Homebrewing Tips and Tricks

[GWestphal]

I just bought my brother a brewing kit for Christmas and I'm looking for tips on how to make it the best it can be.

I bought these things:

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/brewing/starter-kits/deluxe-beer-starter-kit.html

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/saison-de-noel-limited-edition-all-grain-kit.html

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/surly-cynic-pro-series-partial-mash-kit.html


I wonder about whether I should get distilled water and add supplements to get the right profile for the water since tap water has so much junk in it.

I figure we'll also need to get maybe some masks and gloves for the brew process to keep everything extra sterile.


Anyone have tips or tricks for a first time brewers? Suggestions for miscellaneous equipment that might make things easier?

 

[amish]

i always have just used tap water. city water hasn't been too bad for me with brewing. the brewer i bought my kit from said that tap water was better than distilled. his reasoning was the minerals in it.

my best advice was that you can never be too clean.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

I wonder about whether I should get distilled water and add supplements to get the right profile for the water since tap water has so much junk in it.

Anyone have tips or tricks for a first time brewers? Suggestions for miscellaneous equipment that might make things easier?

Don't be afraid of tap water. A little bit of minerals in it can enhance the beer and make it better.

A tip for equipment: I don't know whether you're planning on kegging or bottling. If you're kegging disregard this, but if you're bottling and you live in an area with bottle deposits, go to a liquor store and ask them to save you a few cases of bar bottles. Bar bottles come in special re-enforced cases that are strong and don't disintegrate like cardboard does when wet. They'll save you a lot of hassles down the road. If they still make them try to get Rolling Rock painted bar bottles, that will also save you a lot of effort in cleaning the bottles for first use as there are no labels to remove.

 

[bigdog1218]

I just bought my brother a brewing kit for Christmas and I'm looking for tips on how to make it the best it can be.

I bought these things:

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/brewing/starter-kits/deluxe-beer-starter-kit.html

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/saison-de-noel-limited-edition-all-grain-kit.html

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/surly-cynic-pro-series-partial-mash-kit.html


I wonder about whether I should get distilled water and add supplements to get the right profile for the water since tap water has so much junk in it.

I figure we'll also need to get maybe some masks and gloves for the brew process to keep everything extra sterile.


Anyone have tips or tricks for a first time brewers? Suggestions for miscellaneous equipment that might make things easier?

The northern brewer forum is pretty good you'd get a lot of info from just browsing through there.

If you're going to do all-grain, which the Saison kit is, you're going to need more equipment. You'll need a cooler or something to mash the grain and a chiller to cool the wort. You'll also need a large pot to boil the wort, I always found a 10 gallon pot worked well for 5 gallon batches. If you look through the NB forums you'll get an idea of what everything should look like.

If you haven't brewed beer before I think the best route is to do an extract recipe first so you can get the basics down. You don't need as much equipment and the boil and chilling times are much quicker since you can work with less liquid. The beer won't taste as good but all-grain requires a lot more attention to detail that you may miss if it's your first brew.

For the water, it's only important if you're doing all grain. What "junk" is in your tap water? I have pretty hard water and get away with brewing anything from Witbiers to Stouts with some minor adjustments to the water. I would get a water profile for your water and then go from there, you probably won't have to do anything for most beers.

Sterilization is important, but gloves and masks are overkill. Anything that's going to touch the wort after the boil should be sterilized with star san. Just keep everything else clean, and properly clean everything when you're done and you won't have problems with infections.

The most important step in my opinion is the fermentation, you can mess up some of the other areas and still get a good beer, if the fermentation sucks your beer will suck. Always use a starter if you're using liquid yeast.

Control the temperature of the fermentation. Most yeast have a temperature range they work best in and I usually stay towards the bottom of the range. This is tough to do during the summer or if you live in a warm area, but it can make a huge difference.

And be patient, don't hurry up and bottle the second fermentation is finished. I usually give it a couple of weeks once fermentation is done, then move it to another vessel to clear for a month or more.

 

[GWestphal]

We started the first batch and the OG was right on target. I checked it about 12 hours later and the temp was 74 and there was a good head of foam (Kaesan?) in the carboy. It was off gassing pretty well for about the first 2 days. On day three I checked it and the temp was 68 and it wasn't releasing gas at nearly the same rate. Now on day 5, the foam on top has all dropped off, temp is still 68. Is this a bad thing? Did the yeast get shocked and drop out, or is the busy part of the fermentation just that short? On the bottom I see a layer of greenish (hops?) and a thicker band of white-ish (the foam and yeast?).

Is this normal?

This is a Surly Cynic kit so a farmhouse/saison type beer.

 

[xSauronx]

We started the first batch and the OG was right on target. I checked it about 12 hours later and the temp was 74 and there was a good head of foam (Kaesan?) in the carboy. It was off gassing pretty well for about the first 2 days. On day three I checked it and the temp was 68 and it wasn't releasing gas at nearly the same rate. Now on day 5, the foam on top has all dropped off, temp is still 68. Is this a bad thing? Did the yeast get shocked and drop out, or is the busy part of the fermentation just that short? On the bottom I see a layer of greenish (hops?) and a thicker band of white-ish (the foam and yeast?).

