Newbie questions

[drummerguy]

I just received my Northern Brewer starter kit today and I have some questions before my first brew day.

How should I go about cleaning the fermentor/bottling bucket before the first use? The kit came with a packet of PBW cleaner, but I didn't know if this would be used to clean the fermentor after the first batch was finished. Would regular dish soap be okay for the first cleaning, or should I go ahead and use the PBW?

Also, how long with an extract kit remain fresh? I know the yeast packet should be kept cool, but what about the rest of the kit? I'm hoping to order another kit when I place an order in the near future, but my first batch will probably still be fermenting at that point. And how long will hops remain fresh? I ask this because my kit was missing the hops when I checked to make sure everything was present. I spoke with Northern Brewer and was told they will ship out tomorrow, which means I will receive them next week. I planned on going to a store this weekend to pick up some bottles, and figured I would get the necessary hops so I can do my first brewing this weekend. Doing so will result in me having extra hops lying around.

I'm sure I have other questions I can't remember at this time, but any help with these would be greatly appreciated.

 

[trevorc13]

1) Since you just bought a new fermenter, just a rinse to get the dust out will be fine, but make sure to sanitize with star-san or something similar. After fermenting is done, use PBW before your next batch.
2) Extract will diminish over time, but as long as its stored in a cool/dry area it should be okay for a month or so. I wouldn't feel comfortable longer than that.
3) Hops are kind of the same but if you want to store them, make sure they're out of the light and away from air. They should last a couple months like that.

Hope that's helpful.

 

[goovaerl92]

For the first use all you would need to do is use some form of sanitizer such as a star san of iostar just to be safe. After your first brew, use the PBW to help clean out all the organic matter that has collected in the fermenter, and then make sure to sanitize and rinse the fermenter after that.

As far as hops go, i usually just try to seal them in some form of container and throw em in the fridge. This works great if you plan on using them in the span of a couple months tops. Anything over that and your risk of oxidation goes up and some aroma begins to go away the longer you have them. For your use, they will be fine in the fridge for a week.

Cheers!

 

[andy6026]

The extract in the kit will remain good long past the expiry date on the kit. The brew may come out a little darker than expected if it's older, but the expiry date on the kit is determined by the yeast which you will want to use ideally within 2 months of its manufacture. That said, I brewed yesterday with a packet of liquid yeast that was manufactured in September, 2013, but I made sure I made a large yeast starter to help it along. However, I still likely under-pitched.

As others have said, try to use the hops within a few months for optimal freshness. If they are well sealed and refrigerated (or even vacuum sealed and frozen) then they can last a long time.

 

[Onetime]

Congrats on your NB kit purchase. I also went with NB and the kit i received came with an instructional video. My advice would be to watch the instructional video ( or look up NB on youtube) and follow the written instructions that came with your beer kit. There is some debate about If a secondary should b used or not. I used the secondary for my first batch because it called for it. However, my second batch i did not. You will learn tricks of the trade from friends, this forum, and your local brew shop down the road. Keep it simple your 1st go around and Beer you shall make.

Good times!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[mgortel]

Great advice from others on your questions. My recommendation on bottles...even though you didn't ask..... would be to go out and buy a couple cases of gooooood beer that is in amber bottles that require bottle opener......drink them....save the bottles and clean them and use them for bottling your home-brew!

No sense buying empty bottles unless you are in a pinch...i.e. you can;t drink (2) case before your brew day this weekend!

My favorite bottles to use are Guinness bottles...but any bottles that are dark and require bottle opener will do nicely. If they have labels soak them for a day or 2 and the labels will peel off.....scrub the glue off the exterior with a brush......and you are good. I like Guiness bottle cause you can slice the labels and they fall off (i.e. no glue...shrink wrapped)

Welcome to the obsession!

 

[drummerguy]

Thanks for the information, everyone. I guess I will just throw the hops into the fridge until I need them. I may be able to find a recipe which only requires purchasing the extract and yeast.

