# First ever attempt



## pauls51 (10/6/14)

WARNING: Extreme Beginner here!

So after plenty of reading I took the plunge and purchased a homebrew kit from my LHBS (Brewers Den). After considering how badly I sucked at science back at school, I thought i'd be best to stick to a basic brew so went with the Coopers draught. 

I tried to get fancy by "rehydrating" the yeast and failed at that, so after 20 minutes of not seeing anything happen I poured it into the fermenter and gave it a stir. Took an OG reading of 1040 and kept the brew in the laundry at a steady 16 - 18 degrees.

Had a mates wedding on the weekend and managed to score 80 carlton draught long necks (feeling pretty ordinary about that now that I have read about bottle capping twist off bottles) so spent yesterday bottling the brew (after seeing 2 consecutive days of the same reading - 1010 ) using carbonation drops.

So now I have my brew, wrapped in a blanket inside my laundry for the next 7 days before I move it to my garage where it is much cooler.. Is there anything I should be doing during this period to get the best out of the brew? Or is it set and forget?

I visited G&G over the weekend and picked up a ready to go American IPA and some Ale dry yeast. (I figured i should do a couple more brews before I start playing with hops, grains et al. ) I am wanting to attempt rehydrating the yeast again - What is the best way to do this or should I just sprinkle inside the fermenter? Also I'm lead to believe that fermentation will take alot longer with this brew - does that sound right?

Thanks all!


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## gsouth82 (10/6/14)

I always rehydrate my yeast and very rarely 'see' something happen.
The point of it is to wake the yeast up from their dormant (dry) state before chucking them in the deep end.
I rehydrate into a cup of water around 25-30 degrees (depending on the yeast) and leave for 30 minutes.
Some people add sugar or malt but from my understanding there's little point in doing that seeing though we're only talking about 30 minutes. This time isn't long enough for the yeast to wake up and begin eating the sugars.
In saying that though, it's like the old brewing saying...Ask 5 homebrewers how to rehydrate yeast, get 6 different answers.

Also, i'd leave the bottled brew inside where its a little warmer for 2 weeks before moving it.


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## Trickymac (10/6/14)

hey pauls51
heres a link to rehydrating yeast
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SL92Bd4kfbQ

although im a fairly newish brewer (6 months)ive been bottle capping both twist off bottles and non twist bottles....no difference, if anything the twist top bottles seal better
happy brewing mate


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## mkstalen (10/6/14)

Before I started using liquid yeasts I just sprinkled on the dry ones. Couldn't be arsed with the extra step of re-hydrating, and I never had an issue with fermentation.

From another forum:
Dry yeast should be rehydrated in blood warm water for 5 to 15 minutes before pitching. "proofing" dry yeast will result in a substantially larger colony at pitching. Pitching unhydrated yeast into wort needlessly, sadly and mercilessly kills perhaps 30% upon impact.

However..
Dry yeast also has about 20 billion cells/gram so there are 220 billion cells in a fresh 11 gram pack vs 100 billion for liquid yeast. So even if you kill off 30% of your dry cells you're still ahead in terms of viable cells compared to a liquid yeast.


Just my 2c.


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## wereprawn (10/6/14)

Hi mate. Throw 1/2 kg more LDME (light dry malt extract) in your IPA to bump the alc % up and you should be right. You really do need to at least dry hop an IPA to get something that resembles a commercial version. What you did for the 1st brew sounds fine. ie- somewhere warm for a week to help carbonation then in the shed for 2 weeks minimum.


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## pauls51 (10/6/14)

Thanks all for your responses... Much appreciated.

wereprawn which particular LDME should I be using ? I was going to add some hops but am reluctant at this stage of my "Brewing career"


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## wereprawn (10/6/14)

As long as it says light you have the right stuff. Your local home brew shop will have some or places like Big w sell it. Dont be afraid to dry hop. After your beer has been fermenting for ,say ,5 or so days, measure out your hops ( 30 gm of an american hop like cascade would be good to give you an idea of what dry hopping can be like) and just chuck them in the fermenter.


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## menoetes (10/6/14)

pauls51 said:


> I visited G&G over the weekend and picked up a ready to go American IPA and some Ale dry yeast. (I figured i should do a couple more brews before I start playing with hops, grains et al. )


Welcome Paul.

