Harleybrew32
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Here is a pic of it, that's my Rice Lager in it now, doing the D-rest now.
Your First Batch Stories
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Harleybrew32
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One with the door closed
randal-c
Decoherence Brewing
My first batch was a Williams brewing starter kit with a Porter extract ingredient kit included. I had been into "microbreweries" (adjusts onion on belt) for a number of years and always considered myself a fan but was never into the brewing side myself. In 2003 we were broke after the dot bomb and I was out of work and my wife decided to get me the kit for Christmas. It sat for a few months and one day I discovered it in the closet and decided to take the plunge.
Williams used to include an extremely basic book and video with their kits - I read and watched and nervously followed the instructions. It turned out pretty well - a bit thin but decent enough to sneak into the North Texas Irish festival in a stroller so we could buy one expensive cup of Guinness and then refill with the porter.
I was hooked, next up was an extract hefeweizen, then a partial mash and for my third batch I built a cooler mash tun.
Now I have a B3 brewing sculpture, temp control, kegerator, endless gadgets, etc.
Welcome to an endless excuse for learning and spending.
Williams used to include an extremely basic book and video with their kits - I read and watched and nervously followed the instructions. It turned out pretty well - a bit thin but decent enough to sneak into the North Texas Irish festival in a stroller so we could buy one expensive cup of Guinness and then refill with the porter.
I was hooked, next up was an extract hefeweizen, then a partial mash and for my third batch I built a cooler mash tun.
Now I have a B3 brewing sculpture, temp control, kegerator, endless gadgets, etc.
Welcome to an endless excuse for learning and spending.
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Interesting stories.
My first batch was an Irish Ale kit.
Everything conceivable a person could do wrong - I did wrong.
But by gawd I made beer and it was damm tasty.
I thought, this is easy! And immediately went to all grain using coolers.
My first all grain batch tasted like Vicks Formula 44 cough syrup.
OOPS!
My first batch was an Irish Ale kit.
Everything conceivable a person could do wrong - I did wrong.
But by gawd I made beer and it was damm tasty.
I thought, this is easy! And immediately went to all grain using coolers.
My first all grain batch tasted like Vicks Formula 44 cough syrup.
OOPS!
My first batch was an interesting start and simple as.... can be!
5 gallons of apple juice 1 lb of brown sugar and I think 1 irish yeast pack, put it all in a fermented bucket for 3 weeks.... and carved for 2 in bottles... came out sort of like a dry apple wine but it was good.... lesson learned was to add a back sweetener after the fermentation....
5 gallons of apple juice 1 lb of brown sugar and I think 1 irish yeast pack, put it all in a fermented bucket for 3 weeks.... and carved for 2 in bottles... came out sort of like a dry apple wine but it was good.... lesson learned was to add a back sweetener after the fermentation....
Very cool. I would like to get a mini fridge to control my fermentation temp at some point as well and for cold crashing.
![Craft A Brew - Safale BE-256 Yeast - Fermentis - Belgian Ale Dry Yeast - For Belgian & Strong Ales - Ingredients for Home Brewing - Beer Making Supplies - [3 Pack]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51bcKEwQmWL._SL500_.jpg)
I’m hoping for something drinkable and not cough medicine! Lol
congrats! your volume looks quite low, so some top up water would've brought the gravity down closer to your expected numbers.
My wife bought me a Mr. Beer kit with a light lager.
I made the lager first with no temperature control or really any knowledge on WTF I was doing.
I came away with something that tasted like banana water and dirty socks. And I drank every one.
So I wanted to find out why it was so nasty. This time I did a little research and got a can of pale ale. I joined here and read a lot. While far from good it was a lot better as I at least attempted to control fermentation temps. So now I made banana beer without the socks!!
11 years later I'm still researching and trying to improve.
I made the lager first with no temperature control or really any knowledge on WTF I was doing.
I came away with something that tasted like banana water and dirty socks. And I drank every one.
So I wanted to find out why it was so nasty. This time I did a little research and got a can of pale ale. I joined here and read a lot. While far from good it was a lot better as I at least attempted to control fermentation temps. So now I made banana beer without the socks!!
11 years later I'm still researching and trying to improve.
ya I had no clue about the top off water part. It was so far my biggest mistake.
It's not even a mistake, per se. This was your first attempt, so you can only get better! The biggest thing I can say from my earlier brewing days, is don't become obsessed with numbers. They are a guideline and as you learn your system, and get better at the actual brewing process, you'll be able to close the gap. The biggest issue for me when I started was I was constantly butt hurt when I didn't hit my numbers exactly. It's mostly about volume in the beginning, especially with extract, because you basically get 95% efficiency from the extract. Top off water is usually a thing for extract brewers who don't do full volume boils (due to a smaller kettle). That would have diluted the wort a bit and brought your OG down, depending on how much water you added.
So update. I had to leave home the last three days. Looks like most the action has ceased. My temp while the yeast was active was constant at 68 with a towel wrapped around it in my closet. My house temp has stayed the same, but the temp on my carboy is reading close to 64 now. I wrapped another blanket around it overnight but it seems to be staying down there.
should I be worried? Would the yeast being active make the temp higher and then when it dies off decrease like this?
Hoping I don’t ruin my first batch...
should I be worried? Would the yeast being active make the temp higher and then when it dies off decrease like this?
Hoping I don’t ruin my first batch...
Your most likely fine as long as your sanitation was good. 68 is fine for ale fermentation. With the activity slowing the temp will decrease until it reaches your ambient temp. Active fermentation can raise the wort up to 10 degrees higher than ambient! After my fermentation is complete my beer evens out right around 60, which is what my basement temp is at.
