Tips and tricks for a beginner brewer

[Bassman2003]

Trying a lot of things on your first ever brew and then coming to ask if it will be ok is a bit, over the top? The cart might be a little ahead of the horse at the present time Why not try a less extensive beer for your first attempt? The basics are more important than advanced techniques will ever be.

 

[Man_the_Dan28]

Trying a lot of things on your first ever brew and then coming to ask if it will be ok is a bit, over the top? The cart might be a little ahead of the horse at the present time Why not try a less extensive beer for your first attempt? The basics are more important than advanced techniques will ever be.

I hear you, I’m still learning the basics. I know you don’t have to start with basic fermentation, and I figured I could jump straight into pressure fermentation, that’s my plan. I could’ve picked a simpler beer without dry hopping, but I really wanted to brew one of my favorites, and unfortunately, it does require dry hopping. I came here because you all know what you’re doing, and I’m a beginner trying to catch up! Here’s an update: you were right — the pressure is finally building. All I had to do was stop staring at it. It’s like watching water boil — just takes patience. Thanks again to everyone for the advice, I really appreciate it.

 

[Skeeter686]

First couple batches are just getting used to process and equipment. ... By batch 6 or 7 you can realistically hit your intended volume and gravity in the fermenter, but only if you dial in a repeatable process and adjust your software to reflect your process and system.

I guess I'm a bit late to this thread, but I agree with this advice on the condition that you're keeping your process and equipment consistent.

I was discovering new information and finding deficiencies in my process (real or only perceived) that had me changing process and equipment frequently. This resulted in me not being able to dial in my process, and therefore being unable to accurately predict efficiency and other metrics.

My point is that if you want repeatability, you need to brew with the same equipment and process multiple consecutive times. It may be worthwhile to "improve" things every brew or two, but you'll lose the ability to predict your numbers accurately until you settle on a process.