Welcome Beginning Brewers!

[davidabcd]

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Welcome, welcome.
Pizza goes in the pizza section. Was that funny? If it wasn't, someone stole my password and I don't think it was funny either.

 

[sydney jovaisa]

help!
No fermentation.
its been slighty over a week, the airlock and everything is secure. But no bubbles whatsoever.
I thought maybe the yeast went dorment from the basement so I carefully brought my gallon upstairs. Any idea where to go from here or start over?
its a hoppy wheat, has a nice color. I cant seem up upload a photo

 

[davidabcd]

Hello,
I'll take what you said as no krausen (foam on top of the beer) either. Did you take a gravity reading at the beginning? That will be good to know if warming it to room temperature is unsuccessful. You can give it a swirl or two.
Knowing ambient temperatures would be useful.
But you can start with what you did. Keep in touch.

 

[Koala-Bear-IPA]

If you haven't already done so, I'd put it on a heat pad and bring the hoppy wheat up to temp. [emoji3]
Bring it up to 22 - 28°c for wheat beer (higher temperature for fruity wheat hop flavor) but check that that's not going to smash your yeast!

 

[Koala-Bear-IPA]

help!
No fermentation.
its been slighty over a week, the airlock and everything is secure. But no bubbles whatsoever.
I thought maybe the yeast went dorment from the basement so I carefully brought my gallon upstairs. Any idea where to go from here or start over?
its a hoppy wheat, has a nice color. I cant seem up upload a photo

Did you activate the yeast first, what type of yeast?

 

[BMurp76]

Ok, so first batch is on the barrel. I have several Apple trees in my backyard and decided to start with some simple hard cider. After picking, chopping, and pressing, I pasteurized a gallon and a half and transferred to my fermenter. Initially I was concerned about the slow activity from my airlock, but after reading through many of the posts I feel more comfortable that the yeast are eating heartily!

I neglected to take an initial OG. My batch has been in the fermenter for 4 days now. Is it safe to crack three loud and take a gravity reading? If so, is it appropriate to add more sugar if desired for higher alc content?

Had anybody brewed hard cider that has some good tips/tricks?

What about adding pectic for clarity? Can that be fine after initial fermentation?

Thank you for any and all help!

 

[JohnSand]

Hi Murph, welcome aboard! Sorry that no one has been along to answer your questions. I suggest you read the cider section for help. If you don't find answers perhaps start a thread there with your questions. I haven't fermented cider since I was a kid, so I can't help.

 

[Pappers_]

Ok, so first batch is on the barrel. I have several Apple trees in my backyard and decided to start with some simple hard cider. After picking, chopping, and pressing, I pasteurized a gallon and a half and transferred to my fermenter. Initially I was concerned about the slow activity from my airlock, but after reading through many of the posts I feel more comfortable that the yeast are eating heartily!

I neglected to take an initial OG. My batch has been in the fermenter for 4 days now. Is it safe to crack three loud and take a gravity reading? If so, is it appropriate to add more sugar if desired for higher alc content?

Had anybody brewed hard cider that has some good tips/tricks?

What about adding pectic for clarity? Can that be fine after initial fermentation?

Thank you for any and all help!

I would just leave them be at this point. The OG is what it is at this point. I wouldn't add sugar, but there's no reason you can't.

Pectic enzyme works pre-fermentation, I believe.

Like @JohnSand said, though, post this in the cider subforum and you'll get more responses.

 

[BMurp76]

Hi Murph, welcome aboard! Sorry that no one has been along to answer your questions. I suggest you read the cider section for help. If you don't find answers perhaps start a thread there with your questions. I haven't fermented cider since I was a kid, so I can't help.

Thanks John for the reply!! Man, I feel waaayyyy behind the power curve now if you were brewing as a kid!

 

[BMurp76]

I would just leave them be at this point. The OG is what it is at this point. I wouldn't add sugar, but there's no reason you can't.

Pectic enzyme works pre-fermentation, I believe.

Like @JohnSand said, though, post this in the cider subforum and you'll get more responses.

Thanks Pappers!! Good information. I hadn't found the cider thread yet so I'll look for it.

 

[JohnSand]

Thanks John for the reply!! Man, I feel waaayyyy behind the power curve now if you were brewing as a kid!

LOL! I've been brewing a bit over five years. When I was a kid, we would just let local cider sit on the counter and ferment with the yeast present on the apples. The lid was slightly cracked to let the co2 escape. When it cleared it was ready to drink. Looking back, I'm surprised that mom let us. I guess we never drank enough to be affected by it. It was probably safer than our secret efforts to make fireworks.

 

[williepete]

Has anyone tried to use like a berry pie filling as the priming sugar for bottling, like blending it to a liquid?

