Just finishing brewing my first ever batch of beer

[Dollar Short]

With all the stress going on in the world scene, I decided to have some fun today and brew a batch of beer. I am a beer lover and have wanted to try home brewing for several years. Now that I am finally finishing graduate school (Library Science), I have some free time for something besides work and studying. I purchased a brewing kit a couple of weeks ago but today was the first time I had a sufficient block of time to brew (about 4 hours start to finish).

Fingers crossed, in about 2 weeks I will be able to bottle it and 2 weeks after that I will find out if what I brewed is drinkable or not.

If it turns out well, I wish I could afford to share a pint with all of my TB2K friends!

I brewed a Nut Brown Ale for my first batch.

[Hansa44]

Sounds good. Looking forward to the end result.

[changed]

Awesome, that is the type of skill that will be profitable if TSHTF.

[Dollar Short]

Awesome, that is the type of skill that will be profitable if TSHTF.

I definitely consider beer a necessary prep item! Good for barter also if THSHTF.

[BadMedicine]

Good job DS!! congrats on a great new hobby, and on finishing school!

Did you do an all-grain batch from scratch, or did you use a malt kit? I've made the Muntons Nut Brown a few times and really like it. Great wholesome brown beer. Mostly I make IPAs and a few ciders, but the occasional stout to put up for aging a few months is pretty awesome.

Good luck brewing and ask if you have any questions... I'm kinda a pro

[Dennis Olson]

I love to make beer. I don't like drinking it though. I'll have one that I've made to taste it and see if the recipe came out according to expectations. But I pretty much give it all away. I love to cook, and I love engineering things. And making beer (the part where you boil it and add all the stuff at certain times and at certain critical temperatures) appeals to me as a challenge. I went to a brew shop a few years ago and bought all the stuff: stainless steel 8 gallon brew kettle, 2x 5 gallon glass carboys for fermentation, bottling bucket, filling wand, yeast starter glass beakers, and the various testing equipment and sanitizing chemicals. I guess I'm in to it for a total of about $750. Unfortunately, all the gear is in storage in Wisconsin (sigh).

I've made some very interesting ales. My first was a simple cherry stout. From there, I did a nut brown ale, and an Imperial stout. Then I did a pumpkin ale, and a REAL cherry stout, made with multiple large cans of Oregon cherry puree in the secondary. From that point I did a "high hop" ale (IBU over 100 and used a POUND of hops!), and a "bourbon barrel porter" made with two cups of Maker's Mark whiskey with dark oak cubes soaking in it for 2 months before adding the mixture to the secondary. I also did a fantastic Belgian tripple. My last ale took TWO YEARS from brew to bottle. It's a barleywine (13.5% ABV). None of my ales were less than about 6% ABV, because if one is going to make an ale, one might as well do it right (lol).

I really do love the initial process, then watching primary fermentation take off, with the wort churning via the chemical reaction of the yeast, with foam rushing up the blowoff tube. I just think it's so cool every time I used to make it, knowing that MY SKILL made something happen EXACTLY according to the expected results. I bottle in 16 oz Grolsch flip-cap bottles because I don't trust my ability to properly cap a standard bottle - heh. It's been a lot of fun in times past. I wish I had my equipment now, since I could do some more. Oh well, one of these days.

Good luck on your "maiden voyage" in brewing!! Make sure you report back how it tastes.

[Josie]

Good luck, Dollar! Youngest son's dream job is to work in a brewery. Actually, he wants to own and operate his own. His first batch was soooo flat it was like pouring yellow water. Second batch would go off like a grenade! Had to open it over the sink, pour it very slowly and wait fifteen minutes to drink! I think he has the bugs worked out. Timing IS important!

[BREWER]

With all the stress going on in the world scene, I decided to have some fun today and brew a batch of beer. I am a beer lover and have wanted to try home brewing for several years. Now that I am finally finishing graduate school (Library Science), I have some free time for something besides work and studying. I purchased a brewing kit a couple of weeks ago but today was the first time I had a sufficient block of time to brew (about 4 hours start to finish).

Fingers crossed, in about 2 weeks I will be able to bottle it and 2 weeks after that I will find out if what I brewed is drinkable or not.

