Noob questions

[Pisces42]

Hi All. I am going to be brewing my first batch ever this coming weekend (1/18) and I have just a couple of simple questions. I suppose it should be noted that I am using the Brewer's Best APA extract kit.

1. In the kit instructions it says in large capital letters to NOT rehydrate the yeast. However, the yeast packet itself says to rehydrate. What gives?

2. I will be going out of town from the 1/23 to 1/28, so I won't be able to bottle until 2/1. Is letting the wort sit in the fermenter for longer than the recommended 4-6 days before bottling OK? I have a feeling it is, but I just wanted to check.

3. I don't have a wort chiller, so I will be cooling in a bath of ice water in my sink. What is the best way (if any) besides keeping the lid on the pot to prevent bacterial contamination? Approximately how long does it usually take to chill to 70 deg?

Thanks for your help!

Corinn

 

[Psycotte]

Welcome and good luck!!!

1. ALWAYS rehydrate yeast in water that is within +/- 3 degrees of the wort temperature when you pitch it. This prevents shock to the yeast. Rehydration gets them started well and tossing them straight in the wort without rehydrating can cause problems because their cell walls are rehydrating with wort and not water which can stress them. Be nice to your yeast. Brewers make wort. Yeast make beer.

2. You need to keep it in the primary for minimum two weeks. Don't listen to the instructions about bottling after a week. 3 weeks is even better.

3. Cooling with ice in the sink on 3 gallons can take up to 40 minutes. 5 gallons...even longer. Keep the kettle lid on as you cool. Make sure you sanitize your thermometer each and every time you open the lid to check your temp.

Best of luck! I know you will enjoy it!

 

[boydster]

1) The instructions are trying to simplify things as much as possible, but the best practice is to rehydrate.

2) Yes, it is ok to leave it longer. In fact, it probably won't be anywhere near ready to bottle in 4-6 days. Leave it for 2-3 weeks before bottling.

3) If you use cold water to top off, you should be able to cool it down in the sink in 30 minutes. Stirring helps speed things up.

Good luck! IMO, the most important things to focus on when you are just getting started are sanitation, pitch rate, temp control (beer temp, not ambient), and patience. Keep those under control and you will make consistently great beer.

 

[wildactbrewer]

#3. I also do not have a wort chiller and use the "ice bath" method of cooling. The cooling process is important as it causes what is called a "Cold Break." This is where the rapid decrease in temperature allows for proteins in the wort to coagulate and sink to the bottom of the pot, thus improving clarity and decreasing chill haze.

Prepare your ice bath BEFORE the boil is finished. With time, you will be able to time this out perfectly. There are actually two schools of thought here. One says to leave the lid on ALWAYS during the cool down. However, I've had good luck leaving a plastic stirring spoon in the boiling wort for the last 5-10mins to sanitize. Then GENTLY stirring the wort while it is in the ice bath. When I say 'gently' mean stirring in a circular motion while not breaking the surface of the wort or causing bubbles. This invites bacteria and other nastiness.

Also, wait until the outside of your brew pot is cool, or slightly warm, to the touch before taking a temp. Even if you use a sanitized thermometer, any opportunities for infection that can be eliminated, should be!

After cooling, pitch your starter, cap it off, relax, and have a beer!
Welcome to my obsession!

 

[peterj]

My first advice would be to pretty much disregard anything the kit instructions say. Kit instructions are notoriously terrible.

1. Always rehydrate dry yeast. This interview with a researcher from Danstar gives pretty good instructions and reasons why: http://koehlerbeer.com/2008/06/07/rehydrating-dry-yeast-with-dr-clayton-cone/

2. Again disregard kit instructions especially when it comes to time frames. The yeast don't pay attention to when the instructions say they should be done. They'll get done when they are done. I usually let beer ferment a minimum of 2 weeks in the primary. And I almost never use a secondary. Only if I'm adding fruit or aging it more than 2 or 3 months. I even dry hop in the primary. I just looked up the kit instructions for this beer and you definitely don't need to secondary.

3. I would always keep my big spoon in the pot and then put it in the ice bath and stir until it cooled down. This will make it cool a lot faster than just sitting it in an ice batch with the lid on. Just don't sneeze in it and sanitize everything that's going to touch it after it's cooling and you'll be fine. I would also try to get it to around 65F to pitch and keep the beer temp around that for the first 3-5 days (or however long the initial vigorous fermentation lasts). That's beer temp as well, not ambient. During fermentation the beer can be as much as 8-10 degrees hotter than ambient temps. I put mine in a water bath and use water bottles to keep the temps under control.

If you haven't already found it, Palmer's How To Brew is a great place to start: http://www.howtobrew.com/intro.html. It's the first edition so some things are a little outdated (like secondaries) but most of it is great.

Good luck and have fun brewing!

 

[IslandLizard]

+1 on all the above. ^^^^^^

4) Ignore the included kit instructions. Add 1/3 of your extract when you start boiling. Turn the heat off when adding the extract until it's all dissolved. Add the remainder (2/3) at the end of the boil (after you turn the heat off). Stir well when adding, and stir even better if you use Liquid Malt Extract (LME, sometimes called malt syrup). It tends to stick to the bottom and if you leave the heat on it will scorch.

5) Ignore the included kit instructions. Do not rack to a secondary. Let the beer sit on the primary yeast cake for 3 weeks before taking your first "final gravity" (FG) sample. Keep your fermentation temperatures between 60 and 65 for making the best tasting beer. Higher temps will likely introduce harsh flavors, but it depends on the yeast used.

Good luck, enjoy your new tasty hobby!

 

[peterj]

Oh and when you bottle I would use a priming sugar calculator to figure out how much to add. I like this one: http://www.northernbrewer.com/priming-sugar-calculator/, but there are tons out there. The 5 oz bag they give you is usually more than you need.

 

[Queequeg]

According to Palmer and miller if I recall correctly its not always best to rehydrate yeast, it depends on the supplier and how it has been prepared. Some supplies prep the yeast to deliberately be pitched to wort with no rehydration.


The general advice is also ditch the yeast that comes with the pack though. Most yeast that comes in packs in rubbish according to most literature. I have always bought separate yeast so I can't really say from experience.