 

[NGD]

Has anyone tried to use like a berry pie filling as the priming sugar for bottling, like blending it to a liquid?

Seems like it could work as ling as you properly calculated for all the sugars in the mixture. Otherwise you’ll either end up under-carbed, over-carbed or BOOM!

You’ll likely have a boatload of sediment in the bottom of each bottle.

 

[davidabcd]

That is a new one, to me, at least.
Sounds like you want berry flavor? I would do extract drops (at bottling, adding incrementally until desired flavor is reached) or add fruit after primary fermentation and back-sweeten if needed.
My reasoning is how much can you rely on sugar content information in that situation? Like was said, over or under carbonation. And to get flavor from fruit, you need a significant amount (pounds and not ounce).

Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if I'm wrong; there is so much to learn about brewing.

On a separate note, I do blend canned, cherry pie filling to make a delicious dipping sauce for jalapeno poppers.

 

[williepete]

I did think it may be a different way to get a berry flavor but I didn't know if it was tried or if it was even feesable

 

[williepete]

Also thought kinda kill two birds with one stone lol feed yeast and flavor

 

[NGD]

Also thought kinda kill two birds with one stone lol feed yeast and flavor

@williepete I like the idea and some of the best batches I’ve had were experiments just to try something new. I think if your going to try it, do a small batch as a test.

Most likely you’ll end up with varying levels of carbonation in each bottle unless you get the filling liquified. Likely quite a bit of sediment with not as much fruit flavor as your expecting.

 

[williepete]

Maybe I'll try it in a blueberry wheat but that would be in like three batches from now already got next two planned lol

 

[ncbrewer]

If you try it, treat the bottles as if they're hand grenades. Wear gloves, goggles, etc., and store them where they will be safe.

 

[Pappers_]

If you try it, treat the bottles as if they're hand grenades. Wear gloves, goggles, etc., and store them where they will be safe.

I'm with @ncbrewer , I think the chances of getting bottle bombs is very high with this method.

 

[ThirstyPawsHB]

It won't be enough flavor for the amount you need to carb. Your best bet is extract to flavor then sugar to proper carb levels.

 

[williepete]

I would deff whach carbination and cold crash or pasturise

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Has anyone tried to use like a berry pie filling as the priming sugar for bottling, like blending it to a liquid?

People have expressed a few concerns already, I can tell you I used fruit juice concentrate, cherry in a wheat beer to prime in a mini keg... It did carb and didn't taste bad, but it was nasty looking. I can only imagine that the starches added to pie filling would make it less predictable and possibly even nastier. If your goal is to get fruit flavor I suggest adding purée to the fermentor. Or adding natural flavor extract when bottling.

 

[williepete]

Ok thank you for the information

 

[ThirstyPawsHB]

Brewer's Best brand has the best extract. IMHO. LHBS should have a variety.

 

[williepete]

I got another noob question... So the color of the beer comes from the grain or fruit and flavor from hops?

 

[Toxxyc]

Colour comes 95% from grain, and the hops imparts the hop characters - bitterness, hop aroma, etc.

I have my own question - when does one stop being a "beginner"? I have 5 batches under my belt and I consider myself a very, very n00b beginner still.

 

[AZCoolerBrewer]

Colour comes 95% from grain, and the hops imparts the hop characters - bitterness, hop aroma, etc.

I have my own question - when does one stop being a "beginner"? I have 5 batches under my belt and I consider myself a very, very n00b beginner still.

That’s so funny, when I had made only 3 batches I asked the same question.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/batches-time-period-until-im-not-a-beginner.569671/

I am now at 20 batches and 3 years, that may seem slow, but is about right for me. It takes about 6 weeks in my process grain to glass and I rarely brew while I have a beer in the fermentor. I’m very hands on while the beer is fermenting and bottle, so it is quite an ordeal on packaging day too. I don’t feel like I’ve been a beginner for at least a year, maybe a little longer.

 

[NGD]

Like so many other things. The more I learn about this hobby the less I know.

 

[Metalchef1]

Yes, we experienced brewers have to think of when we started an what stupid things we did, think about it... and then reply.

New brewers - you may get a snarky response. I have seen some where the "snarky" response was in jest but the new brewer did not have the lingo or experience to see this. The new brewer went off the rails because of that remark and didn't really listen or take any advise given by others.

Also be advised that even newer brewers will also give advise sometimes not really good advise. Older brewers will give advise based on wrong or outdated knowledge.

Read all the responses, look for consensus. If only one person suggests something and everyone else does not corroborate, take that advise with caution.

As Yooper said, ask questions. The worst one is the one not asked.

And Welcome.

Wait.... You don't do stupid stuff anymore? What's your secret?
I've been brewing for about 17 years..
I bottled 3 batches last weekend... But for some reason I only carbed 2 of them.