If it turns out well, I wish I could afford to share a pint with all of my TB2K friends!

I brewed a Nut Brown Ale for my first batch.

Greetings, Dollar Short: I highlighted the sentence above. I'm glad to see one of our members start to get into homebrewing. As necessary a SHTF skill if ever there was one.

I'm thinking of getting a pale ale started in the next day or two 'cause I definitely need a 'pressure drop'.

Make certain you keep the yeast temperatures within the tolerances as we're starting to get some higher temps at this time of year. Nothing worse than having your first batch turn out less than expected.

If I'm not logged on send a pm if you need some help. I'm really trying to catch up on the garden and several other projects. Good luck my friend. You just stepped into a larger world.

Take care.
BREWER

[TexasQF]

AWESOME!

I bought dh a kit for his birthday in April, but he has not done any yet. ;-) I have a list of ones I want him to try. LOL

[Dennis Olson]

Yeast won't live long unless kept refrigerated. Bear that in mind.

[Dollar Short]

Good job DS!! congrats on a great new hobby, and on finishing school!

Did you do an all-grain batch from scratch, or did you use a malt kit? I've made the Muntons Nut Brown a few times and really like it. Great wholesome brown beer. Mostly I make IPAs and a few ciders, but the occasional stout to put up for aging a few months is pretty awesome.

Good luck brewing and ask if you have any questions... I'm kinda a pro

I brewed using a malt extract kit from Northern Brewer in Minnesota. I highly recommend them, they have GREAT customer support.

[Dollar Short]

Good luck, Dollar! Youngest son's dream job is to work in a brewery. Actually, he wants to own and operate his own. His first batch was soooo flat it was like pouring yellow water. Second batch would go off like a grenade! Had to open it over the sink, pour it very slowly and wait fifteen minutes to drink! I think he has the bugs worked out. Timing IS important!

Thanks Josie, one of my sons is a student at Appalachian State and is considered majoring in Chemistry with an emphasis on brewing science (they are one of the few colleges in the US where you can earn a degree in brewing-- they have an on campus brewery run by several of the Chem professors!)

[Dollar Short]

Greetings, Dollar Short: I highlighted the sentence above. I'm glad to see one of our members start to get into homebrewing. As necessary a SHTF skill if ever there was one.

I'm thinking of getting a pale ale started in the next day or two 'cause I definitely need a 'pressure drop'.

Make certain you keep the yeast temperatures within the tolerances as we're starting to get some higher temps at this time of year. Nothing worse than having your first batch turn out less than expected.

If I'm not logged on send a pm if you need some help. I'm really trying to catch up on the garden and several other projects. Good luck my friend. You just stepped into a larger world.

Take care.
BREWER

Thanks for the advice Brewer. I am keeping the fermentor in a tub of water with some ice as well to make sure it stays below 70 degrees.

My only concern is that so far I am not seeing in bubbles in the airlock (brewing done about 6 hours ago) -- is this normal?

[dstraito]

I brewed my own beer once a few years ago. I call it my Bear Whiz Bear. Not sure why I call it that but it tasted like apple cider, had a really bad aftertaste and knocked you on your butt. I think I might have used too much sugar but it definitely was not a beer I would buy.

[TorahTips]

Thanks for the advice Brewer. I am keeping the fermentor in a tub of water with some ice as well to make sure it stays below 70 degrees.

My only concern is that so far I am not seeing in bubbles in the airlock (brewing done about 6 hours ago) -- is this normal?

What type of yeast did you use? I brew at least once a month. WYeast is among the best yeast on the market. Six hours is not unusual. What was your final gravity? If it was over 6 you should be ready for a blow off.

You will notice that the yeast is becoming active when you see a small ring of bubbles around the whole outside of the carboy. Then, you will see "islands" in the middle. When you see those two things, you're off and running.

If you used a foreign yeast strain it could take 24 hours for it to light up. Don't open the airlock for any reason until the yeast starts. You can also swirl the carboy substantially if it doesn't start soon. That mixes the yeast back in that has settled to the bottom.

Kits rarely fail. And, I really wouldn't worry too much about the temp. Most yeasts can tolerate temps near or slightly above 80 degrees. We've never controlled temp in primary.

