NEWBIE - Please Help Me Get Started!

[PADave]

Wasn't there a racking cane or auto syphon included with the kit?? Racking the beer to your bottling bucket with an auto syphon is a really easy process and you can avoid exposing your beer to the spigot.

I use to be anti-spigot when it came to my fermenters until I started using one. So much easier than using an auto siphon. I just spray starsan all over and up into the spigot before transfer. I dread using the auto siphon anymore, mainly because it's so long. Makes cleaning and sanitizing a pain. I wouldn't buy another fermenter that doesn't have a spigot.

 

[JordanKnudson]

I use to be anti-spigot when it came to my fermenters until I started using one. So much easier than using an auto siphon. I just spray starsan all over and up into the spigot before transfer. I dread using the auto siphon anymore, mainly because it's so long. Makes cleaning and sanitizing a pain. I wouldn't buy another fermenter that doesn't have a spigot.

^^^^ This times a million. I've been doing the bucket-and-spigot thing for years now and not only have I never had a problem, it's so much easier too.

 

[BrettCo124]

I agree. For my first time bottling (a couple of days ago), the spigot was extremely useful. My only concern was that the spigot could potentially have dust and sediment up in it since it's sticky in there.

I sprayed it all over with starsan so I hope it did the trick but I can't be too sure. The blanket I had wrapped around the fermenter was fuzzy and some of it stuck in the spigot.

I'm all bottled up and it was the funniest part of the process so far! I was very careful to not let any oxygen in, although it did bubble out the tube a couple times when it got low in the fermenter. Hope that's okay.

Other than that, it made about 40 beers (I boiled a lot out accidentally). The hydrometer reading showed 1.010 which equaled 6.55 percent alcohol. I tasted it and it tasted great.

So now I wait. I'm waiting exactly two weeks and 3 days before drinking some. Total of almost 6 weeks in the works.

Just hope that the spigot/possible debris didn't cause any issues!!

 

[CrixusOfCapua]

Been keeping up with this as I am also a first time brewer. Bottling day is this weekend. Good to hear bottling went ok. I am also having the same questions for the most part. I fermented in the bucket instead of the carboy. Now don't know if I should put sugar in carboy and siphon beer into carboy and then bottle from there...or what I should do. I did a 1 gallon brew.

 

[kristiismean]

Been keeping up with this as I am also a first time brewer. Bottling day is this weekend. Good to hear bottling went ok. I am also having the same questions for the most part. I fermented in the bucket instead of the carboy. Now don't know if I should put sugar in carboy and siphon beer into carboy and then bottle from there...or what I should do. I did a 1 gallon brew.

for a one gallon batch, that's what, 10 bottles, do the domino dot method for priming your bottles.
1 dot per bottle, then rack into the bottles, still being careful not to introduce oxygen.

 

[CrixusOfCapua]

for a one gallon batch, that's what, 10 bottles, do the domino dot method for priming your bottles.
1 dot per bottle, then rack into the bottles, still being careful not to introduce oxygen.

I don't have sugar cubes though, I have a priming sugar packet.

 

[kristiismean]

you would have to go to the store and buy them.

most grocery stores should have them. or google this method. it keeps you from having to measure out exact amounts per bottle.

 

[BrettCo124]

Good luck on bottling day! It was the funniest part when you Seal the deal with a bottle cap.

Question though. How do you NOT introduce oxygen in the bottles? With the hose constantly full and the bottling wand doing its thing, I can't figure out how oxygen enters the beer unless I was causing a ton of bubbles.

As I had mentioned, a few of my bottles had some air pockets in the house when the liquid was entering the bottles. How bad is that? And how often does it turn in to an issue? Are those beers done?

 

[PADave]

I always mark my last few filled bottles, and drink them first, as my test bottles to see how carbonation is coming along. Plus they have the most sediment in them, and are literally the bottom of the barrel.

Those beers that you got the air pocket in the hose will be fine, don't sweat it. Oxidation takes time. Just the process of opening the fermenter and transferring to your bottling bucket is going to expose it to oxygen.

I've started only using oxygen absorbing caps. I don't know if they help, but they don't hurt, so worth the extra piece of mind.

 

[BrettCo124]

Man, you've been helping me along the way since day 1! By the way, does your screen name mean Pennsylvania Dave?

 

[mongoose33]

Been keeping up with this as I am also a first time brewer. Bottling day is this weekend. Good to hear bottling went ok. I am also having the same questions for the most part. I fermented in the bucket instead of the carboy. Now don't know if I should put sugar in carboy and siphon beer into carboy and then bottle from there...or what I should do. I did a 1 gallon brew.

I've bottled both ways, using carb or fizz drops (chunks of sugar) inserted into each bottle, and using corn sugar mixed into the beer in the bottling bucket.

The fizz or carb drops are probably easier, though I was always a bit wary of allowing some nasties to enter the beer along w/ the drop. I suspect that's overkill but it was on my mind.