On the flip side, if you fermented at 64, you would need to raise temps closer to 70 (or at least high 60s) for a few days to cleanup any off flavors produced by the beer. They call this the diacetyl rest. Diacetyl tastes like movie popcorn or butterscotch.
Took a FG reading today, day 15. 1.014 right on target. Clearing up nicely and flavor seemed good. Gonna take another reading Tuesday. Then cold crash and keg... so far seems like a successful first batch!!
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well today I kegged the beer. FG 1.014. Only ended up with about 3 gallons of beer though. Lost during boil and fermentation. So my next kit I plan to boil 6 gallons instead and hope that compensated for the loss. Beer is gonna be strong OG was 1.072. But it’s for sure drinkable, so success!!! Lol on to batch #2
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So, you never topped up? You could have even the day that you transferred to the keg.
With an extract kit most will boil in about 2-3 gallons of water then top up.
6 gallons may work or may not. You need to figure out your boil off rate. It will change based on your heat source and the geometry of your pot. My 10 gallon pot on my propane burner boils off almost 2 gallons per hour so I need to start with just over 7 gallons.
A couple of notes. It is not necessary to rehydrate any dry yeast. At least Fermentis is now recommending that you don't. Others may still recommend rehydration for best results, but it will be OK either way.
For US-05 I prefer to ferment at about 64 - 65 degrees. Some say that anything over 70 degrees will give you off flavors.
Most dry yeasts are coated with nutrients and sterols so aeration is not so important. With liquid yeast it is important.
My first batch I misread the instructions and fermented too warm the first day. I cooled it and let it ferment longer. My second I controlled the fermentation temperature and that one remains in my top ten of all my 109 batches. Both were extract kits from Northern Brewer.
That was also the worst mistake I made other than a couple of radical experimental brews that didn't turn out good. That was recipe...
I guess I am yet to make a beer. I make a Brut from an off the shelf beer. A concentrated beer from an off the shelf with or without brut.
My first few gallons were Kombucha. In fact that's why I joined this forum. I ended up not needing kombucha after all for a symptom I was having. So I stopped brewing and posting (asking stupid questions) here for a few years.
Then onto alcohol - My first few gallons were apple, grape and grapple wines. Much of which I didn't even post about.
Then mid 2019 I started my first gallon of mead. Boom, the bug had bit me, on its heels came freeze concentrating beer, then hyper fermenting it then freeze concentrating that etc.
So 2019 is the year I went down the rabbit hole, and in a sense yet to even make a beer from scratch.
Cool.
Srinath.
My first few gallons were Kombucha. In fact that's why I joined this forum. I ended up not needing kombucha after all for a symptom I was having. So I stopped brewing and posting (asking stupid questions) here for a few years.
Then onto alcohol - My first few gallons were apple, grape and grapple wines. Much of which I didn't even post about.
Then mid 2019 I started my first gallon of mead. Boom, the bug had bit me, on its heels came freeze concentrating beer, then hyper fermenting it then freeze concentrating that etc.
So 2019 is the year I went down the rabbit hole, and in a sense yet to even make a beer from scratch.
Cool.
Srinath.
Ya I did not top off. Totally missed that step. I didn’t think I could top off prior to kegging. Will make corrections for the next batch. Thanks for the advice!
Stand
Well-Known Member
Mr. Beer.
What I made came out undrinkable. Immediately went to LHBS and bought an extract kit.
Way better, although I boiled over and it ended up taking like 5 hours.
Never looked back
What I made came out undrinkable. Immediately went to LHBS and bought an extract kit.
Way better, although I boiled over and it ended up taking like 5 hours.
Never looked back
Oh, cool. I am starting with a Jai alai or a blend of jai alai, bell ringer and Thomas creeks doppel bock, ferment it further, then freeze concentrate it. Likely hitting 30-35% abv. To get it to beer levels of abv, put 2oz of it with 10 oz of club soda, I've neem hitting 10+ abv and shooting for 5 or less gm carb per 12 oz. Low carb and high abv but still a "beer" I'll bring you a bit of these and you let me know. I'll message you. In any case - 704 724 3878 is my number. Text me if the message thing fails - I've never done a PM so far.
Cool.
Srinath.
Cool.
Srinath.
1st pour today. Tastes pretty good for my first time. Wife likes it as well and says has a good aftertaste. Having some issues with my pour. Lots of head. Running 6 ft lines at 8psi. Carbed at 30 psi for about 30 hours and then 10 for about 20. Not sure if maybe I over carbonated at 30?
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Did you pull the pressure relief valve at all when changing your pressures?
I did not.
In the keg or regulator?
On the keg, you are dispensing at 30 - 40 psi... if you didn't depressurize the keg.
Thanks. I let some pressure out now and it’s set to 12. Gonna let it sit for a few days and try it. The hoses came with it, I may have to get longer ones if it’s the problem.
rritterson
Member
My first brew was a extract plus steeping grain brown ale the local store put together to go along with the equipment kit. I was expecting something like Newcastle, but instead it came out somewhere between Fat Tire and a west coast pale. It was pretty good as far as beers go, just was well outside the style we were aiming for. We were disappointed, but my friends loved the free beer we were handing out.
Next brew after that was an Americans hefe that still ranks as one of the top 5 beers I’ve ever had (commercial or homebrew), and I think it was so good largely because I could drink it fresher than anything I could buy from the store. From then on, I was hooked.
Next brew after that was an Americans hefe that still ranks as one of the top 5 beers I’ve ever had (commercial or homebrew), and I think it was so good largely because I could drink it fresher than anything I could buy from the store. From then on, I was hooked.
