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Billy-Klubb

Billy-Klubb

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congrats on your first brew! now, relax. take advice when it is given. leave pictures of what you might be afraid of. enjoy the fruits of your labor. disregard the naysayers. try not to get sucked up into the glass vs. plastic war. there are a ton of great dry yeasts. just because you use extract does not make you a "Betty Crocker" or "cookie cutter" brewer. don't fear the foam. fermentation temps are important. so are pitch rates. and line up for your berry punches, for they are always free. some of us are sarcastic and some of us throw down tons of great advice. either way, we are all learning from each other, making beer, and having a good time.

good luck with your new adventure in brewing!
 
Billy-Klubb said:
congrats on your first brew! now, relax. take advice when it is given. leave pictures of what you might be afraid of. enjoy the fruits of your labor. disregard the naysayers. try not to get sucked up into the glass vs. plastic war. there are a ton of great dry yeasts. just because you use extract does not make you a "Betty Crocker" or "cookie cutter" brewer. don't fear the foam. fermentation temps are important. so are pitch rates. and line up for your berry punches, for they are always free. some of us are sarcastic and some of us throw down tons of great advice. either way, we are all learning from each other, making beer, and having a good time.



good luck with your new adventure in brewing!
Click to expand...


Trust this man. He has more sense than teeth.
 
Well said!

Other topics to avoid:
  • BIAB vs. Batch Sparging vs. Fly Sparging
  • Electric vs. Propane
  • Aluminum vs Stainless Steel
  • Kegerators vs. Keezers
  • Carboys vs. Buckets
  • Bloods vs. Crips
  • Roe vs. Wade
  • PB&J vs. any other sandwich

If you bring up any of these topics, your thread will immediately become the site of World War III. Don't say you weren't warned. :D

Oh - and if you buy a membership, you can read this thread : https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f45/code-enforcement-52640/. It's well worth the $25.
 
b-boy said:
Well said!

Other topics to avoid:
  • Batch Sparging is the best. Fly Sparging is a waste of time and BIAB is fake brewing.
  • Electric rules. Propane is for schmucks.
  • If you brew with aluminum Jesus kills a puppy.
  • Kegerators and keezers are for dead-beer-sucking Yanks. Real Ale.
  • Carboys vs. Buckets vs. Fermenting in a pumpkin.
  • Blood sausage and chips.
  • Roe vs. Wade. How else would one escape New Orleans?
  • Sh** sandwich.

If you bring up any of these topics, your thread will immediately become the site of World War III. Don't say you weren't warned. :D

Oh - and if you buy a membership, you can read this thread : https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f45/code-enforcement-52640/. It's well worth the $25.
Click to expand...

FTFY. :rockin:

In all seriousness, relax. Brewing is a forgiving process.

  • Rehydrate your yeast for dry yeast, make a starter for liquid yeast
  • control your fermentation temp
  • Clean everything before the boil, clean AND sanitize everything after the boil- they're not the same thing.
  • Either filter the chlorine/chloramine out of your water, treat with campden tablets, or use bottled water
  • Always use the freshest ingredients you can (or at least properly stored).

If you follow those things, you'll be doing just fine.
 
b-boy said:
Well said!

Other topics to avoid:
  • Aluminum vs Stainless Steel
  • Kegerators vs. Keezers
  • Bloods vs. Crips
  • Roe vs. Wade
  • PB&J vs. any other sandwich
Click to expand...
I totally forgot these in my post! Thanks! Let's let the flame wars begin!

Oh, and we all know that toasted cheese sammiches are what we're after...nudge nudge wink wink.
 
Glad this thread was just created Yesterday. I've been trying to get into craft brewing, and I finally got a beginners kit for Christmas. It came with a DIY kit that is currently fermenting at 21 degrees C. Everything has been properly sanitized. (I hope) And the instructions say to add in the malt extract after 4-6 days (Which would be tomorrow) but it also calls for a double fermentation whatever that means. I thought I was meant to leave it in longer, but didn't need to brew it twice.

It is a Belgian ale http://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk/acatalog/Muntons-Hand-Crafted-Belgian-Style-Ale-Beer-Kit.html and it's been fermenting since new years eve.

The instructions that came with it are very lackluster so I'm not sure what to do next. How do I know if it's safe to drink, never mind ready?

Hopefully over the coming months I'll be able to help others, but for now I'm helpless!

Jake.

