My first brew

[mark1765]

New to the brewing group so go easy on me if you see any rookie mistakes. I received my stainless steel 30qt pot Friday and that is all I was waiting on to brew my first batch of Belgian Wit from Wilmington Home Brew. It took a little longer than I thought but I learned a lot and we enjoyed brewing in the garage. I had planned on setting up outside but pouring rain made me rethink that plan.

 

[TheCADJockey]

Congratulations! Keep us updated on how it turns out. Did everything run fairly smooth for your first go?

 

[HomeDrewBrew]

That's a good idea for using the blue bucket for wort chiller!

 

[unionrdr]

Looks like everything went OK. Congrats on your first brew!

 

[TheCADJockey]

That's a good idea for using the blue bucket for wort chiller!

I do the same thing, and then set it outside and grab a beer. It isn't as fast as other methods, but without having any other equipment it usually cools it to pitching temp within 30-45 minutes for me.

 

[HomeDrewBrew]

Ya i used a rubbermaid bin outside with some cold water in it ready before mash in,and another 2 gallons in another bucket just in case which ended up using as well as ice cubes and frozen water bottles.Cooled in an hr.

 

[halcyondays]

Looks delicious, congrats! Keep us updated on how it turns out.

 

[mark1765]

Everything went well. The recipe said to turn off the heat before adding the malt which I did, but as soon as lit the burner back and the temp came up I was so quick to turn it down to prevent boil over that I cut the flame off. But that did keep it from boiling over. Then when I added the bittering hops I did the same thing. So I have to work on that process next time. The blue bin worked great. I had a 48qt cooler full of ice and I don't know how accurate my thermometer is but I cooled the wort from boiling down to around 75* in about 15min. I could hardly believe it but that is what the thermometer said. The one question I have is, how important is it to take a before hydrometer reading? I don't have a test tube to draw out some wort to test so I just put the clean hydrometer straight in the fermenting bucket but it was hard to read with the small amount of foam.

 

[TheCADJockey]

The original reading I think, is more so you can compare it to the final reading and do some Math stuff and figure out the ABV. I wouldn't worry about it all too much since it is your first batch, but in the future it is a good habit to get into. Normally I just clean and sanitize a little glass cup, scoop out a little bit and pour it into the tube the hydrometer came in and measure it right in that. Later on, you can purchase a wine thief to steal a sample here and there. It is relatively inexpensive and is a nice tool to have, especially when you are taking readings towards the end to determine when fermentation is complete.

 

[oakbarn]

My buddies and I started brfewing in 2008 (we think). Our first brew was very similar to your setup except we used a larger vessel as a Wort Cooler.

The taste of our first brew got us into the hobby big time. We make the Best Beer in the World ( at least our little part of it) and hopefully your will be the Best Beer in the World also.


We now only do all grain and one barrel batches.

Some lessons we have learned:
Pumps are Better.
Duda Diesel Plate Chillers are great.
Stout Conical are our first Choice.
Brewer's Hardware has what you need.
Brew Often, you have more "friends" than you know.

 

[mark1765]

My buddies and I started brfewing in 2008 (we think). Our first brew was very similar to your setup except we used a larger vessel as a Wort Cooler.

The taste of our first brew got us into the hobby big time. We make the Best Beer in the World ( at least our little part of it) and hopefully your will be the Best Beer in the World also.


We now only do all grain and one barrel batches.

Some lessons we have learned:
Pumps are Better.
Duda Diesel Plate Chillers are great.
Stout Conical are our first Choice.
Brewer's Hardware has what you need.
Brew Often, you have more "friends" than you know.

Oakbarn do you bottle or keg your beer? If this turns into something that I enjoy and I am successful at I am going to look into kegging my brew.

 

[william_shakes_beer]

FYI the purpose of turning off the burner when you add the LME is to avoid scortching. LME is heavy and immediately settles to the bottom of the kettle. No need to turn off the burner for hops additions (or DME additions) Although it does no harm either.