Is this normal?

This is a Surly Cynic kit so a farmhouse/saison type beer.

this is normal. most rapid activity from what limited brewing ive done happens in the first couple of days. give it its 10 - 14 days, whatever your kit suggests, and draw a sample (sanitize!) to test, then do another a day or two later and compare the two. odds are that if it started active its still going just fine.

i also have to say i brewed honey meade and had the first good bottle last week....dear god its so tasty.

 

[davmat787]

Are those glass carboys? I can't tell from the photo. If not, I would highly recommend looking into exchanging them for glass if you have not used them yet. Glass carboys are so much easier to sanitize. Plastic carboys will often develop scratches from cleaning that bacteria can hide in.

 

[Drako]

I figure we'll also need to get maybe some masks and gloves for the brew process to keep everything extra sterile.

This part made me LOL. Masks and gloves, seriously?

I've never used either in 30+ years of home brewing, but I don't go sticking my head or hands into the wort.

 

[xSauronx]

This part made me LOL. Masks and gloves, seriously?

I've never used either in 30+ years of home brewing, but I don't go sticking my head or hands into the wort.

yeah, i havent bothered and aside from some issue with my first batch, everything has been great.

i do keep a large 5 gallon pail with maybe 2 gallons of water+star san around when i brew, with a towel on the side for drying my hands, so anytime i touch something that isnt sanitary, i dip my hands in the bucket and dry them off and keep going.

 

[Drako]

My biggest problem early on was that I had a pretty cheap brew kettle. I must have burnt about 5 batches over a couple years before I broke down and got a decent kettle with a nice thick heat spreader on the bottom.

 

[xSauronx]

My biggest problem early on was that I had a pretty cheap brew kettle. I must have burnt about 5 batches over a couple years before I broke down and got a decent kettle with a nice thick heat spreader on the bottom.

i havent had that issue. my cousin loaned me his brew gear and the pot is decent, and i stir often.

mine was siphoning...he had a bent copper tube for the racking cane, annoyed the hell out of me. i bought an auto siphon and it was well worth it.

 

[GWestphal]

Cool. Then I sounds like everything is still going well for the fermentation. Is there anything wrong with letting a fermentation sit longer, like letting the primary go for 3 weeks then moving to secondary?

 

[daddy-o]

i do keep a large 5 gallon pail with maybe 2 gallons of water+star san around when i brew, with a towel on the side for drying my hands, so anytime i touch something that isnt sanitary, i dip my hands in the bucket and dry them off and keep going.

I use the same technique. Fairly painless, and by now it's just automatic what gets dunked and when.

Sent from my SGH-T959V using Tapatalk

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Cool. Then I sounds like everything is still going well for the fermentation. Is there anything wrong with letting a fermentation sit longer, like letting the primary go for 3 weeks then moving to secondary?

It's possible for beer to pick up some off flavors if it sits in the primary too long after fermentation has stopped. It's a lot safer to rack it over to the secondary on time and let it sit there longer.

 

[LiuKangBakinPie]

Have any of you ever made Mapoer or Witblitz?

 

[vi edit]

A tip for equipment: I don't know whether you're planning on kegging or bottling. If you're kegging disregard this, but if you're bottling and you live in an area with bottle deposits, go to a liquor store and ask them to save you a few cases of bar bottles. Bar bottles come in special re-enforced cases that are strong and don't disintegrate like cardboard does when wet. They'll save you a lot of hassles down the road. If they still make them try to get Rolling Rock painted bar bottles, that will also save you a lot of effort in cleaning the bottles for first use as there are no labels to remove.

:thumbsup:

Those cases are awesome. They are stackable, easy to open/close and stand up to a lot of abuse. Excellent advice.

 

[stinkynathan]

It's possible for beer to pick up some off flavors if it sits in the primary too long after fermentation has stopped. It's a lot safer to rack it over to the secondary on time and let it sit there longer.

This is true, but not for us homebrewers. Off-flavors from yeast generally only happen when lots of pressure is exerted on your trub. Once you think about brewing barrels instead of gallons, it's something you need to worry about.

I generally don't do a secondary unless I need a fermenter or I'm making additions. But....I have room to primary 30? gallons now and I don't really brew any beers that need secondary additions...so it almost never happens.

My RIS was brewed January 3 last year and sat in primary until may. It started at 1.135 and attenuated down to 1.040.

I have a porter downstairs that's been in primary for four months now. I should probably bottle it soon, but I'm not worried about it.

EDIT:

...and for the general welfare and enjoyment of your beer PLEASE don't bottle it until it has sat for a month. I know you want to get that thing into bottles, but resist the temptation. Seriously. You probably will do it anyway and bottle it after a 1-1.5 weeks, then start drinking it after a week in the bottle. As you approach the end of the batch you're going to think, "this is starting to taste better every day."

Good beer takes time. If you're bottling beer, that amount of time is around 6 weeks. If you're kegging you can do it in 4 weeks and a couple days. Some styles don't need as long (wheats) and some styles need a LOT longer, but generally 6 weeks is how long it takes.

