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I was given a small home brewing kit for my birthday, from Northern Brewers. No idea if that company is a quality company, but it was a gift, and I like beer, so why not, right? It’s been over a week now, and I can’t really tell if it’s working. It basically looks the same as it did at the beginning. No foam, no color change, no obvious yeast growth, nothing. Airlock is pretty quiet. Did something go wrong? I did spill a little bit of cleanser into the wort when I was putting everything together - could that possibly have caused any problems?
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Aug 25, 2021 14:09
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| # ¿ May 18, 2024 00:34 |
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 I assume it’s just cold-rear end wort now? What do I do with this? Can I open it up and add more yeast? Any idea what could have gone wrong? Any way to tell if the mixture is somehow hostile to yeast? Maybe the yeast was dead? Also, if I try again, I know I need the following: - Some sort of yeast. I want brewer’s yeast and not baker’s yeast, correct? - Some sort of yeast food. The kit came with I think “malt extract”, but any reason not to use honey, berries, apple juice, etc.? - Some sort of cleanser, to clean and sanitize the equipment (all of it, yeast packet included!). The kit came with some sort of no-rinse cleanser I can’t find info on, what sort of cleanser should I use otherwise? Apparently Campden tablets? Anything else? Sugar or something? Pollyanna fucked around with this message at 14:33 on Aug 25, 2021 |
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Aug 25, 2021 14:26
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Got it. There was some bubbling and foam and a little airlock activity in the first few days, but not much since. Bottling day is Monday, so I'll check it out then. In the meantime, I do want to try my hand at some other things: - Cider - Mead/Melomel - Wine - Maybe something else? Are these particularly hard compared to the kit I got? It's a lot easier to source apples and berries than malt extract.
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Aug 25, 2021 14:50
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Whatever's in this: https://www.northernbrewer.com/products/cascade-wheat-1-gallon-recipe-kit And its associated instructions: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2785/6868/t/3/assets/AmericanWheatONEGALLON-1588171953463.pdf If what you say is true, it should be totally done by Monday. Half tempted to pour a bit out from the spigot and taste it to see how far it's gotten - is that going to contaminate the mixture?
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Aug 25, 2021 15:24
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The bottom of the fermenter(?) is covered in some white looking stuff, which I'm gonna guess is the yeast.  One thing to mention: it's like mid-70s or so in my kitchen, where the brew is stored. Apparently that might be too high? Do I just have to wait for fall or something, cause the AC is most certainly on and I'll be hosed if I buy one just to stick right next to the mix. Also apparently lager-style beer is brewed at like fridge/cellar temp and the instructions failed to mention that!!!
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Aug 25, 2021 15:37
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I’m not super into wine either, but I love cider, and I’m really curious about mead and the possibility of a nice melomel. I’ll try a bit and see how it is.
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Aug 25, 2021 15:58
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 why are you teaching me how to make applejack
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Aug 25, 2021 16:07
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I tasted some. It tasted like...like unsweetened hops-and-wheat-flavored juice, almost. It wasn't sweet or sugary, it was like some random-rear end unimpressive beer-flavored water. I also can't tell if there's alcohol in it or not. I think it's a very young beer, so I'll let it sit for another two weeks and see where it ends up after that.
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Aug 25, 2021 21:12
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I mean, there wasn't carbonation in antiquity, right? Technically it's still perfectly good beer.
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Aug 25, 2021 23:31
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Jhet posted:Cider is easy. Get decent to awesome sweet cider and add yeast. You can add a couple other things, but they’re extras and refinements. 1 gallon batches are not too bad either. Look for the pressed cider without sorbates (UV pasteurized is ideal, fresh from an orchard is pro). So when we say sweet cider, we're talking about this stuff, right?  Or are we talking apple juice?
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Sep 4, 2021 01:32
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Jhet posted:Probably not, but it could work. It’s the right sort of pressed cider, but if you can find something UV pasteurized instead of having preservatives that will do much better. Even a clear apple juice off the shelf will behave better than something with preservatives. Treehouse is UV treated and works, but if you have an orchard nearby that is likely to be the best option. Even honey crisp blends will do fine, but cider apples are the sweetest out there, and it’ll come down to your taste. Buy a good tasting starting product and it has a great chance to tasting just as good on the other end. Right yeah, I'm talking about what sweet cider means here. I def know that you need to avoid preservatives. UV pasteurized works for me, I'll take a look once this beer finishes!
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Sep 4, 2021 16:13
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Sanitization/cleansing question: what am I meant to use to prep a ? I've heard to just swish around Campden tablets (sodium bisulfite) in buckets, carboys, and fermenters, but I've also heard to use Star-San (phosphoric acid + benzenesulfonic acid) instead, as well as a combination of the two. I've also seen people put Campden tablets into juice, crushed fruit, and on top of wine caps before(???) pitching the yeast. Anything wrong with using only Campden tablets? And what's the thing with steeping Campden tablets in juice and berries?
