Noob questions!

[Jimmycjacobs]

Ok so I have a Belgian pale ale kit from morebeer and the yeast it comes with is Safale S-33 - I have read several posts on here about that particular yeast stating that under pitching would give a more traditional Belgian flavor. My question would be should I under pitch and how much would I if I did? (5 gallon batch by the way)
Ok so I do have one more question, the kit comes with 8 oz of corn suger to "dry out the beer" should I use this or substitute with DME?

 

[Jaybird]

I would pitch the entire pack myself. As this is your first kit you want to do all you can to ensure a good healthy fermentation.

I would use the corn sugar if it was in the kit and the recipe calls for it. Keep in mind this is your first kit. Brew it to a "TEE" then if there is questions, or Gawd forbid problems, you at least can say you followed the instructions.

Hope that helps and again, Welcome to HBT

Cheers
Jay

 

[narl79]

I agree with jaybird. This being your first kit follow it to the tee. If you play with the recipe and something goes wrong it will be harder to figure out what happend. If your like me and love to experiment do the first one normal and play with the second one. You will learn a lot from both sometimes good or bad but that's the fun of it. Good luck.

 

[evrose]

Ok so I have a Belgian pale ale kit from morebeer and the yeast it comes with is Safale S-33 - I have read several posts on here about that particular yeast stating that under pitching would give a more traditional Belgian flavor. My question would be should I under pitch and how much would I if I did? (5 gallon batch by the way)
Ok so I do have one more question, the kit comes with 8 oz of corn suger to "dry out the beer" should I use this or substitute with DME?

I have to agree with the others. For your first beer, focus on nailing the process. Don't try to get fancy yet, there's plenty of time for that in the future. Process, process, process. Once you have a good grasp of that, then you can start adding your own twists and variables.

Pitch the entire packet and note how it tastes. Use the corn sugar. Then, once you've tasted the baseline recipe, you can try tweaking and adding your own style. But you've got to have a baseline first or you won't know what was "normal" and what was the result of your changes.

Good luck.

 

[flars]

I agree with the previous posters advice. This is a question on MoreBeer kit instructions. I am not familiar with their instructions, but have experience with some other kits. Some kits come with instructions so generic it is almost impossible to make a good beer. How does MoreBeer do with their kit instructions?

 

[chad_]

Ok so I do have one more question, the kit comes with 8 oz of corn suger to "dry out the beer" should I use this or substitute with DME?

A lot of belgian style beers use a fair percentage of sugar in them. So I would say that there is not a point to substitute it because it is sticking to the belgian style of beer.

 

[Homercidal]

For a Belgian, I would not use DME. They use corn sugar for a reason. It's a clean flavor and dries out the beer. In fact, I'd probably substitute the corn sugar for table sugar, candi sugar, brown sugar, etc. Almost anything other than DME!

Honestly, go with the ingredients and instructions in the kit. If you get it brewed and decide you would prefer to make a change, do it on the next batch. Morebeer's kits are going to be high quality and they will brew beer to the description and style, if done right.

 

[masterfool101]

I agree with the previous posters advice. This is a question on MoreBeer kit instructions. I am not familiar with their instructions, but have experience with some other kits. Some kits come with instructions so generic it is almost impossible to make a good beer. How does MoreBeer do with their kit instructions?

The actual instructions tend to be pretty generic, but the sheet that comes with the kit has additional information that makes it more passable.

 

[Jimmycjacobs]

Thanks Everyone for all the advice!

I will definitely be following this recipe per the kit and instructions. I must learn patience with this new hobby haha - I am very anxious to start brewing. Two days 'till brew day!

Pertaining to their instructions - I would say they are adequate. I am relying heavily on HTB for a more in depth instruction though.

 

[ACbrewer]

1. Go with what has been shipped. that is the kit was tested and assembled for that.
2. as for the yeast and under pitching. Typically a Belgian, especially big ones (triples, quads) are under abou 20% from what one would normally pitch for that gravity. I'm not sure that is the case with a Belgian Blonde. HOWEVER, depending on when your yeast was made, and the gravity of the brew, and the yeast calculator, I think you might actually be a little short. As I recall, most calculators recommend a bit more than 1 dry yeast pack for almost all beers. - This is my way of saying, don't worry about it. You will brew a good beer with the kit.

But one final warning from a friend of mine who started brewing about 8 months ago.... "I'm ruined for commerical beer. Beers I used to drink just taste terrible now."[these were typically not BMC's] YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! lol

 

[IslandLizard]

I've never used S-33, but lots of S-05. One thing all good beer brewing has in common is controlling your fermentation temps.

Letting this yeast go rampant at a high temperature (above 70 or 75) will likely give you lots of off-flavors. Try to ferment your beer between 65 and 70 degrees, perhaps in a cellar or use a swamp cooler. Particularly keep it toward the cooler region (65) in the beginning and when most activity has passed (3-7 days) bring it in a somewhat warmer area (70-75) to condition out. The last also prevents the fermentation getting stuck at a high FG level.

The added sugar will help to bring the FG down a bit and create a dryer (not so sweet) balance.

From Fermentis
Safbrew S-33 Ale Yeast (Edme strain):
A very popular general purpose yeast, displaying both very robust conservation properties and consistent performance. This yeast produces superb flavor profiles and is used for the production of a varied range of top fermented special beers including Belgian type wheat beers, Trappist, etc.. Also recommended for bottle-conditioning of beers. Excellent performance in beers with alcohol contents of up to 7.5% but can ferment up to 11.5%.
Sedimentation: medium. Final gravity: high. Temperature range: 59-75 F.

 

[Jimmycjacobs]

Thank you all for the awesome information! I brewed last night and everything seemed to go to plan the only thing I did differently was adding about half the LME at the beginning and the other half at the end of the boil. My OG was about 1.065 with a target of 1.055 I have my fermentor in a swamp cooler and I'm keeping the temp around 65. I finished around midnight and this morning It's already bubbling. I am super excited!

Oh and I am hooked for life! I know I am only one brew partially in but I could brew everyday haha

Thanks again everyone!