One more thing. Don't rush it. If you want more information, contact me. You should probably use a secondary fermentation process rather than going straight to bottles.

[TorahTips]

Thanks for the advice Brewer. I am keeping the fermentor in a tub of water with some ice as well to make sure it stays below 70 degrees.

My only concern is that so far I am not seeing in bubbles in the airlock (brewing done about 6 hours ago) -- is this normal?

Actually, the temp may be the reason that you haven't fired yet. We usually pitch about 82 degrees and never have lost a thing. Our primary fermentation is almost always above 70 degrees. The one setting in primary now is at 75 degrees and he's cooking along just fine.

Cold yeast may start very slow.

[China Connection]

How Temperature Effects Beer Making
By Graham Williams



The temperature at which you brew beer is important to the final product. The variations in temperature are needed in order to produce different types of beer. When yeast is used, fermentation takes place with specific temperatures. The use of malt requires certain temperatures and temperature rests (waiting periods) for proper breakdown of the enzymes.

Fermentation is the step of the brewing process where yeast is added to the mixture. At this point the product is called beer. During this stage the sugar from the malt is metabolized and creates alcohol and carbon dioxide. These steps have specific temperature requirements depending on the type of beer that is being brewed. The two main types of beers are ales and lagers. Most other varieties are variations of one of these two.

Ale yeasts ferment at temperatures between 15°C and 20°C (60°F to 68°F), and occasionally as high as 24°C (75°F). Ale yeasts form a foam on the surface of the fermenting beer. This is referred to as top-fermenting yeast. Ale is typically done fermenting in about three weeks. Ale is the most popular variety of beer in England with literally hundreds of varieties available.

Lager yeast collects at the bottom of the fermenter and because of this is often referred to at bottom-fermenting yeast. Lager is fermented at much lower temperatures than ale. It is fermented at about 10°C (50°F), compared to typical ale fermentation temperatures of 18°C (65°F). It is then stored for 30 days or longer at temperatures near freezing. Lager beer becomes mellow and the tastes become smoother during the storing and lagering process. Sulfur develops during the fermentation process but dissipates during storage.

The variations in fermentation produce many varied types of beers and ales. In the years before refrigeration beers were often stored in cellars or basements to ferment because the temperature there was best for the process. Temperature was also a big factor in the types of beers and ales that were produced during the different seasons of the year. The popularity of lager was a contributing factor in the introduction of refrigeration in the early 1900s.

Graham Williams is the owner of http://www.gw-ebooks.com this site is full of books that are about hobbies such as Brewing your own beer, Camping, Bird watching, Beekeeping. While your there don't forget to sign up to my newsletter and you will receive monthly discounts in any new book that is added each month you can visit my site here http://www.gw-ebooks.com



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/780703

[RCSAR]

Welcome to the club!

[Dennis Olson]

Primary fermentation in ales should be at about 65° or so. Don't let it get colder than about 60 or you won't get good primary fermentation.

[rhughe13]

Ah Northern is good malt. My first brew was also a Munton's Nut Brown Ale, and many after that too.

Stay sanitary and enjoy the hobby. The rest is science and a lot of fun.

[rhughe13]

And don't forget, when you open your beers to taste, it should be done during the making of your 2nd batch of beer. And so on.

[momof23goats]

enjoy it, my boys make brew all the time. and apple jack.

[DennisD]

Dollar,

Welcome to the fraternity of homebrewers!
I have 20 gallons perking right now. I'll be bottling 10 Gal. of stout tomorrow and the rest is two 5 gal. batches of IPA (each with a different yeast) that still has a ways to go.

I'll throw in my two helpful hints, things that improved my brewing:

1. IT'S THE WATER I experienced some failed and inconsistent brews until I paid extra attention to water chemistry. I called the local water co. and they were happy to give me the latest readouts of their water testing. I entered those numbers into Brewater 3.0 (one of several internet-available free programs) and got the perfect adjustment recipes for various styles of beer: add some gypsum, epsom salts, chalk, etc. and voila!: you've got water more like that in England, Berlin or whatever style you're going for.

