1st Brew Day Questions.

[vicelore]

Hey guys

well as said above . yesterday i completed my 1st day of brewing. i used a home brew kit supplied from my local brew shop.

My big question and worry is that it was quite hot yesterday. i had to brew on sunday as its the only day i had time.

so i added 3 leters of boiling water into the fermenter with the can off malt. added in sugars hops then toped the fementer up to 21 liters. at this time i checked the temp and it was sitting at around 30 degrees i tried allot to get it down as i was looking for around 21 degrees. but after mucking around with ice wet towles fans. etc. i still coudnt get it below maybey 28 degrees. ( my thermometer was a stick on strip one that changes the color up a chart. and it was changing abour 3 temp readings at ounce. be nice if someone knows how to use these could tell me..).

so i left it in the closset. and went to the Mrs, i got home this morning to see a reading of around 26-28. but it was defently bubbleing away.

Can someone assure me that the brew will be ok ? i was thinking that the temp was only really important becuase thats what the yeast like ?? so if im gettin bubbles the yeast is working and everything will be ok ?

Cheers guys thanks in advance.

 

[Fatgodzilla]

Hey guys

well as said above . yesterday i completed my 1st day of brewing. i used a home brew kit supplied from my local brew shop.

My big question and worry is that it was quite hot yesterday. i had to brew on sunday as its the only day i had time.

so i added 3 leters of boiling water into the fermenter with the can off malt. added in sugars hops then toped the fementer up to 21 liters. at this time i checked the temp and it was sitting at around 30 degrees i tried allot to get it down as i was looking for around 21 degrees. but after mucking around with ice wet towles fans. etc. i still coudnt get it below maybey 28 degrees. ( my thermometer was a stick on strip one that changes the color up a chart. and it was changing abour 3 temp readings at ounce. be nice if someone knows how to use these could tell me..).

so i left it in the closset. and went to the Mrs, i got home this morning to see a reading of around 26-28. but it was defently bubbleing away.

Can someone assure me that the brew will be ok ? i was thinking that the temp was only really important becuase thats what the yeast like ?? so if im gettin bubbles the yeast is working and everything will be ok ?

Cheers guys thanks in advance.

Don't panic. Brew #1 will always be your favourite brew even if it tastes like %*@$. Good chance the high temperature brewing will introduce some hot alcohol flavours you won't want to replicate in future brews but otherwise your brew is okay. Let the yeast do it's job and keep don't bottle this thing for a few days yet. You'll find it's really hard to get the temperature of the fermenter down 30C unless you have a fridge. Next time you can either
1. Make sure the water you use is colder (put 2 / 3 litre bottles of water into fridge / freezer before adding to wort)
2. Add a (big) mob of ice cubes to the wort to get temperature down before pitching yeast


The wet towel thing is better to keep a fermenter cooler rather than to cool a hot one down.
But yeah, your brew won't be perfect but it's okay and you'll drink it.

 

[simpletotoro]

hi welcome..will brew be ok? ...it'll be beer as fatgodzilla said but will proably have a few off flavoutrs ...try this next time perhaps...up to you ..
below was copied from this link
http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...=17640&st=0

ok heres the easiest way to explain these things above lets assume you have everything sanatisedyou got your recipe say this one for examplea really basic one

one tin of goo (ale)
500 g light dried malt (ldm)
500 dextrose
yeast from kit (ale)

ok heres how I went about it when I started..
1.put tin of unopened goo in a container pour in some boiling water to soften her up a little...set it aside till you need it ....DO NOT BOIL UNOPENED TINS
2. put 2-3 litres of water in a saucepan and bring to boil
3.dissolve ldm and dextrose in saucepan constantly stirring so as not to scorch the sugar and watch for boil overs..
4.remove from heat and tip into fermenter
5.open tin of goo and tip into fermenter..mix well add a little hot water to it if you must..
6.using water you froze or cooled (in sanatised containers) fill up fermenter till desired level
7.stir the crap out of it ..you want lots of air mixed in with it lots of froath
8.check temps if its under 20/c pitch your yeaststir if you must I usually dont I just add the yeast while the liquid is still like a little whirlpool
9.bung on your lidfit you airlockferment at 16-20/c
10. watch and learn from your brew over the coming days
11.when you think it has fermented ...no airlock activity check with your hydrometer
also...

