1st time brewer

[thedeave]

I want to start off by saying this forum is great.

Well tonight I got to brew my 1st batch of American Wheat. I received a 1 gallon starter kit from northern brewer for Christmas. It was definitely a learning experience. Tonight I learned I need a bigger pot, my 1 1/2 gallon pot was not cutting it. I had a couple of boil overs trying to get the heat right on my electric stove. I didn't have enough ice to cool the wort down and for my drink, so I used a metal bucket filled with water and had it outside to cool it down. when I transferred the wort to the fermenter I was about 1/2 gallon short. I toped off the fermenter with clean filtered water. Hopefully this was not a mistake. Unhappy with having to add that much water I didn't pay close attention to the directions on the yeast and I put in double the amount it called for. Fingers crossed that my 1st batch turns out decent, but I am ready to start my next batch with a few upgrades to my brew equipment.

Cheers and happy brewing

 

[BrewerBaj]

Take good notes so you don't make the same mistakes next time. Your beer will be fine though.

 

[thedeave]

Thanks, in just a few short weeks I will be drinking my 1st home brew. This is going to be a fun hobby.

 

[grem135]

Thanks, in just a few short weeks I will be drinking my 1st home brew. This is going to be a fun hobby.

You will be surprized how LONG those weeks will be while you wait!

 

[BrewerBaj]

Thanks, in just a few short weeks I will be drinking my 1st home brew. This is going to be a fun hobby.

I am also in the same situation as you. I bottled on the 7th. It has been very difficult to wait. In fact I am worried that I rushed the fermentation. In the meantime I have been trying to keep busy upgrading my brewing system with DIY projects. I have also been reading the joy of home brewing which is a great read for the novice home brewer. Cheers to our first batch.

 

[TheSquid]

+1 on taking notes. Also, one thing that can't be overstated. Don't be discouraged if you crack one open and it's....OK. It's amazing how different your beer can be after a few more weeks of conditioning.

 

[thedeave]

I'm taking notes and making my shopping list for the next batch. I think the hardest part is the wait, but I have some ideas for some DIY projects to help me on my future brews

 

[jrgtr42]

Welcome to the obsession.
THe hardest thing to learn for a homebrewer is patience. I know (believe me, I know!!) how you want to taste the results of your work as soon as possible, but relying on a calendar, or times on instruction sheets included with most kits is not always the best way to get the best beer.
The yeast will tell you when they're done, and leaving it be for a bit longer can never hurt.
Correction: it doesn't hurt as long as the airlock is full, and you're not popping the lid every other day to "have a look at it" Opening it up is the surest way to end up with infected, oxidized beer. Only open to take a gravity reading a couple days before planned bottle day, then that day. As long as the gravity readings are the same you're good - and having patience is part of making sure those readings are the same.
I generally leave my beer in for 3 weeks, though some have actually taken longer.
Another 2 to 3 weeks carbonating and you will have that nectar of the gods.

 

[kombat]

If it makes you feel any better, pitching twice as much yeast as was needed probably won't affect the beer at all. Overpitching is much less of a concern than underpitching. Besides, if you just pitched it in dry without rehydrating it beforehand, then half of the cells would have died right away anyway, meaning you pitched exactly the right amount of yeast.

 

[andhou27]

1 gallon batches are tricky. The full boil is a real pain at such a low volume and I ended up with less wort in my fermentors as well. However, you will find the right temperature to boil at and will eventually get the volume perfect. As for the adding of water, some people have for the 1 gallon batches, some haven't. The more you add, the more it changes the balance, but I'm sure it will still be enjoyable. Keep at it and welcome!

 

[scruffyhansolo]

I just finished my 10th 1 gallon batch on Saturday and haven't had to many issues. I use a 9 quart pot and I don't have the boil to high. Once I hit the hot break I drop it to medium and it seems just right. Another trick I've learned is if it is about to boil over lift the pot off the burner for a few seconds also you can place a wooden spoon over the top of the pot and it stops the foam for the most part. I am clearly still a novice but I have had a lot of fun and am dying to try my beer after every brew. Patience still eludes me.

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[thedeave]

Does this look ok? Is it supposed to foam up that much?

 

[bzwyatt]

If your volumes were per the recipe, it is foaming more than it should. Is it warmer than 70?


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[thedeave]

I followed the recipe, but I did use double the yeast, my basement stays 62-65,

 

[bzwyatt]

I've never done a batch smaller than an LBK, and the only time mine have come out the fermentor was when they were too warm. But I was on a tour at Stone and I saw one of their fermentors aggressively blowing krausen out a blowoff that was a foot in diameter. It doesn't necessarily mean something is wrong. Could just be a very healthy and active fermentation, and it if your ambient temp is never above 65, fermentor temp is probably never above 69. Mine are usually 2-3 degrees different, a nearly completed fermentation sitting next to an active one, in my fermentation fridge. Active is at 67, done is around 64-65.

 

[scruffyhansolo]

I have done several of the Northern Brewer 1 gallon extract batches and almost all of them are very active like this. Put the blow off tube in and it will die down pretty quick (24-48 hours).

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