I'm on my 7th batch and it's never given me a problem. I always spray straight from the tap to top off my partial boils. As a bonus, it also aerates the wort.

[Edited on March 30, 2011 at 1:22 PM. Reason : d]

3/30/2011 1:21:11 PM

Quote :

""Why not use a little of that cold water to cool the wort directly.""

i mean you can. I believe in Charlie Papazian's book The Joy of Homebrewing all he does is cool the wort down to about 100+/- and then dumps his wort directly into cold tap water. This usually gives you a temperature around 70-80 which is pitchable.




as far as purified water, i don't know if that's truly necessary. If your tap water tastes good enough to drink on its own then it's fine to brew with as well. Now don't get me wrong, bottled water will only improve the taste of your beer but it's just extra expense that you may not deem necessary

3/30/2011 1:26:16 PM

I always stash two gallons of bottled water in the fridge to top off with. I thought it was common to use cold water to get the wort to the correct temp for people who don't have a better chilling system worked out. Is it not?

3/30/2011 1:26:55 PM

I'm probably just being paranoid. I've come across terms like "cold break" on homebrew sites that I don't yet fully understand and I don't want to do anything to muck up my precious brew.

I mean, I'm topping it off to 5 gallons with room temp water after it's cooled anyway so that's not really what I was concerned about. I was more worried that the temp differential (near-boiling vs cold tap water) would cause some unwanted effects.

It's easy to get paranoid about these kinds of things when brewing, but I'm learning to relax.



[Edited on March 30, 2011 at 1:56 PM. Reason : j]

3/30/2011 1:52:39 PM

Quote :

"If your tap water tastes good enough to drink on its own then it's fine to brew with as well. Now don't get me wrong, bottled water will only improve the taste of your beer but it's just extra expense that you may not deem necessary"

I'm not talking about bottled water, purified water just means boiled or filtered. If you've used tap water in the past and haven't had issues, chances are there isn't any chlorine in your tap. But it's difficult to know if you haven't used it before.

My point about adding cold water was that if you need 1.5 gallons of water to fill up to 5 gallons and you pour in cold water, what happens if it reaches 70'F after only pouring in 0.5 gallons, then you end up being short. I mean in the end it doesn't matter too much if you pour it all in and it drops to 60'F, eventually the temperature will normalize and the yeast will kick in, it's just that fermentation won't start right away, which is what you want.

I mean if it works for you it works, I'm just reiterating the optimal condition.

3/30/2011 2:33:38 PM

update: my closet smells like a hop truck that crashed into a woodford reserve factory.

absolute deliciousness coming from this brew right now...good lord.

I will post pics. aging over whiskey soaked oak chips right now.

3/31/2011 8:19:20 AM

i think my ahs blonde rye might be stalled.

minimal to no noticeable bubbling, using one of the cap style fermentation locks.

5 days after pitching.

ideas?

3/31/2011 11:00:48 AM

^take a gravity reading. 5 days sounds about normal to me.

3/31/2011 11:08:54 AM

you could always swirl the bucket/carboy to rouse the yeast a little which may kick it into gear again. but gravity reading is your best bet.

3/31/2011 11:33:02 AM

Quote :

"If you've used tap water in the past and haven't had issues, chances are there isn't any chlorine in your tap. But it's difficult to know if you haven't used it before."

IIRC, raleigh doesn't use chlorine, so if you're here, you're probably good

i actually have a water softener, so i have potassium chloride in my water...hasn't caused any problems, yet

3/31/2011 11:41:20 AM

my package from AHS arrived today. Love the containers for LME. Disappointed the yeast pack I got is almost a month and a half old. It's AHS's signature yeast they partnered with Wyeast to make so it may just not be the big seller like some of the more popular strains. Oh well, it was shipped with a cold pack and I make starters anyway so I'm not worried. With moving this weekend it may be 2-3 before I can actually brew though

3/31/2011 1:37:11 PM

cool. i swirled the bucket a little this morning. might take a reading later. wont have time to rack to secondary until sunday at the earliest though.

might just leave it alone until sunday anyways. can't hurt much, right?

3/31/2011 1:45:45 PM

not at all. hell i'd leave it on the yeast for at least 2 weeks. as long as your temps are consistent it will only help the flavor and the beer. it won't hurt.

3/31/2011 1:49:11 PM

the only concern is i've got three more kits to go through and the gf wants some fridge space back. i only have one brew bucket and one carboy that i use for secondary.

put the lme buckets in the fridge. felt weird about leaving them out at room temperature with the way they were packaged. idk if that was correct or not.

