Newbie Mistake!!!

[whiskeyfoot]

Hi all, my name is jake. I'm completely new to
this forum, as i just joined today (june 23rd)
This past sunday, for fathers day, i shared my fourth
brewing experience with my dad. He used to brew a bit
back in the early nineties, but never made it past extracts.
This past sunday was my first attempt using hops and grains.
It was a kit i got from a friend. Everything went great,
except one important thing i forgot. When transferring
my cooled wort to the fermenter, i forgot to use my strainer
for most of the transfer (i remembered for the last third of
the batch). So i DID get some of the hop pellets and what not
strained out of the wort, but obviously some, well ALOT of the
hops (etc) made it into the fermenter. After a few minutes
we decided to just pitch the yeast anyways because we didn't
want to possibly infect the batch by dumping it and then re-straining
it again.

The kit contained 1 oz of Columbus hop pellets, and 1oz of amarillo
pellets.

Am i screwed? The fermentation seems to be going fine and i'm
hoping at this point all i will have to do is rack to a 2nd fermenter
and pray it will be ok.

thanks for any advice in advance, cuz i cant BELIEVE i forgot
to strain it dangit!!!!!
-jake-:(

[gestyr]

Don't sweat it. Just siphon carefully when you rack to secondary or do your bottling. :D

[Mikegobrew]

Don't sweat it. Just siphon carefully when you rack to secondary or do your bottling. :D

+1. I've never used a strainer.

[whiskeyfoot]

so u just dumped everything hops and all into the fermenter?
effing sweetness. i was so bummed all day yesterday and today. :D
So i guess i'll add a question to my original question:
should i even worry about a second fermenter?
so far i've been doing all malt extract beers, and have just
done the blow off tube, all in one fermenter-fermentation.
i hadn't planned on moving to a second fermenter (until
i screwed this batch up and thought i may need to)
what do u think?

[gestyr]

so u just dumped everything hops and all into the fermenter?
effing sweetness. i was so bummed all day yesterday and today. :D
So i guess i'll add a question to my original question:
should i even worry about a second fermenter?
so far i've been doing all malt extract beers, and have just
done the blow off tube, all in one fermenter-fermentation.
i hadn't planned on moving to a second fermenter (until
i screwed this batch up and thought i may need to)
what do u think?


Again, don't sweat it. Some people secondary every time, some only secondary when they are doing extended fermentations, some don't do them at all. If you are happy with your beer, don't worry about it. :D

[whiskeyfoot]

huge thanks!

[corkybstewart]

Welcome to the forum, I think you'll like it here.
When I started I tried to strain stuff out before it got to the fermenter but it never seemed to work well. The strainer would clog with hops, the funnel would roll around, nothing worked right to keep that stuff out of the fermenter. So I quit worrying about it and it really didn't affect the beer-of course in those days my beer probably sucked so those hop bits probably saved it.
Now I use a counterflow chiller and a pump so I'm sure I get a fair amount of trub and hops into my fermenter but I figure it's just yeast nutrient and I ignore it.

[whiskeyfoot]

i definately appreciate the words of wisdom and assurance!
The only thing i'm worried about now, is the fact that i live in orlando
florida, and its been 95-98 degrees outside the last few
days, and my apartment has been just HOT!
i try to keep the air on, but its a losing battle in this heat
so its been fermenting at higher than ideal temps.
just under 80 degrees, give or take.
the fermentation seems to be going fine, so i'm
hoping it'll all be okay.
i may have to wait till the latter part of the
year to do any more brewing if it doesn't work out
this time....either that or have an incredible power bill
with the AC running all day!

[HogieWan]

get the fermenter into a bucket of water and cover it with on old t-shirt. The evaporation will drop the temp in the fermenter a few more degrees. Also, a fan pointed at this setup will drop the temp even more.

[corkybstewart]

Get a tub big enough to put your fermenter in. Then fill it with water and throw in some frozen water bottles. If you use the 1.5 L bottles they will last long enough for you to go to work and come home and replace them. You don't need cold water in the tub, just cool. Plus use Hogie's advice about the Tshirt and you'll be fine. But the most important aspect of fermentation is temperature control. I wish I had learned that a lot sooner than I did.

[Beer Martin]

I'm in Orlando as well. The temperature has been a bit of a beast as of late. One solution I used for a while was get a large cooler you can fit your carboy in (you don't have to be able to close the lid, just wide enough to set it in). Put your carboy into the cooler and fill the cooler about 1/2 way up with water.

Fill up a couple water bottles or even a gallon jug with water and put them in the freezer. While waiting for them to freeze, buy a small sheet of insulation board and cut a whole in it you can use as a cooler lid.

When your ice is frozen put it into the cooler and put the homemade lid over the cooler to "seal" it best you can. Monitor the temperature because you don't want to go too cold, but swapping out the ice bottles in the morning and evening is a good temporary temperature "control". Well more of temperature mitigation than control.

Good luck, you'll be fine.
________
Chrysler l platform specifications (http://www.dodge-wiki.com/wiki/Chrysler_L_platform)

[HogieWan]

I live in Louisiana. I now have a large freezer with a johnson controls thermostat for my fermentation chamber.

[Beer Martin]

I live in Louisiana. I now have a large freezer with a johnson controls thermostat for my fermentation chamber.

I now have mini-fridge to lager in and a home made fermentation chiller for ales.

