Frequently Asked Questions For The New Brewer

[Bandit24]

Thanks for replies dudes.

re: Ferment length - assuming there is no diacetyl present, would you say there is any benefit at all for the extra week though? or a complete waste of time?

re: Cold crash length - Ok, so doesn't sound like I need more than a few days? I'm also only brewing ales, no lagers at this stage.

I guess with both cold crash and ferment lengths though, I'm interested if there is much of a difference the longer you go, or really not at all?
I'm brewing FWK's with decent yeast btw.

Oh and one other thing, bottle carbing - I'll be doing it at the bottom of the ferment fridge at 18c, would 2 weeks generally be enough time to carb?

 

[laxation]

2 weeks is fine. They keep getting better for a few months (some can keep going even longer..) but are drinkable after a couple weeks.

I'm too excited to wait an extra week for fermentation...

 

[panspermian]

Just quick question not worth starting new thread for,

Boiling water is okay to sterilise a stainless fermenter right?

 

[manticle]

First look up sterilisation vs sanitation.

Then, consider the surface of the fermenter. Is there enough boiling water to get the entire surface to pasteurisation temp for required time? Is it similar to the practices of commercial stainless food vessels like breweries, dairy, kitchens/food prep?

What exactly are you doing with the boiling water?

 

[panspermian]

sterilisation vs sanitation.

Yeah yeah. My mix up

I actually have a microbiology degree just wanting a quick answer as I was doing it at the time I posted.

I reckon I'll be right

 

[laxation]

I wouldn't take the risk. Get a bottle of star san, it'll last you forever and you can sleep easy

 

[Grott]

Do the job properly. Short cuts lead to muck ups, stuff ups etc.

 

[Bandit24]

some more beginner questions if anyones got a spare moment. cheers

1. Is it ok to leave a heat belt in the fridge while doing cold crashing? Since cold crashing temps aren't as crucial to be perfect, do I really even need the heat belt in there anyway?

2. Will you taste much difference after 4 days of dry hopping or does the flavour come out at a later stage like after bottle carbonation? Just very generally speaking - I know it would be different on different recipes.

3. Air lock water being sucked back into the fermenter during cold crash - is this actually a thing? I’ve got an S-bend airlock. Would I better replacing with glad wrap and O-ring? I’d prefer to not open the fermenter lid at all and just leave the airlock.

4. After cold crashing do I need to bring temp down before bottling, or ok to bottle at cold condition temps? If bringing it down first really speeds up carbonation - like an extra week quicker, then I’m interested in bringing the temp down first, but if the difference is minimal then I’ll just bottle at CC temp.

5. Vanilla flavour - I’ve added 1 split vanilla bean to a 10L batch (4 days dry hop) and it’s tasting too strong for my liking, does vanilla flavour tend to subside over time, or increase as the hops fade? ie. should i drink fresh or bottle condition?

 

[Matplat]

1. Unplug the heatbelt, leave it there or take it out, but unplug it.
2. Yes you will taste the difference, but the flavour will change/smooth with conditioning/carbonation.
3. Yes, this is a thing, and yes you should replace with glad wrap, and never bother with an airlock again!
4. You should be cold crashing between 0-3deg, bottle at this temp. This will slow down carbonation if anything, as the yeast has to warm/wake up in order to ferment your priming sugar, but you should still bottle at this temp if you have cold crashed.
5. Never used vanilla, so will let someone else answer that.

 

[Bandit24]

Thanks Matplat, great answers for 1-4, exactly the info was looking for.

 

[Bandit24]

also re: cold crash temps - I have noticed when using two fermenters in my fridge the lowest fermenter was running 1c or so cooler than the top fermenter, at what point does beer freeze and should I maybe run the cold condition at say 3c instead of around 0c-1c, to ensure I don't freeze the bottom fermenter?

 

[Matplat]

Because of the alcohol, it will freeze around -2-3ish so if the bottom one is around 0deg I wouldn't be worried at all.

 

[Bandit24]

awesome, thanks

 

[SessionIPA]

A quick question on dry hopping. I plan to dry hop for the last 4 days of the ferment. For those of you who use hop bags, do you boil the bag before putting the hops in it and introducing it to the fermenter? I'd hate to stuff the brew.

 

[Mardoo]

Yes

 

[Bribie G]

I don't do a lot of dry hopping but when I do, I just chuck the pellets into the FV. They break up and "snowflake" down into the sediment over a few days.

 

[Bandit24]

For wort aeration, does the aeration last for say 24-48 hours? ie. I poured a fresh wort kit into fermenter yesterday which appeared to aerate the wort well (lots of foam), however its taking me 24 hours or more to get the wort to pitching temp, so do I need to aerate the wort again right before pitching yeast?

and what are the best methods for aeration of a wort in a 15L cube where you can't fit a mixing spoon or whisk? do you just put the cube lid on and give the whole thing a decent shake?

 

[Dave Nagy]

Some newbie questions

As I'm gaining experience I'm starting to steep grain and using liquid malt to jazz up the kits.
1. what is the difference between boiling and steeping grains (Cristal malt used so far) as far as taste goes.
2. what does boiling or steeping the brew enhancers do?
3. what is the timeframes for boiling or steeping. As far as bitterness or flavours.
4. Are liquid malts better then the powder
5 how could I get a better back of pallet or more body in the beer
6. do I need to raise the temp at the end of fermentation or is 2 weeks enough of its hit fg.

 

[labels]

Some newbie questions

As I'm gaining experience I'm starting to steep grain and using liquid malt to jazz up the kits.
1. what is the difference between boiling and steeping grains (Cristal malt used so far) as far as taste goes.
2. what does boiling or steeping the brew enhancers do?
3. what is the timeframes for boiling or steeping. As far as bitterness or flavours.
4. Are liquid malts better then the powder
5 how could I get a better back of pallet or more body in the beer
6. do I need to raise the temp at the end of fermentation or is 2 weeks enough of its hit fg.

1. Boiling grains will extract tannins, those astringent sensations like sucking on a used tea bag
2. Not sure what you mean here but if you're referring to to the powder components I don't think it matters either way
3. Steep grains for 20-30 minutes but in reality most flavours are extracted in less than 10 minutes. The grain must have been milled first
4. Subjective. Older texts will swear by dried over liquid but things change rapidly these days with the popularity of home brewing
5. Yes, it's palate not pallet, you can add dextrose to increase body and mouthfeel
6. Not necessarily, it's mainly done for true lagers, for ales which are fermented warmer anyway, it's not generally requitred

 

[Lyrebird_Cycles]

5. Yes, it's palate not pallet, you can add dextrose to increase body and mouthfeel

Adding glucose (aka dextrose) will increase alcohol, whether that helps with body and mouthfeel depends on the beer style*. It's probably more reliable to add a little maltodextrin if you wish to increase the perception of fullness.

* Higher alcohol increases the perception of bitterness, which can in turn alter the perceived balance of the beer.