Don't wait to jump in on using malt, hops and grains in your kit brewing sir - get right into it! I think it's easier and less risky than reydrating yeast for a start and will make your beer taste many times better than before.

All these steps happen before or during the boil step so there's little chance of messing up badly (or at all) if you read up a little on steeping grains and adding hops to your brew. Adding malt is easier, just replace your kilo of sugar with a kilo (or more) of dry light malt extract.

...and ask questions! Most of the people on here_ love _brewing are more than happy to help newbies out. Only a few short months ago I was worst off than you are today and if not for AHB I'd still be brewing off-smelling beer and still trying to force my friends to drink it. Lord knows, I couldn't stomach too much of it 

Now they love my pimped-out kit & extract brews and I can't wait to brew more complicated beers.

Most of all; enjoy yourself sir and welcome to the slippery slope...


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## Grott (10/6/14)

hi Paul, my tip is for the first 4 to 5 brews just follow the basic recipe and sprinkle the yeast.This then gives you the base of a "home brew" and allows you to sort out your set up and cleaning/sanitising regimes. After that, experiment with other additives and methods and you will soon see the rewards of the extra effort. 
Cheers


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## barabool (11/6/14)

Agree with Grott.
Sometimes you need to know what bad is so you appreciate good.


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## storeboughtcheeseburgers (11/6/14)

yeah don't worry about hops n such, its a piece of cake, literally just throw them in commando. Get yourself some good electronic scales, I got a breville for cheap at an op shop that works well. I have a good recipe for the coopers draught kit which doesnt make a bad brew and can get most of the stuff (except the hops) at woolies or coles recipe here

Doesn't make a bad drop and pretty easy. Just get Coopers Brew Enhancer 2, or 1 if funds are tight (easily attainable at woolies/coles/bigW and Kmart). You can get all the stuff excluding hops and put down your brew and dry hop the cascade when you can get to a HBS and get the pellets.

Dry yeast does NOT need to be rehydrated unless it is really old.. just throw it in and stir..


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## wereprawn (11/6/14)

grott said:


> hi Paul, my tip is for the first 4 to 5 brews just follow the basic recipe and sprinkle the yeast.This then gives you the base of a "home brew" and allows you to sort out your set up and cleaning/sanitising regimes. After that, experiment with other additives and methods and you will soon see the rewards of the extra effort.
> Cheers





Bara said:


> Agree with Grott.
> Sometimes you need to know what bad is so you appreciate good.


Why? You don't try and make a bland dinner just so you enjoy it more next time, when with a couple of simple, tried and tested steps you could make something significantly better.


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## barabool (11/6/14)

to get all Zen on ya Wereprawn..
'You can never be truly happy unless you know sadness'.
Some things can never be taught - some things you need to experience...
(but Were is correct - but so is Buddha, Yoda and that guy at the pub with bad breath and no undies)


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## pauls51 (20/6/14)

Thanks again for the replies!

Ok. So the first brew has been moved into the Garage after 2 weeks in the laundry wrapped up in a couple of blankets

I am aiming to get the American IPA going this weekend.
As this is only my second attempt (Can't believe im starting a second attempt without even tasting my first attempt!) I am cheating again

Bought this from Grape and grain and as of yesterday bit the bullet and bought some Cascade hops! (which im storing in the fridge)






My plan of attack is to add 3 litres of water to the wort and rehydrate the yeast in the fermenter. Leave for 7 days and then sprinkle the Hops in and wait a further 4/5 days (or until I get a consistent reading).. Re. the hops Should I be sprinkling them over the top and let them sit or should I be stirring them in???


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## wereprawn (20/6/14)

Just dump em in.


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## pauls51 (20/6/14)

wereprawn said:


> Just dump em in.


Done deal.. Will throw them in and let them do their thing!!!!

At the moment the temp in my laundry is around the 16 degree mark. Will this be ok for the first couple of weeks after bottling for the Ale or do I need to adjust the temp ?


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## Yob (20/6/14)

I just leave mine in the cellar, theyll take a bit longer to carb but will do it throughout a Melbourne winter.

