SIAP: First time brewing, should beer look/smell this way?

[jakehoodlum]

First time posting -- me and my college roomates decided to start brewing. We got the necessary equipment off Craigslist and recipe/ingredients from local Austin, TX homebrew shop.

We are brewing an American IPA - we made sure everything was sanitized, and let our beer ferment in 6.5gal carboy for 5 days at 76 deg. we then siphoned into secondary fermenter 2 days ago. OG and SG were right on target.

The beer looks the right color, but is not transparent (I understand it probably shouldn't be), but the smell is a little funky, but not bad -- but does not quite smell like an IPA.

Is this normal?


Side note: how long should it sit in secondary fermenter?


Here is our recipe:
http://www.austinhomebrew.com/Beer/IPA/AHS-American-IPA-I-14B.html#.VBhOBfkVqSo

 

[flars]

What yeast did you use? Have you looked up the optimum fermentation temperature for the yeast used? I suspect you brewed to warm and the funky smell is the result of this.
Five days in the primary is rather short. A lot of recipe instructions are not very good and are the same no matter what beer is.
Target OG and FG are just estimates. The only way to know if fermentation is complete is by successive hydrometer readings, starting around day 10, which remain stable.
The yeast will do some clean up work after FG is reached. A few more days in the primary will give the beer time to clear after the CO2 produced during the fermentation leaves solution. This will allow sediments to drop out for a clear beer going into the bottling bucket.
The same clearing will occur in the primary as in the secondary, but eliminates the work racking to second vessel.

Give the beer at least a few days in the secondary for sediment to drop out. An IPA will be somewhat cloudy.

 

[myndflyte]

Well what does it smell like? Beer brewing can smell funky based on the yeast used. If anything, I would imagine it smells a little like hot alcohol because fermenting at 76F is pretty high. You really want to get that down to the mid 60's. But to help you a little more, what was the exact recipe you used?

 

[jakehoodlum]

The yeast I used was White Labs WLP051 California Ale V Yeast (opt. temp. 66-70)

http://www.whitelabs.com/yeast/wlp051-california-ale-v-yeast

I am not sure how to get it to that temperature as it is hot in Texas, I have a kegerator with an external temperature regulator...I guess I could use that?

How do you do the hydrometer readings while it is fermenting? Siphon beer into tube? Or drop hydrometer in fermenter?

Recipe:

Specialty malts: Special B, Crystal 60L
Featured hops: Columbus, Cascade

I used malt extract after steeping the grains. 1 pack columbus hops, 2 cascades.

It's hard to describe the smell, it smells floral like hops but has a little funk -- I bet its a result of fermenting in too hot of an environment. How do you normally find a way to regulate temperature?

 

[rodwha]

I'm guessing that 76* was the air temp too, right? Fermentation can easily get 10* warmer than air and about 5* warmer than water.

I used a plastic storage bin filled with water to nearly the level of the beer when ice bottles were added, about 1/2 way with nothing but the bucket. Rotating frozen water in 1 and 2 liter bottles helped keep the temp better regulated, but keeps you from getting away longer than 8-12 hours as new ice bottles need to be used and the melted ones refrozen. It took me a BUNCH of water bottles to keep it within the proper temps, which takes up a LOT of freezer space (we have 2 fridges). We've since moved, and I lost my extra room (beer room), and so we bought a 7 cu ft chest freezer, which allows me to do as I please now.

You've likely created fusel alcohol, and I wouldn't drink more than 1 or 2 of those. When I created fusels a mere 3 beers would give me a NASTY hangover the next day. Terrible stuff with no cure. It's a dumper if that's what you have. But try just one and see how you feel. If it's OK try 2 the next day. Maybe you'll be lucky.

It's best to leave a beer in the primary for 2-3 weeks. I keep mine 3-4 weeks, and usually don't secondary unless I'm adding something or aging it.

It's frowned upon to drop your hydrometer into the fermentor, but I do after it's been in Star-San. I'm not sure how it can infect your beer any more than a sanitized wine thief/turkey baster. it is harder to read though, and I just fudge it and add a point for meniscus. It's close enough for me…

I'm guessing you are not in a dorm room if you have a kegerator. Maybe you can find a cheap/free fridge/freezer and buy an STC-1000 controller.

 

[flars]

There isn't really a need to take a hydrometer reading while the beer is actively fermenting. Readings would start after the fermentation is complete to verify that it is complete. Bottling a beer that is not completely fermented will earn you very dangerous bottle bombs.
A beer wine/thief is the best way to withdraw a sample from a carboy. A turkey baster will work just as easily if the fermentor is a bucket.