TIPS and TRICKS for beginning home brewers

[GrogNerd]

the foamy, brown and white things floating on top of your fermenting beer might gain sentience, grow tentacles, sprout wings & turn into a flesh-eating monster that will devour your younglings

or it will make alcohol

pray for the latter

 

[RM-MN]

Exactly! Another good advice, don't believe myths like "squeezing a bag makes astringent wort" or "there is a significant flavour difference between different hop types at 60 minute additions" or "clearer Wort makes clearer beer".

All rubbish!

Ignore the land of myths!

This one is true. I wanted to make a beer with no hop character for a neighbor but only had Cascade hops on hand. Even with the 60 minute boil I still got some grapefruit flavor in my beer.

 

[GrogNerd]

BIAB - squeeze the bag

specialty grains in an extract batch - don't squeeze the bag

 

[Gagunga]

BIAB - squeeze the bag

specialty grains in an extract batch - don't squeeze the bag

What's the negative to not squeezing extract specialty grain bags?

 

[portguy]

Not true. Squeeze away.

I squeeze my bag till it calls for help.

 

[GrogNerd]

when I stopped squeezing, I stopped getting the extract "twang"

about the same time, I also switched to the lightest DME possible while relying on crystal/caramel for color

so, between the two I get no "twang." not sure which is responsible (more likely the latter) but I now recommend both to reduce the off flavor associated with extract

plus, unlike BIAB, you're not getting the benefit of greater extraction efficiency; you're not getting any additional sugars if you squeeze the specialty grains.

 

[NSMikeD]

One good piece of advice that I found useful when I got back into home brewing is to start with a simple recipe - like a basic pale ale. Brew it a few times taking care to measure your water volumes, grain bill, hops etc and take good notes. This will help you get a good base for things like evaporation rates and efficiencies.

It will also help you get your routine down (you'll sure to miss something early)

Along that line, write out your brew steps in advance and lay out the equipment and ingredients you need before heating any water.

 

[GPP33]

Exactly! Another good advice, don't believe myths like "squeezing a bag makes astringent wort" or "there is a significant flavour difference between different hop types at 60 minute additions" or "clearer Wort makes clearer beer".

All rubbish!

Ignore the land of myths!

Home brewing IS the land of myths and old wives tails.

I haven't seen anyone mention measuring water volume. Accuracy (within reason) is less important then consistency. Find a way that works for you and stick with it. I use a 3 gal mop bucket with quart markings from Home Depot.

 

[Parrothead01]

Keep as steady of a fermentation temperature as possible. On my first few batches, I put the bucket in the laundry room because I was worried about it making a mess. The problem is that is were the furnace is. When I moved it to another room the beer turned out much better. Also if you are getting bottle bombs, it’s probably not too much priming sugar. Your not getting good attenuation and the left over sugars are fermenting in the bottle. The solution is pitch more yeast and more oxygen at pitch time.

 

[dstockwell]

Some other brewers advised against to squeeze the bag too much as that adds unwanted flavors in the beer?
They advised only to do sparging; not to squeeze too much.

Nope been squeezing since day one with no adverse flavors.

 

[ncbrewer]

Exactly! Another good advice, don't believe myths like "squeezing a bag makes astringent wort" or "there is a significant flavour difference between different hop types at 60 minute additions" or "clearer Wort makes clearer beer".

All rubbish!

Ignore the land of myths!

You've seen the varied responses to this. This seems typical of just about any brewing "rules". In the end, you have to form your own opinion, and some of your opinions will probably change over time. Just be open minded.

 

[GPP33]

Make sure your thermometer is properly calibrated too. I brewed a couple batches with a thermometer that was reading 10 deg high. They were good but not my best.

 

[Gagunga]

Not to derail again but does anyone have any links to hard solid scientific evidence to support not squeezing specialty grains in extract brewing? I hear conflicting theories which confuse me (a beginner brewer) even more. What would cause the off flavor from squeezing? Steeping temp is approx. 155F so well under the temp that tannins are released. Do thd starches themselves release the off flavors?

 

[ncbrewer]

Not to derail again but does anyone have any links to hard solid scientific evidence to support not squeezing specialty grains in extract brewing? I hear conflicting theories which confuse me (a beginner brewer) even more. What would cause the off flavor from squeezing? Steeping temp is approx. 155F so well under the temp that tannins are released. Do thd starches themselves release the off flavors?

Not really scientific, but How to Brew is a respected source: " Remove the grain bag from the pot, giving it a squeeze to drain the excess wort and avoid dripping on the stove." http://howtobrew.com/book/section-2/steeping-specialty-grains/example-batch

 

[GrogNerd]

no scientific evidence, I only have anecdotal

I probably shouldn't have changed 2 things at one time in my process, but I don't have the resources to tweak every variable one at a time to test all possibilities. first time I didn't squeeze may have coincided with using fresh DME, but the end result was the best beer I've ever brewed, extract or all grain. I don't feel the need to test whether or not it was squeezing and really don't want to spend the money on another mediocre batch just to find out

 

[McKnuckle]

"...avoid dripping on the stove."