2. CHILL OUT I received a wonderful Christmas present this year: a wort chiller. It's a copper coil with two hose fitting that you hook up two a garden hose. As soon as the boil is completed, you immerse this thing in the wort, turn on the faucet, and in TEN MINUTES the wort temp goes from boiling down to ideal yeast pitch temp. This is as opposed to putting the
beer pot into a tub of ice and water and waiting eight hours.

Anyway, good luck with your beer.

PS: I've been wanting to ask: Any TBers know a source for large bags of dry malt extract for stocking up up? Also a source for a Simcoe hop rhizome?

DennisD

[Dollar Short]

Thanks everyone for your comments and encouragement!

This morning I awoke to find bubbles moving through the airlock. The yeast is doing its wonderful work.

To answer some of the questions posted above:

The yeast was pitched at 78 degrees.
Yeast used was Danstar Nottingham Ale (a dry yeast recommended by Northern Brewer)
Original gravity was right on target at 1.044

As to water used, the brewing books I have read said if your drinking water tastes good then so will your beer. I filtered 5 gallons through our Big Berkey and used that.

Wort Chillers are indeed wonderful. I failed to mention that I was blessed to used some of the equipment owned by a brewing buddy of mine (he has been brewing for years). He was out of town this weekend but let me come over and use his 170,000 BTU gas burner and I brewed in his keg kettle (an old Budweiser keg with the top cut out). I was also able to use his wort chiller which cooled the beer to 80 degrees in about 15 minutes.

One of my sons is getting married on July 13th. I am hoping to have some homebrew ready for the wedding and party.

[Dennis Olson]

JMHO from the modest amount I know - I think you pitched the yeast with the wort way too warm. I was always told to pitch under 70° and keep the beer under about 74° during initial fermentation. Hope it comes out okay.

[BREWER]

Thanks for the advice Brewer. I am keeping the fermentor in a tub of water with some ice as well to make sure it stays below 70 degrees.

My only concern is that so far I am not seeing in bubbles in the airlock (brewing done about 6 hours ago) -- is this normal?

Hey, DS: I'm getting to the forum a little late;however, it looks like all the others have answered your questions.

The best way I have found to get a super quick start to the fermentation is to use one of these.
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/wine-wand.html

The one I have looks more like a paint stirrer with two folding plastic paddles mounted on the end of a stainless steel wand[~US$20.00]. I attach mine to a drill, insert the degassing wand into the wort, frappe it into a froth, pitch the yeast, another quick frappe and affix the airlock. I very often achieve active fermentation in a hour or two depending on the gravity of the wort, temperature and batch size. Yes, you read that right an hour or two on a 1.054 OG and maybe 4-6 hours maximum on a 1.064 OG. It makes all the difference in the world when the wort is super aerated, and a large starter is pitched.

A word on temps: read the manufacturers suggested pitching temps are usually initially higher, and then the active fermentation temps can be as much as 5 degrees lower. So if you pitch at 80F you will want to be darn certain that the wort will cool to the 70-75 F range where most ale yeasts thrive and you don't get any off flavors. The exception are some of the Belgium ale yeasts: http://home-brewing.northernbrewer.c...20yeasts&asug=
which can take temps up to 86F such as the Wyeast 3522 Belgian Ardennes:http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/w...-ardennes.html

"One of many great beer yeasts to produce classic Belgian ales. Phenolics develop with increased fermentation temperatures, mild fruitiness and complex spicy character. Apparent attenuation: 72-76%. Flocculation: high. Optimum temp: 65°-85° F"

I have used the 3522 for many years with great success. The summer temps here in central Va often climb into the 90F for days on end which are much too high a temp for most ale yeast to ferment well. My kitchen will often reach 86F which is the high end for this strain, but look at the low end range of 65F for 3522. At the cooler end it will not develop the esters and phenolics that it does at the higher extreme.

DS said... "Danstar Nottingham Ale (a dry yeast recommended by Northern Brewer)"
Yes, it is an excellent yeast as are the rest of that line of dry yeasts and they are much less expensive than either White Labs or Wyeast. I have had a lot of success with Cooper's dry yeast[south Australia origination] which can tolerate temps up to 80F, and come out clean for IPA's and American Pale Ales. If you make a large starter the day or two before you pitch your yeast you can, with proper temps, make a finished primary fermentation in as little as 12 days with a 1.064 OG wort.