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Sep 4, 2021 17:29
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Hmm, got it. I'll pick up both and prefer washing/cleaning my buckets+equipment with the star-san, then use Campden tablets when it calls for it (e.g. a melomel). Thanks!
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Sep 4, 2021 17:42
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https://youtu.be/nPtMHSYtPc4?t=7s   That glass I poured off ended up getting me nice and tipsy, so I think it did in fact work! Next up is the cider, mead, and melomel. Plus I saw this and figured why not:  Cause stouts are my favorite of the beers.
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Sep 4, 2021 20:46
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Jhet posted:Just to set you up for success, but you need to wash/clean with a cleaner. They'll be a basic compound of some sort, and PBW (powdered brewery wash) is what you'll see a lot of people use. The more frugal will use OxyClean Free (no scents) as it's similar enough to clean really well. These will take off any proteins and yeast that clumps and sticks to the glass/plastic pretty well. After they're clean is when you want to use the StarSan (Iodophor works too) to sanitize. Sanitizing your cold and finished product surfaces and utensils will help avoid any infections leading to bad tasting or gushing results. god loving dammit  this is stuff i need to know BEFORE i hit up the store aaaaaaaa. is there no alternative other than PBW? guess i'll stop by again tomorrow.quote:Campden tabs are sort of a chore, but will knock back any naturally occurring yeast/bacteria to allow the ones you add to be in charge. Just wait 24 hours after adding and gently stir so the sulfur can off-gas. I stopped using them in cider (or the powdered Potassium version-KMS) as I wanted the natural yeast/bacteria to come to the party too. That will depend on what product you end up getting though. It's entirely unnecessary in pasteurized cider. Hmm, good to know. I'm not as confident in what Campdens are for compared to something like Star-San. quote:But mostly, just welcome to the hobby. It's only as complicated as you end up making it, and that first brew looks great. The stout kit will work great too, and there's nothing wrong with extract. It's very convenient to use and can make good tasting beer. Yeah, I'm actually rather surprised - it's actually beer. For a while, it seemed like just wort-flavored juice, but apparently it got somewhere Looking forward to the rest!
Pollyanna fucked around with this message at 02:49 on Sep 5, 2021 |
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Sep 5, 2021 02:23
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Okay, phew. Just re-rinsed the fermenter and I think that should do it. I'll grab some OxyFree tomorrow, thanks!
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Sep 5, 2021 03:15
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Okay, I'm gonna get started on making cider. Someone doublecheck my procedure. Step 1: Clean and Sanitize  In a bucket, add some water and some OxyClean Free, mix to make some cleanser, and submerge all your fermenting equipment. (The siphon is there, but I won't be using it yet, so ignore that part.) Let sit for 10 minutes. Then, drain. In the same bucket, add some more water and some Star-San (TODO: how much per gallon?), mix to make some sanitizer, and submerge all your fermenting equipment. (Don't bother rinsing or drying after the cleaning.) Let sit for 10 minutes. Then, remove and thoroughly dry fermenting equipment. Reserve sanitizing solution in bucket for later. Step 2: Pour Juice and Pitch Yeast  Pour 1/2 tsp of S-04 yeast into 1 cup of warm water (no more than 90F), stir, and let sit. Check after a few minutes, and if the mixture has some small bubbles, then your yeast is alive and you can proceed. If not, your yeast is dead, and you need a new packet. Pour your gallon of organic (i.e. no preservatives, but apparently pasteurized) apple juice into your fermenter. Then, pour in your cup of watery-rear end yeast. Step 3: Add Spices For this batch, I'll be trying to make something similar to J.K.'s Winterruption. My guess is that I'll be adding: - 2x 2" sticks of cinnamon (too little?) - 2x Tbsp of maple syrup (too little?) - 2x tsp of vanilla extract (too much?) but I don't know yet if those will be enough, and I don't know if any of that will compromise the fermenting process. Any reason this wouldn't work? Step 4: Wait Close up the fermenter, shake lightly, add airlock with some sanitizer, and keep in a roughly 74~75F cupboard for two weeks. Step 5: Bottle Clean and sanitize the apple juice carboy and the siphon, then bottle the cider. --- Anything I'm missing?
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Sep 5, 2021 20:43
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Sounds good, I’ll make sure to add the spices later - thanks!! I’ll get this going soon.
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Sep 5, 2021 22:33
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That’s gonna be kinda hard. It’s still pretty warm, and it’s supposed to be 80 degrees tomorrow. I could keep next to my AC and continue to run it, but I’d have to figure out a way to avoid direct sunlight. Good point on the yeast.  Haven’t pitched yet, will just skip it and go straight to adding the yeast.
