my first beer

[kid mode]

Up until this point I've never made beer. I've made different ciders and apple wines for a while now and I got interested in beer just by reading a lot and tasting good beer.
I'm a real fan of history and self-sufficiency so I just couldn't bring myself to start with an extract. I know it would have been a great start and very educational. Call it romanticism. I might be very sorry when I finish this batch.
I just moved in to a new place that pays for all the gas and water so I figure I'd better make use of it. I found a method for brewing smaller batches(3 gallons) therefore making it possible to boil on my stove. Here it is:
http://www.classiccitybrew.com/recipes.html
Everything went as planned yesterday. So, in a few days, I should have a Jewel of the Crown Brown Ale. I put it more hops than the recipe called for. Willamette. We'll see if that was a mistake.
This morning, the airlock is really kicking and it smells like a very ripe mango. I can't explain that one.
For my next batch, I'd like to do a Hefeweizen. Any good recipes?

 

[Rhoobarb]

Sounds like you're off to a great start. Fun, ain't it! Having made ciders and apple wines, you kind of have a jump on complete newbies.

That mango smell may be due to the kind of yeast you used. I saw the recipe calls for a British Ale yeast; what did you actually end up using?

I love Willamette hops - how much more did you use?!

 

[kid mode]

Thanks for the boost. It really is a lot of fun. I used almost a full ounce of Willamette. The recipe called for a 1/2oz.
I used a White Labs British Ale. I believe WLP005. The wort tasted sorta like tobacco. I'm guessing that was the chocolate and black patent malts. ??

 

[Uncle Fat]

British ale yeast gives off fruity esters as it works (which might explain the mango smell). As long as everything that touches your beer after the boil is sanitized, you should be fine.

As far as the extra willamettes, don't worry. Since they are your bittering hop (60 minute boil), and since they are such a low-alpha hop (usually 4% or less), you'll barely notice at all. In fact, you probably improved the balance of the beer by doing it.
It's interesting that the recipe calls for willamettes for bittering... I usually only use them for aroma, and most of the time I don't even boil them.

I'd also do a secondary ferment if you have the means (recipe calls for only a primary)... this is for any beer really. I usually do 7 days in the primary, then rack to a secondary for another 14. This allows it a little time to condition, and clarify, and gets it off the spent yeast. It will give you a better beer, and (hopefully) get rid of any "home brew desease" that can happen with only a primary ferment... Just my advice though.

Let us know how it all comes out...

 

[kid mode]

Well, the primary ferment went so fast. It was really heavy for the first 30 hours or so and then it just slowed way way down. It seems to be done.
O.G. was 1.040 and I just pulled out a sample at 1.010.
I'm gonna try a secondary. I don't have two carboys but I guess I could clean the boilpot and hold it in there while I clean out the carboy. What do you think? Too risky with the time in the open air? I'll wait until I get a yay or nay from someone. Thanks

 

[Uncle Fat]

A fast ferment isn't too bad. It may impart a little fruitier taste than you want. A Fast fermentation is an indication of a higher fermentation temp. This releases more esters (or esters of a different chemical makeup) that have more of an affect on the beer's taste.

Leaving it in the brewpot during while you clean your carboy is a little risky... If you brewpot is sanitized, and you're quick about transfering the beer back into the carboy, you may be ok. Then again, you're introducing more variables into your process. More variables mean more chance of infection. My advice would be to just bottle after the primary in this case. Your first batch is gonna be good. Don't worry.

For future reference, you don't really need a second carboy. I do my primary in a plastic bucket, then rack to a carboy (or a corny) for secondary. Then you can use the plastic bucket again for bottling.

 

[kid mode]

Thanks a lot for the help, Uncle. That sounds great doing primary in a bucket and doubling it's use for bottling. The release of esters makes a lot of sense. It got warmer here last week and it was tough keeping the temp down around the carboy.
I'll let you know how things turn out

 

[Lost]

Warm fermentation temps may make the beer taste fruity, banana-like, or even like cloves. However, I don't think that will be much of a concern for you unless you had temps in excess of 80 F. Ester flavors are actually desirable in some styles and will probably be undetectable to most in darker/maltier beers.

A secondary is definately a good investment as letting the beer sit on the trub in the primary isn't all that great and can create some undesirable off flavors at the 2 or 3 week mark. Letting beers age (especially darker and more complex beers like a stout or porter) is a good idea and the best way to age beers is bulk aging (as opposed to bottle aging - though bottle aging and cold conditioning do have their places as well).

I do hope that you have a bottling bucket, I'd say that's a must especially if you're not using a secondary. If you're bottling straight from the primary you'll probably be siphoning which can be a pain if you lose the siphon or get the racking cane clogged. Further, you'll probably stir some of the trub up and that'll end up in the bottles (not so good). I also don't see how you'd add the priming sugar unless you added it to each bottle (inaccurate and can lead to bottle bombs unless your using sugar tabs or some such).

For your first batch though, using a primary and a bottling bucket will be just fine.. some never move on to secondaries and still produce very good beer.