Ive been wanting to get into brewing for a couple years now and ive finally ordered all equipment and ingredients for my first batch!!! Im basically looking for tips for beginners, recipes, and anything that could help me. Also a quick lesson on the concept of gravity would be great. Ive read into it and I think i understand but i feel im over thinking it a bit
Noob brewer!!! looking for tips
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EineProsit
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Keep it simple. Have fun. Clean, Sanitize, Sanitize, Sanitize
RDWHAHB
RDWHAHB
Gravity is simply an indication of how much "stuff" (i.e., sugar in this case) is dissolved into your water. Since sugar is converted into alcohol by the yeast, a decrease in the amount of sugar means it's been turned into alcohol.
A "normal" beer recipe might start with a gravity of 1.050. That means that it's 1.050 times as dense as pure water, that extra density coming from the sugar dissolved into the wort. When it finishes fermentation, it may have a gravity of 1.012. This is still more dense than pure water, as the yeast do not ferment all of the dissolved sugars and other solids in the wort. That 0.038 difference from the initial gravity to the final gravity allows you to determine the alcohol content--multiply it by 131 for the alcohol content by volume, about 5% in this case.
A "normal" beer recipe might start with a gravity of 1.050. That means that it's 1.050 times as dense as pure water, that extra density coming from the sugar dissolved into the wort. When it finishes fermentation, it may have a gravity of 1.012. This is still more dense than pure water, as the yeast do not ferment all of the dissolved sugars and other solids in the wort. That 0.038 difference from the initial gravity to the final gravity allows you to determine the alcohol content--multiply it by 131 for the alcohol content by volume, about 5% in this case.
That's a tall order. There's a ton of tips that you will pick up by spending WAY too much time on this forum, and without a doubt get John Palmer's "How to Brew"( an earlier version is also online).
A few important tips:
1. Relax. We all make mistakes. Yeast are forgiving. A wise man posted "The brewer makes wort, the Yeast make beer."
2. Sanitation, sanitation, sanitation. and again Sanitation.
3. Temperature control. Very important during the mash, fairly important during the boil(it must boil after all), critically important during the chilling before pitching your yeast, and absolutely vitally important during fermentation.
4. Patience grasshopper, patience. The yeast don't read and they work at their own pace. After you start your fermentation, don't even think about looking at your beer for at least 1 week. Then you can check the SG. But know that 2 weeks is usually better.
A few important tips:
1. Relax. We all make mistakes. Yeast are forgiving. A wise man posted "The brewer makes wort, the Yeast make beer."
2. Sanitation, sanitation, sanitation. and again Sanitation.
3. Temperature control. Very important during the mash, fairly important during the boil(it must boil after all), critically important during the chilling before pitching your yeast, and absolutely vitally important during fermentation.
4. Patience grasshopper, patience. The yeast don't read and they work at their own pace. After you start your fermentation, don't even think about looking at your beer for at least 1 week. Then you can check the SG. But know that 2 weeks is usually better.
boydster
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Read John Palmer's How to Brew (first edition, although a little dated, is free online: www.howtobrew.com)
Read Charles Papazian's Complete Joy of Homebrewing
Be patient. Don't be afraid to ask questions. You've found a good community here. What kind of a kit did you order? There is an entire section of the site dedicated to recipes, check out the banner at the top of the page and you'll see it. You can also check out sites like Brewtoad for more recipes. I'd recommend starting with some kits of styles you know you like, then branch out from there - this gives you a chance to get your process down while you brew beers you like. It will also give you a chance to learn how different ingredients work together which will help you in formulating your own recipes later on.
Specific Gravity is just a measure of how dense your wort is compared to water. Water will have a SG of 1.000. When you dissolve sugars in it (malt, honey, corn sugar, etc...) the density increases. When the yeast eat the sugars to create CO2 and alcohol, the density begins to get lower again. Eventually, the yeast run out of sugar that they can eat, so the gravity reaches a terminal point - this is the final gravity. You'll know you hit it when it remains the same over 3 or more days.
