New to brewing in MS

[jrodskreet]

I am completly new to brewing. I brewed my first batch last saturday and plan on moving it into my secondary this weekend. I want to do a second brew to do only in my primary fermentor. I've read some mixed opinions on the subject but I think I'm going to do it anyway.

I ordered all my equipment from Midwest Supply, and got the Irish Red in the recipe they included. I also purchased the Fat Tire recipe which is my first brew. As of right now everything seems to be going smoothly.

No problems getting the yeast to start fermenting or anything. The one problem I did come across was cooling my wort. I f'd up and made my 5 gallons before trying to cool it. It took almost 2 hours in an ice bath in my freezer (slap on the wrist, lesson learned). I have been reading forums about making ice to cool it, which is probably what I will try next before upgrading.

 

[JonK331]

Welcome! Here's a great thread on the whole secondary thing: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/secondary-not-john-palmer-jamil-zainasheff-weigh-176837/

Also, for cooling, what I used to do before I got an immersion chiller was freeze a gallon of spring water from the grocery store. After the boil, take it out of the freezer and sanitize the whole thing, then cut off the plastic with a sanitized razor blade and put it in the kettle. It's a little awkward to get it in there but it works really well. I also used to use the expensive alhambra ice cubes without any problem. You can also get your top off water really cold in the freezer while you are brewing. All of these things help. The cold water bath just takes too long.

 

[cooper]

Yup, even a smaller immersion chiller really helps out and you can pick those up for pretty cheap nowadays online.

Amazon.com: Copper Coil Immersion Chiller 25 Feet Length: Everything Else

 

[JonK331]

THat's a nice chiller and a good price. I still use a 25 footer for full boils.

 

[cooper]

I wonder if he would be better off with the Stainless Steel or Copper version?

 

[RuffRider]

I'm cheap and haven't bought a wort chiller yet either. One day I'll run my funding requisition for one through SWMBO. Until then, I fill one of those rubbermaid storage containers with water from the garden hose in my driveway for a cold water bath. When I'm finished with the boil, I carefully place/support my brewpot in it and turn on the hose and let the storage container overflow onto my driveway in the "bath." It continuously allows for water change out of the bath to prevent my bath temperature from increasing. Cooled 5 gallons to 80 degree's from a boil in approx 30 min. Of course, I live in South Carolina and weather is nearly never an issue.

 

[Daybis]

Welcome to the forum Jrodskreet! I am glad to see another MS brewer on here. If you are interested in meeting other MS brewers, I'd recommend visiting:

Golden Triangle Brewers
Homebrewers Association of Middle Mississippi (HBAMM)

 

[jrodskreet]

Thanks for the tips. Definitly going to try the ice now.

Thanks Daybis for the sites. I never realized that there was this much activity for homebrewing in MS.

 

[Daybis]

Thanks Daybis for the sites. I never realized that there was this much activity for homebrewing in MS.

There are a lot of brewers in MS. More than I thought there would be. Both HBAMM and our group are pretty active.