bdaddy
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2009
- Messages
- 81
- Reaction score
- 2
Still waiting for fermentation to begin on my first brew, but thought I'd ask a few questions that came up as I went through my first brew
1) I ordered the kit from midwest and asked for the crushed grain for the specialty grain , instead of doing it myself. When I put the grain in the muslin bag, grain was coming out of the bag even while it was sitting on the counter (not a lot, but was leaving a trail). The same happened within my brew. Is this normal? Or did they crush the grain too fine? Wondering what will be the outcome of the beer, if any.
2) I pre-boiled 3 gallons to put in the fermenter. Palmer suggests doing this the night before, but I did it right before (so had quite a problem getting this temp down as well as the wort temp). Anyways, next time I plan to do it the night before. Is it ok to pre-boil and sit overnight? As much as we worry about sanitization, there's not risk to the water we're mixing in the final fermenter to have sat overnight in this manner?
3) I have an extra kit that I won't be brewing for 3-4 weeks. I saw some threads on storing and most recommend a cool/dry place, but I don't really have one other than the fridge. My options are fridge (cold, moist) or room temp/closet (76-78, dry). What is the best option of the 2 for each of the following: extract, hops, steeping grain, dry yeast packet.
4) The kit recommended adding the bittering hops as soon as you see a bubble, but Palmer suggests waiting until after the hot break. Which is better? (Note: I didn't really notice a major hot break so I'm not sure I was looking for the right thing?)
5) Is there a recommended way to clean a stainless steel strainer? It got quite clogged, and I was soaking it but my wife said that will cause it to rust.
Thanks for all the help!
1) I ordered the kit from midwest and asked for the crushed grain for the specialty grain , instead of doing it myself. When I put the grain in the muslin bag, grain was coming out of the bag even while it was sitting on the counter (not a lot, but was leaving a trail). The same happened within my brew. Is this normal? Or did they crush the grain too fine? Wondering what will be the outcome of the beer, if any.
2) I pre-boiled 3 gallons to put in the fermenter. Palmer suggests doing this the night before, but I did it right before (so had quite a problem getting this temp down as well as the wort temp). Anyways, next time I plan to do it the night before. Is it ok to pre-boil and sit overnight? As much as we worry about sanitization, there's not risk to the water we're mixing in the final fermenter to have sat overnight in this manner?
3) I have an extra kit that I won't be brewing for 3-4 weeks. I saw some threads on storing and most recommend a cool/dry place, but I don't really have one other than the fridge. My options are fridge (cold, moist) or room temp/closet (76-78, dry). What is the best option of the 2 for each of the following: extract, hops, steeping grain, dry yeast packet.
4) The kit recommended adding the bittering hops as soon as you see a bubble, but Palmer suggests waiting until after the hot break. Which is better? (Note: I didn't really notice a major hot break so I'm not sure I was looking for the right thing?)
5) Is there a recommended way to clean a stainless steel strainer? It got quite clogged, and I was soaking it but my wife said that will cause it to rust.
Thanks for all the help!