Generally, brewing goes something like this:
Make wort
Cool wort
Take specific gravity (O.G., or original gravity, before fermentation)
Pitch yeast
Wait 2-3 weeks
Take specific gravity
Wait 3 more days
Take specific gravity again - as long as it is the same as the last reading, you have hit your F.G., or final gravity
Bottle your beer
Store bottles at 70*F or more for 3 weeks
Make more beer
After 3 weeks, cool some bottles in fridge for a week or so
Enjoy beer
Make more beer
Read Charles Papazian's Complete Joy of Homebrewing
Be patient. Don't be afraid to ask questions. You've found a good community here. What kind of a kit did you order? There is an entire section of the site dedicated to recipes, check out the banner at the top of the page and you'll see it. You can also check out sites like Brewtoad for more recipes. I'd recommend starting with some kits of styles you know you like, then branch out from there - this gives you a chance to get your process down while you brew beers you like. It will also give you a chance to learn how different ingredients work together which will help you in formulating your own recipes later on.
Specific Gravity is just a measure of how dense your wort is compared to water. Water will have a SG of 1.000. When you dissolve sugars in it (malt, honey, corn sugar, etc...) the density increases. When the yeast eat the sugars to create CO2 and alcohol, the density begins to get lower again. Eventually, the yeast run out of sugar that they can eat, so the gravity reaches a terminal point - this is the final gravity. You'll know you hit it when it remains the same over 3 or more days.
Generally, brewing goes something like this:
Make wort
Cool wort
Take specific gravity (O.G., or original gravity, before fermentation)
Pitch yeast
Wait 2-3 weeks
Take specific gravity
Wait 3 more days
Take specific gravity again - as long as it is the same as the last reading, you have hit your F.G., or final gravity
Bottle your beer
Store bottles at 70*F or more for 3 weeks
Make more beer
After 3 weeks, cool some bottles in fridge for a week or so
Enjoy beer
Make more beer
danb35 covered gravity theory pretty well. How you do it is: using a sanitized sampler( wine thief, turkey baster, or 60cc syringe with a tubing) take your sample (I go through the airlock). It should be at 60* or you will need a table/formula to compensate for the temp difference. Use your hydrometer in the tube it came in, or a graduated cylinder. The hydrometer floats and you take your reading at the level of the beer. Drink the sample to see what it tastes like at this stage. DO NOT pour it back in the bucket. You'd run the risk of contaminating your batch .
That's it! (There's also a refractometer which is a different instrument using a lot less volume, but we won't go there)
That's it! (There's also a refractometer which is a different instrument using a lot less volume, but we won't go there)
Oh yeah, one more thing: Take notes! On everything you do, all your observations, what you like about your brew, what you think you might do differently, etc. Save those notes, refer back to them often, especially when you are thinking about redoing another batch of the same.
I would just love to see the notes from Denny, Revvy, Yooper, Nighthawk, Nightshade and the other gurus too numerous to mention.
I would just love to see the notes from Denny, Revvy, Yooper, Nighthawk, Nightshade and the other gurus too numerous to mention.
Ramitt
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If you are using tap water make sure your utility company is not adding chloramine, my first sever batches were ruined becuase of that, those grocery store water machines apparently do not always remove it all either. It is easy to fix with adding campden tablets to your brew water.
Thanks all. I purchased the up to date version of "how to brew" recently and i will be keeping that by my side. As for my kit i am using a very basic starter that an experienced brewer i know set up for me and i will be carbonating in bottles. I could barely afford the starter so i wont get into kegging and force carbonating just yet haha
masskrug
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I read this: http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/index.html
and every question I "Googled" led me to this site. You are in good hands. Ask questions and learn like we all did. Welcome.
and every question I "Googled" led me to this site. You are in good hands. Ask questions and learn like we all did. Welcome.
masskrug
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Where are you? I chuck 1/4 of a Campden tablet in my 5 gallons of tap water to eliminate chlorides. I let it sit overnight. Bottled water is $
