First Batch Today- Beer Homebrewer

[sweed]

I decided the other day to try some wine making out. My girlfriend really liked the idea, so now I have a batch of the WE world vineyard pinot grigio in my bucket, waiting for the temperature to drop so I can add the yeast.

We'll make a pinot noir next and then a port.

I also have a Belgium tripel fermenting at the moment.

 

[MrsJones]

Welcome sweed!

 

[richmke]

now I have a batch of the WE world vineyard pinot grigio in my bucket, waiting for the temperature to drop so I can add the yeast.

How did you get the temp so high? I usually have the opposite problem. Juice starts off too cold. I have to calculate how hot to heat the water so the 6 gallons ends up at the right temp.

IMHO, I would make a few more kits before making the port. Get your technique down first. Fermenting all that sugar is a little more tricky. You also need a 3 gallon carboy, unless you are making a double kit.

 

[bkisel]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[sweed]

How did you get the temp so high? I usually have the opposite problem. Juice starts off too cold. I have to calculate how hot to heat the water so the 6 gallons ends up at the right temp.

IMHO, I would make a few more kits before making the port. Get your technique down first. Fermenting all that sugar is a little more tricky. You also need a 3 gallon carboy, unless you are making a double kit.

I am guessing the room temp from the lhbs was easily 72*, so the juice was already warm, and when I added the hot water to dissolve the bentonite (?), my warm water I added to the juice bag, and my topping off water was higher than normal. That is one thing I am going to watch next time. Other than that, it was a lot quicker/ easier than a normal brew day.

I have brewed up some beers than I have stepped in some sugar, but I will continue to read/ research into all of this. I tend to go all out quick, my 2nd batch of beer was a Vanilla Bourbon Oaked Russian Imperial Stout that turned out fantastic
It looks like I'll have to get a 3 gallon carboy. Anyone use better bottles, or is glass the better option?

My primary already had signs of fermentation this morning, and the temp was right at 75. I turned the temp down a few degrees in my apt, because the room temp was about 72.

Edit: I can get free 1.5L bottles. Anything wrong with bottling with those? I love to bottle with bombers for beer. Less time and space.

 

[richmke]

It looks like I'll have to get a 3 gallon carboy. Anyone use better bottles, or is glass the better option?

Pros and cons of each. If you get serious and eventually start using an All-In-One pump, you need glass.

Edit: I can get free 1.5L bottles. Anything wrong with bottling with those? I love to bottle with bombers for beer. Less time and space.

The only downside is you have to drink it all relatively quickly. It may be a few glasses of beer. But it is a lot of glasses of wine, and even more smaller glasses of port.

 

[cpfan]

Edit: I can get free 1.5L bottles. Anything wrong with bottling with those? I love to bottle with bombers for beer. Less time and space.

No problem. I know several people who bottle a few 1.5L bottles out of every batch. One friend does most in 750s, some in 1500s, and a handful of 375s, unless it's ice wine.

I have a few 1500s, and save those for mist wines because that's what disappears at dinner parties in our extended family.

Steve

 

[peaches9324]

welcome to the forum

 

[vernsgal]

Welcome to WMT sweed

 

[sour_grapes]

Welcome to WMT, sweed!

 

[BernardSmith]

Welcome to the forum, Sweed. When you say that you have stepped in some sugar , do you mean that you spilled some and then trod on it? or that you added some sugar to a wine or a beer you were making?

 

[sour_grapes]

Welcome to the forum, Sweed. When you say that you have stepped in some sugar , do you mean that you spilled some and then trod on it? or that you added some sugar to a wine or a beer you were making?

Interesting comment, Bernard, especially as "sugar" is a common minced oath for a certain scatalogical term!

 

[sweed]

Welcome to the forum, Sweed. When you say that you have stepped in some sugar , do you mean that you spilled some and then trod on it? or that you added some sugar to a wine or a beer you were making?

Both! But I meant to say I've added to my high alc beers to keep the yeast active and chugging along. I've been meaning to make a mean barley wine and really doing this. Good thing for WLP099 super high gravity yeast
Thanks for the warm welcomes everyone!

 

[sweed]

It's been a week and I took a hydrometer reading; it's down to ~1.020. Directions say it's supposed to be under 10 after 5-7 days. It's still fermenting at about 75* so I am not worried. I'll wait another week before I transfer it for clearing.

 

[BernardSmith]

You may want to check any instructions that came with your hydrometer. When you measure the density of a liquid at 72 deg Centigrade the density should be lower than the measure of the density at the temperature at which your hydrometer was likely calibrated (I am guessing - about 60C. In other words, the true gravity will be a few points higher than the actual reading.

 

[sweed]

^^ right. There were a bunch of bubbles so I guessed around 1.020 adjusted after the warmer temp. I wasn't looking for an exact reading, just to see where about out was. Today it's at .994. There is still a little action in the airlock, so I'll take another reading on Wednesday and if it's the same I'll rack it for clearing.

I think I'll rack to another bucket to degas, because I think it'll be easier than the carboy. Then rack it to the carboy. I know it's another extra rack, but that doesn't bother me. If that sounds like a bad idea, please let me know!

 

[sour_grapes]

I think I'll rack to another bucket to degas, because I think it'll be easier than the carboy. Then rack it to the carboy. I know it's another extra rack, but that doesn't bother me. If that sounds like a bad idea, please let me know!

No, that is not a bad idea. Better that than a wine volcano!

 

[seth8530]

Welcome to the forum! looks like everything is nice and all along its way. Something to keep in mind is that for white wines ( like lagers) cool fermentation is actually often prefered since it can better express the fruit character of the wine. Ie, my white wine blend that I have going on right now is happily chugging on along at around 55F under temperature control.

You may want to check any instructions that came with your hydrometer. When you measure the density of a liquid at 72 deg Centigrade the density should be lower than the measure of the density at the temperature at which your hydrometer was likely calibrated (I am guessing - about 60C. In other words, the true gravity will be a few points higher than the actual reading.

I am pretty sure you meant 72 F and 60 F.

^^ right. There were a bunch of bubbles so I guessed around 1.020 adjusted after the warmer temp. I wasn't looking for an exact reading, just to see where about out was. Today it's at .994. There is still a little action in the airlock, so I'll take another reading on Wednesday and if it's the same I'll rack it for clearing.

I think I'll rack to another bucket to degas, because I think it'll be easier than the carboy. Then rack it to the carboy. I know it's another extra rack, but that doesn't bother me. If that sounds like a bad idea, please let me know!

Something to keep in mind is that degassing is an optional step and one I would likely skip for a delicate white. If it was my wine I would let it age in carboy bulkaging until it is properly aged and ready to drink ( gas should be gone by then on its own anyways). Plus, if you let the wine degas over time you get some extra protection from air as the wine ages.

 

[BernardSmith]

I am pretty sure you meant 72 F and 60 F.

Thanks Seth, I did ... Coming from Britain , I always assume that temperatures are in Celsius even when a quick double check would show that the number cannot possibly be anything but degrees Fahrenheit

 

[sweed]

Racked it last night to a bottling bucket, degassed, added the 2 packets, degassed, added the clearing liquid, degassed again, racked to a carboy.
Went down to .992, I'll bottle it in 2 weeks. I tasted a sample and.. tastes like wine!! Not bad for a couple weeks ago!
I racked to bottle bucket to make it easier to degas.

The next one I make will be next weekend and I told my girlfriend she's going to do most of the work because I made this one
I also bought the WE choco rasp port and it's at my place, we will be doing a pinot noir most likely.