This is where the aeration/degassing wand comes in and allows the yeast to get jump started and active fermentation is off and running within hours instead of much longer periods. I recommend everyone who brews to purchase the paddle type degassing wand and use it the next time you pitch your yeast. It will save you days of non super aerated wort fermentation. I much rather have a finished beer in half the time. Wouldn't you? You'll wonder how you ever got along without it.

Take care.
BREWER

[Dollar Short]

Today was Bottling day!

I am happy to say that the final gravity was 1.011 (target range for this brew is 1.010-1.015). The warm, flat brew tasted pretty decent.

I can't wait to open the first bottle in a week or two and see how it turned out!

[TorahTips]

Today was Bottling day!

I am happy to say that the final gravity was 1.011 (target range for this brew is 1.010-1.015). The warm, flat brew tasted pretty decent.

I can't wait to open the first bottle in a week or two and see how it turned out!

.011 -- I'm impressed!! Sounds like you burned up some sugar. What did you start at? We just bottled our blueberry stout -- 10.5% ABV.

[Dennis Olson]

Three weeks minimum to carbonate. Keep it at room temperature and out of the sun.

[BREWER]

Today was Bottling day!

I am happy to say that the final gravity was 1.011 (target range for this brew is 1.010-1.015). The warm, flat brew tasted pretty decent.

I can't wait to open the first bottle in a week or two and see how it turned out!

Hey, DS:How much priming sugar[dextrose] per how many gallons? With these very hot temps you could have a fully carbonated brew before you know it...or a gusher.

[VesperSparrow]

How about putting a batch of your homebrew in here:

[VesperSparrow]

and sending it here:

[Dennis Olson]

He used a kit Brewer, so it'll probably be okay.

[Dollar Short]

and sending it here:

Would love to share a pint with you if it taste decent. I guess we need to open a TB2k Brew Pub!!!!

[Dollar Short]

Hey, DS:How much priming sugar[dextrose] per how many gallons? With these very hot temps you could have a fully carbonated brew before you know it...or a gusher.

I used the 5 oz priming sugar to 1 pint of water recommended by the Northern Brewer kit.

[Dollar Short]

.011 -- I'm impressed!! Sounds like you burned up some sugar. What did you start at? We just bottled our blueberry stout -- 10.5% ABV.

Original gravity was 1.044. This is sessionable Nut Brown Ale, should be about 4.6% ABV.

[BREWER]

I used the 5 oz priming sugar to 1 pint of water recommended by the Northern Brewer kit.

DS: O.K. You dissolved 5oz[141.75g] of priming sugar in 1 pint of water and added it to 5 gallons of fermented wort? If so you should keep a very close eye on the progress of the secondary fermentation as the temps in your house are probably fairly warm even with the AC on.

I'd try one bottle in about a week...you probably have them in 12oz bottles, true?
If the carbonation is still low try another bottle in another 3-4 days time and if the carbonation is where you like it then you should move the rest of the bottles to refrigeration to allow the secondary fermentation to stop.

If the bottles are left at room temp after you've achieved the desired level of carbonation they will over-carbonate and will gush when opened or worse become little hand grenades. Many a Mr. homebrewer has had the Mrs. put an end to the homebrewing after this. Just sayin'.

DS:Now don't freak out;however, I usually don't use more than 86g[3.03oz] to 96g[3.38oz] of dextrose/priming sugar per 5 gallons to get a very nice carbonation.

The makers of the kits [and certain beer writers] seem to use the 5oz dextrose/5 gal of fully fermented wort as a matter of course. Guess how I learned to throttle back on the priming sugar? Yep! So that is why it is very important to try your newly bottled beer prior to when the 'directions' say you should achieve full carbonation especially in warm temperature conditions. I understand it is a reluctance to 'waste' opening even a single beer before it may be 'time';however, you really don't want your first batch to end up over-carbonated or all over the walls.

Remember even if you carefully racked the fully fermented wort/beer into the bottling bucket there were some yeasts that got sucked up into the the bucket and they just got a dose of rocket fuel in the form of that priming sugar. That is where the secondary 'carbonation' is coming from to give you that nice head on the beer.

