First batch started!

[skorpion317]

Alrighty, everything went off without a hitch so far. Here's my recipe:

6.5 oz Dry Amber Malt
6.5 oz Dry Light Malt
1/2 cup Dextrose
1/2 cup Dark brown sugar
0.5 oz Hops (not sure of which type...package wasn't marked.)
Danstar Windsor British Ale yeast

I cooked the wort for an hour (not a half hour like the instructions said). I gotta say, cooking wort smells pretty good.

I was a little worried about the yeast. I re-hydrated it, and it didn't get all that foamy. I was afraid it wasn't going to be any good. I pitched it in the fermenter, and sure enough, it worked! It's been bubbling away since Friday. The beer is a real dark brown color, and very opaque. I'm really excited, I hope it turns out well. I'll know by Saint Patty's Day :D

[BrewDog]

Very cool. Keep us posted on how this 1 gal batch goes.

[skorpion317]

My only worry at this point is the second step from the instructions I posted. I'm not going to add any gelatin, but i'm wondering if I should add the little bit of dextrose, or a blend of dextrose/dark brown sugar, that is specified.

Besides that, I'm interested in how it's going to taste. I also don't know what this would be classified as....for now, I'm just calling it "beer".

I'm already planning my next batch. I want to do an Irish stout, and I also want to make a larger batch. I have a filtered water machine that uses 5 gal. water jugs. Think I could adapt two of them as primary and secondary fermenters?

[Goban]

I believe that secondary feremters should be made out of glass or stainless. I think it has something to do with plastic tastes or contamination probability.
I don’t know, however, if you are good to go with those bottles for primary though. Just wait a while and these fine brewers will answer this far better than I.

Good luck with the brew!!

[skorpion317]

The other cool thing about homebrewing is that, having gotten to smell the different ingredients, I started to pick out some of the varying flavors in the beers I have in the fridge. Drinking a couple cans of Bud the other night, I was able to pick out the malt flavor more easily. After that, I had a bottle of Guinness, and was able to pick up the chocolate/coffee taste, something I didn't think I noticed before. After the Guinness, I had a Corona (I was picking beers at random). Somewhat malty, but a little bitter from the hops. I was amazed that I was able to actually distinguish certain flavors from the different ingredients.

EDIT: I just checked out www.beer-wine.com, and the carboys they have on the site are more or less identical to the plastic water jugs I have. I just need to figure out how to adapt the airlock I have to work with the jug.

[eyepah]

I highly reccommend checking out:

NORTHERN BREWER (http://www.northernbrewer.com/)

Get glass fermentors. Its cheap. Its easy to clean and sanitize. No scratches. Fewer contaminations.

Also, these guys have everthing you will need to form an addiction to your hobby.

EDIT: I predict a phase-out of AB products from skorpions fridge.

[skorpion317]

Is there any way to find out what hops I used? As I said, the package wasn't marked.

[Kyle_Draven]

You could try and list what it smelled like and what it tastes like in the final beer. Most hops have profiles that you can use to help.
The bottles would probably be fine for primary but I wouldn't use them for secondary. The bottles are somewhat oxygen permeable so oxygen can get into it while it is in the secondary.

[skorpion317]

well, it's now been 5 days since I started. Fermentation slowed on the 4th day, so I put in another 1/2 cup of dark brown sugar/dextrose mix and 2 cups of water, as per the directions of the kit. I had a quick whiff before I poured in the sugar....smells like alcohol, alright! not a strong or offensive alcohol smell, but enough to notice it.

I've even come up with a name - Irish Dubh-donn Ale. "Dubh-donn" means dark brown in Gaelic (I'm of Irish descent), and it fits the color perfectly.

[skorpion317]

gave it another whiff today....there's a distinct sweet, malty smell to it. after my second addition of sugar, there was more bubbling for a couple days. It's slowed down now. How long should I let it condition for? A week, two weeks?

[eyepah]

Im confused about your system. Do you have a Mr. Beer type of kit?

What is the step after conditioning? Bottling?

Typically, a 1050 beer (about what you have according to the listed ingrediants) does well by a 2 week minimum conditioning period. I suggest that you read THIS. (http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter9-3.html)

[skorpion317]

I got a kit from Lakeview Valley Farms. comes with a one gallon plastic fermenter, a three-piece airlock, siphon and racking cane tip, 6 plastic bottles, and the ingredients. The instructions said to put gelatin (included with the kit) into the beer to clarify it, but I was told not to do that. After that, bottling was the next step.

[skorpion317]

I decided to let the beer condition for a week and a half. After that, it's on to bottling. It should be done March 10th.

[skorpion317]

bottled today....what a nightmare. the siphon tube continually got air in it, and I had to start the flow by sucking the air out of the tube with my mouth. I hope it didn't mess anything up. On the upside, I got to taste the beer. not too bitter, slightly fruity and malty, and a noticeable alcohol warmth.

Final analysis by Beertools.com:

Irish Dubh-donn Ale

Category - Specialty Beer
Subcategory - Specialty Beer
Recipe Type - Extract
Batch Size - 1.00 gal.
Volume Boiled - 0.75 gal.
Mash Efficiency - 0.0 %
Total Grain/Extract - 1.17 lbs.
Total Hops - 0.5 oz.
Calories (12 fl. oz.) - 201.8
Cost to Brew - $4.96 (USD)
Cost per Bottle (12 fl. oz.) - $0.47 (USD)

0.42 lbs. Dry Amber Extract
0.42 lbs. Dry Light Extract
0.23 lbs. Dark Brown Sugar
0.10 lbs. Corn Sugar
0.5 oz. Hops(still don't know what type) boiled 60 min.
Yeast : Danstar Windsor

My first recipe ever. "Dubh-donn" means dark brown in Gaelic, and it certainly is a dark brown ale.

Predicted Original Gravity - 1.051

Predicted Terminal Gravity - 1.010

Predicted Color - 13.97 °SRM

Predicted Bitterness - 58.9 IBU

Predicted Alcohol (%volume) - 5.4 %


Apparent Original Extract - 12.61 °Plato
Real Original Extract - 12.61 °Plato
Apparent Attenuation - 79.7 %
Real Attenuation - 64.7 %
Apparent Extract - 2.56 °Plato
Real Extract - 4.46 °Plato


Alcohol (% Weight) - 4.2 %
Alcohol (% Volume) - 5.4 %