Just did my first brew

[Robbieb]

Hi,

I'm from the Dandenong Ranges east of Melbourne. I have been wanting to home brew for a while and have been slowly collecting bits and pieces until now I have everything I need! This forum has been SO helpful for gathering information.

I love my hops.. IPA's and American style pale ales drew me to homebrewing and when I saw all the different varieties available I couldn't wait to experiment with them.

My first brew was with a Coopers IPA can and an ambiguous "Pale Ale Mix" that was included with my fermenter. I also steeped 25g of Amarillo and Cascade hops and threw them in, I plan on dry hopping as well.

I've set up an stc-1000 and old fridge controlling the temperature to 19 degrees. I'm praying my first brew comes out okay!

Looking forward to learning much more here,

- Rob

 

[shacked]

Welcome mate!

Sounds like you are off to a good start! Hoppy IPA/APA's are a good style for extract brewing (and are also tasty beers)

Keep your sanitation and cleaning regime strict and you'll be making great brews in no time.

Also check www.howtobrew.com and the brewing network podcasts. Both are great sources of info in addition to AHB

 

[Siborg]

Sounds like you're on the right track. Temperature control is one of the most important things in brewing. If I could go back and redo my first 4-5 brews and keep them all at a decent temp (one went above 26 - it was tasted, then promptly tipped), I would have had more success initially.

Just remember to set the temp to the temperature of the brew, and not the ambient temp of the fridge. The way I do this is to tape/insulate the temperature probe of the stc to the fermenter, usually with a bit of polystyrene. That way, it is more accurately reading the temp in the fermenter and not the air temp of the fridge.

 

[Robbieb]

Thanks for the replies,

I've used a sponge (brand new) to act as insulation and taped it to the fermenter. Seems to be doing the job as it is taking a long time to chill from 24 to 19, but it's getting there.

I haven't got a heating device at all, I'm just hoping temps don't get too cold over night for a few weeks. We've still got a month of summer

I will check out those resources, thanks!

 

[Siborg]

Thanks for the replies,

I've used a sponge (brand new) to act as insulation and taped it to the fermenter. Seems to be doing the job as it is taking a long time to chill from 24 to 19, but it's getting there.

I haven't got a heating device at all, I'm just hoping temps don't get too cold over night for a few weeks. We've still got a month of summer

I will check out those resources, thanks!

Perfect. Yeah, you should be right for another month or so. In the meantime, start sourcing a heat belt that you can use when winter sweeps in.

 

[djsmi4]

G'day Robbieb,

I'm a new member too, & I also have an old fridge/STC-1000 combo. For heating I just have a $12 700/1500w ceramic heater from Target also plugged in to the STC-1000, & have a piece of polystyrene between the base of my plastic keg & the heater which sits in the bottom of the fridge. Depending on the ideal brewing temp I just set the fridge to kick in at +0.5*C and for the heater to kick in at -0.5*C.

I initially had a fluro heat lamp but it wasn't able to pump out enough heat, and I too used a sponge at first, but found a stubby holder (arse cut out, cylinder cut into a square) taped to the side of the keg for the temp probe to rest behind worked wonders.

If you're just going from the fermenter straight to bottles, I'd have a test glass filled with some of the brew to then dip the probe in.

Enjoy your brewing! I sure am after a looong hiatus.

Cheers

Dave

 

[Robbieb]

Hi Dave,

Thanks for the advice. The test glass for the probe is an awesome idea! I bottled my brew yesterday and I've been wondering about the probe (currently in open air among all the bottles).
I got a half bottle at the very end which I capped because I thought I may as well, I'll crack it open and put the probe in that one.

I'll check out the ceramic heater. I was thinking about a heat blanket because space in my fridge is quite tight with the fermenter in there.

Cheers

Rob

 

[djsmi4]

G'day Rob,

A heat pad might be preferable to a blanket if your probe remains taped to the side - otherwise the heat from the blanket (presumably over the probe) could trick the probe.

My fridge used to have a half-depth vegie crisper at its base (compressor etc tucked behind the other half); that was enough room for me to slot my small heater in.

Cheers,

Dave

 

[Blind Dog]

Welcome and best of luck for the brew, and all the ones to come.

If you're thinking heat source for your fridge, you should only need a gentle heat if the fridge has decent insulation given the mass of the fermenting beer. Even a small computer fan works for some. Personally, I use a heat pad stuck to the back and towards the bottom of the fridge. Gently heating the air produces better results for me that having the heat source in direct contact with the fermentor.

 

[Rocker1986]

You probably want something that doesn't come in contact with the fermenter or the probe as a heat source. Even a lamp covered by a terracotta pot. The idea is more to heat the ambient to bring the brew temp up, just as the fridge cools the ambient to chill it down. Guess it depends how much space you have in the fridge though as well.

Probably wouldn't worry too much about measuring the temp of a bottle in there personally; if you keep the ambient about 20-22 they'll be fine and carbonate alright. Or, you could just leave them out of the fridge and use it to get your next batch fermenting. Building a stockpile is important so you don't run out and have to wait constantly on the next batch to be ready.

 

[Robbieb]

Thanks for the ideas! I do have a small salad crisper compartment at the bottom of the fridge so I will keep my eyes peeled for a small heater or lamp.

It was cold yesterday and a bowl of boiling water with a plate on top placed in the bottom of the fridge took the temp from 17.2 to 19.1 - a good temporary solution

 

[Rocker1986]

It was cold yesterday and a bowl of boiling water with a plate on top placed in the bottom of the fridge took the temp from 17.2 to 19.1 - a good temporary solution

Yep I've used that method with an Erlenmeyer flask in the past. Boiled the flask of water on the stove then stuck it on the fridge floor on a towel. I managed to get the temp up to 27 doing this before I decided it might be time to let it cool down again. :lol: It's a good simple method for keeping bottles warm in there. I never have much issue with the fermenting beer itself though. It always seems to stay where it should.

 

[Robbieb]

I just opened one of these brews. It hasn't quite been 2 weeks in bottles but I couldn't help myself.

It tastes and smells a tiny bit sweet and yeasty (is that the 'green' flavour?), other than that though I'm wrapped with it! It has a nice big body and tasted quite hoppy. I don't get the hop aroma I was hoping for, I dry hopped on day 3 of fermentation which I think was a bit early. My fridge smelt AMAZING but I guess that was all my hop aroma being pushed out of the air lock.

I just did my second brew, this time I did a 10L boil with unhopped light LME and DME, and hopped it with Simcoe and Cascade. I added ice and cold water to get my 21L fermentation volume and the temp was still 30! so I'm nervously waiting for the temp to drop to 22 so I can pitch my yeast.

 

[Coodgee]

I just did my second brew, this time I did a 10L boil with unhopped light LME and DME, and hopped it with Simcoe and Cascade. I added ice and cold water to get my 21L fermentation volume and the temp was still 30! so I'm nervously waiting for the temp to drop to 22 so I can pitch my yeast.

RDWHAHB!

 

[Gweedo]

get a weldless thermowell $30ish from Grain and Grape and put it on side of your fermenter, then place the STC probe into the thermowell

 

[Yob]

itll get better, sadly, the last bottle will taste the best..