Questions tagged [first-time-brewer]
Questions pertaining to the caution or concerns of someone new to home-brewing.
162
questions
5
votes
1answer
47 views
Sour beer at home?
Newbie here. I know nothing about making beer. I love sours. Can you make sours at home? Is it too complicated compared to other beer making?
1
vote
2answers
87 views
First Time Brewer: Skipping secondary fermentation, bottling and a few other questions
I'm brewing my first batch of home brew, 'Hank's Hefeweizen' from Norther Brewer (extract). The instructions say 2 weeks primary, 2 weeks secondary, and 2 weeks bottle conditioning. I did not check my ...
2
votes
1answer
39 views
Rinsing frozen red currants
I picked some garden grown red currants a good while ago and threw them straight in the freezer without washing them. I'm planning on making wine with them soon.
Most recipes I've read recommend ...
4
votes
1answer
48 views
Ale Popped the Bung
This is my first brew, so I kinda look at it as a rite of passage, but I had 5 gallons of brown ale fermenting in a 6.5g carboy. The airlock was super active for the first 16-18 hours. Soon after that ...
3
votes
2answers
313 views
How to brew moonshine?
I would like to know the equipment and the step by step process, as I have already tried to do it, but it didn't work.
I have already watched several videos, but it is not the same to talk to someone ...
3
votes
3answers
128 views
Baloon air lock not inflating after second day
I'm making mead for the first time. I used bakers yeast and a baloon as an air lock . The tutorial said that the yeast will be off gasing for 3 weeks but my mead only off gased the first day. Now it's ...
1
vote
1answer
89 views
Will bread yeast restart stuck brewery in a bag
Building up to my first home brewing I purchased a muntons brewery in a bag session IPA. (On special from Aldi seemed like a steal).
I followed all instructions to the letter keeping everything ...
1
vote
2answers
130 views
Bread Kvass Safety Concerns
My first brewing experience is gonna be bread Kwass (following this recipe). Now, I browsed a bit to get some info, and I only managed to get terrified. There are three concerns that I would like you ...
4
votes
5answers
113 views
Stuck Mead Fermentation?
Obligatory: This is my first batch of Mead and I'm still learning the ropes. If I've made any critical mistakes, please point them out but do know: odds are, I had no idea of that particular issue.
I'...
1
vote
2answers
82 views
Fermentation first time
I need help. First time brewing in my life and I made some mistakes as expected. This was a 1 gallon brew kit. First indication something was wrong was after pouring the wort into the 1 gallon ...
3
votes
1answer
49 views
Brewing Low ABV Lager
Good day!
My question is simple, me and the wife love lager, I like a good 5% ABV but the wife is a light weight and likes a 3.5% ABV so the question is:
How can I brew a nice lager (similar to ...
1
vote
1answer
26 views
What does it mean by late boil? [duplicate]
I am looking at a Christmas ale to brew and found this recipe (I am still learning to brew, so I am using malt extracts)
https://www.brewtoad.com/recipes/variant-of-great-lakes-christmas-ale-clone
. I ...
2
votes
1answer
47 views
Growing edible brewers yeast?
I want to grow brewers yeast that I want to as use as supplement, get various nutrients and NAD+. Which brewers yeast strain is easiest and best to to grow for this purpose? What medium and ...
0
votes
1answer
39 views
Why have I got a low ABV wine problem
This was my first attempt. I followed a recipe for jam wine in CJJ Berry's book. Did exactly what he said. Temperature between 26°C-28°C on the heat strip. Used Lalvin K1-V1116. Start OG 1.090, final ...
4
votes
2answers
97 views
Lack of sweetness and carbonation
I'm a novice apple cider brewer and my first batch yielded a brew that tasted like white wine, very dry and virtually no carbonation.
During fermentation, I saw bubbling for about 5 days, but I left ...
4
votes
1answer
76 views
Messed up West Coast IPA recipe, could dryhopping make it good?
My first batch, I followed a recipe using malt extract to create a West Cost IPA.
The wording of the recipe made me invert the Hop additions...
[Edit]
Instead of:
2oz of Centinennial at 0mins left ...