 

[Pyg]

Congrats on the brew.
I am a noob myself. I used my sink and a 7lb bag of ice to cool down the wort. Took way longer than I had anticipated.
Had I thought ahead I would have used the plastic bucket in a cold garage.
Had a waited 1 week, my garage would have been -1 and required no ice!

Best of Luck!

 

[unionrdr]

Yeah, I forgot the large bag of ice when I had my son get the spring water for my ESB today. But I do have an armload of those gel packs from yeast shipments in the freezer. Gonna try that for the ice bath & see how it works. I'll let y'all know?...

 

[muels]

Congrats on the first brew!! Welcome to the obsession! There is a lot of info on extract brewing on this forum that will help you make great beer. You may want to throw away the directions that come with the kit and listen to these guys. Pics look great by the way. A few pointers;

Pitch the right amount of healthy yeast.
Control fermentation temps.




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[mark1765]

Thanks for all the comments guys, I need all the help I can get. Muels says to throw away my brewing directions and listen to you guys, so here goes. My directions that came with my brew which came from Wilmington NC. say to (Seal up the fermenter with sterilized airlock and place in a cool dark place for 2-3 weeks.) When I told my local supplier that today when telling him about my first brew, he said oh no that is wrong. ferment for 7 to 10 days and then bottle. If not you are asking for all kinds of issues that result in bad beer. I really trust where I bought my recipe from but when I hear things like this it makes me second guess the directions. Any input on this would be great.

 

[MrTux]

Mark, keep in a cool area (64* to 72*) and check on it after 5 days and check every day. When you see that bubbles stop coming out of you air lock, your fermentation is done and ready for bottle/kegging. And to answer your other question, KEG YOU BEER! There are some beers you will bottle. Chimay and Pliney comes to mind. But most of your beers will be easier to keg, reduce your carbonation time, and cleaning is soooo much easier. Yes, initial startup cost is a little higher and you have to buy corney's or pin lock kegs. But you will have an option of having several beers available and you will be the hit at parties.

 

[muels]

Thanks for all the comments guys, I need all the help I can get. Muels says to throw away my brewing directions and listen to you guys, so here goes. My directions that came with my brew which came from Wilmington NC. say to (Seal up the fermenter with sterilized airlock and place in a cool dark place for 2-3 weeks.) When I told my local supplier that today when telling him about my first brew, he said oh no that is wrong. ferment for 7 to 10 days and then bottle. If not you are asking for all kinds of issues that result in bad beer. I really trust where I bought my recipe from but when I hear things like this it makes me second guess the directions. Any input on this would be great.

I would say he is misguided. It isn't one size fits all. If you do not have a hydrometer then wait 3 weeks. It will not hurt the beer at all. Fermentation will be done and the bit of extra time will give the yeast time to clean up after themselves. Get a hydrometer, then you will know when it's done.

You can't rely on bubbles in the airlock to tell you anything. If you see bubbles it is either still fermenting or there is Co2 come up from the bottom (moving the fermentor, etc). If you see no bubbles it's means it is done fermenting or the lid doesn't have a complete airtight seal (which isn't an issue). Either way, air bubbles can be misleading.

You can do research on secondary if you like. Not sure if the kit calls for it and I won't get into that debate here!! I don't normally use one but it really depends on the beer.

In this case I would error on the side of caution and wait at least 2 weeks, maybe 3. Once you get a solid handle on the process and get a hydrometer you will be able to better determine when it's ready to bottle.


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[unionrdr]

Yup. when the airlock bubbles slow down or stop, only initial fermentation is usually done. It'll then slowly, uneventfully creep down to a stable FG. Then give it 3-7 days to clean up by-products of fermentation & settle out clear or slightly misty. Then prime & bottle.

