So let's hope I did this right

[idtapit]

Hey everyone. First time brewer here. Started last night, and after a long time waiting for it to cool I have now added it to the fermenter. I do how ever have a few question about a few things I did. So after my boil I needed to add 2 gallons of water to bring it up to 5 gallons, and I did so and waited, and waited for it to cool. Once it did, and I moved it to my fermenter I saw it was only reading 4 gal. So I added another gallon. Was that ok? Then also why syphon my wort over to my fermenter I also manage to syhon some of the junk that settled at the bottom of boil. Will that be a problem? Then my last question is how long should it take for me to see some kind of action happening from my airlock? I know I just moved it over to my fermenter, but just didn't want to worry if I didn't see anything happen or what I could do if after awhile nothing was happening? Also the beer that I brewed last night was a Amber Ale, it's a kit I picked up at a local shop called flat tire. It's a kick off of the beer called fat tire. Thanks for the help.

 

[stevem86]

Sounds like you either had a lot of boil off or you didn't have enough water in your boil to begin with. Since this is your first batch, it shouldn't really be an issue but you will want to make sure that you are boiling with the correct amount of water.
As far as transferring it to the fermenter, you don't really need to siphon it, you can just dump it in (you have to aerate the wort anyway.) transferring the gunk at the bottom will be fine, you usually don't want to do it but it won't hurt anything.

Welcome to the hobby/obsession.

 

[Blarneybrew]

Only issue I see if with the quality of water you added and if there is anything in it to contaminate the wort.

 

[BigFloyd]

Next time doing a partial boil batch, try chilling the wort while still in the kettle by doing an ice bath in the sink. You want to get it down below 90. Chill your top off water ahead of time so that it's just above freezing. When you combine the two, you can pretty easily end up with 5 gallons of wort in the low 60's.

 

[Yooper]

Next time doing a partial boil batch, try chilling the wort while still in the kettle by doing an ice bath in the sink. You want to get it down below 90. Chill your top off water ahead of time so that it's just above freezing. When you combine the two, you can pretty easily end up with 5 gallons of wort in the low 60's.

That's what I was going to say!

Chill the small volume of boiling wort to under 100 degrees first, and then add your top up water. It's pretty easy to chill 2 gallons of hot wort in an ice bath in the sink in 20 minutes, then when you add the top-off water you can easily hit 60-65 degrees if it's cold water and it's done.

It takes a long time for a larger volume of too-warm wort to cool, as you've seen!

 

[RM-MN]

Next time doing a partial boil batch, try chilling the wort while still in the kettle by doing an ice bath in the sink. You want to get it down below 90. Chill your top off water ahead of time so that it's just above freezing. When you combine the two, you can pretty easily end up with 5 gallons of wort in the low 60's.

This is a good temperature to start fermenting your beer too. If you ferment it too warm it will give you off flavors and perhaps even a "hot alcohol" taste.

 

[idtapit]

I made sure I cleaned and sanitized everything as best as I could or should have. What about the airlock? When should I start to see something? It's only in there for a week before it gets moved to the bottles for another two weeks of sitting. Anything I can do when I transfer to the bottles to make I don't get any of that settlement in the bottles? Thanks again for the tips.

 

[flars]

I made sure I cleaned and sanitized everything as best as I could or should have. What about the airlock? When should I start to see something? It's only in there for a week before it gets moved to the bottles for another two weeks of sitting. Anything I can do when I transfer to the bottles to make I don't get any of that settlement in the bottles? Thanks again for the tips.

You don't want to bottle before fermentation is complete. The only way to tell if fermentation is complete is by taking hydrometer readings. Two or three stable readings over a course of three to four days and you have reached final gravity.

Yeast will finish the ferment when they finish. There are many variables which determine the amount of time it will take. The recipe is just a guide. One week in the primary is typically way to short for any beer.

Keep the wort temperature in the low to mid 60°s and you will end up with good beer.
Happy brewing.

 

[RM-MN]

I made sure I cleaned and sanitized everything as best as I could or should have. What about the airlock? When should I start to see something? It's only in there for a week before it gets moved to the bottles for another two weeks of sitting. Anything I can do when I transfer to the bottles to make I don't get any of that settlement in the bottles? Thanks again for the tips.

It takes the yeast some time to get their population built up and start the active part of the ferment. I usually see activity 24 to 36 hours from the time I pitch the yeast but that depends a lot on the amount of yeast I pitch and how cool the wort is. Here's a nice article that explains the life cycle of the yeast. I find that for me it takes longer than the article mentions though. http://www.brewgeeks.com/the-life-cycle-of-yeast.html

 

[idtapit]

I was shocked to see that I was a gallon short though cause I added some after t boil to bring it to 5 gallons or so I thought but once I moved it to the bucket it was reading only 4 then I added more. Do I have to clean and sanitize the hydrometer as well? I forgot to get a sample before adding the yeast and sealing it. When would be a good time to get one and then compair again?

 

[unionrdr]

It wouldn't be accurate taking a reading after the yeast start reproducing & fermenting. The kit's recipe page should give OG/FG ranges for the beer. You could go with the OG given this time. But give it two weeks,then take a gravity reading to see how close it is to the FG range given in the recipe.
When it gets down to a stable FG,give it another 3-7 days to clean up any by products of fermentation & settle out clear or slightly misty,then prime & bottle.

