the same taste(2 brewers best kits, and 2 Mr. Beer kits).From what i've read, it's caused by chlorene in the water.

Welcome from Merion Village!!

I can't say that I agree with the Columbus city water and chlorine. I obtained a report from the city when I started all grain brewing and the levels from my distribution center are only 1.5 mg/L (roughly equivalent to ppm) average which isn't enough to add off flavors IMHO. You can call the water department and request the report for your area if you are so inclined. I've attached a copy of mine from 2008. Now that I think about it I'll call tomorrow and get an updated copy for myself

Anyway, welcome to the obsession.

 

[ScottieByNature]

Thanks to all for the warm welcomes and good advice! Glad to see this is an active community!

I decided to get started with my first brew yesterday. Though I had a handful of glitches/mistakes, I'm still holding out hope for the finished product.

My first mistake happened right off the bat: I decided at 8:30 at night that I wanted to get started... I didn't get finished until about 1:30 am.

Secondly, I had picked up an auto-siphon from the local homebrew shop, and was super-excited that they had them because I knew going into it I was going to be lousy at siphoning. I got home to find that my auto-siphon had a significant crack in the tube and a chip out of the end that connects to the tubing, so I had no choice but to go low-tech for racking. As expected, I couldn't quite get the flow going, so I opted for pouring the wort through a sieve into the fermenter.

Finally, and probably the most memorable snafu of the evening... I had been so careful all night to only let sanitized equipment touch my wort. At one point, my dear wife, who had been photographing my progress, popped into the kitchen to see how things were going. I had my stock pot with my wort in an ice water bath in the sink, and I had my back turned to sanitize a piece of equipment. With nothing but good intention, she picks up an un-sanitized spatula I had been using to circulate the ice water around the sink, and starts stirring the wort with it! I look up to see this, and in my shock and horror I yell "AAAAAHHHHHGGG GET THAT OUTTA THERE!!!" She got such a startle, she nearly hit the roof!

So amongst all those little mishaps, plus the fact that I used plain tap water, the amazing aromas of malts and hops that filled my house were enough to give me hope for my first brew. I'll let you know how it turns out!

 

[Hugh_Jass]

All of those issues were very minor. The beer will be just fine. I hope you didn't scare your Mrs. too badly, though.

I don't strain the break/hops/trub when going into the fermenter. Just dump. It'll all settle out.

You can treat brewing water w/campden tabs. about 1/4 tab will precipitate the chlorine.

 

[superjunior]

welcome Scottie!

 

[ScottieByNature]

All of those issues were very minor. The beer will be just fine. I hope you didn't scare your Mrs. too badly, though.

Thanks for the vote of confidence, Hugh. I feel a bit more relieved about my efforts now. And the Mrs. is fine... I think majority of her startle was from the sudden realization that she had committed a big brewing foul. What's ironic is that she's in a scientific field and has a very clear understanding of maintaining a sterile environment. Oh well, lesson learned!

 

[ScottieByNature]

Woke this morning to find my airlock bubbling away... woot! What a great feeling to see your first homebrew springing to life! If a visible sign of fermentation feels this rewarding, I can't wait to actually taste the stuff once it's done!