lets assume youve got bugger all money or want at this stage to spend bugger all money on brewing gear there will be plenty of time later on when you have more knowledge of the art of brewing to spend money believe me
and perhaps space is limited. .
here is my advice its only advice do what you wish its your beer and hobby

for starting out controlling your fermenting temps this options pretty cheap and basic as ....collect and freeze as many 2litre soft drink bottles as you can.....
go to Harvey Norman or someone like that and get a large carborad box....big enough to fit you fermenter in with room to spare....
go to your green grocer and get some foam boxes from him 2-4 is heaps.....
get you box seal up top and bottom with heaps of heavy duty tape....take a stanly knife and cut a door in one side of it just.... cut it on three sides yeah leave the other side as a hinge..cut it big enough to get your fermenter in and out of it easily.....
line the inside with the foam boxes that you have cut up ..tape them to the sides ,bottom and top securely ....if its hot just put some frozen 2 litre bottle in the box with your fermenter .....youll have to work out what works for you best ok.....
do not stress if the temp go down below 18/c it'll just take longer for the brew to ferment out....
after some trial and error you will work out basicly how to maintain the temp in the box.....
I agree it's a pain in the arse but it does workan old fridge that doesn't work, works even better but the box is in every ones budget free

theres heaps of other stuff you can do as well ...add specialty grains ...use better yeast ...add extra hops ...without a doubt in my mind you'll end up doing these things in the future...if you want to know how...try a search or post message me and i'll give you what info i know about ok
cheers

 

[vicelore]

Thanks for the replys guys.

Fing spewing about the beer. im soo temptered to go home chuck it on the lawn and start again. im sure my problem was when i was putting in the water i used room temp water. as i used a big bottle of spring water off a cooler. i should of let it all run through the cooler and chill.

didnt know the temp as my temp gauge sticker thing was half way up the fementer. so by the time i could get a reading it was 4/5 filled.

i have a nice cupburd where its sitting and im gonna be investing in a fridge to go in there really soon. but yea monthly pay and car rego is in the way atm.

if i rebrewed this arvo im sure i could get it down ..

Cheers guys.

 

[crozdog]

If it was me, I wouldn't dump it. let it ferment out but try and keep it cool if you can. Bottle it & sample in a couple of weeks. Once bottled, put down another brew using the suggestions above. Consider it part of your education & be proud of what you make.

One thing to remember is that this hobby is a course in patience and experimentation. Only by trying something do we learn what works and what doesn't. Sure we can read info and be told what to do, but it isn't until we do something for ourselves that we really learn. Also by tasting a brew fermented at high temps, then one brewed at lower temps (everything else the same) will you discover the taste difference of higher order fusel alcohols (amongst other things). That is an important thing for your palate to know about.

 

[Parks]

Do not throw it out. It'll be great.

When a friend and I started brewing years ago all we used was cooper's kits and no temp control and we still got a bloody nice homebrew beer. Don't let anyone tell you that it won't be good.

Having said that, with some control and experimentation I have no doubt you can make better beer (which I am only starting doing now). I am only doing my first controlled brew this week so it should be good.

Enjoy

 

[vicelore]

yea when i baught the kit i got 2 fementers. so i think if i have time ill make up another batch tonight . as its a hell of a lot colder.

they did give me 2 fementers. so i could do a 2 stage fementation i think thats what its called.. but will it be fine to drink if its only been in 1 fementer then bottled ?? i did think transfering it from one to another was to remove sediment and make the beer better. but it was ok to only use 1.

i do see the positives of tasting the high Degree beer so i can get a taste for it. but it defently wont make me sick ?

iv herd a story from a mate who had some bad home brew that made him quite ill ??

Cheers guys thanks for the support i was gettin really down on myself yesterday for screwing up the temp.

 

[Parks]

i do see the positives of tasting the high Degree beer so i can get a taste for it. but it defently wont make me sick ?

I wouldn't say definately but we never got sick. We also only ever sterlised by using piping hot water from the tap.

I say, keep this one as simple as possible, then, if you wish, do the next one as controlled and 'good' as possible. Then you'll be able to taste the difference, and work out how much extra effort is required and if it's worth it.

Cheers

 

[Fatgodzilla]

i do see the positives of tasting the high Degree beer so i can get a taste for it. but it defently wont make me sick ?

iv herd a story from a mate who had some bad home brew that made him quite ill ??

Never believe anyone who tells you that a beer can make you sick. An urban myth that needs debunking fast. Maybe it was something he ate ?