I should add, that after this brew, I'll be looking to make a beer from scratch, instead of using a kit.
 
StickyRevolution said:
Glad this thread was just created Yesterday. I've been trying to get into craft brewing, and I finally got a beginners kit for Christmas. It came with a DIY kit that is currently fermenting at 21 degrees C. Everything has been properly sanitized. (I hope) And the instructions say to add in the malt extract after 4-6 days (Which would be tomorrow) but it also calls for a double fermentation whatever that means. I thought I was meant to leave it in longer, but didn't need to brew it twice.

It is a Belgian ale http://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk/acatalog/Muntons-Hand-Crafted-Belgian-Style-Ale-Beer-Kit.html and it's been fermenting since new years eve.

The instructions that came with it are very lackluster so I'm not sure what to do next. How do I know if it's safe to drink, never mind ready?

Hopefully over the coming months I'll be able to help others, but for now I'm helpless!

Jake.

I should add, that after this brew, I'll be looking to make a beer from scratch, instead of using a kit.
Click to expand...

Hmmm...Sounds to me like it's using a workaround by adding extract at multiple stages (if you're only added extract a few days in, I wonder what was in there initially?) to make sure Saison yeast doesn't stall (which some strains are known to do). I would follow your instructions (since I can't find them online to say otherwise). Adding of sugar in stages is common with Belgian beer, but not so much with adding of extract.

As far as safe to drink, generally once you've started fermentation, the pH and alcohol content of beer create an environment where no harmful organisms can grow. The reason beer has been so prevalent throughout history is that the brewing process (and resulting chemical nature of beer) makes is safe to drink when perhaps even the water isn't. So I wouldn't worry about it harming you.

If you can, pick up a device called a hydrometer (unless once came with the gear you got). After you've added (the rest of?) your extract, let it go another week or so, and then using a sanitized turkey baster remove some of the beer, put it in the tube the hydrometer came in (or buy a proper test cylinder), and read the gravity with the hydrometer. For this style, ideally 1.002-1.010 or so (without looking at the recipe, just that it appears to be a Saison). Then a couple days later check it again. Once you have stable gravity over 3 days and are at or at least somewhere near that range, then you're done. Give it a few more days after the gravity is stable to mature, and then package it. Bottling before the gravity is stable can result in too much CO2 in bottles, and the bottles bursting, ie potentially dangerous. That's the hazard, not the liquid inside.

Cheers.
 
Qhrumphf said:
Hmmm...Sounds to me like it's using a workaround by adding extract at multiple stages (if you're only added extract a few days in, I wonder what was in there initially?) to make sure Saison yeast doesn't stall (which some strains are known to do). I would follow your instructions (since I can't find them online to say otherwise). Adding of sugar in stages is common with Belgian beer, but not so much with adding of extract.

As far as safe to drink, generally once you've started fermentation, the pH and alcohol content of beer create an environment where no harmful organisms can grow. The reason beer has been so prevalent throughout history is that the brewing process (and resulting chemical nature of beer) makes is safe to drink when perhaps even the water isn't. So I wouldn't worry about it harming you.

If you can, pick up a device called a hydrometer (unless once came with the gear you got). After you've added (the rest of?) your extract, let it go another week or so, and then using a sanitized turkey baster remove some of the beer, put it in the tube the hydrometer came in (or buy a proper test cylinder), and read the gravity with the hydrometer. For this style, ideally 1.002-1.010 or so (without looking at the recipe, just that it appears to be a Saison). Then a couple days later check it again. Once you have stable gravity over 3 days and are at or at least somewhere near that range, then you're done. Give it a few more days after the gravity is stable to mature, and then package it. Bottling before the gravity is stable can result in too much CO2 in bottles, and the bottles bursting, ie potentially dangerous. That's the hazard, not the liquid inside.

Cheers.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your help. I have a hydrometer and the gravity is currently 1.2 at 21c in a proper test cylinder

Yes, it is a saison.

Please excuse the horrible photo quality of my tablet as it's the only camera I have on me.
RnTjNRi.jpg
 
StickyRevolution said:
Thanks for your help. I have a hydrometer and the gravity is currently 1.2 at 21c in a proper test cylinder

Yes, it is a saison.

Please excuse the horrible photo quality of my tablet as it's the only camera I have on me.
RnTjNRi.jpg
Click to expand...

That looks more like a 1.012 gravity. Check the scales out closely to see how to read them. They are not totally intuitive.

