Hello from CA

[ryantollefson]

Hi all!

Thanks everyone for the great resource! I've been reading on here for several months now, gone through Palmer's book, and have been listening to Brew Strong for a while on my commute... tomorrow it the big day... my first brew session.

Wish me luck.

-Ryan

 

[Singletrack]

Good luck! Have fun. Brewing tomorrow as well.

 

[Hamaki]

Have fun, Ryan...I'm sure it'll be the best beer you've ever brewed!

 

[ChelisHubby]

Welcome to the hobby Ryan!

 

[unionrdr]

Read the instructions & take your time with this first one. Try not to miss anything, especially sanitizing things. Then with regard to ferment times,etc, follow the advice given on here instead of the shorter times usually given in instructions.

 

[ryantollefson]

Read the instructions & take your time with this first one. Try not to miss anything, especially sanitizing things. Then with regard to ferment times,etc, follow the advice given on here instead of the shorter times usually given in instructions.

Yeah, I'm trying to go based off of Palmer's book + threads on here. For fermenting I built a modified Son of a Fermentation chiller, and a DIY BrewPi to control it.

One thing I'm just not sure about... I'm going to be doing a full boil for 5 gal finish size; I'm planning on adding my LME at the end of the boil, but my immersion chiller will already be in the wort (sanitize for the last 10-15 min). Will I be able to stir it in properly when the chiller is already in the kettle?

 

[unionrdr]

Having the chiller in there will make it tough. But at boiling temps, putting the chiller in the last 5 minutes or so would be OK. Pasteurization happens in seconds @ 160F. So it wouldn't take long to sanitize it. Maybe remove it long enough to stir in the LME or soak the chiller in a bucket of Starsan instead.

 

[Cyclman]

Welcome to the hobby, and the group, from CO

Sounds like you're off to a solid start, best of luck.

 

[ryantollefson]

Having the chiller in there will make it tough. But at boiling temps, putting the chiller in the last 5 minutes or so would be OK. Pasteurization happens in seconds @ 160F. So it wouldn't take long to sanitize it. Maybe remove it long enough to stir in the LME or soak the chiller in a bucket of Starsan instead.

I went with the soak the chiller in starsan - seemed much easier. Thanks.

 

[ryantollefson]

First batch is now done and in the fermenter. Does this mean I can now call myself a homebrewer, or does that need to wait until after successful bottling?

What I learned:

• After steeping grains, the bag is too hot to grab with your hands
• The metal spoon gets really hot after a while in the kettle - hotpads are your friend
• Boil overs happen really fast - turned around to jot some notes, turned back and foam was at the top.

Questions that I now have:

1. Is it normal to have a bunch of green gunk in the bottom of the kettle after you are done?
2. How much should I leave behind in the kettle when transfering? Stop once it starts to get a lot of sediment?
3. I calculated OG at 1.055 - recipe anticipated 1.051 - is this pretty close?

Guess now I sit and wait for a while... any other feedback from what you guys see is welcome. Thanks!

 

[Singletrack]

1. Yes. Hops, hot break, cold break. Typically, green is hops.
2. Some dump all the bottom muck into the fermenter. Apparently it doesn't ruin the beer, but I've always suspected that it results in more trub, so I have not tried it. Some cold break is supposed to be good for the yeast, but hops do nothing, so I strain hops, include a little cold break, and leave a lot behind.
3. You will dial in OG over time, but great job! (If this was a kit, then it's unlikely you will short some extract to hit OG, so just enjoy your high efficiency and extra ABV.)

 

[unionrdr]

Looks like you learn quick! I use plastic, long handled paddles & spoons made for brewing so they don't get hot. And 1.050 against a 1.051 is fine! Yes, the green gunk is grainy stuff from the dissolved hop pellets. I use a dual layer, fine mesh strainer in top of my fermenters to strain & aerate the wort, but stop pouring when I get down to the gunk. The hot break foams up fast for no more than about 3 minutes right before it boils. So you have to be ready to stir it & spray with a bottle of water to keep it at bay. Then poof! it's gon in an instant. Cool how it disappears so quickly!? The only one I couldn't control during the hot break was Bavarian wheat DME. Sheez, that stuff was voracious! Beersivuous blows it's top! I also use a nylon paint strainer bag LD Carlson puts out for my grain bag. It can be stretched over the lip of the brew kettle so part of it stays cooler. Easier to hold & lift, although 6lbs of wet grains is still pretty heavy & stretches the bag.

 

[Singletrack]

Missed a question: You can call yourself a home brewer when you insist on drinking the beer you made, no matter how terrible. Or when you truly believe your beer is the best you've ever had. Or when after the first taste, you start planning how to make the next one better. (I qualify under criteria 1 and 3. My beer is barely drinkable -- but I drink it -- and I have high hopes for the next one!)

Edit: Kidding/exaggerating about the quality of my beer. Though, I have had some below average batches, most in the past year or so are very good. Looking for great.

 

[ChelisHubby]

Missed a question: You can call yourself a home brewer when you insist on drinking the beer you made, no matter how terrible. Or when you truly believe your beer is the best you've ever had. Or when after the first taste, you start planning how to make the next one better. (I qualify under criteria 1 and 3. My beer is barely drinkable -- but I drink it -- and I have high hopes for the next one!)

The more you brew it will get better, use a kit from one of the homebrew suppliers and then try to do the process again with better attention to tempatures and other details. Please post any questions to the forum someone here has the answer you need.

 

[ryantollefson]

Missed a question: You can call yourself a home brewer when you insist on drinking the beer you made, no matter how terrible. Or when you truly believe your beer is the best you've ever had. Or when after the first taste, you start planning how to make the next one better. (I qualify under criteria 1 and 3. My beer is barely drinkable -- but I drink it -- and I have high hopes for the next one!)

Almost there.

And yes, it was a pale ale kit from LHBS.

unionrdr - thanks for the tip on the water spray bottle to help with foam - will try that next time.

Thanks all for the welcomes and the tips.