First brew jitters

[jamesjr]

Lol.
Anyway a few more questions if I may. There is alot of hop and grain debris stuck in the top of my carboy now and im sure all in there. Will that settle into a trub if I have my lingo down yet or should I secondary? I have gelatin here as well as a fining agent? Its a very dark beer im not expecting to see through it but if I can pack it all down good before I bottle the better right? Also in my instructions it has no target final gravity, what should I aim for? Or just let it ride out for 3-4 weeks. How crucial is time now? Is it like wine were time is the cure?

 

[HB_in_Subic]

The debris will settle in the yeast cake over time. I never use a fining agent with my beer and they are usually clear when I drink them. I regularly let my beer sit in primary for 3 weeks. I am even going to dry hop an IPA in primary about 5 days before I bottle. The ferment will be done in about 10 days and the remainder of the time allows for the yeast and particles to drop out of solution. Once you bottle it, let it sit for 3 weeks. Don't forget to prime it in the bottling bucket with 4-4.5 oz of corn sugar (rack the beer into the bottling bucket, pour the sugar (dissolved in 500ml of water) into the beer after about 1/2 inch or so of beer is in the bucket and has a nice swirling action.

After a week in bottle, taste test one for carbonation and so you also know what it tastes like green.

I would expect a gravity reading below 1.020, something like 1.01ish. Take a gravity reading about 3 days before bottling and another on the day that you want to bottle. If it is the same and below 1.02 you are probably done and it will be safe to prime and bottle. If it is still dropping, wait until you get two consecutive readings that are the same.

 

[HB_in_Subic]

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?

Most of the kits that I have used have 6lbs of DME for a 1.052ish beer. I also add 1 lb of corn sugar to get it up to 6%.

I just made a barleywine that had 9 lbs of DME (required two packs of yeast).

 

[jamesjr]

Yea the yeast had no problem chomping away lol as you can see also thanks I wasn't sure if I let it run down dry or what or if I can primary. Like I said ive only made small batches of wine before

 

[jswordy]

Most of the kits that I have used have 6lbs of DME for a 1.052ish beer. I also add 1 lb of corn sugar to get it up to 6%.

I just made a barleywine that had 9 lbs of DME (required two packs of yeast).

Wow. The kits I have brewed or have got in stock to brew yet, from two sources, have 3.15-4 pounds LME and a pound of DME for a SG in 1.045 range. I do have one kit that is 3 lbs. LME initial, late 3 lbs. LME addition, no DME at all. Still new to it.

 

[HB_in_Subic]

I was getting my kits primarily from Austin Homebrew. I did get a couple of kits from Ritebrew and Rebel Brewer and they had the same amount of DME. I make primarily Saisons, Irish Red, Dry Stout and an Amber Bock Ale.

 

[jamesjr]

Yeah I want to make an irish red a wheat beer and a few more. Im just recently getting into tasting other beers and trying craft beers. Growing up we always baught the cheap stuff lol and now im getting out there when I have the extra funds and trying different things. But I cNty honestly say there is nothing I like avout an ipa

 

[HB_in_Subic]

I prefer the english styles myself (Irish Red, Stouts, Porters and Belgian Ales).

 

[jswordy]

Bring on the MALT, laddies!

 

[jamesjr]

Well how long do I lit it sit? It hasn't bubbled in some time also how long does star san stay good for once mixed up? I have it in a five gallon bucket and how many bottles should I get clean? And how should I do it with no pump? Thing

 

[HB_in_Subic]

I let my beer sit in primary for 21 days minimum. Check your gravity at day 14. If it is 1.02 or above, raise the temperature in your fermentation chamber a couple of degrees to wake your yeast up and get them to finish below 1.02. Or move the carboy to a slightly warmer part of the house (out of sun). Check gravity again on day 17 and day 21. If the last two readings are the same, you are ready to bottle.

Star san is good until it turns milky.

Number of bottles depends on beer batch size and size of bottles.

5.25 Gallons = 672 floz.= 56 12 oz bottles or 42 16 oz bottles

I use one liter bombers and end up with 21 or 22 bottles full.

To bottle you will need a bottling bucket, autosiphon, tubing, bottling wand. First you get 500ml of water hot and dissolve 4.25 oz of corn sugar in it (I use a pyrex cup). Once dissolved I put in the freezer for 20 minutes to cool it off. I move the Primary to a counter or my ferm chamber top. I clean and sanitize the bottling equipment and bottles. Once your bottles are ready (no need to dry just drain off excess starsan), start up the siphon to your bottling bucket. Make sure that the tube is tight (not allowing bubbles in) and is looped at the bottom of the bucket so that it creates a whirlpool. Once the beer is 1/2" to 1" deep I pour the cooled sugar solution into the whirlpooling beer. You do not want excessive bubbles which could lead to oxidation. Your siphon should be positioned just above the yeast cake. Some people push it into the yeast cake at the edge and form a bowl around it. You should be able to transfer all but maybe 1/2L without any particles. When the siphon is finished, put the bottling bucket where the primary was. Take the tube and bottling wand and attach to the spigot. Fill the bottles to the top. The wand displaces the proper amount for the bottle to reduce oxygen exposure. Cap each bottle as you go.

I also put a sample of pre-primed beer into a cup to taste. This gives you an idea of how it turned out minus carbonation. If it is good without bubbles it will be great with.