If you want them to carb a bit quicker, your plan of using the laundry has only 1 flaw... the missus may get tetchy about the space, that aside, youll be fine


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## mofox1 (20/6/14)

Yob said:


> I just leave mine in the cellar, theyll take a bit longer to carb but will do it throughout a Melbourne winter.
> 
> If you want them to carb a bit quicker, your plan of using the laundry has only 1 flaw... the missus may get tetchy about the space, that aside, youll be fine


Get her input on the style beer she wants you to make, and the laundry space is yours. B)


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## pauls51 (20/6/14)

Hahaha. She knows what I am like unfortuantely. You see I did the same thing with shaving; I changed from using gillete razors to double edge razors and cut throats because they were cheaper than the refills. She soon discovered that wasn't really the case  ... I can see the same principles applying to this new love of mine..

On a side note she did enjoy S&W Pacific Ale and "My Wife's Bitter"


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## superstock (20/6/14)

A good place to carb up when it's cold is in the cupboard under the kitchen sink. Especially if you wash up in the sink.


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## pauls51 (18/7/14)

Ok all I finally got the American IPA going in the fermenter and successfully rehydrated the yeast!! Only problem is as I was pouring the yeast I noticed a small hair drop into the fermenter and I couldn't find it so hopefully it doesn't do any damage. 

Another question.. My brew is still slowly bubbling away, should I wait till it stops before adding the cascade hops?? Its been in the fermenter since Sunday night and started bubbling very slowly by Monday night.


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## menoetes (19/7/14)

You can throw in the hops before it finishes fermenting, most people do. It won't hurt the flavor and as it is dry hopping (for the hoppy aroma) it's best to get it in before it finishes fermenting for best effect IMHO. Cascade is a solid hop that's hard to mess up, throw it in now and wait a week. If your SG is steady, you'll be ready to bottle.


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## pauls51 (23/7/14)

Awesome... Threw about 30/35 grams of the hops in and immediately she starting bubbling for 10 or so minutes and stopped again.. I will start taking readings this weekend... 

One other thing is the temp has dropped to around 13/14 degrees over the past couple of nights so hopefully it hasn't spoiled the brew 

Thanks again for the assistance


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## gsouth82 (23/7/14)

dropping to 13-14 degrees wont spoil it. it might just take longer to ferment. getting too hot or rapid temperature changes will spoil it.


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## Moad (23/7/14)

With those temps I reckon your next purchase should be a heater pad/belt and a temp controller. Might be over budget at this stage but temp controlling the ferment was the best thing I did for my homebrew after sanitation...

Welcome to the addiction.


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## pauls51 (23/7/14)

Thanks guys  
I'll apply to the MoF to get approval on a heater pad and a temp controller after I've bottled this lot..


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## gsouth82 (24/7/14)

Your method of heating is up to you but I personally prefer the heat belt. It doesn't warm up the tub and yeast cake sitting on the bottom of the fermenter. Plus they're around half the price depending where you go. The heat belts I'm running are from keg king and are only 20 bucks.


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## pauls51 (3/10/14)

Ok I thought I'd post a bit of an update for anyone interested..

My first brew appears to be spot on (A simple Draught kit). It pours clear and is not a bad drop at all and seems to have gotten better over the past several weeks!

The IPA with the added cascade Hops is starting to taste really good.. Its a massive smack in the face as soon as you open the bottle (God, I love that smell!), however I think it may need some more time to mature (seems to give a fairly strong taste towards the end of the bottle), so I'll give it another 3/4 weeks before I give my final verdict.

So onto my next project: A summertime beer! - I personally like a Stone & Wood Pacific Ale - easy to drink especially on a hot summers day.. This will be my first boil!.. Does anyone have any recommendations on receipes? I am looking at attempting this one: http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/71264-stone-wood-pacific-ale/


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## paulyman (3/10/14)

I did Dr Smurtos golden ale kit recipe as one of my first brews. The LHBS didn't have Amarillo and gave me Galaxy instead. First time I'd used Galaxy. It was an awesome drop.

Had a Pacific Ale for the first time a few weeks later and realised the golden ale was really similar. I actually prefer Smurtos recipe.


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## menoetes (4/10/14)

I've got a very solid S&W clone recipe not dissimilar to Shantas. I love that beer  Though that recipe seems like it'll have that rough galaxy bitterness bite from the 20min addition. You could try mine if you like. I'm terribly fond of it - I also have a kit+bits version.

