just started my first brew

[b3s]

today i got my first brew (a pale ale) started. as i type this i'm sipping a sierra nevada pale and waiting for bubbles. i've been keeping rather anal records (http://homepage.mac.com/bsturgen/brewing) on my progress.

heh, and according to something i read (if you can bake oatmeal cookies, you can brew beer), i made a batch of chocolate chip cookies while i was at it. i hope that i did everything right, because this brewing stuff (with extracts) is pretty easy. time consuming but easy. in fact, it went by so smoothly i'm thinking that i did something wrong :|

[YamahaXS]

Very nice post and I like the web page!

let us know how it turns out.

[b3s]

thanks!

heh...my fianceé walked in during oscar commercials and saw me eatting a chocolate chip cookie, sipping a beer, and watching my homebrew bubble and almost fell down laughing.

i suppose the fascination will wear off eventually :(

[Shooter]

I just transferred my first brew to a secondary fermenter today. I understand your fascination. I would check on mine at least four times a day to see how much it was bubbling. I might forget to kiss my wife on the way out the door for work, but I always check the brew!! Needless to say, I don't know how excited my wife is going to be about my new hobby. I'm already going to start another batch next Saturday.

I brewing a red ale. Looks good so far, but I'm anxious to see how it turns out. I hope I can last a few more weeks.

Good luck!

[YamahaXS]

Originally posted by b3s
thanks!

heh...my fianceé walked in during oscar commercials and saw me eatting a chocolate chip cookie, sipping a beer, and watching my homebrew bubble and almost fell down laughing.

i suppose the fascination will wear off eventually :(

Has she noticed the condensed wort running down your vent hood and walls by the stove top yet?

[b3s]

nope...mainly because while the wort was cooling i began the cleaning process. the stove and walls are cleaned to a nice shine and the vent cover didn't get anything on it.

i do note, though, that i re-learned something. when covering a boiling liquid in order to retain heat for that rolling boil stage...do not under any circumstances move more than 5 feet from the stove.

that cost me a good 30 minutes of elbow grease on the stove top ;)

[b3s]

one thing i forgot to mention.

after boiling wort for over an hour, the apartment smelled like a gigantic malted milk shake. it was compelling, so after i took the OG reading, i drank the wort from the hydrometer jar.

MMMMMMM!

that stuff's good!

[paul84043]

b3s,
You've got me beat in the record keeping department! I kept detailed notes on my first two batches, but all in text, I like the addition of the pics!
But my third through fifth batches , the notes have tapered off, I guess I figure as long as it's the same as the previous batches, why bother to write it down..

I do my "cooking" in the garage on a propane stove, that way if I make a mess, the dog gets it long before I do.

I like your idea of purifying the water for your ice, very cool (no pun intended) how fast does it cool down?
I use a wort chiller hooked to my garden hose. It will cool down a 2 gallon pot of wort in about 8 minutes.

I haven't kept track of my cash outlay because, for one, I don't want my wife to know how much I have spent, and two, I probably don't want to know how much I have spent!!
I know I'm well over 500$, but the learning experience and the beer is worth it!
I'm just a terminal gadget freak, if I spend a little bit of cash and have alot of fun, I don't worry too much about accounting for it.

My wife likes the beer as much as I do, so my fascination is not a big deal, I will sit and watch it several times a day, it never seems to get old and every batch is different.

Do you really let your batch ferment for 3 full weeks? Do you base it on Hydrometer readings, or just time? I have yet to let a batch ferment for more than 9 days before bottling, typically it's about 3 to 4 days when the bubbling drops to a nearly non-existent level and I start taking gravity readings. Then I let them level off for three consecutive readings, or about 4 to 5 days. This is of course, warm fermentation Ales...

I still wait the additional week at room temp to carbonate, then into the basement for whatever the recommended timeframe is, usually 3 weeks to several months. I have yet to make a beer bomb, meaning that my fermentation was obviously done..? My samplers have turned out perfectly carbonated and the beer is fantastic. Maybe I just don't know what good beer tastes like??