 

[mark1765]

Thanks guys. I do have a hydrometer just not sure I got an accurate reading from the beginning. I didn't have anything to test the wort in other than the bucket and it of course had some foam on top after the transfer from the pot but best I could tell it was somewhere around 1.026. This was after adding the yeast. I thought I read that's when you are supposed to do the first test, but the same guy that told me to bottle after a week said I should have tested before I added the yeast. I now have a wine thief and a test tube.

 

[unionrdr]

Yeah, always take the test sample before pitching the yeast. I test in the tube the hydrometer comes in with this blue hard foam ring NB sells to fit it. The ring makes it more stable when stood up on end.

 

[Psylocide]

Well, you'll probably be fine in this case... most kits list the expected OG in the instructions.

If you followed the recipe exactly, your OG is likely what they list in the instructions. Just use that for this brew.

 

[GHBWNY]

The one question I have is, how important is it to take a before hydrometer reading? I don't have a test tube to draw out some wort to test so I just put the clean hydrometer straight in the fermenting bucket but it was hard to read with the small amount of foam.

Most importantly, a 'before' (OG) reading needs to be taken to compare to an 'after' (FG) reading to see when fermentation is done. Can't tell by airlock activity alone. Take a sample at pitching temp before pitching yeast. I, too, use the plastic tube the hydro came in and add a wort sample with a sanitized turkey baster until it's floating freely (I often take the corner of a paper towel and 'sponge' away the foam at the top) then record that number. After being in ferm 7-10 days, I take another sample and pour a little sanitizer around the inside of the lid seal, and let it sit another 2 days then take another reading. If those 2 readings are the same, I can be pretty sure fermentation is coming to a close. Call me fussy, but I leave it another 24 hrs and then take another sample just to be sure. Many routinely leave their beer in ferm for 2-3 weeks. It clears and cleans up better.

 

[unionrdr]

Yeah. After FG is reached, I usually give it another 3-7 days to clean up any by-products of fermentation & settle out clear or slightly misty before packaging. Clearer, better tasting beer that way.

 

[GHBWNY]

Well, you'll probably be fine in this case... most kits list the expected OG in the instructions.

If you followed the recipe exactly, your OG is likely what they list in the instructions. Just use that for this brew.

It will *probably* be OK this time, but since kit instructions are notoriously vague, I'd make a point of doing exact OG and FG checks along the way. The extract kit brews I have done --- as compared to the printed instructions --- have consistently low OGs and slightly high FGs. Whether it's something I did or something with the kit, either way it's a good case for checking SGs. Cheers!

 

[Psylocide]

It will *probably* be OK this time, but since kit instructions are notoriously vague, I'd make a point of doing exact OG and FG checks along the way. The extract kit brews I have done --- as compared to the printed instructions --- have consistently low OGs and slightly high FGs. Whether it's something I did or something with the kit, either way it's a good case for checking SGs. Cheers!

Well, I don't think I suggested not to take an OG ever. He said he missed it this time... his best bet is to just roll with whatever the instructions say. IMHO.

 

[Pyg]

Yeah. After FG is reached, I usually give it another 3-7 days to clean up any by-products of fermentation & settle out clear or slightly misty before packaging. Clearer, better tasting beer that way.

My directions indicate primary 2 weeks, bottle for 2 weeks, drink.
Someone suggested primary 3 weeks, bottle 3 weeks, drink.

or is it all a matter of when you hit the FG?

Any potential harm by leaving the must in a sealed primary bucket for an extra week?

 

[TheCADJockey]

The guy at my lhbs told me two days ago when I asked him the same question and he said there really shouldn't start to be problems leaving it longer unless you start to get around a month. I never leave it long, but for what its worth... that's the info I was given.

 

[muels]

Search the forum for how long to leave in primary. There are a vast amount of discussions out there. Here are the 2 sides:

1. Get it off the yeast and into secondary! It's gonna taste bad!!
2. Never bother with secondary! It's a waste of time. Haven't had off flavored before and have left it in primary for 2 months!!

I mentioned before... Some beers require different handling and aging. Follow the advice of the folks on the forum for the style you are brewing and in time you can decide what works for you.