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Sep 5, 2021 23:08
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This homebrew cider is starting to taste better with age, but I can’t help but think it’d be better with carbonation. I added some maple syrup in a failed attempt to replicate one of my favorite cheers, and it certainly hissed a bit when I opened it up after a whole, but it’s mostly gone now. Anything wrong with adding a bit more sugar to get the yeast to make it bubbly? Or should I just skip it? I’m worried about the carboy exploding.
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Nov 22, 2021 00:34
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The carboy is the bottle, actually. I never bothered to bottle it there’s still yeast at the bottom, though this is after transferring from the fermenter. I might add that sugar and see where it ends up after a few days. It won’t explode though, right?
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Nov 22, 2021 23:34
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drat, good to know. I’ll keep this in mind for the next time I make some.
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Nov 23, 2021 01:16
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Also if you can’t carb in carboys why are they called carboys huh???? 
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Nov 23, 2021 01:18
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This stout kit said 1 gallon recipe but it actually expects a 2 gallon fermenter and 1.5 gallons worth of wort. I only have a 1 gallon pot and fermenter. Gonna try condensing the recipe to 1 gallon total. Wish me luck
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Mar 26, 2022 17:32
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Hmm, I wonder if the amount of yeast/krausen will scale with the amount of DME. That could be a concern. Maybe I’ll underfill it slightly despite having slightly less than a gallon of liquid total right now.
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Mar 26, 2022 18:53
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BaseballPCHiker posted:Can you get a blowoff tube and run that out the top of your fermenter? Might buy you quite a bit more room safely. It ended up being fine. No blowout or anything.
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Mar 30, 2022 02:19
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  :/ Like, this is pretty obviously infected, right? I’ve never seen the floating bits or the white dots before. What bothers me the most is that it doesn’t smell off, so now I’m scared of getting botulism or some poo poo. Pollyanna fucked around with this message at 16:51 on Apr 9, 2022 |
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Apr 9, 2022 16:40
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What about the white growth at the top of the krausen?
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Apr 9, 2022 17:36
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Hhhhhuh. Okay. I figured yeast would look less like strep throat. It’s hard to tell what growth is normal vs. what isn’t, though I have seen some really gross poo poo on Google images. That’s good I suppose tho! It tastes fine (for beer), I’ll rack it.
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Apr 9, 2022 18:05
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Racked the beer from yesterday and yeah, it tastes perfectly fine. Bottled it and added some priming syrup, I’ll see if it’s nice and fizzy within a couple weeks.
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Apr 10, 2022 18:06
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Apparently the glass bottles I’ve been storing my beer in are not good bottles for holding carbonation. I’m reading reports of breakage and exploding on Amazon and now I’m very glad I’ve been burping them daily. How do I make sure the bottles aren’t being overprimed, or are durable enough to handle it in the first place? Mine are the “YEBODA Clear Glass Bottles with Stopper”, if anyone’s curious.
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Apr 15, 2022 23:17
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Should I bother getting ingredients (malt, yeast, etc.) online, or will I just get screwed by shipping costs? I completely bungled an attempt at brewing mead a couple days ago, and now I’m out of yeast and other stuff. I’d rather not pay like $25 dollars for a one-gallon kit just to stock up, it’d be cool if I could just order malt extract and stuff in bulk.
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Oct 3, 2023 03:10
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I guess I’m really asking where most people get supplies these days. There used to be a local place near me, but it closed down.
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Oct 3, 2023 03:24
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thotsky posted:My local also closed so there's no choice but to get stuff online. The shipping is not terrible. Figures. Any reputable malt/add-ins/kit online retailers not named Amazon I should hit up? Can’t tell if places like Northern Brewer or Brewer’s Best are overdone or not.
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Oct 4, 2023 02:48
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Guess what time it is?  No, I don’t know what I’m doing. 
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Oct 13, 2023 17:04
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Ended up with a little under 3lbs of honey, but the dates + date extract are plenty sweet so eh, they’ll make up the difference. I’m curious how yeast will take to dates. I also haven’t been homebrewing until recently, cuz my new place has a basement and it made me want to keep stuff down there. Also nice to have a hobby ‘n all Speaking of keeping stuff, I need to find a solution for long-term storage (i.e. a few months~year). How much of a problem is it if I use plastic buckets and carboys instead of glass? As far as I can tell, they’re about the same in the short term, but the long term is murkier.
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Oct 13, 2023 21:28
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I washed out the remaining lees from the fermenter l after siphoning off all the beer, and kept the wash in a mason jar. What can I do with this? Can I make a yeast starter from it somehow?
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Oct 26, 2023 03:26
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Hmm, I wasn’t quite that careful when washing it - I used tap water. I have a mason jar full of differentiated yeast water and lees now, but I’m a little afraid to do anything with it if it’s infected with anything other than yeast.
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Oct 26, 2023 13:21
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