Second Brew Qs about boiling, SG, hotbreak, hops etc.

[Dpdk]

Hello everyone!

Last night I started my second batch of beer and as usual with beginners, I have a couple questions. First off, a touch of background. My first batch was very simple to make. I bought wort from a local microbrewery (Paddockwood) and then added it to the carboy with the yeast. Very simple and easy, but quality beer came out of it which is what you want for the first go around.

This time, I moved on to extract brewing. KISSing, I used the recipe from John Palmer's intro section of How to Brew, the Cincinnati Pale Ale.

Everything was going great until I tried to resume the boil of 3 gallons with the extract in it (can you call it wort at this stage?). My first beginner's mistake was not turning the the stove back on and not for ten minutes or so! When I did my GAS stove couldn't bring the wort up to a rolling boil without the lid covering most of the opening of the pot. Which leads me to my first question:

1. Do most natural gas stoves have difficulty maintaining a rolling boil with 3 gallons in the pot?​

I ended up having to cover most of it and remove the condensation from the lid when I stirred the pot.

2. Is the hot break when it initially begins to foam up or is it when it stops foaming? I think that this might have been clearer to me if my less than stellar boil had performed as desired.

3. Bittering hops should be added at what point? After it starts foaming?​

For the cooling off, I brought it down to about 35 C and added the yeast which had started nicely. After, I read that room temp (21 C) is what you usually aim for. My yeast packages were Nottingham. There is already action in the fermentor so I don't think that I killed those little guys, and 35 C is within their safe range according to the package. However:

4. Does starting fermentation at a high temp (35 C) have any ill effects for an ale?​

Now down to my last question. I forgot to take an OG measurement before I put the yeast. I managed to find a thread asking the same question, but I the answer doesn't sit right with me.

5. Is there any way to account for the change to the Specific Gravity if the yeast has already been added?​

Well there is the story of my second brew. The first one turned out great and continues to get better. I'm looking forward to enjoying it out in the hot sun. Thanks in advance.

David

 

[impur]

I'll give your questions a shot.

1. My nat gas stove doesn't have any problem maintaining a rolling boil up to about 5gal. My stove has 1 burner that is about twice the size of the other 3 for this purpose i believe. I usually boil on a turkey fryer burner outdoors though.

2. Hot break is the protein that coagulates as foam on top of the wort before the boil starts, and as it reaches a boil it "breaks" due to its collected mass and falls out to the bottom of the kettle. From https://www.homebrewtalk.com/wiki/index.php/Hot_break

3. Best to add bittering hops just after the hot break

4. At 35 C or 95 F I think you will kill the yeast upon contact with the wort. You need to cool the wort down to at least 70 F. The low 60s is even better. The higher the temp of the wort, the more likely you will get off flavors.

5. Depends on how long its been. If its only been a few hours go ahead and take a test. If its been a day or more, I don't know how you would calculate OG.


HTH

 

[unionrdr]

35C (95F) is def way too high of a pitch temp. You get fusel alcohols & other off flavors that way. I always put the BK in an ice bath in the kitchen sink & bring it down to 21C (70F).
My electric stove isn't any faster. Just let the water steam for a little while to get the chlorine evaporated 1st. Then take it off the heat to add LME. Leave it on the heat to add DME. Just keep stiring as you add it.
And watch the kettle close when the foamy break material starts rising. It's pretty fast,& you have to keep it stirred down.
After it breaks,then start your hop additions. Bittering hops are added 1st,at 55-60 minutes. Then flavor hops,then aroma hops last.
Look up the expected OG for your brew. That way,you have an idea of what you started with. Just remember to take future hydrometer readings,& record them in your notes with everything else you did,good,bad,or ugly.

 

[Dpdk]

Thanks for the help. I'm going to leave it for a few more days but if I don't see any signs of fermentation should I prep some more yeast and add that? I know that you are supposed to avoid dumping wort at all costs!

 

[impur]

If it doesn't start you can pitch some more yeast, but i'm going to bet it starts up for ya.

 

[Dpdk]

Well impur, you were right! After not checking it out for a few days, I went to my LHBS and bought some more yeast packages. Started boiling some water to sanitize it and then went to bring the carboy up to the kitchen. Huzah! It was bubbling away maddly! Hopefully this thing will have stopped fermenting before Monday and I can get it bottled!

 

[Dpdk]

Okay here is another question for the great minds of HBT. Due to the stress that I have put on this batch of yeast, should I rack to a secondary? I understand that secondaries are no longer in favour with most for ordinary beers, but this one hasn't been the smoothest ride for the yeast.

 

[hector]

Okay here is another question for the great minds of HBT. Due to the stress that I have put on this batch of yeast, should I rack to a secondary?

According to your high initial Temperature and the stress you mentioned , there could be some off-flavors and undesirable bi-products in the Beer . Therefore , I would leave it in the Primary for 7-14 more days , so that the yeast has the opportunity to clear up most of the off-flavors .

Hector

 

[impur]

According to your high initial Temperature and the stress you mentioned , there could be some off-flavors and undesirable bi-products in the Beer . Therefore , I would leave it in the Primary for 7-14 more days , so that the yeast has the opportunity to clear up most of the off-flavors .

Hector

+1 you need those yeasties to help get rid of the off-flavors. If you rack to secondary you won't have nearly as much yeast to help out.