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[unionrdr]

In the old days, yeasts weren't as good as they are now, so autolysis was common. You had to get it off the dying yeast asap. Nowadays, way better quality yeasts have made it unnecessary to rack to secondary if you aren't adding something like fruit, oaking,etc.

 

[GHBWNY]

My directions indicate primary 2 weeks, bottle for 2 weeks, drink.
Someone suggested primary 3 weeks, bottle 3 weeks, drink.

or is it all a matter of when you hit the FG?

Any potential harm by leaving the must in a sealed primary bucket for an extra week?

From "How to Brew" by John Palmer:

After about 24 hours, the airlock will be bubbling steadily, the exciting evidence of fermentation. The fermentation will proceed like this for two to four days, depending on the conditions of your fermentation. The activity will decrease as most of the malt sugars are consumed by the yeast, though the yeast will continue to ferment the beer long after the bubbling diminishes. Leave the beer in the fermentor for a total of two weeks.

Meanwhile, RDWHAHB.

 

[halcyondays]

Personally, I leave mine in primary for three weeks then keg it. When I'm able to make a good, healthy starter, the fermentation is typically done after a couple days but I find I get clearer, cleaner tasting beer from a long primary. Just my experience.

Also, for boilovers, I suggest getting some FermCap, should be sold at your LHBS and works wonders to prevent boilovers. I've had a hell of a time cleaning my stove after a bad boilover. This way you don't have to worry about that when adding hops or getting back up to boiling after adding the extract.

 

[Pyg]

From "How to Brew" by John Palmer:

After about 24 hours, the airlock will be bubbling steadily, the exciting evidence of fermentation. The fermentation will proceed like this for two to four days, depending on the conditions of your fermentation. The activity will decrease as most of the malt sugars are consumed by the yeast, though the yeast will continue to ferment the beer long after the bubbling diminishes. Leave the beer in the fermentor for a total of two weeks.

Meanwhile, RDWHAHB.

I just worry about opening the lid on the primary after 2 weeks, taking a SG reading, if the must is not at its FG, then closing the bucket and repeating this process a week later.
Is that not too much exposure to O2?

 

[unionrdr]

Not if you do it quickly & have no air movement around the fermenter.

 

[muels]

Co2 is heavier than air. Don't promote air movement and you'll be fine.


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[mark1765]

Well a little update on my first brew. I did what the directions said and left it in the fermentor for 3 weeks and transferred it to the bottling bucket Friday night. I then dissolved the bottling sugar in 1/2 cup of water and added to the bucket, stirred it in and bottled my first batch. Well in all of my research I failed to read that it needed to sit at room temperature before being refrigerated. So I put it straight in the fridge thinking that on Sunday while I was brewing my 2nd batch I could sample my first. You guessed it beer had a good taste but it was just flat. Called the supplier and was told it needed to sit at room temp for 7 to 10 days before refrigerating. They said to remove it from the fridge and let it sit for the 7 to 10 days and I will be fine. What are your guys thoughts, have I wasted the batch or will it be Ok?

 

[Pizzamaker]

Don't worry, it will be absolutely fine, just like your man said. Five to seven days in the warm, then about four weeks in the cool before drinking it works for me.

 

[Psylocide]

Don't worry, it will be absolutely fine, just like your man said. Five to seven days in the warm, then about four weeks in the cool before drinking it works for me.

That's pretty excessive for a beer that doesn't need to be cold conditioned.

14 days at room temp to carb/condition, chill for 48 hrs and you can pop the first one. You'll be fine, just pull them out of the fridge.

 

[soccerdad]

It's ruined. The closest safe disposal site to you is in south Georgia. I have influence there and I think I can salvage your pry tops. The swing tops will probably not make it back to you. Send me a PM and we will make arrangements.

 

[mark1765]

Thanks guys I was really mad at myself for not catching this before but you guys have given me hope. My plan was for it to be ready for the Big Game next Sunday but I guess I will leave it alone and let it do its thing.