 

[jamesjr]

Thanks man u been realy helpfull through out all of the and they sent me with kit a packet of priming sugar as well I went to go take the rubber stopper out and it wont its extremely stuck since it bubbled over and got all that sticky gooey so no I gotta figure a way to get that out

 

[jamesjr]

Man I just read back at my post. And I literally type like im drunk all the time lol im a 25 yr old that isn't computer/smartphone literate. Anyway im in the process of cleaning 50 something of my old becks bottles while drinking a few but wow I guess just because I dont have the process down I might drink as many as im cleaning im getting the labels and majority of everything off and cleaned and im just gonna soak in star san till I need to bottle probably in a week or so then ill run them through some fresh star san solution and bottle. I think im gonna make a bottle tree eventually out of wood and nails? Lol too country? But that's my plan for now I cant seem to get them all upright the milk crates to drain

 

[HB_in_Subic]

I don't use a bottle tree. I just drain, then line them up to bottle.

I have found that warm water with PBW will get the labels off easy. I usually let them soak overnight and then rinse really well. Remember Starsan is a sanitizer not a cleaner. PBW is a cleaner.

It sounds to me like you have a solid stopper? Get a couple of stoppers like in the picture below, in the size that you need. These are much easier to get out. Maybe use a screwdriver (inserted in the hole of the stopper) to get the stopper out when it is time?

 

[jamesjr]

Its actually a one gallon carboy stopper in a 5 gallon carboy I just pushed the airlock in far enough to get it to fit air tight and yea I was thinking sanitize screw driver. And yea I kno it isn't a cleaner its a sanitizer but I figured why not its gotta be better than just water I soaked in oxyclean and rinsed brushed rinsed and now there soaking I figure tho in one week they'll be ready to bottle, its turning out BLACK Guinness black I thaught it would clear up a bit by now but its in the closet now im fixing to move it up on the counter were ill be filling the bottles so I wont have to disturb it on bottling day

 

[jswordy]

Well how long do I lit it sit? It hasn't bubbled in some time also how long does star san stay good for once mixed up? I have it in a five gallon bucket and how many bottles should I get clean? And how should I do it with no pump? Thing

Here's how I do it:

1.) Prepare 58 bottles, to make sure you have enough. You'll generally get a 5-gallon yield of 50-57 (some brands of beer have gone to 11.5 ounce bottles, so it varies if you are reusing bottles). I put my bottles in the dishwasher with no soap and run the full cycle with hot dry. Ready to go.

2.) I am using my wine equipment and a secondary. When it slows up ferment, I switch to secondary for 3 weeks, then bottle. So at bottling I siphon mine from the secondary to a clean carboy and bottle from that. But you may want to leave yours in the bucket under airlock for 3 weeks. A lot do it that way, too.

3.) After 3 weeks, at bottling, you need either another bucket, a carboy or a "bottling bucket" that has a spigot on it.

4.) Add your diluted priming sugar to your bottling vessel first. I dilute by heating a cup of water in the microwave then dissolving the sugar and letting it cool some.

5.) Simply siphon from your primary or secondary to the second bucket or carboy, being careful not to suck up any trub from the bottom. You will bottle the liquid from this operation out of the second vessel.

6.) To do that without a special "bottling bucket," all you need is a sanitized bottling wand (just like with wine), hose and a bottle filler that goes on the end of the tube. I prefer a spring loaded bottle filler. Just line up your bottles, have your caps sitting in a Star-San solution, and bottle about a dozen, put the caps on and cap. Then the next dozen.

Other notes:

1.) Sanitizer like Star San, One Step, Easy Clean, stay good for a long time after mixing. I keep mine in a gallon fruit juice jug.

2.) I like a carboy secondary for 3 weeks because it makes my beer clearer. I like using carboys also because I have an orange two-port cap the wand goes through where you can just blow on the second port to start the siphon, rather than sucking on the end of the hose.

Hope this gets you going. Everything sounds good for you as of now.

 

[jswordy]

BTW, those stoppers like in HB's pic can be used on both fivers and one gallon. Turn it over for one gallon.

 

[jamesjr]

My primary is a 5 gallon carboy which i will never do again and also its a big controversy I see about secondarys . Now I want a fairly clear beer but my only other carboy is big its like 7 or 8 gallon. Will that head space effect the beer? Also I have bentonite and gelatin. For my wine making is either of those ever used for beer

 

[HB_in_Subic]

The fermenting buckets I use are 7.9 Gallon. I usually make a 23L batch and sometimes run out of head room = blow off tube. Not a big deal. I would use the 7 or 8 gallon carboy over the 5. Make sure you put in at least 5.25 gallons of wort. The head space won't affect the beer as there will be a CO2 blanket once the krausen has dropped.

Some people use gelatin for fining. I have never needed it. 95% has usually settled by 3 weeks and the rest settles during bottle conditioning. Cold condition your bottles at least 1-2 days before drinking. This further forces the particles to settle and forces the CO2 back into solution. This helps avoid the "gushers" when you first open your bottle.

 

[jamesjr]

Yea I used a 5 gallon primary which I realize now is crazy I have that bigger one but I baught it at a garage sale and im nervous on using it because theres a little but if cloudyness on the inside no mateer how long I soak it