Your Mother Brews Beer

[YourMother]

This is my first brew day ever. Wife and kid just left the house and I'm beginning the setup and sanitizing processes now.

My equipment includes:

6.5 gallon carboy
5 gallon carboy
Auto-siphon with tubing
Hydrometer
Big frogging funnel
Two airlocks (not the fancy three-turn one, the other one)
Bottle brush
Bottle capper

I am sanitizing using Star San and I am currently working from the "Brewer's Best Bold" kit for the California Imperial Pale Ale, but I'm planning on adding some bittering and aroma hops as well as dry-hopping with 1 lb of leaf Cascade.

I will try and post as I go for your amusement and ridicule. I'll also snap a few photos and upload.

Wish me luck!

Your Mother

 

[Sithdad]

Have fun mom! Oh and thanks for the chocolate cake it was REALLY good!

 

[bradjoiner]

one pound of cascade dry hopped is a little over kill i would go with one ounce instead

 

[Schlenkerla]

Inquiring minds want to know are you a dude or dudette?

From your profile...

Atlanta, GA
39 years old
Female

 

[YourMother]

one pound of cascade dry hopped is a little over kill i would go with one ounce instead

Err... I meant one ounce. Bittering hops include:

2 oz. Columbus
1 oz. Magnum

Flavoring / Aroma:

1 oz. Columbus (10 mins)
1 oz. Columbus (5 mins)

Also, I am a dude. Sorry for the mixup. I get confused.

Current status: STEEPING GRAIN

Your Mother

 

[YourMother]

Malt extracts have been added. Re-boiled and added bittering hops. Wow! What an initial boil! I got to what I believe is the "hot break" in a couple of minutes and now we're down to a nice boil.

Developing...

 

[Ksosh]

What kind of stove/burner do you have? Electric/flame/propane?

 

[YourMother]

Electric. Not the best, either.

Also a question-- my 6.5 gal carboy does not have a 5 gal marker. Any good way to know when you've reached the 5 gal mark?

 

[Ksosh]

You could always pour it into the 5 gallon, and then into the 6.5 afterwards. Might help aerate the wort as well (assuming you're done with the boiling/cooling, otherwise the carboy(s) might crack)

(I'm an electric as well... I feel your pain)

 

[Crazytwoknobs]

I assume you're cooling it right now?

Good job! Make sure it gets nice and aerated once it's cooled! (Like ksocia said)

 

[YourMother]

Alright!

Cooled to 70 degrees, aggressively poured into 5 gal carboy, added 2 gal distilled water and 1.2 gal of filtered tap (ran out of distilled). Poured aggressively again into 6.5 gal carboy, dropped 5 gal carboy on foot during pour, blamed wife, continued pouring...

Added yeast and stirred well. Hey! I got me some airlocked IIPA wort!

Damn!

Thanks for all the advice. Pictures to follow!

Your Mother

 

[YourMother]

Oh yeah-- and OG of 1.074.

 

[Ksosh]

Congrats! Now just don't get it infected with something between now and bottling time and you'll be good to go

Also, don't be in too much of a hurry to move into either a secondary container or into the bottles. A little extra fermentation time in the primary can do wonders for beer from what I've experienced (and been told numerous times by non-noobs).

 

[YourMother]

Solid! Thanks!

This may not mean anything to anyone but me, but the airlock is releasing gas and I'm getting a bit choked up.

Your Mother

 

[dantodd]

the airlock is releasing gas and I'm getting a bit choked up

Maybe you should open a window!



J/K! Congrats. It is truly magic to make something completely from scratch for the first time. I get so much gratification when I am handmaking something. I am not a wood worker or metalsmith so most of my "scratch making" is done in food and drink!

 

[YourMother]

Man, the airlock is bubbling pretty well and there's about a 1" crust on it.

Here's a link to some photos from earlier:

Your Mother's First Brew Day - a set on Flickr

Your Mother

 

[Ksosh]

So... what's your next brew ?

 

[Schlenkerla]

Hey put a towel or a t-shirt on your carboy. Keep it out of the light as much as possible.

 

[YourMother]

So... what's your next brew ?

Messy Divorce Ale

Hey put a towel or a t-shirt on your carboy. Keep it out of the light as much as possible.

My own mother used to say that to me. Brings back memories.

I'm not crying. There's something in my eye.

Your Mother

 

[Ksosh]

Hey put a towel or a t-shirt on your carboy. Keep it out of the light as much as possible.

