Reassurance with first brew

[chromesphere]

Yeah I think 2 days then CC is the plan. Unless the FG changes of course, but its pretty dam stable at the moment!

 

[panzerd18]

Has the krausen fallen? If so I doubt it will move down any more.

 

[chromesphere]

Yeah, check out the photo I posted on page 1, pretty much hasn't changed except now there is a layer of hops on the top

 

[Tasspark]

Hi everyone, here is a newbie question! (well, just checking if i understand)
What is cold crashing? Correct me if I am wrong, but is it when you cool your beer down to a few degrees before kegging?
you wouldn't do this if bottling right! Kills the yeast? Wont 2nd ferment in bottle?

By the way, you guys had my family wondering what I was suddenly laughing at with your comments above!

I've just bottled my first brew on Sunday (Just a Coopers Pale Ale Kit with BE2) and it smelt great when I bottled! Cant wait for a few weeks to pass to try it!
As you mentioned chromesphere, Ive been trying to learn as much as possible too.

Since the family bought me the kit for Christmas, I've found myself getting keener and keener (Im hooked and Ive just started!) to make beers more my style (Tasty, Hoppy, Malty, Ales!)
So much so, that I picked up a 2nd FV and now have two more brews on the go! One is a Black Rock Pale ale with BE1 + 15g Cascade Hops
The other is a Little Creatures Pale ale clone recipe.
Mangrove Jacks Blonde Lager with 1kg Brew Enhancer, 250g wheat light spraymalt, 15g of Cascade and 15g of willamette finishing hops and Safale US-05 yeast.
Hope it turns out ok.

Anyone think the last one should be ok?
It smelt good when I mixed it all up!

 

[BrosysBrews]

Cold crashing is when you cool the beer as you suggest, I belive people still do so when they bottle as there is a s&$t load of yeast still to get going again, however I can't cold crash as my ferm fridge is average and I don't bother as I reakon it would use a shit load of power.
Re the last batch looks good mate, don't be afraid to move onto straight malt extraxt rather then the blends makes a difference. Also if you feeling keen why not try a boil on the next and do your own hop additions? Look at the recipe database!

 

[paulyman]

I recently grabbed a cheap chest freezer for fermenting. I cold crash and bottle, works a treat. Haven't tried dry hopping while cold crashing, may try that one day.

 

[Tasspark]

Cold crashing is when you cool the beer as you suggest, I belive people still do so when they bottle as there is a s&$t load of yeast still to get going again, however I can't cold crash as my ferm fridge is average and I don't bother as I reakon it would use a shit load of power.
Re the last batch looks good mate, don't be afraid to move onto straight malt extraxt rather then the blends makes a difference. Also if you feeling keen why not try a boil on the next and do your own hop additions? Look at the recipe database!

Thanks Brosy,
Dont worry, Ive checked out heaps of BIAB recipes and once I've brewed, bottled and tasted a few of my first attempts, I will give a few BIAB recipes a go.
Or at least a few hybrids (what do you call it when you use a can plus some steeped grain?)

when you say "don't be afraid to move onto straight malt extract rather then the blends" do you mean the tins of malt extract without hops? used instead of dry sugars?
What would your newbie recipe be for a nice English style beer?

 

[Tasspark]

I recently grabbed a cheap chest freezer for fermenting. I cold crash and bottle, works a treat. Haven't tried dry hopping while cold crashing, may try that one day.

So Paulyman, can you walk me through what you do when you CC and bottle? When, what temp. etc....
I thought the ale yeast died when it got too cold!??
Once you bottle, what temp do you store your bottles at and for how long?

 

[wereprawn]

There will be more than enough yeast left to carb your beer. A bottles worth of home brew would probably still contain billions of yeast cells after a few days cold crashing. Crash as cold as you can at anything 0 or just above. My old fermenting fridge only gets down to about 6 c for ccing but it still helps clear and condition even at that fairly high temp.

 

[paulyman]

I'm by no means an expert and still new to it all.

But once fermentation has finished I usually do a D-rest at 22 degrees for a day or two to make sure no diacetyl is in there. I may be dry hopping at the same time as well depending on the style. Once the D-rest and/or the dry hop is complete I drop the temp to 1 degree for a week, usually over the course of 24 hours.

