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Author Topic: First Time Brew  (Read 1571 times)

Offline Chouse28

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First Time Brew
« on: January 14, 2018, 01:30:57 pm »
Hello,
I brewed my first batch of beer last weekend. I think the process went pretty well but I have worried about contamination/an infected beer. I took the lid of the fermenter today just to see if there were any obvious signs of infection such as mold, pellicle, etc. I doesn't look like any pictures that I have seen online of what infected beer could look like, but I just wanted to check with you experts to see what you think. Do the included pictures seem to look ok for being the in the fermenter for just over a week? Its an Amber Ale if that matters...

Thanks in advance!

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1-L6b57AprR0tuDWeMQfsk4ZmVwE-71s2
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1DAYOM5btXlz_xOU5cQsuDsxlPRlGzKSx


Offline Bob357

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Re: First Time Brew
« Reply #1 on: January 14, 2018, 02:29:12 pm »
Looks fine to me. Active fermentation is pretty much over. Leave it alone for another week or so and then take 2 gravity readings 3 days apart. If the gravity is the same for both readings, it's time to bottle or keg.
Beer is my bucket list,

Bob357
Fallon, NV

Offline Chouse28

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Re: First Time Brew
« Reply #2 on: January 14, 2018, 02:54:16 pm »
Thanks for the feedback and the advice. I was planning on leaving it for another week, but I didn't actually know what to look for to see if it i actually ready for bottling. My kit instructions just said to leave it 1-2 Weeks and then bottle. Its good to know to take the gravity readings to know that its ready!

If there was going to be some sort of contamination, would there have been some signs by now?

Offline ynotbrusum

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Re: First Time Brew
« Reply #3 on: January 16, 2018, 04:04:19 pm »
Contamination can be present without much sign.  If left long enough, contamination can show up as a pellicle-like covering or by smell.  Don't worry about it with this batch, though.  Just don't get in the habit of opening fermenters needlessly.  That is how the contamination can be introduced easily.  The brew day contamination will rarely happen, if you clean, sanitize and pitch after chilling quickly, then control fermentation temperature to let the yeast out compete any cells of the nasties that might have snuck in...

Cheers to your first homebrew.  Bottle it and enjoy it - it is undoubtedly your best yet.
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Offline James K

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Re: First Time Brew
« Reply #4 on: January 17, 2018, 12:36:57 am »
Hello,
I brewed my first batch of beer last weekend. I think the process went pretty well but I have worried about contamination/an infected beer. I took the lid of the fermenter today just to see if there were any obvious signs of infection such as mold, pellicle, etc. I doesn't look like any pictures that I have seen online of what infected beer could look like, but I just wanted to check with you experts to see what you think. Do the included pictures seem to look ok for being the in the fermenter for just over a week? Its an Amber Ale if that matters...

Thanks in advance!

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1-L6b57AprR0tuDWeMQfsk4ZmVwE-71s2
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1DAYOM5btXlz_xOU5cQsuDsxlPRlGzKSx

It looks like some good beer to me, how did you brew it? And what do you plan on doing, kegging or bottling?

Either way, you want to make sure all that stuff is cleaned out.  When I first got going I recycled bombers and every once in a while bottle into something that would infect a beer. Now I am more conscientious.
Vice President of Flagstaff Mountain-Top Mashers
2017 Homebrewer of the year
"One mouth doesn't taste the beer."

Offline Chouse28

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Re: First Time Brew
« Reply #5 on: January 17, 2018, 06:40:16 am »
Thanks for all the feedback! To brew it first I started with 2.5 gallons of water and steeped the specialty grains for 20 mins @ 160 degrees, Removed from the heat, added the malt extract, brought back to a boil. Added the hops and boiled for 60 mins. Cooled the wort as fast as I could in an ice bath. Took about 20 mins and brought to temp to about 165. Added more water to make it 5 gallons. Poured into fermenter bucket and ddded yeast when temp was about 160 (which was cooler than I wanted, but the temp dropped alot after I added the extra water but ill know for next time) and added vodka to my airlock and it sat untouched for about a week until I took those pics.

While the temp of the wort was dropping, I sanitized the equipment as best I could.

Any tips for a better process? How long does it usually take to cool the wort?

I am going to bottle this beer, but I have heard good things about kegging, so I might try that after I get a few batches under my wing.

Cheers

Offline rburrelli

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Re: First Time Brew
« Reply #6 on: January 17, 2018, 10:40:58 am »
Are you saying your wort was 160 degrees when you added the yeast? If so, then you killed your yeast at that high a temperature. Should have been 100 degrees lower than that.....
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Offline Chouse28

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Re: First Time Brew
« Reply #7 on: January 17, 2018, 11:45:13 am »
Sorry, mistype. It was at 60 degrees not 160