Less an issue w/ corn sugar in the bottling bucket. Most 5-gallon kits, it seems, come with 5 ounces of corn sugar for priming. So a 1-gallon kit would use 1 ounce. If mixed well and put in the bottling bucket before the beer is racked into it, the beer should mix the solution up enough to evenly distribute it among all bottles. If you're concerned about that occurring, sanitize a spoon and stir it up gently.

BTW: if you haven't already, buy a small spray bottle and fill it with star-san. It's very handy for sanitizing objects like a spoon or whatever. Wal-mart sells them here in the travel-size and sample aisle. I have four green ones filled with star-san. Green is my color for sanitizing. I also have a couple blue ones filled with water that I use to cool down the foam during a boil to prevent boilover. Blue is my color for water.

 

[BrettCo124]

Mongoose, how long would starsan last in a spray bottle? If I left it in the bottle for a month, would it still be effective? Just curious. I keep tossing what's left down the drain and I'm wondering if I could keep some of it. If it's not worth it, id rather buy a nice size container of it and make it fresh every time. Thanks for all your help, as well!

 

[Transamguy77]

Mongoose, how long would starsan last in a spray bottle? If I left it in the bottle for a month, would it still be effective? Just curious. I keep tossing what's left down the drain and I'm wondering if I could keep some of it. If it's not worth it, id rather buy a nice size container of it and make it fresh every time. Thanks for all your help, as well!

I keep a spray bottle filled at all times, I make 5 gallons at a time and I think that's about once a year, as long as the ph stays below 3 it's still good.

 

[mongoose33]

Mongoose, how long would starsan last in a spray bottle? If I left it in the bottle for a month, would it still be effective? Just curious. I keep tossing what's left down the drain and I'm wondering if I could keep some of it. If it's not worth it, id rather buy a nice size container of it and make it fresh every time. Thanks for all your help, as well!

I had some in a bucket for a few months once. Concerned about whether it may have lost its whatever, I decided to test the PH which was STILL well below 3 (IIRC, something like 2.6, but don't quote me on that).

The answer to your question: long time.

 

[BrettCo124]

Just brewed a one gallon grapefruit wheat beer and kept the star San! I will buy a kit to test the acidity just in case, but I'm glad I hung on to it because I'm already low on starsan from the four batches I made already. Thanks mongoose!

 

[PADave]

Just brewed a one gallon grapefruit wheat beer and kept the star San! I will buy a kit to test the acidity just in case, but I'm glad I hung on to it because I'm already low on starsan from the four batches I made already. Thanks mongoose!

Holy cow! How much starsan are you mixing up per brew? Just a tip, the foam can do the sanitizing. For example when I starsan my fermenter I only put about a gallon into it (fermenter is 7-8 gal). Then I shake it up and get all kinds of foam going. Then as I'm brewing every time I walk by the fermenter I give it a shake. No need to use a huge amount, or to fill things up.

 

[CrixusOfCapua]

I keep a spray bottle filled at all times, I make 5 gallons at a time and I think that's about once a year, as long as the ph stays below 3 it's still good.

Would this vary between different PH strip brands? https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=ph+strips

 

[mongoose33]

Holy cow! How much starsan are you mixing up per brew? Just a tip, the foam can do the sanitizing. For example when I starsan my fermenter I only put about a gallon into it (fermenter is 7-8 gal). Then I shake it up and get all kinds of foam going. Then as I'm brewing every time I walk by the fermenter I give it a shake. No need to use a huge amount, or to fill things up.

I use even less than that, maybe a quart, maybe less. Once I'm done sanitizing I dump it back in my Star-San bucket.

 

[BrettCo124]

Thanks all. I use no more than a capful of starsan for each brew. I definitely feel it eating at my skin though lol. I don't know if I like that part... any ideas on whether it's bad for you or not? Does anyone ever wear gloves?

I never think I'll be touching the starsan as much as I end up doing, so it made me wonder about the harmful effects of it, if any.

 

[mongoose33]

Thanks all. I use no more than a capful of starsan for each brew. I definitely feel it eating at my skin though lol. I don't know if I like that part... any ideas on whether it's bad for you or not? Does anyone ever wear gloves?

I never think I'll be touching the starsan as much as I end up doing, so it made me wonder about the harmful effects of it, if any.

A capful? How much is a capful? Is it an ounce, and then you are mixing that into 5 gallons? (doubtful). Or less than an ounce and you're mixing into less than 5 gallons?

I never wear gloves while doing any of this, and I'm dipping my hands into the star-san bucket all the time. If you feel it eating at your skin--what dilution level are you using?

 

[gromitdj]

Thanks all. I use no more than a capful of starsan for each brew.

A capful? How much is a capful? Is it an ounce, and then you are mixing that into 5 gallons? (doubtful). Or less than an ounce and you're mixing into less than 5 gallons?

For measuring StarSan, I recommend one of these. That way I can accurately measure the correct amount of StarSan for smaller amounts of solution. 30ml for 5 Gallons, 6ml for 1 Gallon, 1.5ml for a 32 oz. Spray Bottle.

Edited to Add: I'm pretty sure you can get them from a pharmacy for very little.