Your fermentation is progressing along well. Check the reading again in about three days. If it is lower, then fermentation is not done. When you get the same reading on successive samples two or three days apart, then fermentation is done. Don't over sample. Each time you take a sample it's an opportunity to introduce an infection (even if risk is small), and you lose more potential finished beer with each sample (not a good idea to pour sample back into fermenter as it is much more risky than just taking a sample.) You may want to leave the beer on the yeast for another week after that to allow the yeast to clean up byproducts that can cause off flavors.

Brew on :mug:
 
Last edited:
b-boy said:
Well said!



Other topics to avoid:

  • BIAB vs. Batch Sparging vs. Fly Sparging
  • Electric vs. Propane
  • Aluminum vs Stainless Steel
  • Kegerators vs. Keezers
  • Carboys vs. Buckets
  • Bloods vs. Crips
  • Roe vs. Wade
  • PB&J vs. any other sandwich
Click to expand...


You totally forgot East coast vs West coast... Or is that too 1990s?
 
doug293cz said:
That looks more like a 1.012 gravity. Check the scales out closely to see how to read them. They are not totally intuitive.

Your fermentation is progressing along well. Check the reading again in about three days. If it is lower, then fermentation is not done. When you get the same reading on successive samples two or three days apart, then fermentation is done. Don't over sample. Each time you take a sample it's an opportunity to introduce an infection (even if risk is small), and you lose more potential finished beer with each sample (not a good idea to pour sample back into fermenter as it is much more risky than just taking a sample.) You may want to leave the beer on the yeast for another week after that to allow the yeast to clean up byproducts that can cause off flavors.

Brew on :mug:
Click to expand...

Thank you for your help again.

Beer looks ok, no head on it anymore but I'm not to worried about that. The recipe calls for a secondary fermentation, but I don't have anything else to put it in, so should I just leave it a bit longer?
 
StickyRevolution said:
Thank you for your help again.

Beer looks ok, no head on it anymore but I'm not to worried about that. The recipe calls for a secondary fermentation, but I don't have anything else to put it in, so should I just leave it a bit longer?
Click to expand...

Yes, the krausen (head) is expected to fall when the most vigorous part of fermentation is over. But the krausen falling doesn't mean that fermentation is complete. Many brewers no longer do secondary fermentations, unless they are add fruiting or other additions after initial fermentation. Leaving it longer (even up to a few months) in the primary fermenter will cause no harm. When I said "leave the beer on the yeast", I meant to leave it in the primary fermenter.

Brew on :mug:
 
doug293cz said:
Yes, the krausen (head) is expected to fall when the most vigorous part of fermentation is over. But the krausen falling doesn't mean that fermentation is complete. Many brewers no longer do secondary fermentations, unless they are add fruiting or other additions after initial fermentation. Leaving it longer (even up to a few months) in the primary fermenter will cause no harm. When I said "leave the beer on the yeast", I meant to leave it in the primary fermenter.

Brew on :mug:
Click to expand...

JfEoYgp.jpg
how does it look?
 
b-boy said:
Other topics to avoid:
  • BIAB vs. Batch Sparging vs. Fly Sparging
  • Electric vs. Propane
  • Aluminum vs Stainless Steel
  • Kegerators vs. Keezers
  • Carboys vs. Buckets
  • Bloods vs. Crips
  • Roe vs. Wade
  • PB&J vs. any other sandwich
Click to expand...
Small batch vs standard 5 gal batch is another topic to avoid.
 
Billy-Klubb said:
congrats on your first brew! now, relax. take advice when it is given. leave pictures of what you might be afraid of. enjoy the fruits of your labor. disregard the naysayers. try not to get sucked up into the glass vs. plastic war. there are a ton of great dry yeasts. just because you use extract does not make you a "Betty Crocker" or "cookie cutter" brewer. don't fear the foam. fermentation temps are important. so are pitch rates. and line up for your berry punches, for they are always free. some of us are sarcastic and some of us throw down tons of great advice. either way, we are all learning from each other, making beer, and having a good time.

good luck with your new adventure in brewing!
Click to expand...

I wish you would have posted this a few weeks ago. As a first time brewer, I fell victim to the "ss vs aluminum" and "glass vs plastic" debates. I finally got to the point where I said, "f it, just make beer."

