First brew jitters

[jamesjr]

Well I just got my first ingredients kit and its a true brew nut brown ale.
I am extremely nervous im going to do one little thing wrong and ruin the whole batch so I have a few questions for y'all
1. I have an old aluminum Turkey fryer pot that has been used to fry things and I have an older stainless steel pot that could use some cleaning which is better?
2. My propane burner is broke at the moment will stove top give me proper btus?
3.kit says to boil with 2.5 gallons isn't more better.
4. I have a 5 gallon and a 7 or so gallon carboy which is better? Do I want head space?
5. Ive read that the instructions for these things arent that good? Or do I follow to a t?


Im completely new to breweing beer ive made some wine but man I love a good beer. Any other helps hints along the way would 've great if u need more info from me just let me kno thanks
-james

 

[richmke]

Let me start by saying that I don't brew beer, but I stayed in a holiday inn express last night ...

1. I have an old aluminum Turkey fryer pot that has been used to fry things and I have an older stainless steel pot that could use some cleaning which is better?

In general, metal cleans up well, so I wouldn't worry too much about transferring taste from frying. That assumes there is not any residual coating on the pot.

I prefer steel over aluminum. So, if I were you, I would clean up the old steel pot.

2. My propane burner is broke at the moment will stove top give me proper btus?

If you can get the water to boil, you are good to go.

3.kit says to boil with 2.5 gallons isn't more better.
5. Ive read that the instructions for these things arent that good? Or do I follow to a t?

If this is your first brew, follow the directions. As you gain more experience, you will learn why you want to change the steps, and how to change the steps to improve the final product.

4. I have a 5 gallon and a 7 or so gallon carboy which is better? Do I want head space?

Assuming you are making a 5 gallon batch, you will want the 7 gallon for fermentation. Do the instructions have a racking step? If so, you would then rack into the 5 gallon.

 

[jamesjr]

Thanks for answering my questions and no it just says rack into bottling bucket so ferment in the 7 gallon and rack into bottling bucket. Also the stainless bucket has like rust stains not rust cuz it is stainless but like nasty water sat in there also the aluminum looks fine but is kinda faded and dull on the inside kinda blotchy inside but im soaking both in oxyclean.

 

[HB_in_Subic]

I agree on the 7 gallon bucket for fermentation. The oxyclean should clean up your kettle just fine. Don't forget to clean the spigot on your bottling bucket prior to racking the beer into it.

I would use cold water for your top up water (added to the wort after the boil). This helps cool the wort down quicker. Also read up on the yeast's temperature range to get the wort into the ideal range prior to pitching.

If you want to do full boils (5-6 gallons) you need a good burner (not your kitchen burner).

Also, check out http://www.homebrewtalk.com lots of good reading up on the forum. Welcome to the madness.

 

[jamesjr]

Ok kool thanks eventually I will do a full boil but not on this one but went to sanitize everything and realized I dont have the right size rubber stopper lol this sucks I was so stoked to get it boiling

 

[HB_in_Subic]

If you are going to bottle, you will need bottles, bottling wand, tubing, siphon, bottle capper and caps. If you get the flip top bottles (like Grolsch) then you won't need a bottle capper and caps. Also, figure out a good place to store your bottles while the beer conditions. Preferably a dark cool place (closet or basement).

After you cool down your wort and transfer it to the fermenting bucket, use your wine whip on the wort to aerate it and get it good and frothy before you pitch the yeast. Use a rubber mallet to seal the bucket lid tight and pop in the airlock and you are done. Beer is labor intensive in the beginning and when you bottle or keg. In between you just wait and monitor for FG stabilizing and the yeast to drop out.

 

[jamesjr]

Yea I got plenty of bottles ive been drinking becks and the labels come off easy but ive got a few hundred bottles and a few hundred caps and no basement in fl but ill find a good dark closet. Eventually I want to keg but it seems so expensive to get the equipment

 

[jswordy]

Don't be nervous. The crucial time in beer is when you are cooling your wort. You want to make that as short a period as possible, so have plenty of ice on hand. The shorter the time to get it down to yeast pitching temp, the less chance for contamination and the better cold break you will get to help the beer be clearer.

Most kits recommend an ice water bath. Some say you can toss ice in the wort, some say don't. I have only brewed twice but have done it both ways with no trouble.

Once you begin your boil and create wort, everything that touches the wort after the boil has ended must be sanitized first. Most beer does not have the higher alcohol content of wines, so it cannot fend for itself when it comes to sterility. It needs your help.