 

[Brownalemikie]

I just add 2 teaspoonfuls per gallon....end up with a PH below 3.

 

[BrettCo124]

That's a great idea. I don't have the exact measurements but I use literally a cap full, like the cap off of a liter soda bottle, for one gallon batches. I mix it in about 3/4 of a gallon of water.

It's not really eating at my skin like in the movies lol, but I can definitely feel it on me very slightly when I'm using it.

 

[mongoose33]

That's a great idea. I don't have the exact measurements but I use literally a cap full, like the cap off of a liter soda bottle, for one gallon batches. I mix it in about 3/4 of a gallon of water.

It's not really eating at my skin like in the movies lol, but I can definitely feel it on me very slightly when I'm using it.

When I get home (I'm overseas right now), I'm going to try a capful in 3/4 gallon of water.

I'll bet that's HIGHLY acidic, far more than what the directions call for, i.e., 1 ounce in 5 gallons.

You need to either get a syringe such as gromitdj posted above, or some other method of accurately dispensing this. You can find syringes like that in farm stores (farm and fleet, theisens, fleet farm, like that) which are used for livestock. No needle, just the body of the syringe.

 

[motosapiens]

try to remember that ignorant savages have been brewing tasty beer for thousands of years. they didn't worry about a few bits from their blankie getting on the spigot.

I use starsan to sanitize my (carefully rinsed) bottles, and then I just save it afterwards. I use that in a bucket to throw stuff into, and to refill the spray bottle, and next time I sanitize bottles, i can just replace it.

I think if you feel it 'eating your skin', you have a very active imagination, or perhaps are a democrat.

 

[BrettCo124]

Haha I laughed at the blankie part. To be honest, I wouldn't have questioned as many things if so many people (who were only trying to help) didn't scare me in to thinking my 4 hours of time plus the 5 gallons of beer would be completely wasted by a single cat hair landing in the fermenter lol. But point well taken. That's a good strategy with reusing. I absolutely feel it on my skin though. Like I said, it's nothing bad, but I feel the slight acidity of it for sure.

I'm definitely going to get a syringe, but it's accurate measurements because I broke it down to what I needed in teaspoons, which I simply measured in the cap to be the same amount. But I still need to be more precise.

 

[CrixusOfCapua]

I used to be a bartender at a restaurant and the sanitizer we used would eat at peoples hands, sometimes where their rings go since the skin is softer. Turns out 1 guy was just very sensitive to the sanitizer and the other was putting way too much in. You could definitely feel when there was too much in though.

 

[JoeMac1733]

I humbly recommend you go low tech first to see if you truly enjoy homebrewing, before sinking a bunch of money into it. Read through the forums, watch videos, select a simple recipe for your first go(no bbl aged barleywines or lagers). For less than 200.00, you could be set up to do stove-top small batch all-grain brew-in-a-bag(BIAB). You don't need high end equipment to make top-notch beer. Secure a method of controlling fermentation temperature. This doesn't have to be a huge purchase. I use insulated cooler bags(cool-brewing is the company) with frozen water bottles, monitored by a thermometer probe in a thermowell. Works great for me. After you've done a few batches, and you're hooked(you probably will love it). Then you can start building a high-tech, high-end system. You'll also know more about the route you want to take to get there. Good luck, and welcome to the fold!
Alex

Hi Guys!

I totally agree with this statement. I used this route to get into brewing and to be honest I stayed right there. I just started experimenting with recipes on my one gallon batches. They were easy to brew (3 to 4 hours including clean up) and gave me enough beers (6 to 8) to enjoy when it turned out great, but not so many that I was devastated if it didn't work out and they needed to be dumped. I got so into in fact, that I started a company around it.

We try to tailor specifically to people very early on in their brewing journey. We offer all inclusive ingredients kits (not brew in a bag), and recipe specific, easy to follow instructions. Our premise is that you shouldn't need to have a world of experience to make great recipes.

I'm looking for some honest feedback here. For the new people to the club, does this sound like something you guys would be interested in? For the more seasoned brewers, would this have peaked your interest way back in the beginning?

Additionally, we are offering a 4 month subscription for people who would like to learn different recipes. The 4-month Program would cost $85. For that price you would receive one unique one gallon ingredients kit (with very easy to follow directions), designed by us, every month.

I'd love to hear any and all feedback you guys have for us!

If you would like more info, go on over to our website: brewinboxbeer.com

Sorry for the plug, but we value all the feedback we can get!

Cheers,

Joe

 

[BongoYodeler]

For my first time bottling (a couple of days ago), the spigot was extremely useful.

Well, it's been almost two weeks. Dying to hear if you've tried one yet.

 

[BrettCo124]

BongoYodeler: I am having a fun get together with friends on Friday night. That's when I'm officially opening them up and sharing them. Of course, I'm going to try it most likely Thursday before the party just in case it tastes bad.

As soon as I do, I'm going to let you all know! I did taste the beer when I took my gravity reading before bottling... it tasted great actually. So I'm hoping that could be a good sign.

I will send out a post either Thursday or Friday!