so far... FREAKIN' AWESOME!!!!!

[pbowler]

Williams Brew kit Califonia Pilsner 4 days in the Primary and i took a sample.

I've had my last three brews turn Band-Aid flavoured so if this batch was bad I wanna know now

Star San'd a ladle and removed the Airlock (one peice at a time to avoid dripping) and pulled the lid.

Ladled two scoops into a Red Wine Glass, and let the sediment drop.

scooped out the yeast at the top and took a sip.

HOLY CRAP!!!!!!
that is some good shiz-nit. tastes like a good flat cool Hoppy Pilsner.

I had bought an OZ of Goldings to put in the Secondary, but this was plenty bitter.
I know some of that is Trub, but maybe I'll wait until I rack it to the Secondary to take another sample, then decide if I'll add the Golding

re-sanitized the airlock and refilled it with Bushmills.


MAN am I psyched!!!

can't beleive I waited 8 years to do this again!!!

 

[Walker]

I had bought an OZ of Goldings to put in the Secondary, but this was plenty bitter.
I know some of that is Trub, but maybe I'll wait until I rack it to the Secondary to take another sample, then decide if I'll add the Golding re-sanitized the airlock and refilled it with Bushmills.

Just note that dry hopping won't add any bitterness. You'll only get hop aroma from it, so even if you are happy with the bitterness, you might still consider adding the goldings in the 2ndary.

 

[pbowler]

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!

man, this Board is the best (Actually tied for the best with http://www.bimmerboard.com/forums/e32/)

this is EXACTLY what I hoped it would be like.

I am ABSOLUTELY gonna add that Golding, I LOVE a hoppy smell.

and again, I'm sure a lot of that bitterness is from the trub.

 

[hopster]

Yes, by all means add the dry hops. Since aroma (smell) and taste are related, the dry hops will enhance the hops effect. I regularly dry hops even when the recipe does not call for it.

 

[ayrton]

Isn't it always a kick when you know your beer is going to kick ass?

 

[pbowler]

yeah, I'm cautiously geeked

 

[pbowler]

yeah, I'm cautiously geeked

 

[pbowler]

OK, into the secondary, comes out to 5.5% abv by my calculations, yikes!!

this was supposed to be 4% as the recipe goes, but it started higher (they're calculation error obviously) and finished lower.

could a slightly elevated Fermenting temp (i.e. 68F instead of the recommended 65F) have caused this?

anyway still tastes good, and I dry hopped the secondary. They were Cascade hops, not Golding as I originally indicated (turns out I'm full of ****)

 

[Walker]

OK, into the secondary, comes out to 5.5% abv by my calculations, yikes!!

this was supposed to be 4% as the recipe goes, but it started higher (they're calculation error obviously) and finished lower.

could a slightly elevated Fermenting temp (i.e. 68F instead of the recommended 65F) have caused this?

Nope. the temp cannot affect the abv. If you want my honest opinion, I would guess that you had a bad reading for your OG (misread device or not having the wort mixed up thoroughly) or used too little water in the batch. A kit shouldn't be off by 1.5% abv.

-walker

 

[pbowler]

gotcha, it was 3 gallons of water added to a 3 gallon boil, so yeah, you're probably right about the unmixed wort.

my only hesitation is that it taste's pretty strong...

but let's assume that their OG was correct

I've still finished .003 lower than they expected (1.017, wheras I'm at 1.014)

1.044-1.014 = .030 * 131 or 3.9%

damn... ok, nevermind

I'll call that a sucessful fermentation!!