1st brew.... Yea!!!

[sukkafree]

So after months of looking on the forum i decided to go and buy a home brew kit from my local home brew shop. Took the kit home checked out all the goodies and started contemplating my first batch. My wife agreed a blackberry wit would be a good 1st batch. Went to the brew shop and with the help of the guy at the brew shop helped me create a recipie using beersmith. The actual brewing process went smooth, until i went to take a hydrometer reading. I unwrapped the bubble wrap and the hydrometer was broken it was 10:30 at night no shops open so i went ahead and pitched my yeast any way, next morning to my surprise airlock goin nuts that was on tuesday. Made it to brew shop on thursday april 4th guy at brew shop gave me a new one took a reading and its at 1.035



So how does it look so far?

 

[pannell77]

Going good, let that baby sit for a couple weeks and check it again. How did it taste?

 

[Hopper5000]

looks good to me, the accuracy of that reading is probably way off for your original gravity because the yeast have consumed some of the sugars.

do you know how much wort you ended up with and what your ingradients were? You can guestimate your OG using that.

Or you could just not care and drink it

Hoppy brewing

 

[sukkafree]

It smelled like beer tasted like beer but it was pretty sweet. I took the sample from the spout on the fermenting bucket figured that was better than opening the bucket up. Star-san everything. Im supposed to add blackberry extract in bottling bucket according to recipie but i would rather use real blackberrys im just not really sure how much lb. wise to use

 

[Cyclman]

Sounds awesome, welcome to the addiction.

 

[Hopper5000]

I haven't dabbeled in the fruit too much so I can't really comment on that. I feel like I have read that people use somewhere between 1/4 to 1lb of fruit per 5gal. I dunno about berries though.

I know people freeze it first because it bursts the cell walls down in the fruit and makes it fermentable.

Just a word that is you dump real fruit in there it will ferment again because the yeast will eat up the sugars in the fruit.

 

[Johnnyhamer]

From my reading people have used 1# per gallon.

 

[sukkafree]

Thank you for the warm welcome!!! Was a little timid posting but first time ever brewing and im excited!!! Check my airlock before i go to work ... Top off with star san and when i get home top off airlock with star san been bubbling like crazy!!! Plan on secondary on tuesday to add fruit keep fingers crossed, and i will boil fruit with water first to kill off any bad things. Cheers!!!

 

[Johnnyhamer]

Don't boil the fruit. It changes the flavor. Just give it a wash and possibly steep it.
A lot of people don't even steep it. Just puree it in a sanitized blender. There's now alcohol in your beer do infection isn't as likely as it was when starting in your primary.

 

[twistr25]

Thank you for the warm welcome!!! Was a little timid posting but first time ever brewing and im excited!!! Check my airlock before i go to work ... Top off with star san and when i get home top off airlock with star san been bubbling like crazy!!! Plan on secondary on tuesday to add fruit keep fingers crossed, and i will boil fruit with water first to kill off any bad things. Cheers!!!

Let it go at least 10 days if not 14 before you transfer to secondary, it should almost be done fermenting before you transfer. Hard to wait, but you'll get a better result

 

[sukkafree]

Awesome... Dont want to rush it so i can wait another week no prob

 

[sukkafree]

Added 4 lbs of blackberrys today to secondary.... And wow!!! Had to put a blow off tube on because airlock about shotoff it was so clogged....... 8 hrs later bubbling is slowing down

 

[sukkafree]

This is a pic from my first brew after being bottled for about a week or so.... Lots of little bubbles. There was a sharp taste from blackberries upon bottling but the taste has dramatically changed in a week cant wait to taste next week

 

[stubbq]

That looks really good I'm new to brewing just did my first brew last night and I'm wanting to do a brew just like that I am currently drink shock top honey crisp apple right now. Could you pm me your recipe if you don't mind