Nooblet Has (many already answered) Questions After First Brew!

[JasonOdd]

So rather then trying to search for answers and filter through 300 posts to find what I am looking for.. I figured I would just ask all the nagging questions in my head all at once. If that offends your forum godliness.. please just skip on by

Wine thief:
How do you sanitize it fast?
My cheap thief takes FOREVER to get a half a sample of beer into, what works better?
I took about 4 samples, seems like I wasted about 2 beers worth, is that normal?

SP.GR Meter:
Are they all set for reading at 60° ?
How do you read the meter with tiny bubbles/foam sticking to it?
How do you keep it from sticking to the side of the tube or is that ok?
Do they make a digital version?

Auto siphon:
Is it easy to sanitize?
Whats a good siphon to buy?
Is it really that bad if I just suck it and let the first little bit of wort flow into a waste container?
Does the auto siphon work with a bottle filler on it?

Plastic fermenter:
Is it ok to beat the hell out of the lid and shake up all the wort to get the lid on?

Glass Carboy:
40lbs of beer and wet Carboy = slippery .. do the handles you can buy work well?
If not all carboys are created equal.. whats a good brand?

Wort Chiller:
Is there an easy way to clean the copper coils, or is a rinse good enough?

Stir Spoon:
Plastic?

Bottles:
Does the dishwasher = clean enough for sanitation?
Is drowning them in an iodine bath the fastest way to sanitize?

Sanitation:
Is it always such a PITA?
It seems like I always have to make a new batch and sanitize something every day, is there a non-bleach long living sanitizing solution?
I feel like I need a clean room to brew beer.. am I just experiencing noobie over-clean syndrome?

Wort:
Can I drink a little to gauge flavor later?
I boiled 6 gallons, fermented 5, bottled 4.5, where is my 1/2 gallon of beer!?
Did you sneak in and drink it?
Was it good?

Oxygen:
It's THAT bad? A birdy told me that Sierra Nevada used to open ferment. Do I need to find a way to rack without the wort touching O2?

Bottle Capping:
Is the re-loader type the best?
Should I just buy a keg setup?

Bottle Caps:
Does the green painted caps make horny beer?


Answer what you like and thank you for your wisdom!

 

[DeafSmith]

So rather then trying to search for answers and filter through 300 posts to find what I am looking for.. I figured I would just ask all the nagging questions in my head all at once. If that offends your forum godliness.. please just skip on by

Wine thief:
How do you sanitize it fast?
My cheap thief takes FOREVER to get a half a sample of beer into, what works better?
I took about 4 samples, seems like I wasted about 2 beers worth, is that normal?

Use a spray bottle of StarSan - spray some inside - let it run down the sides and out the bottom, then spray down the outside. When taking a sample, try shaking the thief up and down (somewhere there is a video of someone doing this). I usually only take a couple of samples at end of fermentation - use my refractometer for OG.

SP.GR Meter:
Are they all set for reading at 60° ?
How do you read the meter with tiny bubbles/foam sticking to it?
How do you keep it from sticking to the side of the tube or is that ok?
Do they make a digital version?

I think most, if not all hydrometers are set for 60ºF - there should be a correction table provided with yours - otherwise there are some tables online.
Spin the hydrometer to get the bubbles off and take your reading before it sticks to the side of the tube.

Auto siphon:
Is it easy to sanitize?
Whats a good siphon to buy?
Is it really that bad if I just suck it and let the first little bit of wort flow into a waste container?
Does the auto siphon work with a bottle filler on it?

I sanitize mine in a long plastic tray - some use a bucket. I use Iodophor for this job - I've heard that if you use StarSan, the slipperiness of StarSan make is more likely to leak around the seal, though I'm sure many use StarSan without problems. I recommend the large (1/2 inch) autosiphon - racks faster and 3/8 ID silicone tubing fits nicely on the cane - easy to get on and off and the tubing can be boiled to sanitize (but don't boil the autosiphon). I don't recommend sucking on the tube to start a siphon - if you don't want to get an autosiphon, do a search for FlyGuy's T-siphon for another alternative. I've never used a bottle filler on an autosiphon - sounds like a big hassle to me - get a bottling bucket with a spout and read the thread on Revvy's bottling tips.

Plastic fermenter:
Is it ok to beat the hell out of the lid and shake up all the wort to get the lid on?

I don't know why you have trouble getting the lid on - most people have trouble getting it off. There is a tool for removing lids from paint buckets which I think can be purchased at a hardware store, Home Depot, Lowe's, etc.