There is anecdotal (if not entirely scientific) evidence that making a mess in one's kitchen or other common domestic areas may upset marital relations. Perhaps the best tip/trick for new brewers, not covered in most of the literature, is to schedule brew days around spousal absences from the household.

 

[GrogNerd]

the online version of the book is an older version and Palmer has said some of the information is out of date

if someone with the newer edition would let us know what it says

 

[ncbrewer]

no scientific evidence, I only have anecdotal

I probably shouldn't have changed 2 things at one time in my process, but I don't have the resources to tweak every variable one at a time to test all possibilities. first time I didn't squeeze may have coincided with using fresh DME, but the end result was the best beer I've ever brewed, extract or all grain. I don't feel the need to test whether or not it was squeezing and really don't want to spend the money on another mediocre batch just to find out

I agree with that approach and have done the same with other issues. Make multiple changes to solve a problem. If it works, I resist reversing one item at a time to see exactly what fixed it.

 

[Miraculix]

Not to derail again but does anyone have any links to hard solid scientific evidence to support not squeezing specialty grains in extract brewing? I hear conflicting theories which confuse me (a beginner brewer) even more. What would cause the off flavor from squeezing? Steeping temp is approx. 155F so well under the temp that tannins are released. Do thd starches themselves release the off flavors?

Maybe, squeezing all those highly roasted speciality malts solo in the bag might work out differently than squeezing the whole lot of malts, including base malts, when brewing in a bag and all grain.

 

[Miraculix]

You've seen the varied responses to this. This seems typical of just about any brewing "rules". In the end, you have to form your own opinion, and some of your opinions will probably change over time. Just be open minded.

Totally agree!

 

[Mothman]

If you have interest in modifying your water, or building your water, and think it's too complicated to even consider doing as a new brewer.... don't think that way. It can actually be very simple (especially with a couple questions, if necessary, posted here at HBT).

 

[throwoneback]

Build things up to waste level and higher and make them easily movable.

 

[portguy]

Build things up to waste level and higher and make them easily movable.

Waste level or waist level? Not being a grammar nazi...but both nouns can be applied when brewing beer.

 

[MaxStout]

If you have interest in modifying your water, or building your water, and think it's too complicated to even consider doing as a new brewer.... don't think that way. It can actually be very simple (especially with a couple questions, if necessary, posted here at HBT).

This.

There are some knowledgeable "water people" on HBT who may help with your questions. If you're getting started in AG brewing, the chem doesn't have to be overwhelming. There are a few basic rules to get you started, and you can refine the process down the road as you get more comfortable with building your water. AJ deLange has a very informative primer here on water additions.

 

[seabrew8]

I did not see a thread for tips and tricks for beginners.
Anyone have tips or tricks for a person starting out brewing at home?
Like a list of things that you wish you knew once you first started brewing.

Make some german lagers recipes using 34/70 fermenting around 60. Treat has an ale. Amber beers are delicious.

 

[dendron8]

Document everything. Even the smallest details can help you improve.

Wort pitching temperature is important, but rapid chilling is overrated for the home brew scale. You can seal the hot wort into your fermentation vessel (complete with airlock) and come back to it when its cool enough to pitch yeast. I put mine in a fridge that is temperature controlled.

If you are buying a kit, dont pour the entire bag of priming sugar in. They normally give you 5 ounces but thats too much for most beers.

Clean and sanitize everything.

Ask lots of questions. Read as many books as you can. This book is really good in my opinion.

 

[mongoose33]

By the time this thread is done, I predict all new brewers reading it will be paralyzed with so much information they will be unable to brew at all.

My advice, such as it is, would be for new brewers to find a single source that explains how to brew, follow it, and then with that experience under the belt, read more here and apply what makes sense.

And oh, yeah: RDWHAHB.

 

[beernutz]

1. nail your mash temp and nail your ferment temp in first 3 days

2. use a blow off tube

3. don't stress about screwups - they are almost always fixable if you nailed the temps and kept things clean after the boil

4. don't stress about being under/over numbers or quantities, make small changes between each batch until you get it right

5. beer takes time - 4 weeks in primary - 1 or 2 weeks in bottle - before that point even good beer can taste rancid

Good beer doesn't require 4 weeks in primary.

 

[beernutz]

Not to derail again but does anyone have any links to hard solid scientific evidence to support not squeezing specialty grains in extract brewing? I hear conflicting theories which confuse me (a beginner brewer) even more. What would cause the off flavor from squeezing? Steeping temp is approx. 155F so well under the temp that tannins are released. Do thd starches themselves release the off flavors?

Except in scale, squeezing a specialty grain bag is no different than squeezing a BIAB bag and thousands of brewers, including me, do that with no ill effects.

 

[hawkbox]

Good beer doesn't require 4 weeks in primary.

Agreed, I cold crash and gelatin fine a week to 10 days after brewing. Then generally keg it a couple days later. I'm usually in the keg inside 14 days.

I've only been doing all grain since June but I've learned a lot.

I think my biggest take away is that you don't need to be scared of wrecking a batch, it's surprisingly hard to do.