I figure that RIS I brewed a year ago is pretty damn good by now....

 

[LiuKangBakinPie]

Mapoer or Witblitz anyone? Its a wicked drink. One made with fruit and other stoke with vegetables. Like 90 something percent alcohol. Its like a favorite here. You should look it up.

 

[sourceninja]

I personally have just used my hydrometer to decide when to bottle. It's what it's there for. When the hydrometer has been stable for 3 or 4 days, then your fermentation is done. I then leave the beer sit for 2 weeks so the yeast can clean up after itself, then I bottle, wait at least 3 weeks and drink.

My biggest first time tips are

1) Do a full boil for extract kits, it will improve color and flavor.
2) Do not worry about your beer at all until you taste it. Even when I was sure I've ruined beers, they have still turned out drinkable.
3) Move to all-grain asap, no reason to do extract kits unless you are just short on time.

 

[MayorOfAmerica]

I've never brewed beer, but have made wine many, many times. I would imagine this advice holds true in the beer realm as well: cleanliness is the single most important factor in producing something drinkable.

 

[Wyndru]

I always just picked up poland spring water to brew with, I get a couple of 2.5 gallon jugs for $5. Our tap water is a little unpredictable with the chlorine and I think fluoride as well so I try to avoid all of that. For all I know the poland spring water is worse, but it's usually consistent.

I used to do secondary. I actually used an inverted carboy system (fermatap) where you can drain any sediment out of the first with a valve, then hook up a hose to another carboy, open both valves and gravity would transfer it to the other carboy so there was no outside air contact when transferring. It was nice, but I have since switched to a primary only and didn't notice any difference in taste, so I stopped using that system. Also flipping over the carboys used to scare me, I always thought I was going to drop one.

Regarding cleanliness, my wife accidentally dropped a dirty sponge in one of our batches before we added the yeast (we removed the sponge before we sealed the carboy), and it ended up being the best batch we have made. We always joke about that since it seems to go against every thing you read.

 

[LiuKangBakinPie]

I always just picked up poland spring water to brew with, I get a couple of 2.5 gallon jugs for $5. Our tap water is a little unpredictable with the chlorine and I think fluoride as well so I try to avoid all of that. For all I know the poland spring water is worse, but it's usually consistent.

I used to do secondary. I actually used an inverted carboy system (fermatap) where you can drain any sediment out of the first with a valve, then hook up a hose to another carboy, open both valves and gravity would transfer it to the other carboy so there was no outside air contact when transferring. It was nice, but I have since switched to a primary only and didn't notice any difference in taste, so I stopped using that system. Also flipping over the carboys used to scare me, I always thought I was going to drop one.

Regarding cleanliness, my wife accidentally dropped a dirty sponge in one of our batches before we added the yeast (we removed the sponge before we sealed the carboy), and it ended up being the best batch we have made. We always joke about that since it seems to go against every thing you read.

lol like those vintage wine that was stomped with dirty feet back in the 1600's

 

[lokiju]

It's really not rocket science. It's basically like making some soup.

The MOST important thing I cannot over stress is sanitation of all surfaces that come in contact with the wort while it's fermenting.

Yeast can also play a big role in the outcome of a batch. A lot of people aren't fans of the freeze dried powered packet kind and only use the chilled "live" liquid yeast but I've had some of my best batches using the powered freeze dried kind.

Contamination and lack of yeast reaction with sugars are really the 2 main causes for bad batches from what I've seen.

Otherwise just follow instructions. Keep an eye on the temp.

If you boiling the wort indoors be very careful about boiling over. There is a point when the hops are added that its very hard to keep it from over boiling and that moment last for a few mins until the risk lessens.

Over boiled wort on a stop is not easy to clean and makes the home smell pretty bad for a good while.

I've yet to make a bad batch or have a over boil indoors but have had friends be sloppy with the sanitation causing nasty undrinkable batches. Also had a friend over boil and it made a huge mess and stunk for a long time.

Last self learned lesson, take what the guys at the brew stores tell you with a grain of salt. Their idea of a good beer can differ greatly from yours and how you explain what you're trying to accomplish with a outcome/taste might not be understood by them.

Last batch I made I personally was very disappointed with. I went in there knowing what I wanted to accomplish and what ingredients I wanted and explained it all to the person working there as he asked and wanted to help. He had me change a few things around insisting it'd better accomplish my desired outcome and in the end it did not. While everyone I have bottles to from that batch all said they really liked it and wanted more, I just couldn't enjoy it as every time I drank it, it only served to remind me how much it didn't taste like my goal.

EDIT: On the topic of water, I read in a brewing book awhile ago and go by this same standard, use whatever water you'd drink straight out of a glass. It's the #1 ingredient and counts.

Filtered water, spring water, tap water, doesn't matter as long as it's water you like and would drink straight.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

I've also found a bottling tree and a self priming siphon to be helpful.

 

[Gothgar]

It's really not rocket science. It's basically like making some soup.

mmmmmmMMmmMMmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmMMMMMMM

Beer Soup