I have been using the liquid yeast and the oxygenation system, which may contribute to the fast, active fermentations that I have been getting. My last batch started foaming out the airlock, I had to remove it and clean it out three times.
I keep wondering if I'm doing something wrong, but if the readings aren't changing, what is left to do?

[b3s]

Originally posted by paul84043
You've got me beat in the record keeping department! I kept detailed notes on my first two batches, but all in text, I like the addition of the pics!

i'm pretty anal about record keeping, but that's only because my short term memory is non-existent!


I do my "cooking" in the garage on a propane stove, that way if I make a mess, the dog gets it long before I do.


if i had a garage, i would do that in a heart beat. i can operate a rag mop and a squeegee.


I like your idea of purifying the water for your ice, very cool (no pun intended) how fast does it cool down?
I use a wort chiller hooked to my garden hose. It will cool down a 2 gallon pot of wort in about 8 minutes.


well, i can't take credit for that one. i read tonyc's post about using ice and i saw some follow-up from people asking about water purity, etc. so i sterilized some pyrex, boiled some water, and froze it.

the results are mixed. the cool down time took a while. i think the following variables affected the chill process:

surface area of ice -- i had 3 large (2 quart) pieces of ice. if i would have broken the ice up, more surface area would have cooled the wort faster (i think).
the kitchen temp was in the 90's from boiling wort, the dishwasher, and baking cookies. i think if i would have transferred to the balcony and added ice, the wort would have chilled faster.
it might have helped to also apply external cooling by placing the boil pot in a snow bank or a vat of cold water.


the ice thing is a work in progress. it also did not help that my pre-boiled water for topping off was still hotter than heck. took 3 hours to get down to pitching temp!


I haven't kept track of my cash outlay because, for one, I don't want my wife to know how much I have spent, and two, I probably don't want to know how much I have spent!!


yeah, i questioned whether i wanted to keep track of cash outlay. i will probably stop at some point (like when it becomes a true hobby), just like i did with my jeep modifications, cooking, and computer stuff.


My wife likes the beer as much as I do, so my fascination is not a big deal, I will sit and watch it several times a day, it never seems to get old and every batch is different.


well, my fianceé is very interested in this project. she is also amused by my watching the brew bubble.


Do you really let your batch ferment for 3 full weeks? Do you base it on Hydrometer readings, or just time? I have yet to let a batch ferment for more than 9 days before bottling, typically it's about 3 to 4 days when the bubbling drops to a nearly non-existent level and I start taking gravity readings. Then I let them level off for three consecutive readings, or about 4 to 5 days. This is of course, warm fermentation Ales...


well, since this is my first batch ever i really don't know. the recipe is from john palmer's online book for your first brew. i think he called it cincinatti pale ale.

basically, he said about three weeks. for the first batch his recomendation was to wait 2 weeks after the bubbles reduced to 1 every second rather than hydro. i suppose the intent is to reduce the amount of stuff the newbie has to take care of.

i expect by my third batch i will be racking and bottling based on hydro readings.

i am hopping to be drinking beer in under 4 weeks, though! (well, duh, i am hoping to drink beer tonight, i meant homebrewed beer, though).


I have been using the liquid yeast and the oxygenation system, which may contribute to the fast, active fermentations that I have been getting. My last batch started foaming out the airlock, I had to remove it and clean it out three times.


i assume by liquid yeast you mean the smack packs? i'm not sure if i'll get into using smack packs for a while; they are 3x the cost of dry yeast and i've been hydrating and proofing yeast for baking since i was a kid, so i'm kind of used to it. in fact, it was kind of funny (to me) to use a packet of yeast considering that i've had a jar of bakers yeast in the freezer for over 10 years.

i might use smack packs just for the yeast strain, though. depends on how long they keep and how easy they are to store. i suppose just like many of my other hobbies i'll be buying ingredients to have on stock and then brew from there.


I keep wondering if I'm doing something wrong, but if the readings aren't changing, what is left to do? [/B]

funny, i was wondering the same thing all day yesterday. then i remembered papazian saying (over and over and over) relax, have a homebrew. then there was that section in palmer's book did i ruin my beer?...first paragraph basically said probably not.

i figured since i got bubbling through the airlock i must be doing something right. i'm dying to try this stuff, though!

