Questions tagged [first-time-brewer]
Questions pertaining to the caution or concerns of someone new to home-brewing.
191 questions
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Testing Bottling Carbonation
So, I bottled 6 days ago. I'm a little impatient, and want to see how my carbonation is going. What can I expect if I pop one open today? I haven't noticed any difference in the beer in the bottle, ...
- 788
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2
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Fermenter Sediment
I'm on my second batch, and decided to ferment in the carboy, so I could watch. It's on day 3 fermenting, I've got a nice thick krausen (needed a blowoff tube). However, I noticed it seems like it's '...
- 788
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Smaller batches Fermentation Time
I'm curious to start making my own recipes, and am thinking about trying 1 gallon batches. I would guess the conditioning time would be the same, since by then it's all in it's own bottles, so there's ...
- 788
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final gravity margin of error
So this is my first batch ever. My starting gravity was 1.058 7 days ago. My gravity yesterday was 1.007. Both within range for the recipe kit. I measured again today and got 1.011 in a beer thief. ...
- 788
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How much specialty grain should you use in each steeping bag?
I'm doing my very first steeping brew (2nd brew ever), and I've got about 3 lbs of specialty grains total that go into my recipe. I've lightly crushed the grains, and I'm ready to put them in the ...
- 169
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Using Sugar substitutes (artificial sweeteners) instead of sugar
I am new to home-brewing. I want to brew some liqueurs but since I am a diabetic, I can not use normal sugar in brewing.
My option is using sugar substitutes (like artificial sweeteners) like ...
- 147
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855
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Bottling Rhythm and efficiency
I've read the answers on how to sanitize bottles while bottling [here] but my question is this...
Should you cap a bottle right after filling it, or can you fill say 6 bottles, cap them, then put ...
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Home-made coffee liqueur
Previously, I made cherry liqueur. Beyond that, I do not have much experiance about homebrewing.
Now I want to make coffee liqueur, but I have no idea how to do?
I need help with the ingredients and ...
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filling the airlock
I'm brewing my first batch ever, and got a little worried that it wasn't bubbling after 24 hours as the instructions said it should. I've read a lot on here that says not to worry about a bubbling ...
- 788
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Analytics for Beer
So, I am very new to home brewing, my first batch has been fermenting for about a week. I have been a beer enthusiast for years, so I am really enthusiastic about this new hobby of mine. By trade, I ...
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How to store leftover fermenting wine for reuse later?
I've got a decent amount of leftover wine (ginger) after racking from my primary to a couple of demijohns. I want to use this for the topping up when I eventually rerack in a few months' time but I'm ...
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Litres / Gallons conversion
Hope this doesn't sound like too daft a question... but I'm English and a noob so please humour me :)
When I am reading recipes, brewing instructions, calculations, etc. from American documentation ...
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My first AG brew finished fermenting in a day! Is that right?
I've read elsewhere that this shouldn't be too bad so I guess I'm just after reassurance that something isn't broken...
I did my first AG brew on Saturday evening (Black Sheep Ale from the Hop and ...
- 463
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How much of given boil volume should be used for mash and sparge?
I'm just about to try my first all grain brew this weekend... Slightly nervous :)
I'm going to make the Black Sheep Ale recipe available from the hop and grain database... Being in Yorkshire it seems ...
- 463
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Is this cider production method flawed?
Okay, tomorrow is the day I am making my first batch of cider. I have 21kg of late season, fairly sharp dessert apples and will be following the following todo list. Is there anything obviously wrong ...
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First time making cider, will it work well
I decided to try experiment after reading a little about making cider. I used a 1/2 gallon of cider, made sure there were no preservatives. Warmed it in a pot with about a cup of brown sugar and a ...
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Home brewing with different sugars
I've just been reading an FAQ on different sugars used in brewing. Most kits specify usage of 1KG of brewing sugar.
The first time I made a batch of home brew I used table sugar, but this seemed to ...
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Fizzy with no head?
My recent brew (#2) is well carbonated, but has little head to it when poured (and what's there dissipates quickly). Is it over carbonated? Too much priming sugar?