 

[BigFloyd]

That's what I was going to say!

Every once in a great while I get lucky and beat you to it.

 

[idtapit]

Now that's it's been since Saturday morning that I've started the fermenting process. How often should I see something happening in my airlock? Temp is readying about 68 deg. I was watching it maybe 5 min last night, and didn't see anything going on with it. There is a little condensation at the end of the tube as its coming out of the bucket.

 

[brewkinger]

Now that's it's been since Saturday morning that I've started the fermenting process. How often should I see something happening in my airlock? Temp is readying about 68 deg. I was watching it maybe 5 min last night, and didn't see anything going on with it. There is a little condensation at the end of the tube as its coming out of the bucket.

You may not see any activity at all. If using a bucket, there might not be a tight seal and pressure is escaping.

If the temperature is reading 68 degrees on the "outside" of the ferment vessel then internal temps could be as much as 10 degrees higher inside. Look up "swamp cooler". Hot ferment temps lead to fusel alcohols which are commonly referred to as "hot" flavors in the finished product.

 

[cobrem]

I was shocked to see that I was a gallon short though cause I added some after t boil to bring it to 5 gallons or so I thought but once I moved it to the bucket it was reading only 4 then I added more. Do I have to clean and sanitize the hydrometer as well? I forgot to get a sample before adding the yeast and sealing it. When would be a good time to get one and then compair again?

You should sanitize anything that touches the "end product" wort. For hydrometer samples, you can use a clean and sanitized turkey baster or wine thief to move the wort to your sample vessel. No need to sanitize the sample vessel or hydrometer - ASSUMING you are not touching the sample vessel with the thief/baster, and you are not returning the sample to your batch. I usually end up drinking the sample to see how it's coming along.

 

[RM-MN]

You may not see any activity at all. If using a bucket, there might not be a tight seal and pressure is escaping.

If the temperature is reading 68 degrees on the "outside" of the ferment vessel then internal temps could be as much as 10 degrees higher inside. Look up "swamp cooler". Hot ferment temps lead to fusel alcohols which are commonly referred to as "hot" flavors in the finished product.

This statement isn't quite true. The outside of the fermentation vessel temperature follows quite closely with the internal temperature. However, that may be quite a bit above the ambient temperature, and the higher the ambient temperature the greater the difference as warmer temperatures make the yeast work faster which then gives off more heat. When I ferment at 62 degrees ambient, the fermenter will only rise to about 64 at the peak of fermentation.

 

[flars]

Hey everyone. First time brewer here. Started last night, and after a long time waiting for it to cool I have now added it to the fermenter. I do how ever have a few question about a few things I did. So after my boil I needed to add 2 gallons of water to bring it up to 5 gallons, and I did so and waited, and waited for it to cool. Once it did, and I moved it to my fermenter I saw it was only reading 4 gal. So I added another gallon. Was that ok? Then also why syphon my wort over to my fermenter I also manage to syhon some of the junk that settled at the bottom of boil. Will that be a problem? Then my last question is how long should it take for me to see some kind of action happening from my airlock? I know I just moved it over to my fermenter, but just didn't want to worry if I didn't see anything happen or what I could do if after awhile nothing was happening? Also the beer that I brewed last night was a Amber Ale, it's a kit I picked up at a local shop called flat tire. It's a kick off of the beer called fat tire. Thanks for the help.

The gallon or liter level marks on a bucket are not always correct. When this brew is done use a gallon/liter jug to fill your bucket. Mark off the level as you add each gallon/liter. After this when you need to top off the wort to recipe volume you will know you aren't diluting the wort and reducing the recipe Original Gravity.

 

[twistr25]

Now that's it's been since Saturday morning that I've started the fermenting process. How often should I see something happening in my airlock? Temp is readying about 68 deg. I was watching it maybe 5 min last night, and didn't see anything going on with it. There is a little condensation at the end of the tube as its coming out of the bucket.

The other thing about airlocks, it just says that gas is escaping, this will not tell you much about how the beer is fermenting at all. One tricked I've used is to briefly shine a flashlight through the bucket to see if you can tell a krausen ring has formed. That way you at least know it is working even if you do not see any bubbles.

 

[brewkinger]

This statement isn't quite true. The outside of the fermentation vessel temperature follows quite closely with the internal temperature. However, that may be quite a bit above the ambient temperature, and the higher the ambient temperature the greater the difference as warmer temperatures make the yeast work faster which then gives off more heat. When I ferment at 62 degrees ambient, the fermenter will only rise to about 64 at the peak of fermentation.

Absolutely. I was half asleep this morning when I typed that.

I also tend to ferment at the low end of the spectrum for all my yeasts and the internal temps are usually 2-3 degrees above whatever the thermometer reads.

 

[idtapit]

So it went from nothing to this!! I going to bet that's not normal? So what do I do?

 

[idtapit]

It's blowing off currently

 

[idtapit]

I took it off rinsed it out real quick in some star san. Hope that was ok?

 

[unionrdr]

Cleaning it with PBW or the like then sanitizing would've been better. Can't sanitize dirt...

 

[twistr25]

It's blowing off currently

Now you know the reason we suggest setting up a blowoff tube for the first few days.