Glass Carboy:
40lbs of beer and wet Carboy = slippery .. do the handles you can buy work well?
If not all carboys are created equal.. whats a good brand?

Glass carboys can be really dangerous! Many horror stories on here. Always use a milk crate or BrewHauler to lift a carboy - do NOT lift a full carboy using the carboy handles that attach to the neck - this are meant for empty carboys only. When cleaning a glass carboy, do not turn it sideways to empty - siphon the cleaning solution out first, then rinse - there is at least one thread on here describing how someone was emptying a carboy with a gallon or two of liquid and the bottom of the carboy just broke off - the guy had to go to the emergency room and get sewed up - still has some nerve damage. I recommend Better Bottles.
I don't know about carboy brands.

Wort Chiller:
Is there an easy way to clean the copper coils, or is a rinse good enough?

I just rinse mine off with the spray hose in my sink, then empty the water out of the coils.

Stir Spoon:
Plastic?

I use a nylon stirring wand, available at any LHBS

Bottles:
Does the dishwasher = clean enough for sanitation?
Is drowning them in an iodine bath the fastest way to sanitize?

Bottles - new ones I soak in a OxiClean solution, then rinse with a jet rinser that attaches to my faucet (with adapter) - I doubt that a dishwasher can get the inside of the bottles clean - also the rinse agent sometimes used in dishwashers is bad. For bottles I've already delabeled, I rinse out immediately after emptying, then just need to sanitize before bottling. Highly recommend a bottling tree and vinator.

Sanitation:
Is it always such a PITA?
It seems like I always have to make a new batch and sanitize something every day, is there a non-bleach long living sanitizing solution?
I feel like I need a clean room to brew beer.. am I just experiencing noobie over-clean syndrome?

Sanitation - StarSan - some people mix 5 gallons at a time - I just mix one gallon in a glass jug - use distilled water to mix and it will keep for weeks. Fill a spray bottle with it - you will use it a LOT.

Wort:
Can I drink a little to gauge flavor later?
I boiled 6 gallons, fermented 5, bottled 4.5, where is my 1/2 gallon of beer!?
Did you sneak in and drink it?
Was it good?

Nope - wasn't me.

Oxygen:
It's THAT bad? A birdy told me that Sierra Nevada used to open ferment. Do I need to find a way to rack without the wort touching O2?

If you're bottling, a little oxygen is unavoidable - just try to minimize it - rack without bubbles or spashing - if you stir in the priming sugar, do it very gently and just a couple of swirls. And don't worry about it after that - you'll probably have the beer drunk before any oxidized flavor shows up.

Bottle Capping:
Is the re-loader type the best?
Should I just buy a keg setup?

I prefer a bench type capper, which I suppose is what you're calling a reloader type (yeah, it does look a bit like a ammo reloading press). Whether to keg is up to you, but if you're just starting out, why not keep things simple at first and bottle - keg later if you want after you have mastered the brewing fundamentals.

Bottle Caps:
Does the green painted caps make horny beer?


Answer what you like and thank you for your wisdom!

 

[pd230soi]

Wine thief:
How do you sanitize it fast? wall paper tray
I took about 4 samples, seems like I wasted about 2 beers worth, is that normal? I just take one after 4 weeks. and then drink it. so not wasted.

Auto siphon:
Is it easy to sanitize? - wall paper tray.

Is it really that bad if I just suck it and let the first little bit of wort flow into a waste container? yes, bad.
Does the auto siphon work with a bottle filler on it? Bottling bucket with spigot.

Plastic fermenter:
Is it ok to beat the hell out of the lid and shake up all the wort to get the lid on? Sure. if its just as you add the yeasties.

Glass Carboy:
Buckets work very, very well for me.

Wort Chiller:
Is there an easy way to clean the copper coils, or is a rinse good enough? I just give a good rinse in my BK once its clean seems to do the trick.

Stir Spoon:
Plastic? - for boiling wort? i would stay with metal.....

Bottles:
Does the dishwasher = clean enough for sanitation? - really depends, i don't do this.
Is drowning them in an iodine bath the fastest way to sanitize? - Vintinator (piss poor spelling)

Sanitation:
Wall paper tray - fill with Starsan.

Bottle Capping:
Is the re-loader type the best? - yes, if you mean like an RCBS Rock Chucker.
Should I just buy a keg setup? - I bottle might keg later

Bottle Caps:
Does the green painted caps make horny beer? - yes, you should see them going at it during conditioning under the poncho liner.