1
vote
2answers
125 views
Brewing with tamarinds
For reference: tamarind. I recently saw this fruit at the store today and thought it smelled interesting so I investigated. I've decided to brew my very first batch of beer as a tamarind saison as a ...
0
votes
1answer
56 views
Total Yeast Cell Count
I will give two examples of yeast cell count.
First one is 0.34 B cells/ml in 6 liters of wort starter with just a few amount of slurry cake.
2nd one is 1.46 B cells/ml in 1 liter of starter including ...
3
votes
2answers
63 views
Fermentation container leaking carbon dioxide
I've just finished preparing my first fermented drink ever (Kvass) and I used a Mason jar to store the preparation during the 2 days of the fermentation process as advised by the various guides I ...
4
votes
1answer
84 views
How much sugar to real apple ratio?
So I was going to try an apple cider up to around 12%. So how much sugar will I get roughly per apple and how much additional sugar should I add. The apples are a small granny smith kind. Currently I ...
3
votes
2answers
1k views
Any food alternatives you can use to brewers yeast nutrient?
It would be a week or till I can get some brewers nutrient is there any food substitute I can use, apples, rice, sweetcorn, apple juice, tomato paste etc?
1
vote
1answer
106 views
Can I use Sodium Dichloroisocyanurate ('Sterilising Tablets') to clean vessel/equipment?
I have some old tablets what say Sodium Dichloroisocyanurate and 'Sterilising Tablets' on them and am wondering if these when diluted will be suitable to clean vessel/equipment before brewing?
1
vote
1answer
97 views
First batch result [closed]
I'm know enjoying my first batch of beer. I think, it will be some kinda use for those who are hesitating to start their brew or still researching. I did quite much research before i did brew.
...
2
votes
3answers
114 views
First time extract brewing with little resources
Where I live we only get some of Coopers international extracts, but none of the brew enhancers or dry malt extracts that I've seen in most of the recipies. Will I get good results if I don't add any ...
2
votes
2answers
141 views
Can I over-filter my beer?
I'm going to dry hop my very first IPA (without a bag) and I've read that when bottling I will need to put some kind of filtering cloth on the end of the racking cane to prevent hops sediment from ...
1
vote
1answer
214 views
Swapping Omega Belgian A with Omega Abbey Ale C
I’m still early in my homebrew education, and am trying a couple new Northern Brewer kits. I recently bought a kit for a Dubbel that suggested the Omega Belgian A yeast, but I accidentally purchased ...
1
vote
1answer
821 views
Mead: is it time to bottling?
I have a few questions. I'm making mead for the first time. My mead is now brewing for 2 months (since 11th august), but I'm not sure if it's time to bottle it. That's because it is still sparking. I ...
0
votes
1answer
77 views
Instead of Hop can only Ginger or Orange Peel be used for brewing Pure Wheat Beer?
I want to brew my first batch of pure wheat beer. But instead of Hop I want to use either dried orange peel or freshly grated ginger. Kindly suggest what to use and in what quantity should I use and ...
0
votes
2answers
468 views
stirring or degassing wine
If I stir my wine after the first racking, won't that stir up all that sediment? Will that give the wine a bad taste and will it reduce the ABV? I don't want to do either one. Obviously this is my ...
1
vote
3answers
213 views
Step by Step homebrewing from extract - need verification and clarification
I am sorry for the long thread, but I am digging the net for few days now and did not find such a "tutorial", so I will built my own and want to share it.
I will be happy you comment/correct me, and I ...
3
votes
3answers
173 views
Helping a first timer!
I'm hopefully about to make my first batch of sparkling slightly sweet cider. I have read all sorts of advice about reducing/increase tannin, stabilising and other scientific stuff. I want to keep it ...
2
votes
2answers
213 views
How strong you can brew a beer using Brubox kit?
There is a BrüBox which allows you to brew your own craft beer at home.
What's the estimated alcohol percentage you can achieve by using the provided equipment and following the instructions from the ...
0
votes
2answers
56 views
Where (from Europe) to get a decent kit to start all-grain brewing?
I've been searching for a kit to start all-grain brewing, but seem to find nothing from Europe. My lack of knowledge might have something to do with this.
4
votes
1answer
104 views
Do I need the dregs from primary fermentation for carbonation?