My noob advice for other noobs......."f it, just make beer"
 
Mattsbay18 said:
My noob advice for other noobs......."f it, just make beer"
Click to expand...

Very good advice right there!

Also don't be afraid to experiment a little with your brews. After you get the hang of the process change some ingredients a little bit or add some fruit, change the hops. But I also suggest only changing one thing at a time so you can taste the difference between your two beers and what the changes did.
 
Mattsbay18 said:
I wish you would have posted this a few weeks ago. As a first time brewer, I fell victim to the "ss vs aluminum" and "glass vs plastic" debates. I finally got to the point where I said, "f it, just make beer."

My noob advice for other noobs......."f it, just make beer"
Click to expand...

This is gold.

Somewhere (it might have been here) i was reading a discussion about conical fermenters and how good they were, and someone chimed in and said something I'll never forget. "It's easy to get hung up on what equipment you need to make your next brew better or easier than your last, but in reality, it's not going to make as much of a difference as perfecting the technique with the equipment you already have".

I was then reminded of a rule I learnt long ago as a starting musician - it's very easy to get hung up on what gear you have. Someone out there always has a better guitar, amp, microphone, drum kit, mixing desk, PA system or whatever, than you do. But if they suck as a musician, they will suck. Better to focus on being a better musician with the gear you have. The same applies to brewing. Also, we humans are good at always wanting the next one up. Get a homebrew kit, we want a better unit. Get a better unit, we want to go stainless. Get a stainless fermenter, we want an electronic system. No matter what we do, we'll always want more. There's an "if only I had a..." notion in most of us I think. And that's followed by an implied thought that everything would be perfect if we had it. In my opinion, to some extent at least, it's better to accept this fact and learn to live with the idea of 'always wanting more' rather than succumbing to it time and time again, all the while missing the fact that it's actually about making beer.
 
Yeah, thanks for this reminder. A very good point we all should take to heart.
Pataka said:
This is gold.

Somewhere (it might have been here) i was reading a discussion about conical fermenters and how good they were, and someone chimed in and said something I'll never forget. "It's easy to get hung up on what equipment you need to make your next brew better or easier than your last, but in reality, it's not going to make as much of a difference as perfecting the technique with the equipment you already have".

I was then reminded of a rule I learnt long ago as a starting musician - it's very easy to get hung up on what gear you have. Someone out there always has a better guitar, amp, microphone, drum kit, mixing desk, PA system or whatever, than you do. But if they suck as a musician, they will suck. Better to focus on being a better musician with the gear you have. The same applies to brewing. Also, we humans are good at always wanting the next one up. Get a homebrew kit, we want a better unit. Get a better unit, we want to go stainless. Get a stainless fermenter, we want an electronic system. No matter what we do, we'll always want more. There's an "if only I had a..." notion in most of us I think. And that's followed by an implied thought that everything would be perfect if we had it. In my opinion, to some extent at least, it's better to accept this fact and learn to live with the idea of 'always wanting more' rather than succumbing to it time and time again, all the while missing the fact that it's actually about making beer.
Click to expand...
 
Pataka said:
This is gold.

Somewhere (it might have been here) i was reading a discussion about conical fermenters and how good they were, and someone chimed in and said something I'll never forget. "It's easy to get hung up on what equipment you need to make your next brew better or easier than your last, but in reality, it's not going to make as much of a difference as perfecting the technique with the equipment you already have".

I was then reminded of a rule I learnt long ago as a starting musician - it's very easy to get hung up on what gear you have. Someone out there always has a better guitar, amp, microphone, drum kit, mixing desk, PA system or whatever, than you do. But if they suck as a musician, they will suck. Better to focus on being a better musician with the gear you have. The same applies to brewing. Also, we humans are good at always wanting the next one up. Get a homebrew kit, we want a better unit. Get a better unit, we want to go stainless. Get a stainless fermenter, we want an electronic system. No matter what we do, we'll always want more. There's an "if only I had a..." notion in most of us I think. And that's followed by an implied thought that everything would be perfect if we had it. In my opinion, to some extent at least, it's better to accept this fact and learn to live with the idea of 'always wanting more' rather than succumbing to it time and time again, all the while missing the fact that it's actually about making beer.
Click to expand...


You have me pegged! I'm already looking at stainless fermenters and I've only just bottled my first ever brew.

I'm going to make another asap, so I'm going to look for some recipes for a red ale I think.
 