[paul84043]

The liquid yeast that I am referring to is the "White Labs" Tube, not the slap pack. They say that going to liquid yeast is one of the biggest things you can do to improve the overall quality and taste of your beer. The problem with dry is that there are only a few strains of yeast that can be dehydrated and rehydrated successfully, and those suffer a fair amount of physical damage significantly diminishing thier ability to reproduce quickly.
There are literally dozens of types of liquid yeats, thus you can tailor your recipe to exacting specifications. The yeast is much healthier, and when it gets going, it's pretty impressive!!
Usually my batches are done with the initial blast and are down to less than one bubble a second after about 4 days.

Do you have a hydrometer? So far from what I've been able to tell, that's the only real way to know if you're beer is done fermenting. I just started out using one so my first batch experiences are a bit different than others.

How do you do your yeast starters? I am going to tackle a Lager next and will need to do that, but I don't want to have to make a batch of wort just for starters...

[b3s]

Originally posted by paul84043
Do you have a hydrometer? So far from what I've been able to tell, that's the only real way to know if you're beer is done fermenting. I just started out using one so my first batch experiences are a bit different than others.


i have one, and i measured my OG with it. after the initial fermentation slows down i'll probably take nightly hydro readings to get into the practice and base my bottling time on that.

How do you do your yeast starters?

how i've always started yeast is 2C warm water (95F) and a couple of teaspoons of sugar. how i did it for my brew was 1C warm water, 1C wort, and a packet of yeast.

[spankymac]

Originally posted by b3s
i've been keeping rather anal records (http://homepage.mac.com/bsturgen/brewing) on my progress.

I've never seen such a beautiful blending of hobbies: Macintosh computers and homebrewing. It would be really cool, though, if you could find a picture of a nice glass of beer to use as your homebrewing icon instead of a cocktail.

:D

[b3s]

Originally posted by spankymac
It would be really cool, though, if you could find a picture of a nice glass of beer to use as your homebrewing icon instead of a cocktail.

it will...but the icon will be of a home brew...which will be in, oh, another 4+ weeks :D

[b3s]

well, after my initial temperature control problems things have been going quite well. the other day my first batch was bubbling along so well, i had to remove the airlock and use a blow off bucket. unfortunately, there was no room in the closet for this setup, so it was sitting in the laundry area. last night i re-installed the airlock and put the brew back in the closet, and while removing the hose for the blowoff bucket my brew smelled like BEER! :) pretty stoked about that to say the least. don't know how i'll pass the time waiting the next two or three weeks, though. good thing the purveyor of malty goodness has been stocking beers i have not tried yet!

[spankymac]

Originally posted by b3s
the other day my first batch was bubbling along so well, i had to remove the airlock and use a blow off bucket. unfortunately, there was no room in the closet for this setup, so it was sitting in the laundry area.


That's one reason I use a 6.5 gallon carboy for the primary fermentation...very seldom is there so much froth that a blow-off is needed. It's always exciting to see it bubbling and boiling, though...I figure the witches in Macbeth were probably homebrewing: "...bubble, bubble, toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble..."

[b3s]

i didn't get a lot of blowoff, just a little...i'm using a 5 gallon bucket, and there was at least a gallon (or more) of space at the top, but when i get a carboy for my primary fermenter, i'm definitely getting a 6.5 gallon one. i think 5 gallon should be plenty for my secondaries, though.

[blevfamily]

Hey BS3,

good luck on your first batch & by the way homebrewing will change your life forever. Homebrew is the nectar of the gods & there is nothing quite like drinking the beer you brew. I've been homebrewing for over a decade & my airlock is popping as we chat with a Yeasty Beasty Hefeweizen.......

Remember...Relax..Don't Worry & Have A Homebrew :cool:

[b3s]

thanks, blev. i'm enjoying this hobby quite a bit. i can't wait to try this first batch out...i may never have to buy beer again if this works out well...well, not for home consumption anyway!