I'm currently making my first homebrew - a ginger beer using this kit and recipe. It's finished primary fermentation (hopefully, the cold weather has me concerned), and I've just bottled it for ...
6
votes
3answers
184 views
What are the essential data one should collect when brewing beer?
guys, I just started homebrewing and I want to know what are the essential data one should collect when brewing beer other than hop schedules and gravities.
What additional statistics do you suggest I ...
2
votes
3answers
125 views
Steps to take as a first timer brewery
Hello am all new in this industry, i just bought the brewing kit ,your help will be much appreciated.what are the first steps you take when brewing a beer
0
votes
2answers
2k views
What are the stages of Fermentation?
How do you know when a beer is done fermentation and how long does it take before bottling it?
5
votes
6answers
185 views
Recipe websites catering to beginners?
I'm brand new to brewing, but I've been wanting to do it for a while. I've seen some videos. Seems that, like cooking, recipes are key at the beginning until one gains enough experience to experiment. ...
8
votes
5answers
2k views
Can I mix two yeasts to add different flavours when I make beer?
This is my first post so I hope I haven't asked anything silly. Can I mix a high alcohol (attenuation?) yeast (for low final sugar and specific gravity) and a yeast that produces more "fruity esters" (...
1
vote
4answers
2k views
I didn't know I had to take a reading before fermentation. I crushed my own fruit so no kit to use for calculation
This is my first time brewing and I didn't know that I had to take an initial reading prior to fermentation. I used my own apples to make cider. Can I still get an estimate on alcohol content? I ...
5
votes
5answers
650 views
Should I boil water before adding it to the cooled wort?
Given the importance of sanitation, particularly after the boil, should I boil water before adding it to the cooled wort to bring the volume up to 5 Gal? Tap water is of good quality and tastes good.
1
vote
2answers
291 views
My OG is 1.030 and I'm only at 4 gallons?
I topped off at 4 gallons rather than 5. Am I wrong for thinking this is low despite not adding more water? I'm now a day after fermentation began. I plan to do a secondary fermentation. How much ...
2
votes
1answer
61 views
Re-adding yeast after a blow off
I am a first time shiner. I had a blow-off this morning, I'm making shine. I use a plastic bucket with a screw-on air tight lid and an airlock. The pressure blew the screw-on lid off. After cleaning ...
0
votes
1answer
108 views
Not enough yeast for a 20 Litre batch?
Gday! :) So i have just purchased the coopers real ale malt concentrate as well as a kilo of light malt. I started with 2 litre's of boiled water in my fermentor (after sanitising it with no rinse ...
4
votes
3answers
7k views
Can you use nutritional Brewer yeast in the beer making process?
This may be a Stupid question, and since I am new to brewing beer I might have some more of these questions coming in later. My wife for some reason bought Brewer yeast, I am curious if this can be ...
3
votes
2answers
166 views
Can any LME be used for Mr. Beer kits or is it suggested to only use theirs?
I'm looking for alternative LME providers to use with my 6 gallon Mr. Beer kit. Coopers LME selection is decent, but I was wondering if anyone has used other brands of LME before with Mr. Beer. If so, ...
2
votes
2answers
206 views
[CIDER]: Can a 5L plastic bottle be used as fermenter?
Can a 5L plastic bottle be used as fermenter for the first days of fermentation? I'm looking then to transfer the juice to a 2L glass demijohn for the rest of fermentation.
2
votes
2answers
648 views
Gas in first ferment
I'm brand new to home brewing and have bought a starter kit and a box of Norfolk Wherry.
We are 1 day into our 6 day first ferment, and this morning my fermenting tub was whistling because there was ...
2
votes
5answers
465 views
How can I brew lager at room temperature?
I would like to try to make lager at room temperature (around 30 C). I plan to reduce yeast and fermentation in 2 weeks in order to avoid the off favor and fusel alcohol in beer.
Can I do this by ...
3
votes
3answers
348 views
Off Flavors in all of my Homebrewing attempts
I'm pretty new to the homebrewing world, and so far I've done three 5 gallon batches. The first was a prebuilt kit (Pale Ale), the second was a recipe I concocted (IPA), and the third was a recipe I ...
