Starting My 2nd Batch this Weekend

[WSURaider41]

Well I will officially brew my 2nd batch this weekend. I will probably get on making my yeast starter tonight and brew on Saturday. I'll be making the AHS Holiday Ale. I'm excited. This has some little extra additions that I didn't have with my Sierra Nevada Pale Ale clone. Should be fun!

I am hoping to have this one ready by Christmas so I can take it to my family and my fiance's family. Share the wealth a little.

 

[dfc]

WSU, huh? I grew up in Dayton. Sorry, I know it's off topic.

 

[WSURaider41]

Oh yeah, no it's cool. I grew up in Dayton too. Well, outside of Dayton but in the suburbs of Dayton. I went to WSU for my B.S. and M.Ed.

 

[dfc]

Oh yeah, no it's cool. I grew up in Dayton too. Well, outside of Dayton but in the suburbs of Dayton. I went to WSU for my B.S. and M.Ed.

Dayton was pretty cool in the early 90's but it's been a dying city for a while now. I'm glad I got out.


BTW, have fun with your second brew!

 

[Justibone]

Well I will officially brew my 2nd batch this weekend. I will probably get on making my yeast starter tonight and brew on Saturday. I'll be making the AHS Holiday Ale. I'm excited. This has some little extra additions that I didn't have with my Sierra Nevada Pale Ale clone. Should be fun!

I am hoping to have this one ready by Christmas so I can take it to my family and my fiance's family. Share the wealth a little.

When giving homebrew to people who don't normally drink it, be cautious of accidentally pouring yeast into their glass. It causes nasty ole farts. I suggest plenty of cold conditioning (14 days) to be absolutely certain you get as compact a yeast cake as possible at the bottom of the bottle.

 

[WSURaider41]

When giving homebrew to people who don't normally drink it, be cautious of accidentally pouring yeast into their glass. It causes nasty ole farts. I suggest plenty of cold conditioning (14 days) to be absolutely certain you get as compact a yeast cake as possible at the bottom of the bottle.

Thanks for the tip. I'll keep that in mind. I have bottled conditioned my first batch for about 12 days now. I'm excited to try one before I pop them in the fridge. I am only nervous about my carbonation not being at the level I want it.

I have basically until the Christmas Eve to make sure this 2nd batch is ready. I'm hoping that is enough time. I hate putting time limits on it because they all act differently, but I think that should be plenty of time.

 

[Calder]

You have 33 days. You will not have the luxury of cold conditioning.

Hopefully it will ferment quick. Assuming it is finished, I would recommend racking it onto gelatin after 10 days to help clear it. Leave it there for 7 days, and then bottle. That will give you 2 weeks to carb. Make sure the bottles are kept in a warm place (70 F).

 

[slantedbolt]

Well I will officially brew my 2nd batch this weekend. I will probably get on making my yeast starter tonight and brew on Saturday. I'll be making the AHS Holiday Ale. I'm excited. This has some little extra additions that I didn't have with my Sierra Nevada Pale Ale clone. Should be fun!

I am hoping to have this one ready by Christmas so I can take it to my family and my fiance's family. Share the wealth a little.

I am actually doing the EXACT same AHS Holiday Ale! Been in the primary for 2 weeks now! Should be ready for Christmas!

Good luck with your second batch. I am hoping for next weekend to be my second brew day!

GOOD LUCK!

 

[WSURaider41]

You have 33 days. You will not have the luxury of cold conditioning.

Hopefully it will ferment quick. Assuming it is finished, I would recommend racking it onto gelatin after 10 days to help clear it. Leave it there for 7 days, and then bottle. That will give you 2 weeks to carb. Make sure the bottles are kept in a warm place (70 F).

Would Irish Moss get me the same effect that gelatin would? Or should it only call for Irish Moss in the recipe?

I used Irish Moss in my current recipe and it did a pretty great job at clearing it up, as far as I could tell while bottling. I'll find out tomorrow how the final product looks.

 

[jkreuze]

Irish moss you add during boil, gelatin you add to primary/secondary/your keg.

If you use moss/whirlfloc tabs during boil and gelatin later you get pretty clear beer.

 

[WSURaider41]

Ok, I don't have any Irish Moss, or clearing agents at all for that matter at the moment... so if I decided to make sure my beer is clarified, I guess I'll need to get something. If gelatin is as simple as just adding it to my secondary, then I might just get some of that.

 

[Justibone]

You have 33 days.

Dang, Christmas is that soon??

I better start shopping.

 

[Justibone]

Would Irish Moss get me the same effect that gelatin would? Or should it only call for Irish Moss in the recipe?

I used Irish Moss in my current recipe and it did a pretty great job at clearing it up, as far as I could tell while bottling. I'll find out tomorrow how the final product looks.

Gelatin is different because you use it after fermentation is done. So, if you don't need it, don't use it. Irish moss (or whirlfloc) is pretty much de rigeur for most beers you brew (not wheat beers or really dark beers).

 

[WSURaider41]

Much appreciated. I'll probably pick up some Irish Moss tomorrow because I just realized I don't have any extra DME for my yeast starter and I can't get to my LHBS tonight before they close because I have professional development after work today.

I'll definitely keep people informed on how everything goes on this one. I am going to probably create an online brew journal so everyone can see the progress. I'll post the link in my sig once I get it started.

Is one night too short on a yeast starter? I've never used one before but this is my first time using liquid yeast also.

 

[Calder]

1 night is OK. I prefer longer, but it will give the yeast a head start before being pitched into the brew.

Gelatin can be bought at any supermarket. It is used for making deserts. Buy the un-flavored. use 1/2 teaspoon in about a pint of water (or less). Just let it rest on the water for about 30 minutes then heat to about 170F (just don't let it boil), and add to secondary and rack on top of it to mix. You don't need it to get clear beer, but since you will be rushing this, it will help to get a lot of the yeast out of suspension quickly before you bottle to minimize the amount of sediment in the bottle.

 

[WSURaider41]

When I pitch my yeast, do I pitch the whole starter in or empty the starter off the top and just pitch what yeast I have left? I am most likely going to use my growler as my starter vessel.

 

[Justibone]

I've read advice to pitch just the yeast. I don't think it would necessarily be a disaster to pitch the whole thing, though.

 

[WSURaider41]

My 2nd batch is officially in the fermenter. Should be interesting. Read my blog in my signature... it has some pics and some information about what worried me and what may have went wrong or what was new to me.

 

[WSURaider41]

I am also nervous because I decided to go ahead and pitch my entire starter into the fermenter. We'll see if that messes up anything. The starter vessel was sanitized properly so I'm hoping it doesn't affect the overall outcome.

 

[Justibone]

Should be fine. RDWHAHB!