 

[C-Rider]

New covers for the plastic fermenters have a "strip" that must be remove by pulling on the tab. After this all you need to do is press firmly on the cover and it will lock tight.

 

[prrriiide]

This should cover all your sanitation issues on brew or bottling days:

I fill up the bucket with the proper starsan solution (2 oz.: 5 gal). EVERYTHING that is going to get even close to my wort or beer goes skinny-dipping: hydrometer, caps, tubing, auto-siphon, thief, bottling wand, bottles, even the airlock, bucket lid and/or bung plug. When I dump the solution, I rotate the bucket so that every bit of the bucket gets coated. I hook up my tubing to the auto-siphon and run solution through it for a minute or two. Run solution through the valve on your bottling bucket. I've never had a problem.

I do run my stuff through the dishwasher (NOT THE HYDROMETER - learned that the hard way ), but it all still gets happy in the starsan afterward. The dishwasher rack is really handy for letting the bottles dry after their dip in the bucket.

It's right to be particular about sanitizing, but a clean room is a little much. Paranoia can make brewing a chore instead of an enjoyable activity. Just make sure that everything that comes in contact with your wort or beer is clean and had a squirt of or a dip in starsan. Whatever you do, don't use a scrub brush on your plastic fermenter! If you scratch up the inside with scotch-brite, it will leave all kinds of havens for the nasties to hide in. Hot water and a washcloth have always worked for me.

Carboys: better bottle is the way to go. They make them with rotating racking ports as well.

Cheap thief: use a sanitized turkey baster to draw off enough to sample.

Wort: you should taste it at all stages. Nobody is drinking your stuff. It's in the trub, the yeast cake, transfer loss, sampling loss (which isn't really lost if you're drinking it). I usually plan to lose 1-2 quarts by the time I get it in the bottles.

 

[GreenDragon]

New trick I picked up that's 1000% easier then the auto siphon... get one of those plastic carboy toppers. Stick just the inner part of your auto siphon in the hole going strait up then blow in the other hole and bam! your siphon is going AND you don't have to set there holding it, just move it down another inch or two every so often to keep the lip under the beer.

Best damn trick I've learned since putting ice water in my wart to help drop it to pitching temps!

 

[JasonOdd]

Wow, thanks everyone! I am going to be looking at this page on my phone when I stop back into my LHBS to help with purchases!

Looks like I need to grab a bottle bucket w/spigot, long plastic tray, Starsan and an auto siphon to make life easier. I think I am going to ditch the glass carboy 2nd. I haven't decided if I want to keep the beer in the 1st longer and skip the racking, or just buy a safer 2nd.

I have a shed I am not using, I think I am going to convert it into a Brew Shack, with a brew kitchen of sorts outside of it. The wife and I knew instantly that I would be spending a lot of time on this new hobby. She's thrilled (it cost WAY less then computers, Jeeps and guns .. so far) and is already got her friends asking for special orders. However, it seems I am the only person who likes the smell of boiling wort in the whole house.

It's hard not to jump into the deep end of brewing and start buying bigger batch conicals (I want more then 2 cases of beer per batch ). I'm trying to forcing myself to start small until I have a better idea of what I am doing. :rockin:

Thanks again for taking the time to reply!

 

[jsweet]

Just to let you know, lots of folks still do use glass carboys (myself included). The safety concerns are real, but there's no actual data on just how much of a concern that is. It's ultimately up to personal preference, so do what feels right to you.

 

[JasonOdd]

I really like the way the glass looks and how easy it is to clean.. but I have to lift mine and move it around a bit and it's just not worth the risks (albeit small risks). The other part I don't like about the glass carboy is the size. I think I am going to start making 10 gallon batches starting with my second batch. My (first) 5 gallon batch was a lot of sanitizing and cleaning for a meager 48 beers! That's only a 10 day supply in my house and I want each brew to last longer until my next batch is ready to bottle.

 

[DeafSmith]

Just to let you know, lots of folks still do use glass carboys (myself included). The safety concerns are real, but there's no actual data on just how much of a concern that is. It's ultimately up to personal preference, so do what feels right to you.

I mostly use Better Bottles, but I do have one glass carboy which I sometimes use - here is a list of the precautions I follow when handling glass:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/carboy-dangers-potential-death-232037/index2.html#post2751531