starting out

[Slydan]

So I bit the bullet so to speak and finally ordered what I believe to be the bare minimum to do a 5 gallon extract batch. I still will have to grab a few things prior to bottling day but I am pretty sure I have what I need.

I have wanted to give this a shot for a couple years now and finally broke down, got the last few items, and ordered a recipe kit. I'll stick to the kits for a few good sessions at least. First one I ordered from morebeer was the arrogant bastard clone, "Pompous ass ale" as well as 2 packs of sefale 05. If its anything remotely like the arrogant b I will love it.

Question is do these kits normally come with everything but the yeast? Should I be expecting to buy hops as well? There is widely conflicting opinions of bottle conditioning times. Will the kits give you a rough idea of timeline expectations?

And finally any tips for a first timer or directions to sources of information to learn some of this stuff would be helpful as well.


Thanks

 

[kh54s10]

The kit should include everything except they yeast since there are usually different yeast options.

Bottling is not that wild an option. Keep the bottles at about 70 degrees for at least 2 weeks, probably 3. Then chill one for a day or two. Test it and if it is fully carbonated, you can chill more and drink at will. I find they all taste better if you wait 3 weeks or longer, depending on style.

Tips, Clean well, sanitize everything that touches the beer after the boil. Go by gravity, not time. Longer is usually better than too quick.

Ferment at a controlled temperature. Look up "swamp cooler" It is basically a vessel that you put 6-8 inches of water in then use ice bottles to keep the wort temperature stable, preferably in the mid sixties. Too high a temperature will lead to off flavors.

And, welcome!

 

[Biscuits]

I think kh54s10 pretty much covered it. I'd only add to simply follow the directions for the first few brews. Pretty soon you will be on here researching the necessity of racking to secondary and a list of other things every new brewer will eventually come to question. For now, just do what the instructions say, take copious notes...even on things that may seem trivial, and you will have a pleasant experience which will result in surprisingly good beer.

Cheers and welcome to the hobby.

 

[myndflyte]

In terms of bottle conditioning, I give it at least 3 or 4 weeks before even trying one but being your first batch, it's interesting to try one early and then wait a few more weeks to see how it starts out "green" and gets better as it ages.

In the end, let your tastebuds tell you when its done. If it tastes off, give it another week. Conditioning can have a wide range. Wheat beers are usually better early while bigger beers can take months.

 

[C-Rider]

Most kits seem to tell you to move to secondary in like a week and bottle in 2. FORGET THAT. Leave in primary until you get two readings w/your hydrometer that are the same like 2 days apart. Start checking about 2 weeks or maybe just go for 3 weeks. Give the yeast a time to "clean" up after themselves.

Congratulations for taking the plunge.

 

[PADave]

Read "How To Brew" by Palmer.

Yes, the kits will come with everything but yeast, which you choose separate.

 

[tracyk]

Yes, almost every kit you buy wants the brewer to move the beer to a secondary, that is old school. The less you move it the better off you are and the less oxygen that gets to your beer which will make it taste like wet cardboard due to oxygenation. Wait 3 weeks, then take a gravity reading. Then wait 2 more days and take another one. If they are the same then you are ready to bottle.

I agree with PADave on reading "How to Brew" by palmer. Join a brew club. And like you just did, ask your questions on HBT. You will always get answers.

Patience is the hardest thing for a new brewer, but you will enjoy your own brew in the end. Welcome to the crazy hobby!

 

[Slydan]

Sooo.. the pot, recipe kit, and starsan arrived and I decided to go ahead with what I had since Im not bottling for a while.

I was pretty anal about sanitizing everything but wrestling with the blow off tube I kept thinking "yeah I probably just screwed this up, something is gonna start growing in there"

anyway I did everything down to the rehydrating of the yeast, pitched a little extra than what was called for but other than that I followed it to the letter. Learned a ton, so even if I messed something up it was a success. sitting at 63 degree's right now. little cold but we will see how it goes. bucket or better bottle will be the first upgrade. the large bung barely fits and keeps sliding up, which is what the tape is for. Guessing it should be fine, its not touching anything but the exterior, and all that was soaked in starsan for like an hour. Stupid thing pretends like it fits perfectly but then it pushes up and literally just rests on the top.. not a good seal.

Slightly less than 5 gallons in it but I ran out of sanitized (and distilled) water to put in there, I am guessing that is why my SG was a little higher than it was supposed to be? ended up with a sg of 1.075 but it was supposed to be max 1.070.

Overall for the first pitch I think it went okay. I definitely have a lot of room for improvement and some necessary stuff to buy.

Thank you guys for all the comments and tips.

 

[nomadbear]

Read "How To Brew" by Palmer.

Yes, the kits will come with everything but yeast, which you choose separate.

Link to portions of Palmer's book:
http://howtobrew.com/

The basics are laid out and should point you in the right direction.
The web page is kind of funky at times but dig through that. You will learn a ton.

This is where I started just three months ago.

 

[dallasdb]

Looks legit for a first timer!

Kits should have the hops and everything you need besides maybe yeast, corn sugar, and bottle caps.

Morebeer has a "Travelin Man Ale" or something like that and it is phenomenal.

Tip for bottling, gently stir the corn sugar to mix in with the wort before bottling for uniform carbonation. Also weigh the corn sugar instead of measuring volume.

As far as bottling time, BE PATIENT. I used to drink half my batches that were poorly carbonated because I was impatient.

Give the bottles a month to really but carbed up well. You'll reward yourself with better beer.

 

[Biscuits]

Looks like you did great. Don't sweat the little stuff.

 

[Slydan]

I have taken a sample of the pre bottle, one week in, and now 2 weeks. pre bottle it was a punch of hoppy bitter but pleasant flavor, week 1 was horrible. It tasted like straight juicy fruit gum. week 2 the juicy fruit flavor is gone, the carbonation is what I would consider as okay but the hoppy bitterness has strongly subsided. Is that normal? its still super drinkable, very good beer to me. Im guessing that week 3 or 4 in the bottle its really gonna be great.

It really is quite good compared to the first week and pre-bottled sample but the bitterness is way way less than It was originally. Is that something that comes back after a couple more weeks?