Elmer's first boil

[Thig]

Does it hurt to sanitize the bottles with kmeta if you drain them really good. I know kmeta is generally a no no for beer.

 

[jswordy]

That is a great advice. I think I had that tied way too tight.
I did squeeze that sucker really well before tossing it.
I think next boil I will leave it loose.

I've been advised not to squeeze the bag, and also have seen that in some instructions. Just let the fluid run out well.

What Bernard says about a "stuck sparge," when the grain globs up, tracks with what I have read.

If you dry the spent grains, they make great bird food, too.

 

[jswordy]

Does it hurt to sanitize the bottles with kmeta if you drain them really good. I know kmeta is generally a no no for beer.

Personally, I'd be concerned about doing that if you plan to bottle carb. It possibly could hold back the yeast. I just put my clean bottles in the dishwasher on high heat with no soap. Then they are ready to go. I am thinking about adapting that for wine bottling, too. Lazy, I reckon...

 

[Thig]

These are actually new bottles so I may be good to go with doing nothing.

 

[jswordy]

These are actually new bottles so I may be good to go with doing nothing.

I would sanitize any bottle. Beer has a low % ABV so it is more prone to infection with molds, etc., than wine. Now I'm a newb to this, I am quoting my brewmaster friend. His mantra at the brewery is, there is no such thing as TOO sanitary.

UNDER EDIT: We actually had a craft brewer go bankrupt after it bottled up an infected batch a few years back. They did not know it was infected when bottled. But the customers did when they opened them up. Bye-bye brewery.

 

[BernardSmith]

Two points: I guess I think brewers simply don't use K-meta because they boil their wort and so don't have any need for SO2... They use iodine and One Step (I think) to sanitize or (gulp) chlorine bleach (but then they don't use corks). I use K-meta to sanitize my beer bottles. I like my beer but I have never entered any brew into competition but I don't think that there is any off aromas or tastes in the beer simply because of the way I sanitize my bottles.

The other point is about squeezing the bag of grains and the claim that squeezing will result in tannins from the grain getting into the wort. Not a chemist and know nothing about chemistry but how would putting pressure on grains result in tannins being expelled. If pressure (and not temperature) extracted tannins then I guess the larger breweries would all have problems with tannins. Home brewers use a few pounds of grains and how much pressure can our hands exert on the bag? Breweries must use hundreds of pounds of grains and the weight of the grain must (I would think) create far more pressure than Elmer could possibly exert. I think that the idea that squeezing a bag of grain results in the extraction of tannins is another brewer's fairy tale... It's far more likely to be too high a temperature that is the culprit.

 

[petey_c]

Does it hurt to sanitize the bottles with kmeta if you drain them really good. I know kmeta is generally a no no for beer.

I wouldn't use kmeta (that kills yeast, yes?), Starsan (my personnal choice) sanitizes in a couple of minutes and whatever is left turns into yeast food. You'll need those yeasts to carb your brew, if you're bottling...

 

[petey_c]

I've been advised not to squeeze the bag, and also have seen that in some instructions. Just let the fluid run out well.

What Bernard says about a "stuck sparge," when the grain globs up, tracks with what I have read.

If you dry the spent grains, they make great bird food, too.

I squeeze the bag all the time and haven't noticed any off flavors. The hardest part is not burning the crap out of your hands while doing it...

 

[jswordy]

I think the instructions for the kits - as well as the instructional videos I have seen - tell you not to squeeze the bag both because of the possible tannins and because of the extra particulates that may be introduced.

From one such instruction sheet:

1. Pour crushed grains into grain bag and tie a loose knot at the top of the bag.
2. When the water is within an appropriate steeping temperature
(150º - 165ºF) place the grain bag into the brew pot.
3. Steep grains for approximately 20 minutes. Remove grain bag and without squeezing, allow liquid to drain back into brew pot."

Like with wine, it seems there are many ways to achieve the same end in beer making. For example, I have three beer-making videos. They all say to use a secondary if you want clearer beer. But apparently many people skip that phase. We've already had that discussion here.

 

[Elmer]

I wouldn't use kmeta (that kills yeast, yes?), Starsan (my personnal choice) sanitizes in a couple of minutes and whatever is left turns into yeast food. You'll need those yeasts to carb your brew, if you're bottling...

I may be bottling today & realize I only have kmeta on hand as a sanitizer .
Will have to see how it goes.
However I did use kmeta to sanitize everythig before my ferment, and everything seems to not have been effected

 

[Thig]

I am 1 week into my first beer kit but I didn't realize kmeta killed yeast. Certainly not refuting what you experienced beer makers say, just wondering why we add sorbate to wine if kmeta kills yeast.

 

[Elmer]

FG 1.010, final ABV should be 5.5%
I racked with the intention of bottling today. However after further research, it was suggested I use star San rather than K Meta. I was told that k meta was not a strong enough sanitizer and could mess with my remaining yeast.
Since I had already racked I will run out on Monday for some star San and bottle Tommowow.
The beer is not as dark when out of carboy. Has a nice hoppy flavor, but not quite what I expected.
I can easily say I don't care for uncarbonated beer
I I'd use the AI1 to rack. I turned it on to get suction and then turned off and let gravity do the rest. How AI1 does when bottlin remains to be seen.