3/31/2011 1:51:51 PM

I leave my LME buckets in the pantry for 2-3 months sometimes and haven't noticed them smelling/tasting funky or anything.

The yeast I get from AHS is usually only ~1 month old at most.

3/31/2011 1:59:13 PM

silly sticker saying "highly perishable, use immediately"

3/31/2011 2:04:23 PM

mine are in the fridge. that should keep them fresher longer. not worried.

3/31/2011 2:06:20 PM

Pilgrimshoes, I wouldnt worry too much about leaving the LME buckets out for a few weeks.

Also, if you need to borrow a fermenting bucket or two let me know.

3/31/2011 2:30:47 PM

i could see that being a little difficult

3/31/2011 3:36:57 PM

Quote :

"man, taking my operation outside has been one of the best things ever. No more sweating around the hot stove. I have an immersion chiller i hook up to my hose and can cool down to around 80-90 in about 10 minutes. I plan to add a second leg to that when i move to full boils and have one IC in an icebath and another in the wort to cool down much faster. not to mention the outdoor burner heats so much faster. "

I agree, brewing outside has been awesome. I've got two immersion chillers too, and i usually put one in an icebath as well and it brings down 5 gallons of wort down to pitching temp in like 10-15 minutes. When it's cold i brew in the garage so you can close the door a bit if it gets windy, works great.

Quote :

"The problem with adding cold water is that it's too difficult to calculate the amount of water you need vs. the amount of temperature it's going to change. "

I've got a spreadsheet that's set up with heat transfer equations that will tell you very accurately what temperature you'll be at if you were to add cold water to the wort. All you do is input the amount of wort in gallons, input the amount of cold water in gallons, and it makes you a chart where you look up your starting wort temperature and it gives you the final temps. I will gladly e-mail it to anyone that wants to pm me their address or something.

Regarding the not adding 'purified' water to get five gallons of worth, you could always boil the water and save it or buy two gallons or so of distilled water, freeze them, and cut the gallons open with a sanitized box cutter or something and throw those two big ice blocks into your wort instead.

Prospero also mentioned chlorine in tap water which is definitely a concern sometimes. I looked up the water report online for Raleigh and chlorine levels weren't an issue, but you should always check out your city's water report online to find out for yourself or call the city and they are required to send it to you.

3/31/2011 3:52:32 PM

chlorine may be something i want to look into...just checked my water report and from 2009 the chlorine amount was 0.97 (on a 0.10-1.97 scale). I've not noticed any adverse effects but if I can make it better I certainly want to take the steps to do that.

3/31/2011 4:21:00 PM

Damn, I've got ~1.4ppm here in Charlotte. Wish I hadn't seen that because I want to be as lazy as possible in my brewing process.

3/31/2011 5:18:08 PM

Last night I racked the kolsch to secondary and was moving the carboy into the fermentation room (downstairs bathroom) using my brewhauler. When I was over our carpeted living room the carboy slipped between the straps and shattered on the floor. I spent all night cleaning that shit up, Fml.

4/1/2011 7:52:42 AM

holy shit! an entire carboy on the carpet? i bet that is going to stink in a few days

4/1/2011 8:09:48 AM

Well I ran out and got a nice shop vac (always wanted one ) and it was able to suck most of it up. I went back over the carpet with oxyclean which helped a lot, that shit even got my bloodstains off the carpet from cutting up my knees on the glass. Looks like home depot rents carpet cleaners do ill be doing that for a few hours this afternoon.

Positives: for now the living room smells delicious, and the replacement Kolsch kit is already on order. Hopefully I can conquer this thing.

4/1/2011 8:59:26 AM

now you can correct your fermenting temps you had issues with on the first batch. blessing in a messy disguise?

4/1/2011 9:29:52 AM

Dang man, that sucks...I'm pretty sure i'd cry if I lost 5 gallons at once.

4/1/2011 9:41:35 AM

found out there's a hb supply store just 0.25 miles off my normal route home from work.

stopped in yesterday and it's actually pretty well stocked, considering it was impossible to find.

and they had three of their homemade kits on tap for "sampling" while browsing, which i thought was a nice touch.

all i got was a $1.50 fermentation lock but will be stopping in again. makes me happy to not have to order things and i like using grains that are crushed as freshly as possible.

[Edited on April 1, 2011 at 9:43 AM. Reason : sb's story is scary.]

4/1/2011 9:42:56 AM

Which shop is that?

4/1/2011 9:47:57 AM

i live in texas.

probably not a lot of use to you.

but i appreciate the offer of borrowing equipment though!

4/1/2011 9:59:35 AM

Hahaha, I got all excited that there might be another homebrew shop I didnt know about in the raleigh/durham area.

