Thanks for all the feedback and help on my first brew...
http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/80843-starting-from-scratch-what-equipment-do-i-need/
After completing my first beer I have some idea of what went wrong and how to fix it, but would like some advice as to weather I'm on the right path.
I made Dr Smurto's Golden Ale
1. My strike water was at 70 degrees to achieve mash temperature of 66 degrees. Instead of getting the water to correct temperature in my mash tun and adding the grain, I added the water to the grain. I lost 10 degrees instantly and in the first 10 minutes it dipped below 60 degrees but eventually held that temperature after I added some more hot water.
2. I used bought spring water from the shops last minute. I have since discovered you can by the filtered water from brew shops for $5 per 19L. I used this for everything.
3. I boiled off 3L more than I anticipated. I had trouble understanding beersmith so just poorly guessed in the end.
4. Yeast. I simply opened the packet and sprinkled it over once I had cooled the wort to 20 degrees. I sensed that was the wrong thing to do? My fermentation was over in a matter of days but it didn't hit the FG of 1.009. It stopped at around 1.015 and after a stir and using the heat belt I wasn't able to get it to continue. I left it for 12 days after fermenting and it didn't move so I bottled it. Used 100g of dextrose to bulk prime the 19L left over after racking.
I've since discovered my thermostat is not suitable for fridges so that explains why it didn't work. I'm going to buy another one so I can keep my fridge it at a constant 18 degrees.
As for the final product, it smells fantastic but the taste is commercial beer sweet. I'm a little sceptical about the FG being too high and possibly getting exploding bottles so I'll keep a close eye on them.
I'm brewing again this Saturday. Hopefully I've learnt enough from the first attempt but I'd love to hear anything else I'm potentially doing wrong so I can improve on my next beer.
http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/80843-starting-from-scratch-what-equipment-do-i-need/
After completing my first beer I have some idea of what went wrong and how to fix it, but would like some advice as to weather I'm on the right path.
I made Dr Smurto's Golden Ale
1. My strike water was at 70 degrees to achieve mash temperature of 66 degrees. Instead of getting the water to correct temperature in my mash tun and adding the grain, I added the water to the grain. I lost 10 degrees instantly and in the first 10 minutes it dipped below 60 degrees but eventually held that temperature after I added some more hot water.
2. I used bought spring water from the shops last minute. I have since discovered you can by the filtered water from brew shops for $5 per 19L. I used this for everything.
3. I boiled off 3L more than I anticipated. I had trouble understanding beersmith so just poorly guessed in the end.
4. Yeast. I simply opened the packet and sprinkled it over once I had cooled the wort to 20 degrees. I sensed that was the wrong thing to do? My fermentation was over in a matter of days but it didn't hit the FG of 1.009. It stopped at around 1.015 and after a stir and using the heat belt I wasn't able to get it to continue. I left it for 12 days after fermenting and it didn't move so I bottled it. Used 100g of dextrose to bulk prime the 19L left over after racking.
I've since discovered my thermostat is not suitable for fridges so that explains why it didn't work. I'm going to buy another one so I can keep my fridge it at a constant 18 degrees.
As for the final product, it smells fantastic but the taste is commercial beer sweet. I'm a little sceptical about the FG being too high and possibly getting exploding bottles so I'll keep a close eye on them.
I'm brewing again this Saturday. Hopefully I've learnt enough from the first attempt but I'd love to hear anything else I'm potentially doing wrong so I can improve on my next beer.
