NYE brew day .... first brew day ever

[Cmk710]

hi all. happy new year hope your all have a awesome new year.

im doing my first brew today. i picked up a brewcraft 150 lashes clone box ... now i hav a few questions
1. the box says to heat on the stove top the light malt extract but not the pilsner malt extract..... should i heat them both on the stove top and if im heating it when should i add it befor boiling the hops or after?

thanks for any help

 

[earle]

Welcome.

Just saw no-one has replied to your post yet. I suspect its because we need a bit more detail about the rest of the instructions on the box - each brew brand does things a bit different depending on what's in the box or kit.. Can you take and upload a photo of the instructions?

 

[Brewnicorn]

Good luck with the brew. Brewcraft are pretty specific generally. You may not need to do both on the stove. Does it get a mention later in the instructions?
As Earle said, always good to give up some more info. Cheers.

 

[GNU]

When boiling hops it's desirable to add some malt to the water. Most go with 100g of dry malt per 1 litre. This will result in better utilisation of the hops.

This probably why you're only adding some of the malt

 

[Cmk710]

sorry about late reply.

ok so instructions said
add 1 can of malt to hot water
bring to boil for 30min
add hops almost emidiately
add hops with 10 min
add to fermenter add second can off malt and top up to 21 .......

now what i did

after boiling the second hopp addition i pulled the pot off the heat and added the second can of malt to the wort, cooled it in the sink . then transfered into the fermenter , added my yeast then threw it in a tub of water with a towl wrapped around it and a fan on it... siting around 19 - 21.

2 days later its fermenting rely well every thing in the fermenter is moving rly fast.

i plan on transfering to my second fermenters ( i hav 2 15 liter bottles with plugs) maybe friday night after work then ile bottle probably 10 days after that...

any sugestions on anything ive mentioned?
a friend sugested dry hopping one batch.
ive allso seen people adding honey on the second fermentation or at botteling, should i try this with half ?

just looking for asmuch input and knowledge as i can get.
thanks in advance

side note:
think i might crack a coldy. whats everyone drinking at the moment? ive got a few stouts left and a handful or (I) paleales im rely enjoying

 

[swiftyb]

The only concern I'd have is by splitting a brew for secondary ferment into two containers - I'd be worried one will end up with more yeast than the other.

Happy to be corrected by a more weathered brewer though

 

[Matplat]

What you did sounds fine.

Don't bother transferring into secondary. More opportunity to infect or oxidise the beer.

Also don't bother with the honey, this is your first brew, keep it simple. Likewise, I would leave out the dry hops for now. You will have plenty of opportunity to play with variables later!

Welcome to the forum!

P.S. sorry for being so boring and sensible, but I promise you will be happy with the result!

 

[Beil]

Hi cmk710, welcome.
Can't add much as I'm new at brewing and it could be a case of the blind leading the blind.
I would suggest spending as much free reading time as possible (that you care to invest) reading up on the process, techniques, ideas, ingredients, etc. Got a question, google it, there's plenty of forums where many questions have been asked previously, take some info from forums with a grain of salt and develop your own understanding as you learn more and carry out more brews.

The web version of John Palmers 'how to brew' helped me a lot, albeit most of his figures were in bloody Fahrenheit and gallons, quarts and such nonsense. The techniques are there and explained well

howtobrew.com/

There is a physical copy available, eBay etc, I think it is a newer version than the online one.
There's a PDF version if you search online, and if you're cheeky you can do what I did and print a 64 page booklet on the works printer and make your own book :/ it's like a retro torrent, or just pay the damn $25 on ebay.

As for drinks, I'm enjoying the fruits of my first labour (weird pilsener malt/bitter ale - did my own thing to a pilsener kit and came out with basically a bitter). Chill hazed to **** and not as carbed as I want but I'm enjoying it.

 

[Cmk710]

Thanks for all the advice. Ive left it in the bucket. The krauson (i think thats how u spell it.) Dropped in 4 days and the colour is changing dramatically.

Weve had some heat in adelaide over the past 2 days and tge fermenter was 25° but i put frozen bottles of water in the water and brought it down to about 22.

So 6 days later...... gravity sitting around 1.007..... (i think thats right the next marking is 1.000 so. Please corect me if wrong )
So ... another week or so then ile bottle it i guess. As much as im looking forward to drinking it im not looking forward to bottling.

Drinking on the same stout as last time

 

[Matplat]

25 is abit high, but as long as it was cooler during the first 36 hours, it should be fine. If the next marking is 1.000 then you are at about 1.002 which doesn't seem right. Post a photo if you're not sure... have you checked the hydrometer in distilled water?

 

[Cmk710]

The next labeled marking was 1.000 the reading was sitting on the 7th making below the 1.000. Sorry if i didnt word that right. Yea its been sitting at about 19 - 22 except for the past 2 (maybe 3 todays hot aswell) where its been between 22 and 25. Will thid be a issue?

 

[Matplat]

Should be fine mate, after I bottle, my beers have been conditioning in the garage at 27-30 and they taste good!

Most hydrometers are marked in graduations of 2 gravity points, but if you are 7 points below 1.000 and you haven't passed 1.010 then it sounds like you have graduations of 1 gravity point. Where did you get the hydrometer? Might be keen to get one!

 

[Cmk710]

lol i found a wicked supply shop called ........ dads shead. lol ive just been using alot of his extra bits n pieces to get me through on this first brew..

 

[Cmk710]

ok, so i bottled this brew today........ 57 stubbies. got it down to 1.006 and the sample tasted nice. cant wait to try it wit some fizz.

 

[Quokka42]

I used to live in outback W.A. so I understand your problems with temperatures. Mostly sit the fermenter in laundry tub with a bathroom towel around it and a fan on it. Similar results and with good modern yeast usually works well, but a nice cool place for conditioning helps - if not, cycle your bottles through the fridge starting after about a week. About 3 days per batch should do it - just try to wrap them up or something as they warm again. Beer is like wine - the rate of change of temperature can be worse than the extremes.

Let me know when it's ready and maybe I can drive over to help you try it - it sounds pretty good!

 

[Cmk710]

Ok quick update.. im SUPER impatient when it comes to new things... and i did try a few of these this week..... there obviously still conditioning but i am quite proud of how it tastes so far. I stuck 6 in the fridge after my first one snd ive stuck another in there ready for anustralia day haha

Thanks quokka42. Yea i got the fan and the towl set up... dose seem to be working slot better in my latest brew tho. Sitting around 19 - 20 but it has been alot cooler the last 2 weeks ....
Tell ya what buddy you bring the snags ile bring the beers hahaha

 

[Grott]

Next, Put your fermenter in a large garbage bag with a 1 or 2 litre frozen bottle of water sitting on the lid. Secure top of bag and put in laundry with cold water. Wrap a wet towel around the bag/fermenter, use your fan and you'll be surprised how cool this will keep. Obviously replace frozen bottle, probably each morning.
Cheers