OT: Brewing my first batch on Saturday

udp · Post by **udp** » Mon Jan 14, 2008 4:04 am

That's good to hear. It's darker than I had planned on making because I boiled it probably 10 minutes longer than I should've, but it smelled nice and hoppy before I put the stopper in. This recipe has me adding more hops to the secondary fermentation. I think every recipe should add hops all the time. Yeah, I am a hop head.

mike holiday · Post by **mike holiday** » Mon Jan 14, 2008 2:14 pm

yumm hops

let us know how it turns out!

I'll defiantly look you up next time i'm back in MI. It'll probably be end of summer/early fall.. unless i decide to head off to demf this year.

udp · Post by **udp** » Mon Jan 14, 2008 4:48 pm

If you're here between February 25 and August 31st I'll also show you my little icecream stand, if that's any incentive.

dhilsabeck · Post by **dhilsabeck** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 8:27 pm

+1 on shaking the beer to activate the yeast. It'll be fine. Just don't do that 7 days into the primary. On that note, be gentle with siphoning to the secondary so you don't mix in everything that has settled over the past week.

Regarding cooling wort in the cold weather, I think that's fine unless someone has reason to believe otherwise.

And overboiling for 10 minutes won't adversely affect your batch. Rest easy.

I think the grapefruit tasting hop is Chinook. I think i've finished with that one once with satisfying results.

And if anyone here hasn't ever tried a Leffe (an easier Belgian drinker) track down a source and enjoy.

lunabass · Post by **lunabass** » Wed Jan 16, 2008 5:31 am

theque wrote:don't be tempted to go silly with the sugar for that little extra alcohol content.

KABOOM !!

udp · Post by **udp** » Wed Jan 16, 2008 7:34 pm

dhilsabeck wrote:+1 on shaking the beer to activate the yeast. It'll be fine. Just don't do that 7 days into the primary. On that note, be gentle with siphoning to the secondary so you don't mix in everything that has settled over the past week.

Regarding cooling wort in the cold weather, I think that's fine unless someone has reason to believe otherwise.

And overboiling for 10 minutes won't adversely affect your batch. Rest easy.

I think the grapefruit tasting hop is Chinook. I think i've finished with that one once with satisfying results.

And if anyone here hasn't ever tried a Leffe (an easier Belgian drinker) track down a source and enjoy.

Thanks for the comforting words and the advice. I think on Friday, I'll move it to the secondary fermenter. That'll be the seventh day. Unless there is some advantage to allowing the primary to go on longer than that. From what I've read, there isn't.

udp · Post by **udp** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 4:14 am

^^^ Wait! It's like the damn yeast decided to wake up. After days of just laying there there is a 2 inch head on the beer today. I think I'll let it go until the head goes away.
Maybe I got some bad yeast... it's goin' now. We shall see.

dhilsabeck · Post by **dhilsabeck** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 9:43 pm

udp wrote:^^^ Wait! It's like the damn yeast decided to wake up. After days of just laying there there is a 2 inch head on the beer today. I think I'll let it go until the head goes away.
Maybe I got some bad yeast... it's goin' now. We shall see.

That will happen. I don't think it's bad yeast. Sometimes it just takes a few days to totally activate. Especially if it was the dried stuff. I would also let it go until it stops foaming (that usually means that the yeast has run out of sugars to eat (which creates the alcohol...))

Visual feedback is usually a better gauge than a strict timeline since there are so many factors as to how rapidly the yeast eats the sugars (wort temp, room temp, dried, liquid or fresh yeast, style of beer, etc)

udp · Post by **udp** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 11:42 pm

Yeah, today it's really churning. I like to watch it. It's addictive like a lava lamp. I put my nose right up to the air lock and took a huge smell...hop heaven. I can't believe I have to wait a month. Well, patience IS a virtue.

dphouse84 · Post by **dphouse84** » Mon Feb 04, 2008 9:49 pm

Moody wrote:Nice, I have really been digging the Saint Arnold Elissa IPA and Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA lately.

Good Luck!

mmm dogfish is great, and it gives quite a buzz too

TITBAG · Post by **TITBAG** » Mon Feb 04, 2008 9:50 pm

beer is gay

udp · Post by **udp** » Tue Feb 05, 2008 1:51 am

Next week it goes into a keg and will be ready to enjoy.....hopefully.

udp · Post by **udp** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 6:33 pm

Well, it's in the keg and carbonated and ready for Fun Fun Friday. I took just a half glass this morning at 8am. It does taste very good! Heavy grapefruit melting to orange. It is very hoppy. I'll call it a success. I am not sure how strong it is because I didn't get a proper hydrometer reading. Happy drinking to all!!!!!

doc holiday · Post by **doc holiday** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 6:49 pm

udp wrote: Heavy grapefruit melting to orange. It is very hoppy.

grapefruit is the taste i love in IPA's

i wanna try some

udp · Post by **udp** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 1:48 am

Just having my first full glass. It really is a nice IPA. I thought for sure I'd fuck it up in one way or another, but at least flavor wise an to a certain extent color wise, I've got it. It seems a touch dark. It's not as dark as a brown ale (my next attempt), but darker than the IPA I had last night at dinner in a restaurant. Overall, I am satisfied with my first batch. All the more reason to brew another batch sooner, than later.