But for a few brews before saving up the money for a ferm chiller or even a freezer set up, a cooler is pretty cheap at walmart. It's a good temporary solution for a few brews. I used it for 3-4 brews and a buddy of mine used that rig for about a year.
________
DODGE AVENGER HISTORY (http://www.dodge-wiki.com/wiki/Dodge_Avenger)

[HogieWan]

I got the freezer for free off of Craigslist. It has some dents and scrapes and the inside had spots of rust everywhere, but it ran great. I cleaned it up, knocked off the loose rust and sprayed it down with some appliance paint. Looks great. If it weren't for the dents, you'd think it was new.

[whiskeyfoot]

Well, this batch is locked in! I have no more money to put into anything at this point (just had some dental surgery done...blech!) So it is what it is, unfortunately. What should i expect in the end, say, if the temp rides at around 80 degrees?

[gestyr]

You might get some fusel flavors. I wouldn't worry about it too much. And remember, there are no mistakes, just learning experiences!

[Mikegobrew]

What should i expect in the end, say, if the temp rides at around 80 degrees?

beer that is probably still better than you could buy in the store

[whiskeyfoot]

I appreciate the good words. I'm already stoked about this forum, i can't believe i didn't join sooner! Quick question...what is MBO? Also, how are things up in Michigan? i hear the economy is pretty awful (as is our wonderful Orlando right now). And what about PA? u having a good time up there as well? I'm sure i'll be lectured on bringing the economy up on a beer forum! HAHAA

[splocal]

welcome to the forum, I usually use a straining bag for my hops this keeps allot of the trub out of the wort so when I strain it into the fermenter in flows easier. Like all have said I am sure your beer will turn out better than the grocery store I would imagine letting the hops sit in the beer would impart more hop flavor/Aroma and maybe a little bitterness. IPA's dry hop to get that strong hop aroma so its not really a bad thing. I have even read that hops have some antimicrobial properties so having extra hops in your wort is like having little flavor warriors protecting your beer.

[BrewDog]

Do your best to get the temp down.
80F is too hot for nearly every beer out there except Saisons.
You will have hot fusels and a huge fruit ester profile.

Wet a t-shirt and wrap it around the carboy and have a fan blowing on it to drop the temp. You will be rewarded with better beer.

HTH-

[whiskeyfoot]

Even though i've only brewed a few batches thus far, i think i've
already made the decision that i want to do all grain. Maybe
not in the very near future, but i'm dying to try it!
Another thing i've realized is that my apartment is NOT the place
that i'll be brewing anymore. I live on a second floor, in a 450
square foot studio apartment. This last batch made my place
smell like wort for 3 days after the brew day! Not that i really
minded much...hahaa, but guests might not be so into it..hahaa!
So my road ahead looks like: collecting the stuff i'll need for
all grain......and finding a place to do the brew!

[Mikegobrew]

I appreciate the good words. I'm already stoked about this forum, i can't believe i didn't join sooner! Quick question...what is MBO? Also, how are things up in Michigan? i hear the economy is pretty awful (as is our wonderful Orlando right now). And what about PA? u having a good time up there as well? I'm sure i'll be lectured on bringing the economy up on a beer forum! HAHAA

I'm not much of an economist, but the news says it's bad. I guess if you worked for a union making WAY more money than you DESERVED and didn't plan for the future and got laid off, life sucks. Yeah, I said it. There were 7 elementary schools closed this summer (my daughters have to go to a different school next year.) That said, I work at a golf course and business is not down a great deal, so who knows. I used to live in Orlando and miss it alot. I'd take a bad economy in Orlando over any economy in Michigan any day. And I'd rather be a Wings fan anyday than one of those PA bird fans with our Stanley Cup. ;)

MBO? It stands for My Brewing Obsession. Glad you like the forum as much as I do!

[whiskeyfoot]

Yeah, the economy is pretty bad here too...hence the sudden revitalized interest in brewing my own beer! I find it really hard to fork out $10 for a six pack of any beer honestly. I still to this day don't understand how companies justify that high of a price on beer. Don't get me wrong, i prefer any microbrew over a megabrew, but sometimes (especially in this
economy) i find it hard to pay that much. I love Dead Guy, but here in
Orlando it averages right around $13 for a six pack. why? why? why?!
I recently discovered Michelob's Pale Ale, and actually like it. For $6.79
for a six pack, i'll take it any day over a Budweiser, which happens to be right around the same price, in Orlando at least.
Back to the economy, i'm just blessed to HAVE a job right now, as i know
many people who are unemployed down here right now. I think
the fact that construction has gone kaput has hurt everything down
here in general. Not alot of people spending money on Vacations right
now and that's our bread and butter.
Bummer on the Redwings, though i'm not a fan of either Detroit nor Pit. I'm an Islanders and Lightning fan...dare i say....hahaa.
Okay...enough on that junk! Gotta check my beer!!

[whiskeyfoot]

...by the way, i'm in the automotive industry myself....like i said..................lucky to have a job right now. . . . . for now. . . . . . lol

[vance71975]

hmmm i never tried to keep the hops out.

[colej]

I know this is a fairly old thread, but I tried an experiment tonight and seemed to work well.
being tired of so much trub in the primary, I hung my grain bag over the primary and when the wort was cool enough, i poured it through the grain bag getting a heck of a lot of the hops residue in the process. just lifted out the bag and let it drain and tossed what was left
is this a bad habit or as long as the bag is sanitized, no worries?

[Mill Rat]

I'd say no worries.

[Mikegobrew]

+1. Why worry about the trub either though? I've never had a problem transferring most of what wants to get in my fermenter.