I then take the fermentor out and bottle as is. I've read on here not to bother letting it come up to ambient before bottling so just go with that. I then leave the bottles at ambient in my spare room (18-26 depending on the season) for a minimum of two weeks to carb up. I have found that since bottling at lower temps I often need closer to 3 weeks to carb up.

 

[BrosysBrews]

Thanks Brosy,
Dont worry, Ive checked out heaps of BIAB recipes and once I've brewed, bottled and tasted a few of my first attempts, I will give a few BIAB recipes a go.
Or at least a few hybrids (what do you call it when you use a can plus some steeped grain?)

when you say "don't be afraid to move onto straight malt extract rather then the blends" do you mean the tins of malt extract without hops? used instead of dry sugars?
What would your newbie recipe be for a nice English style beer?

Sorry mate not an English fan. Check out the recipe data base though few in there, basically you use unhoped extract either in a tin or dry then boil with your hop additions. Also download Ianhs spreadsheet (kit and extract and biab additions available) and have a go at designing your own! Generally kits plus grains and hops are called kits and bits.

 

[drtomc]

I've never cold crashed a beer (I don't have a brewing fridge). Just letting it stand for a week or two achieves a lot of the same effect. It does require patience though. ;-)

T.

 

[Tasspark]

Ok, I've got a fridge that will fit my FV, I'll have to strengthen the bottom shelf though!
So once my FG is stable for two or three days, do I just put the FV in and chill for a few more at 1 or 2c then bottle?
Still store bottles at 18 or 20c ?

.... Just posted and realised my Q's were answered! Thanks! ....

 

[paulyman]

I've never cold crashed a beer (I don't have a brewing fridge). Just letting it stand for a week or two achieves a lot of the same effect. It does require patience though. ;-)

T.

I'm still trying to follow the P word, man it's hard. I think it's the hardest part of learning to brew.

 

[paulyman]

Ok, I've got a fridge that will fit my FV, I'll have to strengthen the bottom shelf though!
So once my FG is stable for two or three days, do I just put the FV in and chill for a few more at 1 or 2c then bottle?
Still store bottles at 18 or 20c ?

If it'll fit, sure that will work fine. Once the cold crash has done its job you want to let the bottles come back up to ambient to warm the yeasties up to work their magic.

 

[chromesphere]

I cracked open my first beer from my first home brew today and thought I would update the thread.

It's been bottle for approx. 10 days and of course its still very green, but I wanted to see how it was going and also observe the change in flavour as well.

Now, amongst my friends I'm reputably not fussing when it comes to beer so take it with a grain of salt. Also, the one I tried was the last in the run, had heaps of crude. It carbed ok, didn't last too long though, which is prob because of the limited time in the bottle. This ones a bit cloudy (coopers pale ale cloudy approximately). The others will probably be a bit better. Still pretty clear though for a garage job lol. Flavour wise its a bit of a mish mash which is what you guys warned me about. Tastes a bit like the cascade and the bitterness of the lager are competing for attention. Also should mention, only chilled the bottle for drinking (approx. 1 hour instead of 2+ days). So theres a lot of things working against it...but...

Overall its pretty good, I like it! I really wasn't expecting my first beer to be even drinkable let alone 'nice' and its not even close to bottle conditioned

Also, I know a lot of people have said that dry hopping only imparts aroma but I can swear I can taste them as well...Would it be flavours from the lager can / malt im tasting and not the hops prehaps? I can DEFINITELY smell them, infact I think that's all I can smell

So im calking this one up to a success!! What a great way to start a new hobby / addiction / marriage

 

[indica86]

Dry hopping contributes aroma.
Having said that have you eaten with a blocked nose?
Aroma contributes significantly to taste.

BTW if you like Coopers OS lager + BE1 it is only up from there. The vast majority of Coopers' cans tase way better than that

 

[manticle]

Of course you can taste dry hops. They also contribute bitterness (just not from isomerised alpha acid/ibu contribution).

 

[chromesphere]

I used lager can + 1kg LDM + 25g cascade and safale s-04 fermented in temp controlled fridge, so I guess I did all the 'right things' in that respect. Maybe I should have started with lager can + be1 in 25 degrees cupboard! lol

 

[indica86]

Negative. 38°c shed down the back is the go. Bottle after 7 days then drink after 7 more.