I did find a new shop in Durham if anyone's interested. "Bull City Homebrew". 1900 E. Geer St. Durham, NC 27704

It's a very small shop and looks pretty dumpy from the outside, but he's got quite a bit of stuff and pretty good prices. This shop is definitely a bit closer to me than American Brewmaster.

[Edited on April 1, 2011 at 10:12 AM. Reason : .]

4/1/2011 10:12:29 AM

dang dude, sorry to hear that SoundBoy, i can't believe the carboy shattered on carpet!

i had my airlock blow off my Black IPA, luckily I was home and quickly put the blowoff tube on it so it didn't happen again, but still... nothing like shattering a carboy. i should have known better though and started with the blowoff tube considering it has so much malt in it.

[Edited on April 1, 2011 at 11:50 AM. Reason : .]

4/1/2011 11:49:35 AM

^mine did the same thing. what was your OG?

4/1/2011 1:20:46 PM

1.066 IIRC

4/1/2011 2:00:48 PM

Brewed an all-grain Porter this morning. It was one of the $20 AHS Porter kits.

9lbs 2 row malt
1/2lb Chocolate malt
1/2lb Brown malt
1/4lb De-Bittered Black malt

1 oz Target hops - 60minutes
3/4 oz Liberty hops - 15 mintues
1/4 oz Liberty hops - 5 minutes

Pitched Wyeast 1028 London Ale yeast. Cant wait to drink this...it smelled amazing.

I'm having some issues with my efficiency I believe. This is supposed to be 1.052 SG...I got about 1.042

I added the brewvint 1% alcohol boost that AHS sells with their kits and that actually bumped my SG to exactly 1.052.

Maybe next time i'll add some DME to get my SG where I want it, but I'm just going to let this one ride...
SG - 1.052


[Edited on April 2, 2011 at 5:31 PM. Reason : .]

4/2/2011 5:27:50 PM

we need a pic for 21, anyone?!

4/4/2011 8:16:07 PM

Kegging my Vanilla Porter later today, and transferring my $20 AHS IPA to secondary to dry hop. I'll try to take some pics.

4/5/2011 7:32:48 AM

nothing special, just a cell shot of a home brewed amber

4/5/2011 7:57:28 AM

I've been meaning to take the plunge for a while now and I happened to see this. It looks like the deal runs every couple of months but seems popular enough each time. I decided to scoop it up and ask questions later. Now I just need to find some more bottles and a brewing pot.

$76.00 shipped. Thoughts?
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/first-time-brewer-s-starter-kit.html

Quote :

"• $25 Gift Certificate for next purchase • Homebrew Wallet Bottle Opener • 6.5 Gallon Fermenter and Lid • 6.5 Gallon Bottling Bucket with Spigot • 8 Oz. of Easy Clean No-Rinse Cleanser • Airlock (Keeps air out of the fermenter) • Hydrometer (Determines alcohol content) • Bottle Brush • Twin Lever Black Beauty Bottle Capper • Bottle Caps • Liquid Crystal Thermometer • Bottle Filler • Racking Tube with Bucket Clip • Siphon Tubing"

Direct Link:
http://www.groupon.com/deals/midwest-hydro-ocala

Shameless Referral Plug:
http://www.groupon.com/ocala/deals/midwest-hydro-ocala?utm_campaign=UserReferral&utm_medium=email&utm_source=uu11638017

4/6/2011 7:16:14 AM

sounds like a decent set up for the price. I'd invest the saved money for a larger stock pot.

4/6/2011 8:34:35 AM

For those looking to get started:

http://livingsocial.com/deals/33258-beginner-s-homebrewing-class

Quote :

"What happens when you cross Samuel Adams with Mr. Schue? No, it's not a glee-filled singing and dancing American revolutionary obsessed with getting to regionals; it's a hip beer teacher. Today's deal from American Brewmaster proves that Mr. Schadams exists: For $12 (regularly $25) score one Beginner's Homebrewing Class. Serving the Triangle since 1983, these ale aficionados will teach you about the many styles of beer, the fermentation process and how beer is made, and the history of brewing. You'll learn that creating your own barley pop is not only simple and fun, but also delicious. Grab a crew of your friends and brew it up together in this classroom, but hurry before it's last call on these savings."