 

[Elmer]

So I had intended to bottle yesterday but it was brought to my attention that I should not sanitiZe with KMeta, but instead use star San.
So I held off for a day and went and it some star San.
Good think I waited a day because more yeast/sediment dropped out.
Today I sanitized everything with star San, racked and bottled.
The toughest part was sanitizing every bottle and letting the dry. I use an upside down milk carton to place the bottles in, was not as effective as I hoped, but it worked.

Bottling with the AIO made things go easy, I would fill 6 or 12 at a time and then cap. Slowing down the flow allowed the beer not to foam too much or degass too much.

I took a couple sips and it is good hoppy ipa, it is just currently not carbed.
My biggest fear is not getting it to carb. I have most of my batch in the living room where it is 65 at its coolest. I put a dozen bottles in the basement where is 60, I covered these in 5 layers of heavy blankets.

Prep, sanitizing , bottling and clean up took about 3 hours.
I would consider investing in a keg system just to save me some hassle.
I have already purchased my next kit American Cream Ale, all extract! I will save this for spring, summer.

All in all this was an experience.

 

[HB_in_Subic]

Did you add priming sugar before bottling? I use 1 liter bottles so I only have to bottle 20-22 bottles. But storing them sucks.

 

[Elmer]

Did you add priming sugar before bottling? I use 1 liter bottles so I only have to bottle 20-22 bottles. But storing them sucks.

Yes, I used 5 Oz in 1 cup water, heated stirred and added to the carboy. I then stirred gently and went back to sanitizing the bottles.
I gave the beer another stir just before I began bottling.
I know some suggest using less priming sugar for 5 gallons, but I figured a little extra carbonation could compensate for the loss of any gass due to using the AIO

 

[BernardSmith]

This may be fine but IMO you do need to be cautious when priming, less, because of the risk of creating bottle bombs and more because it is possible to over prime and after a couple of months conditioning what sometimes happens is that if you pour the way that craft brewers are supposed to pour (right down into the center of the glass and not onto the inside wall) you can find that you have more head than you expect. IMO, 1 oz /gallon is OK but it is the high side but I think this is more a matter of learning what you, your beer, your equipment and your technique want/need/allow

 

[Elmer]

This may be fine but IMO you do need to be cautious when priming, less, because of the risk of creating bottle bombs and more because it is possible to over prime and after a couple of months conditioning what sometimes happens is that if you pour the way that craft brewers are supposed to pour (right down into the center of the glass and not onto the inside wall) you can find that you have more head than you expect. IMO, 1 oz /gallon is OK but it is the high side but I think this is more a matter of learning what you, your beer, your equipment and your technique want/need/allow

I have never been bothered by getting too much head!

 

[BernardSmith]

um... there is no answer to that...

 

[jswordy]

I am 1 week into my first beer kit but I didn't realize kmeta killed yeast. Certainly not refuting what you experienced beer makers say, just wondering why we add sorbate to wine if kmeta kills yeast.

Kmeta holds back or can arrest their development. After all, when you sanitize must, you are killing off the wild yeasts. In beer, the yeast is not as robust, IMO, as wine yeast.

In my very first wine ever, I put too much kmeta in as a sanitizer and never did get yeast to grow in it at all. Four tries over 2 weeks. Tossed the whole batch. Personally, I don't see much mention of kmeta in brewing circles. I hardly use it in winemaking except as a preservative prior to bottling. I prefer Easy Clean.

I'll stick with the dishwasher to sanitize my beer bottles. Works great.

On the priming stuff, 1 ounce/gallon is the generally recommended dose. In cooler/cold weather, it might take more. In warmer weather or in a warm house, less. I used 5 oz in 6 gallons with my batch at ~ 65 degrees, and I find myself wishing I had added more.

If you are able to refrigerate your beer, you can halt carb anytime you feel it is good enough. Refrigerated storage also flocculated the yeast compactly in the bottom of my bottles, so a full 12 ounce pour with no cloudiness is possible.

Your mileage may vary.

 

[jswordy]

So I had intended to bottle yesterday but it was brought to my attention that I should not sanitiZe with KMeta, but instead use star San.
So I held off for a day and went and it some star San.
Good think I waited a day because more yeast/sediment dropped out.
Today I sanitized everything with star San, racked and bottled.
The toughest part was sanitizing every bottle and letting the dry. I use an upside down milk carton to place the bottles in, was not as effective as I hoped, but it worked.

Bottling with the AIO made things go easy, I would fill 6 or 12 at a time and then cap. Slowing down the flow allowed the beer not to foam too much or degass too much.

I took a couple sips and it is good hoppy ipa, it is just currently not carbed.
My biggest fear is not getting it to carb. I have most of my batch in the living room where it is 65 at its coolest. I put a dozen bottles in the basement where is 60, I covered these in 5 layers of heavy blankets.

Prep, sanitizing , bottling and clean up took about 3 hours.
I would consider investing in a keg system just to save me some hassle.
I have already purchased my next kit American Cream Ale, all extract! I will save this for spring, summer.

All in all this was an experience.

View attachment 20205

Yaaay! Now I am thirsty. It'll carb fine at 65 or so.