+1. Also, keep it cool. I was surprised how warm my apartment was during my 1st batch, and I quickly got the stuff to make a swamp cooler (large plastic bin, water, fan, black T-shirt for carboy)

 

[Araxi]

One question..do you wear army boots? :cross:

 

[Kauai_Kahuna]

Yea, the only person who got away with calling themselves my mother / father was my drill instructors.

 

[YourMother]

Don't make me turn this car around! I'll do it!

OK-- so I added three new photos from this morning:

Flickr: YourMotherBrews' Photostream

I airlocked the primary fermenter at 3pm yesterday. At 9am this morning we've got some serious blowoff.

Should I change the liquid in the airlock? I'm thinking I should just leave this alone, but I thought I'd ask.

Your Mother

 

[Nurmey]

Clean airlock, resanitize, and read up on blow off tubes.
Congratulations on your first brew, looks like it went really well.

 

[YourMother]

Clean airlock, resanitize, and read up on blow off tubes.
Congratulations on your first brew, looks like it went really well.

Done! I'll read up on blowoff tubes today... it looks like my brew may be done blowing off.

Thanks for the encouragement! There's still a lot of action in the carboy so I'm hoping for good things.

Your Mother

 

[Araxi]

Nobody got the "your mother wears army boots" reference?

 

[Ksosh]

Nobody got the "your mother wears army boots" reference?

...or we did and chose not to respond

 

[YourMother]

Activity has really died down in the airlock and the beer doesn't look like a maelstrom anymore.

So, I'm guessing at least a week in the primary?

Your Mother

 

[Reno_eNVy]

Activity has really died down in the airlock and the beer doesn't look like a maelstrom anymore.

So, I'm guessing at least a week in the primary?

Your Mother

Just found this thread, looking good!

Most people on here would say to leave it 3-4 weeks to ensure the yeast have time to clean up the mess they made during the fermentation party. Be sure to keep with the updates!

 

[Ksosh]

Most people on here would say to leave it 3-4 weeks to ensure the yeast have time to clean up the mess they made during the fermentation party.

+1

.....10

 

[nealf]

Way to go mom... I'm so proud. What part of Atlanta did you move to? Last I checked you lived in Chattanooga, TN

You never tell me what's going on in your life...

-Your Son

 

[YourMother]

Way to go mom... I'm so proud. What part of Atlanta did you move to? Last I checked you lived in Chattanooga, TN

You never tell me what's going on in your life...

-Your Son

Well, you never call and your father fell last week but it's not like you'd know since you married that girl with the tattoo instead of that nice girl with the limp and you moved to that crazy town...

So, the airlock activity has really calmed down-- pretty still overall. I see some flakes falling now, so I'm guessing I'm in the 2 - 3 weeks period of "cleanup".

Does this seem correct?

Your Mother

 

[Ksosh]

Yep, give it a couple more weeks to have more stuff fall and compact on the bottom.

 

[Araxi]

...or we did and chose not to respond

Probably that since there is very little humour here

 

[YourMother]

Yep, give it a couple more weeks to have more stuff fall and compact on the bottom.

Thanks! Since I'm using a secondary, should I rack in two weeks or so or should I rack now and wait the additional weeks?

Sorry for all the questions, but I appreciate the advice!

Your Mother

 

[Schlenkerla]

Thanks! Since I'm using a secondary, should I rack in two weeks or so or should I rack now and wait the additional weeks?

Sorry for all the questions, but I appreciate the advice!

Your Mother

The beer will mature faster and be ready to drink sooner if you can leave it on the yeast longer. I typically leave beers in the primary for 2-3 weeks. Depending on the beer I go to a 2ndary. Depends how clear I want it to be. IMHO - Clearer & cleaner is better unless we are talking wheat beers of some sort.

 

[ImperialLover]

yeah, good call on the finishing hops, that would've destroyed it.

 

[YourMother]

OK-- so all airlock activity has stopped (that I can see) and there's a nice greenish settlement of gunk on the bottom of the carboy. This Sunday will be two weeks in the primary.

I'm thinking about moving to the secondary this weekend and dry hopping for a week before bottling.

Any comments?

Your Mother

 

[Ksosh]

Check the gravity now, and see if it's changed by Sunday. If it hasn't changed, you should be OK to move to secondary if you want.

 

[YourMother]

So, it's currently sitting at 1.024 FG with an OG of 1.074. which would make this about a 6.7% beer, if I'm correct.

Comedy of errors on getting the sample for the FG:

Used auto-siphon, which snapped at the top while drawing the sample, which caused me to dump some of the airlock water back into the beer which caused me to freak the frog out about that which caused me to have to draw another sample due to me losing most of the original sample during the freakout.

Hope I didn't infect it.

Damn.

Any words of encouragement would be appreciated.

Your Mother