Meh. I have SS kettles, plastic fermenters, better bottle, pop top 12oz bottles for my beers, all kinds of gadgets, avinator, bottle tree, bench capper, etc. I have all I need to make some good beers & have little to no desire for high end stuff. If I win it, cool. But can't afford'em & don't completely NEED them. Billy, I think it's time to dole out some berry punches to the gimmie gimmies...:drunk:
 
Also to add on to the list...

- Be grateful you were given a list. When I started brewing and found this site, they skipped the list and went straight to the berry punching.
 
I'm relatively new here and just transitioned to all grain (about 4 batches ago). One of the things that is continuously running through my head is the aeration process. I'm deathly afraid that this is one of the best times to contaminate your wort. I originally started with a .5 micron stainless stone and an air pump. I dropped the stone in sanitizer, removed it a couple minutes later and then tried to get air through it - didn't work so well. I have since purchased an O2 tank and use it inline with a filter to the stone. I sanitize the stone in the toaster oven for 15 to 20 minutes at 350 F. I still worry about the tubing picking up bacteria and sanitize that with iodephor. All in all, this is the process that makes me most nervous. I'd love to hear what others do for aeration and any improvement suggestions.
 
BuffaloJohn said:
I'm relatively new here and just transitioned to all grain (about 4 batches ago). One of the things that is continuously running through my head is the aeration process. I'm deathly afraid that this is one of the best times to contaminate your wort. I originally started with a .5 micron stainless stone and an air pump. I dropped the stone in sanitizer, removed it a couple minutes later and then tried to get air through it - didn't work so well. I have since purchased an O2 tank and use it inline with a filter to the stone. I sanitize the stone in the toaster oven for 15 to 20 minutes at 350 F. I still worry about the tubing picking up bacteria and sanitize that with iodephor. All in all, this is the process that makes me most nervous. I'd love to hear what others do for aeration and any improvement suggestions.
Click to expand...

with higher gravity batches, I use a disposable O2 bottle with a stone. I boil the stone before oxygenating and use sanitizer on the hose and stone before it goes in the wort. for lower gravity batches I do the big No-No: I pick up the carboy and shake the floccin' hell out of it. if it's a batch going in my conical, I use the O2.
 
Billy-Klubb said:
with higher gravity batches, I use a disposable O2 bottle with a stone. I boil the stone before oxygenating and use sanitizer on the hose and stone before it goes in the wort. for lower gravity batches I do the big No-No: I pick up the carboy and shake the floccin' hell out of it. if it's a batch going in my conical, I use the O2.
Click to expand...

I use the disposable tanks and a boiled stone as well. Ive been getting sick of picking up a tank every other brew though, so I dove into making a venturi aerator. Worked well on my last brew. Fermented out in a few days @ 64F and it was a 1.064 beer. I still keep a tank on hand though for an Imperial stout or IIPA.

IMG_1057.jpg
 
Natdavis777 said:
I use the disposable tanks and a boiled stone as well. Ive been getting sick of picking up a tank every other brew though, so I dove into making a venturi aerator. Worked well on my last brew. Fermented out in a few days @ 64F and it was a 1.064 beer. I still keep a tank on hand though for an Imperial stout or IIPA.
Click to expand...

nice! I've done work (in Wyoming) with venturi tubes before, but never thought about applying that to brewing at all!
 
Natdavis777 said:
I use the disposable tanks and a boiled stone as well. Ive been getting sick of picking up a tank every other brew though, so I dove into making a venturi aerator. Worked well on my last brew. Fermented out in a few days @ 64F and it was a 1.064 beer. I still keep a tank on hand though for an Imperial stout or IIPA.
Click to expand...

Why are you using a tank every other batch, if you see bubbles coming to the surface you'er using too much! You want to aerate the wort not the atmosphere.
Turn it on till you see some bubbles and turn it down, hold the stone to the side of the fermenter and you will see bubbles, I then stir with my wand for a minute or two, I get at least a dozen batches from a bottle.
 
ChefRex said:
Why are you using a tank every other batch, if you see bubbles coming to the surface you'er using too much! You want to aerate the wort not the atmosphere.
Turn it on till you see some bubbles and turn it down, hold the stone to the side of the fermenter and you will see bubbles, I then stir with my wand for a minute or two, I get at least a dozen batches from a bottle.
Click to expand...


I run it wide open for 30-45 sec per carboy... Makes sense why it goes so fast
 

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