Well first batch is in fermenter

[sportscrazed2]

I just hope I get something drinkable at the end. pretty sure I added hops and malt too early. never took a hydrometer reading. sprinkled yeast on top as per instructions. star saned the **** out of everything. but when i was toping off fermenter then little platstic thing from water jug fell in fermenter and i had to pick it out with my hands hope it didn't infect anything. hoping i get fermentation soon the wait is going to kill me. right now i would just settle for drinkable.

 

[sportscrazed2]

btw is it too late to take og reading? or should i just leave well enough alone? it wasn't floating at all when i put it in

 

[baystatebrew]

don't sweat any of that. there is no known pathogen known to man that can survive in beer. none. that is why the first permanent European settlers in North America (Jamestown and later the original capital of Virginia, Williamsburg) actually considered beer safer to drink than water. you can research that if you don't believe me. beer has been fed to children for thousands of years in a variety of cultures, not only because of the nutrients in beer, but because it is so safe to drink.

don't sweat sanitation. as long as you are conscientious about it, and make the effort, you're going to be fine. probably.

 

[baystatebrew]

btw just curious what style of beer you're brewing...

 

[sportscrazed2]

brown ale sorry about that was taking a nap. really just excited about everything. if the majority of the water moved from one side of airlock to the other does that mean it's working? 99.9% of the water is on the right where it was 50/50 when i put it on. i know that people brewed beer before they even had an idea what bacteria wwas so i'm not even sure why i'm so paranoid about bacteria. didn't even the belgians leave the fermenter open so wild yeast would ferment the beer?

 

[baystatebrew]

yeah that's right. some belgian brewers use something called open fermentation to brew. it lets in wild yeasts that add a character to the beer that is world renowned. open fermentation is not for the inexperienced though. there's a lot of debate on open vs closed fermentation and some debate about what exactly distinguishes open from closed fermentation. you're exactly right. beer has been around for literally millenia longer than anyone has had any concept of bacteria or infection.

anyway with regard to your question about the airlock. after you pitch your yeast and put the lid on, the four days following that will see the most active respiration and fermentation of the yeast. within 8-12 hours after yeast pitching, you'll start seeing the airlock pop bubbles every few seconds. what's happening is that the yeast is working through stage 1 of the yeast cycle - respiration, where the yeast cells build up energy in prep for fermentation and develop new cells throughout the beer. respiration is fast, measured in hours and usually less than a day. the 2nd yeast cycle stage is fermentation, where the action is. this is where the yeast begins rapidly feasting on the sugars in the wort (now beer technically) and converting them to CO2 and, oh yes my friend, alcohol.

what i suspect you are seeing with the water piling up on the side of the airlock is the beginning of fermentation. co2 is starting to build up in the primary fermenter. soon you'll start seeing that airlock bubble every few seconds. this is the co2 being released through fermentation. by tomorrow i expect you'll be seeing these bubbles.

expect those bubbles for about 4 days. after that it will stop. at that point, just leave the fermenter alone for 10 days, then bottle.

 

[sportscrazed2]

well it's pretty vigorusly bubbling now

 

[baystatebrew]

awesome good luck. sounds like you're in business. post your results in here so we can her how it turns out

 

[sportscrazed2]

man it's really bubbling a lot i was expecting up to 72 hours lag time but i finished at around 8pm last night and when i woke up at 6 it was bubbling like crazy. just hope i didn't use too much star san and that beer tastes at least halfway decent.

 

[Bentpirate]

Don't sweat the Star-San. It breaks down to a flavorless yeast nutrient. If you don't have much air space you should research a blow off tube. Often the air locks will get filled with Yeast and Kreusen(sp) clogging the CO2 flow. A blow off can be your best friend. It is nothing more than a tube from the air lock to a used water bottle (for example) allowing the excess to evacuate in to a larger container..... Other wise just keep an eye on the air lock.... Life will be good.

 

[sportscrazed2]

ill look into that do they work with buckets as well? on a side note how do i remove the stains from my brew kettle? once i finised i soaked it in water and let it sit while i slept but now it's stained.

 

[baystatebrew]

yeah that's a good idea. i've not had to use a blow off tube as i've not had super vigorous fermentations and i've usually got plenty of air space. from what i've read blow offs are fine to use and a good idea but you need to be careful with them.

 

[baystatebrew]

i've found oxy clean is amazing for removing pretty much everything. it's a great cleanser but not a sanitizer.

if you soak bottles, gear, buckets for 24 hours in oxyclean/ h20 mixture they will have nothing on them. it is perfect for removing labels and the label glue (which is a PITA to remove otherwise) from bottles. the stuff is amazing. just be sure to rinse it off everything.

 

[Bentpirate]

No extra care with blow off hoses than store bought 3 pieces or S locks. You are doing the same thing, allowing the CO2 to blow off into a water lock - think of it like your toilet - same idea. I use blow off's for all primary and if I dry hop or choose to secondary then I make the switch. Take a look at a micro-brew some time; you will see large hoses running in to 5 gal buckets filled with water. Keep the water bottle BELOW the neck of your fermentor.
As far as removing stains - let it soak in WARM oxyclean, then a little soft scrubbing - that should do the trick

 

[baystatebrew]

i should note i haven't soaked my stainless steel kettle in oxyclean and don't know if that is a good idea or not. everything else i use oxyclean on. whatever you do don't use bleach solution on a stainless steel kettle to clean it.

i just scrub the *hit out of my kettle with soap and water then sanitize it rigorously before by next brew with one step. my kettle hasn't looked brand new in a long time but as long as you get the gunk off and sanitize it you're fine, because the boiling during brew will kill anything in there anyway.

 

[sportscrazed2]

thing is it's an aluminum kettle and i am having lots of trouble getting stain off of top part of kettle. i've even tried an sos pad with not much luck. did i already kill my brew kettle? also can someone tell me how exactly a airlock keeps out air? i looked at bottom of lid and couldn't really understand how it stopped air from getting in. but then again if lots of co2 is being expelled then anything that might get in would be pushed out as well

 

[baystatebrew]

well blowoff preventers shouldn't cause any problems for someone using a plastic primary fermenter with plenty of headspace.

but there is definitely extra care needed for blowoff preventers in a glass carboy with little headspace. because the CO2 has no where to go but out the blowoff tube...if that tube in any way gets clogged, the co2 can build up and cause the carboy to explode.

 

[maxamuus]

i've found oxy clean is amazing for removing pretty much everything. it's a great cleanser but not a sanitizer.

Just to add to that there is several types of oxyclean. Get Oxyclean Free. It doesnt have all the perfumes and crap in it. In my grocery store some of them are in the Laundry soap aisle and the Oxyclean free was in the dish soap aisle.

PS they have a dollar off coupon on there website. http://www.oxiclean.com/Coupons.aspx

 

[maxamuus]

thing is it's an aluminum kettle and i am having lots of trouble getting stain off of top part of kettle. i've even tried an sos pad with not much luck. did i already kill my brew kettle?

It's fine, that dark coating is aluminum oxide. You need it, that oxide coating will help keep your acidic wort from dissolving aluminum into your brew.

I'd just give it a good thorough washing with dish soap and a soft brush or sponge, and rinse it thoroughly. Then it will be good to go. If you want to clean up the outside, Barkeeper's Friend liquid cleanser and a scotch-brite scrubby will do the job.

 

[sportscrazed2]

so did i screw it up with an sos pad? btw the stain is above anywhere the wort will touch