4/6/2011 8:40:19 AM

brewed up the ahs wit last night, racked the blonde rye to secondary.

the blonde rye looks awesome. the wit, i'm not sure about

i didnt get the og the kit says, and was off by about .012 (called for ~1.055, measured ~1.043).... i wonder if it had something to do with the way i did the partial mash.

i was using a nylon grain bag, but realized about mid way through that it was kinda.. tied too low i think. i think the fact that the grains might have been kinda "tight" might have prevented some of the sugars from being transferred? idk. thoughts?

either way, the color was darker than i expected, but i also expect it to settle out over the fermentation period. smelled nicceee.. also, kinda interesting that the boil called for only 30 minutes.

but cleaning/racking/cleaning/cooking dinner/cleaning/cleaning more/brewing/pitching/cleaning all after work in one afternoon might have been a bit much.

4/6/2011 9:54:27 AM

haha yeah that sounds like a full day.


i bottled my Peach Hefe last night. 1054 OG, 1010 FG ~5.9%ABV

looks tasted and smelled fantastic. I carbonated to about 3.1-3.2.



the IPA is next, but still 2-3 weeks out

4/6/2011 9:57:17 AM

My kit will be here on Thursday! I can't believe I forgot to take this 30% coupon to the pottery shop here in GV today. Apparently they have 5 gallon stainless steel stock pots for 20 bucks. Here are a few questions if you guys have time (I'm sure they'll all be answered in my required reading).

Fermentation:
Should I use my spare bedroom or my spare bathroom?
I will be brewing an Amber Ale (specific yeast TBD). Right now it's 75F in my house, should I plan to turn the A/C on and if so can I at least keep it at 70?
I planned blasting the kitchen and fermentation room with bleach. Is there a recommended ratio or does everyone prefer that aforementioned santi-something product?

Bottling:
I have an assortment of 750mL bottles I plan on using, but I have also amassed a nice collection of Grolsch swing tops. Do you guys find these efficient or are they more of a hindrance and/or gamble?

Recommended reading:
There's a book on Amazon I'm supposed to read, but I forgot what it was. I'm sure the instructional DVD should be considered a crash course or a refresher to the material I should already have under my belt? Anything you guys think I should watch or read would be helpful here. I have the following link already.

http://www.howtobrew.com/intro.html

Thanks.

4/12/2011 9:23:04 PM

Others may disagree with me, but here's my opinion.

Fermentation - It honestly doesnt matter where you ferment...just pick a spot that can keep within the optimal temperature range of the yeast you're using (temp range will vary with different yeast strands). You dont even really need to blast the whole room with sanitizer...just make sure that anything that comes in contact with your fementing bucket/carboy is sanitized. (I prefer the bathroom for the mere fact that it's easier to clean in the case of an airlock blowout). Also, remember that your beer temperature will not necessarily be at whatever ambient air temperature you have...also, once fermentation begins, your beer will be a few degrees warmer due to yeast activity. If you're having problems keeping your fermenter temperature low enough, put it in your bathtub and fill the tub up halfway or so. This will keep your fermenter 2-3 degrees cooler.

Bottles - Grolsch bottles are fine as long as the seals are in good shape. You shouldnt have a problem with them, and they're really not any harder to clean/sanitize.

[Edited on April 12, 2011 at 9:40 PM. Reason : .]

4/12/2011 9:39:08 PM

To add to what was said above, you really need to control your temperature, as the temp in your carboy can reach even as high as 8 degrees F above ambient - so even if you knock your thermostat down to 70, your yeast could still throw out some pretty nasty esters and such. In my early days I used a wet towel and fan combo with some success, and others use the water bath method. Don't overlook this though - in most cases, temperature will have a considerable effect on your final product.

4/12/2011 11:07:37 PM

The temperature is definitely my main concern and I'm most worried about keeping it consistent. I completely forgot about filling the bathtub up so hopefully that will work.

Grolsch bottles have never been re-used and the seals are in good shape.

4/12/2011 11:21:26 PM

i use mostly grolsch bottles (REAL grolsch bottles that are decades old, actually) because they're easier than capping (though marginally)...i bought new seals since the old ones were rotted, but i really like them

that said, i tend bottle in some cheaper bottles, too, for when i take beer to places where people may be careless with my grolschs

in other news, my austin homebrew order FINALLY shipped...not sure why it took almost 2 weeks...doing a double-batch of their IPA and english pale

4/13/2011 8:18:25 AM

FYI: The special Falconer's Flight hop is now sold out for the season so if you were thinking of picking one up via AHS $20 kit or from another vendor get it now before it's gone.

I picked up the AHS kit as well as a few extra ounces to dry hop and late addition to beef up the IBUs.

4/13/2011 10:01:30 AM

Quote :

"dry hop and late addition to beef up the IBUs."

does not compute. dry hopping doesn't add any IBUs and late addition refers to malts. i did order some FF from another vendor for an IPA later this summer.

4/13/2011 10:41:58 AM