Yet another new guy.

[erock2112]

Hey everyone. I'm from Chapel Hill, NC and am planning to do my first batch within the next week. I have a few questions before I begin, though. I got all my equipment (except for a 30qt kettle) second hand, including some canned extract kits. I'm planning to use one of the kits for this first batch but I don't know how old the kit is (based on the looks, pretty old) or whether it would be noticeably stale. My guess is yes, but seeing as how it's my first batch and I'm not expecting to do everything perfectly, I figure it's better to use one of these than go buy a new one. My question is, should I bother trying to 'cover' the staleness with some specialty grains (I have 8oz of dextrin malt and 8oz of 10L crystal malt) and hops (the extract is pre-hopped), or should I bother for a first batch that's probably going to taste stale anyway?

Any other tips?

Thanks
- Eric

 

[COLObrewer]

In my experience with old kits, specialty grains, and fresh hops will make a ton of difference in the quality of the beer. Should be fine if you're not trying to brew award winning beer to "style", HAPPY BREWING!!!

 

[beerkrump]

+1 for adding hops and specialty grains.

Go for it.

Google "How to Brew". You'll see a web version of John Palmer's book. This is a great book and suitable for beginner and veteran.

 

[erock2112]

I've read through almost all of "How to Brew." It's been helpful - much better than trying to follow the instructions on these kits. Ok then, that's the plan. I'll grab some hops and try it out.

Thanks guys.

 

[arturo7]

Good luck, and welcome to HBT.

 

[ekranzusch]

I've read through almost all of "How to Brew." It's been helpful - much better than trying to follow the instructions on these kits. Ok then, that's the plan. I'll grab some hops and try it out.

Thanks guys.

I've noticed with the kits I've been brewing that some of the instructions seem to be "one size fits all. I've found the best way to combat this when I'm trying a new kit is to research whatever is new to me, and take it into consideration. For instance, I tried a dunkelweizen my last time around, the instruction sheet said 68 - 72 fermentation temp, but when I looked the strain of yeast up on the manufacturer's site, the temps were completely different.

Another thought I have is to make sure your 2nd hand equipment is clean. (It's not new, and you don't know what it's been through, how long it's been sitting, etc). Since you're most of the way through "How to Brew" I'm sure you already know most of the same stuff I know.

The additions sound like good ideas to me, sounds like you have a great outlook on things! Just remember that every mistake is fine as long as you learn something from it.

 

[mikefranciotti]

I posted the same idea a week or so ago. My buddy was helping his father in law clean out the basement. He found some old buckets, bottles and an old extract kit. He gave it to me and I figured I'd ask here prior to brewing an age unknown brew. I was instructed it'll be pretty foul so I kept the muslin bag & bottle caps but tossed everything else.

One idea, if there is a packet of yeast, you may be able to find out by checking a date on there. I just saw the old yeast packet from the kit I tossed and saw it was from 2001. 8 Years old is pretty old so I'm glad I didn't waste my time brewing it. For $20, you can get a new extract kit and make a pretty good beer.

Good luck.

 

[erock2112]

One idea, if there is a packet of yeast, you may be able to find out by checking a date on there. I just saw the old yeast packet from the kit I tossed and saw it was from 2001. 8 Years old is pretty old so I'm glad I didn't waste my time brewing it. For $20, you can get a new extract kit and make a pretty good beer.

I hadn't thought about checking the yeast packet for a date. I was going to get new yeast anyway. Maybe I can make a starter with one of the existing yeast packs just to see if it'll revive at all.

 

[Kauai_Kahuna]

erock2112 -
Yes, add fresh yeast, steep some speciality malts and maybe even a little two row.
Go forth new brewer and make some great beer.

Just remember to give it lots of time.
Welcome to HBT and homebrewing.

 

[erock2112]

Alright! It's brewed and cooling. I didn't buy a wort chiller when I went to the store, because I didn't want to spend $60 on a 25 foot chiller. I figure I can get 50 feet of tubing online for $35 ish, so I'll make one myself when I get a chance. I decided to do more than just brew the kit and add hops. I sort of made an IPA:

1 lb Weyermann Cara Amber 25-35L, 30 min

2 x John Bull Home Brew "American Beer" 3.5 lb liquid extract kit

14 AAU Columbus 60 min
14 AAU Columbus 30 min
3 AAU Cascade 15 min
3 AAU Cascade 5 min

2 packs Safale US-05 Dry Ale Yeast

I steeped the grains in 3 gallons of water after boiling 2.5 and putting in the fridge to cool. Then added extract and brought it to a boil. I think more water boiled off than I had expected, and I might have ended up with closer to 4.5 gallons. I got an OG reading of 1.049 at 125 F, which I roughly translate to 1.060. I'm pretty confident in the results, although I have to say that the color is very dark. It's still in an opaque bucket but it's dark brown. Will it lighten up in the fermentor?

 

[erock2112]

It's cooled down and in the fermentor. Wish I had time to take a picture - it's extremely dark. Oh well. It's bubbling very slowly now, an hour after pitching. Opinions? Was the Cara Amber too dark? The canned extract was close to black.

 

[Homercidal]

Sounds like you got it going on! Don't worry too much about the color. For one, it will always look darker in the fermenter, and two, extract kits usually look darker than an AG of similar style, especially if they are not real fresh. This doesn't necessarily mean that it will taste bad.

 

[erock2112]

Ok, maybe I'm being over-concerned, but it's gotten hotter in my apartment. It had been holding at 73 ish and now it's up to 79. I'm hoping it'll cool down and it won't be a big deal, but what happens if that isn't the case? Now almost 72 hrs in the fermentor, I don't have much foam at all. There looks to be about 1/2in of gunk on top, with foam covering about half of it. It doesn't look or smell infected, though I'm not sure I'd know if it were. The airlock is bubbling at a steady pace, so I'm not worried. I've posted pictures of the process at Chapel Hill Homebrew

Edit: on closer inspection, it looks like there's a half inch of foam with gunk on top of it:

 

[COLObrewer]

RDWHAHB, looks fine.

 

[erock2112]

Ok. Now I'm wondering about how long to ferment. My original plan was to have it in the primary for a little over a week and then transfer to a secondary for another week then bottle for two. Does that sound alright for an IPA with 1.060 OG? I'll probably test with a hydrometer at about a week after the start of fermentation to see how it's doing.

 

[COLObrewer]

Ok. I'll probably test with a hydrometer at about a week after the start of fermentation to see how it's doing.

That's what you do, then 2 days later take another gravity reading, if it's the same, you can move to next step. If it hasn't moved then you wait. Personally I've just been waiting 2-3 weeks before I worry about testing anything.

 

[erock2112]

Ok! It's in the secondary, FG of 1.015. Tasted the hydrometer sample, not bad!