Congrats on your NB kit purchase. I also went with NB and the kit i received came with an instructional video. My advice would be to watch the instructional video ( or look up NB on youtube) and follow the written instructions that came with your beer kit. There is some debate about If a secondary should b used or not. I used the secondary for my first batch because it called for it. However, my second batch i did not. You will learn tricks of the trade from friends, this forum, and your local brew shop down the road. Keep it simple your 1st go around and Beer you shall make.

Good times!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

I watched those videos multiple many times before I actually ordered my kit. I think that's what has me so excited to finally get started.

Great advice from others on your questions. My recommendation on bottles...even though you didn't ask..... would be to go out and buy a couple cases of gooooood beer that is in amber bottles that require bottle opener......drink them....save the bottles and clean them and use them for bottling your home-brew!

No sense buying empty bottles unless you are in a pinch...i.e. you can;t drink (2) case before your brew day this weekend!

My favorite bottles to use are Guinness bottles...but any bottles that are dark and require bottle opener will do nicely. If they have labels soak them for a day or 2 and the labels will peel off.....scrub the glue off the exterior with a brush......and you are good. I like Guiness bottle cause you can slice the labels and they fall off (i.e. no glue...shrink wrapped)

Welcome to the obsession!

I do plan to save the bottles I finish between now and bottling day; However, I don't think I will be able to finish off 2 cases by then. I may get close to 1 case and then I can just buy a case of empties. And speaking of bottles, do I need to just rinse them out the first time before I sanitize them? That probably sounds like a dumb question, but I want to make sure I do everything correctly the first time.

 

[Onetime]

If you plan to stick with bottles, invest in a bottling Fast Rack. Youtube fast rake and check them out.

Sounds simple but the bottles i want to keep i poor the contents in a glass ( drink it of course) and immediately rinse the bottles 3x in hot water. Then place the bottles upside in the Rake. On bottling day i sanitize them and fill.

I found Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co. 22oz work great because the labels peel off easy and their Davy Brown is great.

Good Times


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[mgortel]

If you do what Onetime says you will be golden......I on the other hand sometimes fail to rinse my bottles thoroughly immediately after drinking (usually after I have had 1 too many....).....so buy yourself a bottle cleaning brush and use it to scrub any bottles that have any residue in them....rinse a few times then sanitize just before bottling

 

[BugDude]

Your starter kit has everything you need for a "basic" first batch. You will soon realize that you've opened pandoras box and there are numerous other things you'll want to accumulate over time.

That extract kit will keep for a long time. It's airtight sealed. Just as others have said keep it out of the light and heat as much as possible

As for the bucket you are most likely ok just rinsing it out and using starsan. However that packet of pbw won't last long. I'd suggest going out and buying a decent sized bottle of starsan and tub of pbw. You'll always need a cleaner and sanatizer on hand

As for the hops, with a kit they're typically pellet hops and again sealed in an airtight package. Just keep out of the sun and they will keep for a while.

As for the bottles you can either buy them empty from the brew store or you can buy them full and drink them empty (my preferred method).
Just make sure if you drink them empty that you rinse them out immediately. It will save you hours of cleaning to spend 30 seconds rinsing

The starter kit should have come with a bottle brush. I clipped the end off the brush so I could put it in my drill. Makes cleaning the bottles a little easier too.

 

[Puddlethumper]

+1 to most of the above.

Buy your bottles full and drink them empty. Kirkland ales at Costco are pretty decent and the bottles and cases are great. Why pay $12 for a case of empties when you can get a case of fulls for $18?

Rinse your bottles as soon as they are empty. All you'll need to do is sanitize them before bottling. Let them get cruddy and you'll have some cleaning to do.

Stay away from New Belgium beers if you are looking for bottles. Their bottles are flimsy and break easily. Great beer for drinking but not so good for bottles to reuse.

Keep your hops and beer out of the sunlight. UV radiation kills them both.

Beer is like chess or golf -- pretty easy to do -- challenging to do well.

Cheers!