Top 3 Do's/Dont's for beginners

[Timo21]

Ok so I believe its important to start simple and small before advancing in order to fully understand each and every aspect to brewing, with that said I am still trying to conquer the whole liquid malt extract + Dextrose mix/blend + yeast + wait for SG gravity to be consistent before bottling, etc, etc, blah blah blah... I have followed directions precisely and taken many notes off this forum but my english bitter tastes VERY similar to my australian pale ale and to my amber ale, I feel like there are some mistakes/improvements that I need emphasized in my techniques... so have at it guys PLEASE list your biggest and most important BIG 3's of Do's and Dont's that you learned as a beginner (go ahead and make it 4 or 5 if ya want)

for example, things that concern me but im not quite sure of are:

-does moving the fermenter too much stir things up in a bad way?

-how much does fluctuating the fermenting temp actually affect the yeast?
and how do you control it?
(I use 60Liter bins filled with water to put my fermenters in order to stabalize the temp a bit better)

-is using tap water really that bad? easiest way to fix it?

-DME? is it THAT much better?

Hope I get a bunch of feedback on this one guys, would really love to have some "staples" that I can abide by in order for me and all the other beginners to improve on, THANKS!

 

[logan3825]

I will answer all your questions in one word, depends.

-does moving the fermenter too much stir things up in a bad way?

Not really but if you want clearer beer leave them sit as much as possible in the last week and move them a while before racking out of them into your bottling bucket/keg.

-how much does fluctuating the fermenting temp actually affect the yeast?
and how do you control it?

It does effect the flavors the yeast will give off. There are several ways to control temperature. A google search will give you a much more in-depth answer. Swamp coolers, freezer and son of fermentation chiller are all things to look into.

-is tap water really that bad?

I wouldn't use city tap water or any water you wouldn't drink. If it has a bad taste it will likely give your beer a bad taste. SOme people use city water and things turn out fine.

-DME? is it THAT much better?

There are pros and cons to LME and DME. DME is much easier to measure. LME is less expensive unless you buy in bulk. LME is pertty good as long as you can buy from a place that has good turnover. DME has a longer shelf life. I find LME to be easier to deal with but still use DME when I need to hit a certain OG. LME doesn't work well in non-standard weights(6LB or 3.15LB are the general standard amounts)

 

[helibrewer]

I would need to see your recipes and know what types of yeast you are using to help.

EDIT: The other thing to remeber is that those styles are VERY similar...although there isn't really an Australian Pale Ale in the BJCP styles.

 

[jbaysurfer]

1) Temperature
2) Time

 

[y6y6y6]

-does moving the fermenter too much stir things up in a bad way?

No. If you've done something like cold crash to settle out yeast, obviously shaking up the yeast cake will mix some back in. But even then, it's not something that will effect taste meaningfully.

-how much does fluctuating the fermenting temp actually affect the yeast? and how do you control it?

A lot. Each yeast strain is designed for a specific temp range, and going either side of that will introduce off flavors. I use a cheap chest freezer on a temp controller.

-is using tap water really that bad? easiest way to fix it?

Not really, assuming your water doesn't taste awful. I use San Diego city water to brew with. No big deal.

-DME? is it THAT much better?

No. Not at all. Just different.

Top 3 do's -

1) Temps are important. Hit them.
2) All the yeast stuff. No short cut. Just do some reading and understand what's going on. Good beer = happy yeast.
3) Don't secondary unless you have a specific reason to. And leave in the primary longer than you might think you need to.

 

[kaconga]

1. Notes are important. Keep good notes to make smart changes instead of random guesses.

2. Brewing is fun, don't ruin it by trying to overwork yourself. Find solutions that work well for you.

3. Get invested in your temps. Be aware of your steeping/mashing/fermenting temps. It greatly affects the entire process. I am even aware of what temp the finished beer tastes best at.

There are my big 3 focal points. I do consider other things important, but they are obviously so. Fresh ingredients, proper pitch rates, sanitization are all important. They just seem obviously so.

 

[amandabab]

-does moving the fermenter too much stir things up in a bad way?

-how much does fluctuating the fermenting temp actually affect the yeast?
and how do you control it?
(I use 60Liter bins filled with water to put my fermenters in order to stabalize the temp a bit better)

-is using tap water really that bad? easiest way to fix it?

-DME? is it THAT much better?

Hope I get a bunch of feedback on this one guys, would really love to have some "staples" that I can abide by in order for me and all the other beginners to improve on, THANKS!

I don't plan to move my fermentors but sometimes life happens and they get moved with no problems.

temp control is probably the most important thing

My tap water makes great beer. its hard with a mineral profile very similar to a lot of classic British styles that people spend a lot of time to replicate. "Olympia, its in the water". this has some down sides, I have to up my starsan concentration 20% just to make PH and it clouds up within 2 hours if I don't use distilled. your tap water may be anywhere from great to horrible.

For me DME is that much better, price after conversion, storage, ease of use, taste, everything.