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Author Topic: First brew, need advice.  (Read 4334 times)

Offline klickitat jim

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Re: First brew, need advice.
« Reply #30 on: June 12, 2015, 08:19:26 pm »
Must be because for it to go up 5 points you'd have to had about a half pound of sugar if its a 5 gallon batch.

Offline JT

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Re: First brew, need advice.
« Reply #31 on: June 12, 2015, 10:35:39 pm »
Gravity only goes down, not back up without added sugars.  Make sure you are using the hydrometer correctly. 
https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/how-to-brew/how-to-take-an-accurate-hydrometer-reading/

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Offline SeymoureButts

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Re: First brew, need advice.
« Reply #32 on: June 13, 2015, 12:22:25 am »
Must be because for it to go up 5 points you'd have to had about a half pound of sugar if its a 5 gallon batch.

Gravity only goes down, not back up without added sugars.  Make sure you are using the hydrometer correctly. 
https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/how-to-brew/how-to-take-an-accurate-hydrometer-reading/

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I'm embarrassed.

The adding nail polish/tape or shaving off part of the bottom of the hydrometer confused me. I will take another reading tomorrow and try to calibrate my hydrometer. Something is wrong here, probably my own human error.
El Gringo Borracho

Offline JT

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Re: First brew, need advice.
« Reply #33 on: June 13, 2015, 04:51:26 am »
Must be because for it to go up 5 points you'd have to had about a half pound of sugar if its a 5 gallon batch.

Gravity only goes down, not back up without added sugars.  Make sure you are using the hydrometer correctly. 
https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/how-to-brew/how-to-take-an-accurate-hydrometer-reading/

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk



I'm embarrassed.

The adding nail polish/tape or shaving off part of the bottom of the hydrometer confused me. I will take another reading tomorrow and try to calibrate my hydrometer. Something is wrong here, probably my own human error.
I've never had to do that with any hydrometer I've owned, and I have 4.  That is only done if the hydrometer isn't calibrated correctly, which wouldn't have caused the gravity to go back up.  The error is either in the reading itself (human error) or something is obstructing the hydrometer's  movement. 
Absolutely no reason to be embarrased either.  There are so many new terms, processes and gadgets to understand that it takes time to get any sort of comfort level with all of them. 

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« Last Edit: June 13, 2015, 07:51:27 am by JT »

Offline dzlater

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Re: First brew, need advice.
« Reply #34 on: June 13, 2015, 05:10:06 am »
You can use your tukey baster to get the siphon started instead of sucking on it.
Dan S. from NJ

Offline SeymoureButts

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Re: First brew, need advice.
« Reply #35 on: June 16, 2015, 12:28:31 pm »
Alright guys, I bottled my first batch. I did half of it a regular pale ale and then added coconut flavor and about two ounces of lactose, unfermentable milk sugar, to the other half. The flavor isn't really my thing but the woman in my life was dreaming of a pina colada beer. The pineapple will come on the side of the glass.

Excited to crack a few of these bad boys in a couple weeks!

What is a good second batch to brew? Is there much variation that can be done if I am brewing with extract?   
« Last Edit: June 16, 2015, 01:18:07 pm by SeymoureButts »
El Gringo Borracho

Offline morticaixavier

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Re: First brew, need advice.
« Reply #36 on: June 16, 2015, 12:42:22 pm »
Alright guys, I bottled my first batch. I did half of it a regular pale ale and then added coconut flavor and about two ounces of lactose, unfermentable milk sugar, to the other half. The flavor isn't really my thing but SWSBO was dreaming of a pina colada beer. The pineapple will come on the side of the glass.

Excited to crack a few of these bad boys in a couple weeks!

What is a good second batch to brew? Is there much variation that can be done if I am brewing with extract?

you can brew anything with extract that you can with all grain. you will have to use some character malt and, if you like big beers and belgian beers you will want to use some other sugars but there isn't anything about brewing with extract that restricts you so long as you pay attention to quality of ingredients and really think about what each thing is bringing to the party.
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Offline 69franx

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Re: First brew, need advice.
« Reply #37 on: June 16, 2015, 06:40:08 pm »
I suggest you brew what you like. You split half the first batch with her, see how she likes before you try to brew another for her. What commercial beers do you like? Take inspiration there
Frank L.
Fermenting: Nothing (ugh!)
Conditioning: Nothing (UGH!)
In keg: Nothing (Double UGH!)
In the works:  House IPA, Dark Mild, Ballantine Ale clone(still trying to work this one into the schedule)