Oh, and you should be starting your second batch of ale about now. I found out how quickly the first batch went and after that I brewed every Tuesday evening and did 4 batches each month so I had beer/ale coming on line and still had a few bottles of fully mature beer to sample side by side with the new brews coming into full carbonation. Eventually I had about 10-12 different styles of my own homebrew to send to competition and find out from the 'pros' how I did. Just a thought. Take care and good luck. BREWER

[Dollar Short]

DS: O.K. You dissolved 5oz[141.75g] of priming sugar in 1 pint of water and added it to 5 gallons of fermented wort? If so you should keep a very close eye on the progress of the secondary fermentation as the temps in your house are probably fairly warm even with the AC on.

I'd try one bottle in about a week...you probably have them in 12oz bottles, true?
If the carbonation is still low try another bottle in another 3-4 days time and if the carbonation is where you like it then you should move the rest of the bottles to refrigeration to allow the secondary fermentation to stop.

If the bottles are left at room temp after you've achieved the desired level of carbonation they will over-carbonate and will gush when opened or worse become little hand grenades. Many a Mr. homebrewer has had the Mrs. put an end to the homebrewing after this. Just sayin'.

DS:Now don't freak out;however, I usually don't use more than 86g[3.03oz] to 96g[3.38oz] of dextrose/priming sugar per 5 gallons to get a very nice carbonation.

The makers of the kits [and certain beer writers] seem to use the 5oz dextrose/5 gal of fully fermented wort as a matter of course. Guess how I learned to throttle back on the priming sugar? Yep! So that is why it is very important to try your newly bottled beer prior to when the 'directions' say you should achieve full carbonation especially in warm temperature conditions. I understand it is a reluctance to 'waste' opening even a single beer before it may be 'time';however, you really don't want your first batch to end up over-carbonated or all over the walls.

Remember even if you carefully racked the fully fermented wort/beer into the bottling bucket there were some yeasts that got sucked up into the the bucket and they just got a dose of rocket fuel in the form of that priming sugar. That is where the secondary 'carbonation' is coming from to give you that nice head on the beer.

Oh, and you should be starting your second batch of ale about now. I found out how quickly the first batch went and after that I brewed every Tuesday evening and did 4 batches each month so I had beer/ale coming on line and still had a few bottles of fully mature beer to sample side by side with the new brews coming into full carbonation. Eventually I had about 10-12 different styles of my own homebrew to send to competition and find out from the 'pros' how I did. Just a thought. Take care and good luck. BREWER

Thanks for all your learned advice Brewer! I will carefully monitor the 12 oz bottles this week as they condition (we have covered them with a towel in case any "pop"). I also have 5 swingtop bottles filled with my homebrew. Fortunately we are house-sitting for a friend all summer and I can put the entire batch of homebrew in her empty frig if I need to. I am fortunate to have a wife that loves beer and totally supports my hobby. She helped immensely in the bottling process today and understands that brewing can be a messy endeavor. I am so blessed!

[BREWER]

Thanks for all your learned advice Brewer! I will carefully monitor the 12 oz bottles this week as they condition (we have covered them with a towel in case any "pop"). I also have 5 swingtop bottles filled with my homebrew. Fortunately we are house-sitting for a friend all summer and I can put the entire batch of homebrew in her empty frig if I need to. I am fortunate to have a wife that loves beer and totally supports my hobby. She helped immensely in the bottling process today and understands that brewing can be a messy endeavor. I am so blessed!

Hey, DS: You're welcome.

They don't pop the caps off... the imperfection(s) in the glass bottles cause the glass to explode sending shards of glass everywhere e.g hand grenade! The swing cap bottles are probably made from a thicker glass.

Since this is your first batch you can place the case of bottled beer in a trash can liner/bag you would use for bagging up leaves...that way should the glass explode your lost ale will be in the trash can liner/bag and any glass shards will be contained. I don't want you to be overly concerned about this, but just be cautious. Now you know why I keg.LOL

God Bless your wife!

Take care. BREWER

[Dennis Olson]

The carbonation issue is why I use the Grolsch style bottles. It'd take a helluva lot of pressure to burst one. And a 5 gallon batch ends up as 3 cases + 3 bottles (39 bottles total).