[b3s]

well, after everyone saying rack the beer, you won't regret it. carboys are cheap, i racked my beer to my newly acquired 5 gallon glass carboy...and being the epitome of patience, i am going to start my second batch tomorrow.

now, my recipe was 4# pale dme, 2# amber dme, .5# brown sugar, 1.5 oz. centennial bittering and 1 oz. cascade finishing.

does this color look right? i tasted it, and it was green and quite sharp. i took a hydro reading and it came out 1.010 (OG was 1.035).

[spankymac]

Originally posted by b3s
does this color look right?

It looks fine to me. It will settle out and clarify under normal circs. Congratulations! It's a bouncing baby brew.

:D

[YamahaXS]

i assume you used hop pellets... my 2 cents on the color of your beer is that if you aren't already, you might want to strain out the hops as you pour your wort into your primary. I use a medium fine colander (hahah i make my wife hold it) and it filters a lot of hop material.

However, like spanky said, your beer will clarify over the upcoming days so don't worry about this batch... just look forward to DRINKING IT!

[b3s]

i used pellet hops on this batch, the next batch (brewing tomorrow) will use leaf. i used a collander lined with cheese cloth that i boiled before using.

how could you tell i used pellets? cloudiness or something? thanks.

[paul84043]

I strain mine through both a collander and the fine mesh screen that is included in my large funnel. It's some work to get it through the fine screen, but you want to get all of those solidified protiens out of the beer.
The straining process also aerates the beer very well.

[b3s]

i looked at those...the cheesecloth is significantly finer than any strainer. has to be...otherwise there wouldn't be any cheese! :)

[b3s]

well, me being the epitome of patience, i bought a glass carboy for my secondary...and then proceeded to start my second batch before the first is even in bottles. i updated my website (http://homepage.mac.com/bsturgen/brewing) with my 2nd brew.

this one will be better, i can tell already. i think i made some kind of procedural erros the first time through. anyway, i like the look of this beer. not sure i'm going to like the hops i used, though.

one thing i can say for CERTAIN...this is fun and i'm hooked...and i have not even drank any of this beer yet!

[spankymac]

Originally posted by b3s
one thing i can say for CERTAIN...this is fun and i'm hooked...and i have not even drank any of this beer yet!

Another one bites the dust. :)

After you taste the result of your effort, you'll be even more hooked. I'm curious...what recipe did you use for the first batch, and what errors do you think you may have made?

In my experience, it's actually not too easy to ruin a batch of beer if you remember the basics: sanitize, avoid any trace of soap or grease, sanitize, have a beer, sanitize, watch the temperatures, sanitize, and, of course, sanitize.

Glad your having such a good time. Homebrewing is more soothing than an aquarium, and it's also a very practical hobby.

[b3s]

my first recipe is also at the same web site.

basically it was 4# pale dme, 2# amber dme, .5# brown sugar, 1.5 oz. centennial for 60 minutes and 1 oz. cascade for 15 minutes.

my 2nd recipe was 3# pale dme, 3# amber dme, .5# brown sugar, 1 oz. chinook for 60 minutes and 1 oz. hallertau for 15 minutes.

i certainly don't think i ruined the first batch and i couldn't pinpoint any specific procedural errors, just that this 2nd batch was easier to brew and the look and taste of the wort after the boil was better and it was at pitching temp significantly faster.

one difference between the two was that the first batch was all pellets and the second batch was all whole hops. i think i might go with pellets for finishing and put them in a grain bag in the futurel.

[paul84043]

The grain bag does help alot in keeping all that stuff out of the fermentor. You still should strain, just to get the solidified protiens out. But there will be considerable less stuff than without the hops in the bag.

I had my second batch going immediately after emptying my fermentor as well. It's way too much fun to sit and wait for the first batch to get done, and what if it's really good? Are you going to wait another month for the second to be done? I think not!!

In fact...my first 5 batches have been right on the heels of the previous and I have 2 more recipe kits arriving this week in anticipation of my fermentors being empty again here real soon!
I'm doing an "Ultimate Amber Ale" from Annapolis Home Brew, and Lagering a Corona Clone, that will be my first cold fermentation beer.

This next weekend ought to be alot of fun!