During the boil, though, you can dunk the liquid malt extract container in the water to get hot water in it for the last bit of extract and etc. The high heat will kill any bugs. That's why brewers who have a wort chiller stick it in the pot during the boil, just before ending it. The chiller is sanitized by the heat.

Be sure you clean your pot with a brewery cleaning agent (Easy Clean, One-Step, Star San) and resist the urge to clean anything you use with soap of any kind. A pure water and scrubbing clean followed by sanitation is preferable to any use of soap. That's is because soap is the enemy of a nice foamy head, as is oil.

I know people who use aluminum, stainless steel and enameled steel. You can get a really nice SS pot by Bayou Classics relatively cheap at Overstock.com when you get into it more. I got an 8 gallon one I use now so I can do a full 5-gallon boil. Bayou Classics also makes other beer-making pots and equipment in SS, also available on Overstock.com. But i really doesn't take a whole lot to brew on a basic level.

The best thing I learned from my advisers is to use a sanitized secondary in the fermentation process. Many kit instructions recommend it, too. In my two brews so far, I have seen the value of it in the amount of lees and protein chains it takes out of the beer prior to bottling. Using a secondary gives you two chances to get this job done. Straight to the bucket is make-or-break in that regard.

Good luck, and if you can please post pix and keep us updated. It's fun.

 

[jamesjr]

Well thanks for all the helpfull info im about to embark on my journey tonight ill post pics and keep ya updated

 

[jamesjr]

Also yea ive been using star san on everything and I used 3 gallon for the boil in a 5 gallon kettle also it says for the aroma hops 45 minutes. Is that 45 min boil it or after boil? Its kinda vague instructions

 

[HB_in_Subic]

Usually you boil for an hour. The timer starts when you drop in the first hops. I see you are using hopped malt extract. I have never used that before and couldn't tell you the proper method. The specialty grains you put in a muslin bag and steep for 25m at 155F.

 

[jamesjr]

Ok all done and hopefully I did this correct.
I put all my grains in the bag put in water then b raught the water to 155 and held it there for 15 minutes took the bag out and brought to boil to it off the heat and added my lme and dme and brown sugar. Brought to a slow rolling boil for 45 minutes and at the end of the boil added the aroma fuggle hops gave it all a good ice bath and cooled it Down after 15 minutes and then siphoned off to carboy added an extra water to bring up to 5 gallons and took sg which its 1.052 instructions said for it to be between 49-50. Is that bad its over?
Also the cold water I added to bring the temp down I gave a good shake to get some air in.

 

[HB_in_Subic]

It's not bad to be over by a point or two. What temperature was the wort when you pitched your yeast?

Most of the kits I have used, recommend steeping the specialty grains for 25 minutes.

Now you have to be patient and let it sit for a few weeks. Did you put a blow off tube on the Airlock?

 

[jamesjr]

Well I was fermenting it in my bedroom closet and and I guess it shot the airlock 6 feet in the air because there foam splatter goes that high and the air lock is just sitting on the ground full of wort. And now it has a slow steady stream of bubbles flowing out with no air lock.

What do I do now? I cant put an airlock on because it'll blow it again?
Is it gonna ruin it? I dont want it contaminated

 

[jamesjr]

I just threw a Red Solo Cup on the top but now I'm on my way to work reeking of beer lol

 

[HB_in_Subic]

hahaha, do the blow off tube like I suggested and you will be OK...

WoW! looking at the time stamp of my post and you showing the blow off makes me laugh hard.

As long as it continues to flow out you are ok but get a blowoff going as soon as you can for peace of mind...

 

[jswordy]

I see I am late to the party but oh well...

That blowoff pic is why I am not doing primaries in a carboy. LOL. I'll stick with the bucket, where there's more room for the krausen.

Your beer is protected by a layer of CO2 during rapid ferment. I doubt it will be harmed. Some brewers even do primary in a towel covered bucket like winemakers do.

Did your recipe REALLY call for TWO pounds of DME in the boil? My gosh, what was your OG? 3-4 pounds of extract is usually good with just one pound DME added. A higher gravity/more sugar recipe is likely the cause of the very active ferment.

Interesting recipe. So, you started out with the specialty grains, then added the hopped extract and DME, then added the aroma hops late, right?

 

[jamesjr]

Ya HB I shoulda listened lol any how yea it was a very strong ferment full of gunk and grain flowing out in the krausen

Also yea it did call for 2 pounds and a pound of brow. Sugar and my starting sg was 1.052

 

[jamesjr]

And yes jswordy that's the order I put the aroma hops in last right before flame out. And now my house smells like beer

 

[jswordy]

And yes jswordy that's the order I put the aroma hops in last right before flame out. And now my house smells like beer

I am glad to hear you say there is a silver lining!