All you are doing is brewing a beer per the Coopers instructions. Thousands of brewers in many countries do the same as you've done intentionally, not really knowing better. By coming here to the AHB site means you are intelligent. Time and experience (and a hundred smartasrses here) will teach you that simple variations on the techniques will give you different tasting beers using the same or similiar ingrediants.

So toughen up. Bottle the brew (ignore racking to the second fermenter at this time - that will come later in your brewing career). I'd wait 14 days after pitching the yeast to bottle it - do it with all my Coopers but other will give you different advice. I like to wait at least six weeks before I try it (if you have the patience - you probably won't and its London to a brick you'll try one after two weeks !!!).Lastly, when you take your OG readings, drink some of the sample. Probably tastes terrible but won't hurt you. See how the beer develops and don't worry, it won't taste like it tastes now after bottling.

Have fun.

 

[Linz]

Unless you have developed your pallet(?sp), searching out microbrewed beers against commercial beers, I doubt you would be able to pick defects. Sure it wont taste like the 2es, Carlton barf or Croopers, you're used to, but it'll taste great cause its yours!

At the 28-30oC you'll prolly get some alcohol heat in the flavour/after taste, prepare for a hang over after a big session on it, if there is.

There is a point when you taste a great beer, there is an unmentionable quality you will want to achieve.

As the others have said bottle it, leave it a couple of weeks and then chill it for a few days before drinking it

 

[Kleiny]

it will be ok it will just ferment a lot quicker and their for not develop
as well as a cooler ferment

the thing is if it doesn't taste right dont dump it leave it for longer and try it again later

also dont give up keep having ago until you get it right cause its worth it

 

[RobboMC]

Hi vicelore,

Let me tell you about my first ever batch. It was the end of Feb and the tap water temp was about 22 deg.
I didn't know better so I used the hot jug as a rough measuring jug after I emptied the boiling water.
So not only did I get the 2 litres of boiling water, I transferred all the residual heat from the element and body of the jug into my wort. I pitched the kit yeast at 30 deg C, and within 24 hrs the bubbles had subsided from 20/min to 3/min.
4 days later no more bubbles.
Either my family and friends are very polite, or the beer was Ok, as they all drank it. It took me three more efforts
before I managed to brew one at 19 deg C by putting about 10 litres of water in the fridge the night before. It's little
things like this that they don't tell you in the instructions.

I brewed for 12 months in the ensuite shower recess, with wet towels and the cold shower to cool the fermenter( Oh how my wife enjoyed that! ) until I got my fridge. Don't be in a rush.

I still remember that very first glass from my own first batch, tasted like the best beer I'd ever had. I'm sure it will be very drinkable and enjoyable. And you know already how to make it better!

 

[floppinab]

By coming here to the AHB site means you are intelligent.

That's the only proof I need to prove confirm my very high IQ :lol:

 

[vicelore]

Thanks for the reponses guys. i will keep it now and give her a crack. but i will be goin past my local brew shop today to get another batch this small muck up has made me very determined do it right this time.

im goin away for about a month so i wanna get a few goin before i leave. as im not very patitent. and if i have beer to drink whilst im brewing the next lot when i get back ill be a much happier boy.

Cheers

PS i love hearing your 1st time stories. makes me feel allot better..

 

[keef12345]

Hey guys

well as said above . yesterday i completed my 1st day of brewing. i used a home brew kit supplied from my local brew shop.

My big question and worry is that it was quite hot yesterday. i had to brew on sunday as its the only day i had time.

so i added 3 leters of boiling water into the fermenter with the can off malt. added in sugars hops then toped the fementer up to 21 liters. at this time i checked the temp and it was sitting at around 30 degrees i tried allot to get it down as i was looking for around 21 degrees. but after mucking around with ice wet towles fans. etc. i still coudnt get it below maybey 28 degrees. ( my thermometer was a stick on strip one that changes the color up a chart. and it was changing abour 3 temp readings at ounce. be nice if someone knows how to use these could tell me..).

so i left it in the closset. and went to the Mrs, i got home this morning to see a reading of around 26-28. but it was defently bubbleing away.

Can someone assure me that the brew will be ok ? i was thinking that the temp was only really important becuase thats what the yeast like ?? so if im gettin bubbles the yeast is working and everything will be ok ?

Cheers guys thanks in advance.

measure how much water goes into 7 trays of ice cubes and place the ice cubes in the wort before the yeast is pitched. Take a thermometer reading and try and get the wort no higher than 25 deg cel. The ice cubes help. Place the fermenter in the laundry.

best of luck