[b3s]

just took my 2nd hyrdo reading on my first beer after racking...and it's stable (first reading was on saturday evening after racking). looks like i may be bottling wednesday night, but i still have some bubbles on the top of the beer, so i might just leave it in until saturday.

oh, and as long as i was dipping into the carboy, i took a whiff and drank a bit of it...smells like beer and tastes like beer! for whatever reason i didn't get the greatest OG (35) so it looks like it's gonna be 3.2% abv...but it tastes awesome!

needless to say, i'm very stoked. now if my 2nd beer would start fermentation...no bubbling in the blow off yet :( i'm being impatient, it's only been 1 day

[spankymac]

Originally posted by b3s
now if my 2nd beer would start fermentation...no bubbling in the blow off yet :( i'm being impatient, it's only been 1 day

I see that you used dry yeast...did you proof it before you pitched it? Sometimes that can jumpstart the initial fermentation; it also can identify a bad batch of yeast. It'll probably start roiling by tomorrow.

[b3s]

oh yeah, i rehydrated for 45 minutes and proofed for 45 minutes. it was active...but yeah, i figure with dry yeast it probably has quite some time to get enough ppg to cause bubbling.

[b3s]

i have now sampled 3 pints of my first brew...and all i can say is wow...that is good stuff. almost remeniscent of a slightly less hoppy sierra nevada pale. very tasty. i had a 1 week primary and a 1 week secondary and they've been bottle conditioning for 10 days.

my second batch is in the secondary and while the hydrometer readings are stable, i have not bottled yet as i am waiting for my tap-a-draft to arrive.

my third batch i was going to start on saturday, but will wait until next saturday. i'm gonna try doing a stout or an irish red...and probably a batch of mead at the same time :D

thanks for all the help and encouragement...i am definitely enjoying the hobby and the fruits of my labor!

[paul84043]

Man, what's taking you so long?

My first through third batches are GONE (thery were awesome!) ....the fourth is in dire straits...the fifth is still freaking fermenting!!!! (after three+ weeks)
The sixth, seventh, eighth, and YES!!!! NINTH!! are happily bubbling away! And the 10th is on order!!!

Woo Hoo!!!! My house smells like a big huge BEER! I have 25 gallons going at the same time...is that legal?

Here's what I've done...

1) Amber Ale, very tasty, had a nice bitter finish, but smoothed out after a few weeks. Mine and my wifes favorite so far.

2) Black and Tan, by far my friend's favorite. Dark, complex, sweet and spicy (Saaz Hops), starts to taste more like coffee as it ages. Fantastic to sip on and relax! Beautiful to look at.

3) Corona CLone, if that's what you're into....(don't ruin it by putting a lime in it) everyone that has tasted it says it blows Corona away. A bit fruity with a bit of harshness when young still, but it also smoothed out after a few weeks. (it's gone..)

4) Apricot Wheat, basic wheat beer with Apricot extract. took a long time to ferment, still a bit young now, but we've started drinking it anyway! It has a bit of a bitter harshness that is aging away. Very refreshing when doing yardwork. Probably my least favorite so far, but it may be because we're drinking it too young!

5) Belgian Dubbel (O.G. 1.064) Trappist Ale, taking forever to ferment, but the samples taste very good! This one will knock you on your butt.

6) Ultimate Amber Ale, Amber cranked up a notch (1.062) 4 hop additions, I think this one is going to taste fantastic. I am going to try like mad not to start drinking it until it's at least a month in the bottles.

7) Nut Brown Ale w/Oktoberfest yeast. (White Labs) My first Lager. Smells very good. Should be interesting. I know it's going to take a long time to finish, so I try not to think about it.
This one tried to kill me by shooting me in the head with the airlock...(bad beer..)

8) Irish Red Ale, Killians clone. Even with an extra pound of DME it only dialed in at 1.044. Looks great, fermenting like crazy! Should be done pretty quick!

9) Ultimate Porter, (1.062) this baby ought to be fantastic. 8 pounds of malt, Highly refined Molasses treacle (whatever the hell that is), 3 hop additions. I can't wait, but will have to for at least a couple of months.

10) Boston Ale, Sam Adams clone, never tried Sam Adams, sounded good. Should be here by the end of the week. If I ever bottle my Dubbel, it's next.