*Bone Her Good Pacificale *(Name still under construction)
23Lt batch

1.5kg tin of Cooper Light Liquid Malt Extract
1.5kg tin of Cooper Wheat Liquid Malt Extract
250g Carapils - cracked and steeped
250g Dextrose
30g Cascade (7.2% AA) – 15min boil
30g Galaxy (13% AA) – 5min boil
20g Galaxy (13% AA) – Dry Hop
Us-05 Yeast


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## BrosysBrews (4/10/14)

Mad this a couple of weeks ago, seems to be a good drop but only just carbed up really. If doing it again I would personally buy up that final addition to increase the aroma to get closer to the original


pauls51 said:


> Ok I thought I'd post a bit of an update for anyone interested..
> 
> My first brew appears to be spot on (A simple Draught kit). It pours clear and is not a bad drop at all and seems to have gotten better over the past several weeks!
> 
> ...


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## menoetes (4/10/14)

Yeah, I always find myself wanting more of that passionfruit kick too 

I love Galaxy hops but find that if I have them in the boil for any longer than 15 max then they can give a brew a harsh bitter bite. I just don't think they're a good bittering hop. 

However; you'd be surprised just how much flavour you'd get out of 30g of Galaxy @ 5 minutes though, you can't miss the hops presence. They are a pretty intense hop.


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## pauls51 (6/10/14)

menoetes, I'm liking the look of your receipe!..

My only concern would be that it is my first attempt at both boiling and steeping.

I'm going to purchase the carapils already milled so they are ready to go straight into the bag and into the pot at 65 celsius. How long should I have the bag in the pot? Would 1.5L of water be enough and do I add this at the beginning together with the LME prior to the first boil?


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## Yob (6/10/14)

Leave the grains in for 30 mins or so, how much grain are you talking?


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## boybrewer (6/10/14)

Tea bag the grain for 30 min . Bring to boil add hops at the count down of 15 min then add the rest according to the recipe . I would probably make it 2 -3 lts as you will loose some liquid due to evaporation . To get that big flavour dry hop about 30 -40 gms of galaxy once fermentation starts to slow down .


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## pauls51 (6/10/14)

Thanks guys.. 
Yob I'm looking at 250gm of grain


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## menoetes (6/10/14)

Steeping and boiling is dead easy but I can understand why newbies are so reluctant to try it with all the complicated times and terminology - I should make a video of the process some time to show just how easy it is. Your beer will thank you for it...

I put 2.5lts of water on the stove and using a thermometer (I use a simple milk thermometer from robins kitchen) bring it up to 70'c. I stir the water properly before checking the temp to make sure the reading is accurate.

At 70'c I turn off the heat (I have an electric glass-top stove), pour in the cracked grains and give it a good stir to make sure there are no lumps before popping the lid on and walking away for at least 30 min. Adding the 250g of room-temp grain will drop the liquids temp a degree or two but my glass cook top helps actually helps out here as it retains its heat for a while after being turned off.

When I come back, I strain the grains out with a stainless steel kitchen sieve (retaining the fluid) and pour another litre of hot water (from the kettle) through the grain to get any last drops goodness out of it. All this liquid poured back into the pot coming to about 3 litres.

For the hop boil; I bring this liquid to the boil, give it 10-15 minutes to make sure there's no little nasties still alive in my liquid (wort) then start adding my hops as per the hop schedual. In the case of my recipe you would add the cascade, wait 10 minutes then add the Galaxy, wait 5 minutes and then take it off the heat pronto.

Steeping and hop boiling done - lemon squeezy 

- Meno


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## pauls51 (7/10/14)

Awesome... Much easier to understand!!!

Thankyou very much.

I will be picking up the ingredients on Thursday morning; cant wait!


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## pauls51 (8/10/14)

So over the weekend I tried my IPA again and it just keeps getting better and better!
And what better way to enjoy your brew than with a homemade burger complete with homemade brioche and triple cooked chips!!


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## 0juz (8/10/14)

I'm new to the forum and new to brewing but honestly there is no finer satisfaction than enjoying an additive free fresh homebrew ... Fwiw I just sprinkle good yeasts and every brew bar my first has been good enough for and enjoyed by guests...first brew was a ginger beer that got got infected...never again
So from a noob I,d say buy good yeast and sanitise the crap out of everything and joy shall be yours 

And yes fresh hops make kits shine!

Ps that burger looks firkin awesome


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