Also, I am used to seeing a strong ...
- 157
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325
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Can you brew an all-grains recipe without brewing a full volume
I've been searching online and reading up on all-grains brewing and it seems like most places have indicated that all-grains receipes requires mashing at the full batch size.
Ie. If I want to make a ...
- 161
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4
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2k
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How do you add Red Pepper to beer?
I want to try brewing a beer infused with Red Pepper. My original idea was to infuse it with Tabasco sauce but have read about it going wrong or having a vinegar taste. Being from Louisiana I feel ...
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How early can I know if a brew is ruined?
Today I tried my very first brew using a Coopers DIY kit. I was told the Lager mix that comes with the kit probably won't taste amazing, but it should be hardy and forgiving for beginners that don't ...
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US-05 Fermentation Temps
On the package of the US-05 it says it's temperature range is 58-75F. However, all the reading on forums I am finding people tend to the lower end of the spectrum, even calling upper-60's to be too ...
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First Brew Questions: Muntons Gold IPA
I finally am making use of a kit my friend sent me. I just brewed Muntons Gold IPA and it's been fermenting about 3 days now. The bubbling seemed to start within 24 hours or so. It was frisky at ...
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My yeast isn't floating at the top of my mead
I just made my first ever batch of mead. I used a stronger yeast (a wine yeast) and the package said to let it sit for about 15 minutes in 50ml of warm water. I did that and added the water and yeast ...
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Did I correctly add fruit flavour to my beer?
On a whim, I decided to make a raspberry flavoured IPA. I bought a pre-made wort and some liquid malt extract.
Basically, I boiled about 1.5L of water with some raspberries in one of those hop mesh ...
- 301
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249
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What amount of taste customization can I do with pre-prepared wort (from a kit)?
I really enjoy bitter beers, and would really like to add hops to my next brew. However, I've only done one homebrew so far and it was using a pre-made kit (I used the Edme Bitter wort and malt ...
- 301
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My first homebrew has a very low alcohol content
I just finished my first homebrew (yay!), but my hydrometer is reading a very low alcohol content. I brewed an Edme bitter (pre-made wort and I bought the malt extract) and it tastes great, but it's ...
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My first brew tastes a bit like champage. Did I do something wrong?
I just got finished with my very first brew! It is a blonde that I made from a Mr. Beer kit. It smells and tastes good, but I was a bit worried because it also has sort of a champagne taste. Did I do ...
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Should I boil a hopped malt extract prior to fermentation?
I am an absolute beginner; I've merely helped my brother brew once. I purchased a beer brewing kit and want to get started.
John Palmer's bible suggests that I should throw out the directions that ...
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what could be going on? 1065 to 1010 in 3 days and a half
This is just my first batch so I'm a complete newbie.
I'm brewing a dry euro brown ale (grain + multiextract) and the temperature is between 57-67 f, but my bucket doesn't have a thermometer but I ...
- 215
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Fermentation Activity in the first few days
I know a variant of this question has been asked a million times, but can someone let me know if this behavior is "normal" for a brew?
I'm using Northern Brewer's Caribou Slobber Brown kit.
I brewed ...
- 494
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924
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Brew closet - concerns?
Having recently purchased my new home, and quite happy to be done with apartment living, my mind naturally wanders to wanting to start up some home brew now that I have the space. I have what I think ...
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Beer calculators and batch/boil size with late fermentable additions
It seems to me that the calculator that I have been using for my recipes (Beer Calculus) allows me to change my batch size, but does not let me adjust WHEN I add my fermentables, as to allow for ...
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Belgian/Canadian Tripel Recipe Question
This will be my very first homebrew, but I have been doing a lot of reading, research and practice. My question is, does anything about this recipe I have created look off to any experience brewers?
...
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Mash / Hops Timing Confusion
I am getting started with my first brewing experience, I have some doubt in my mind, and I was hoping someone could clear this up for me once and for all.
I have seen a lot of beer recipes that leave ...
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Is there a way to get an average alcohol reading if I forgot to take a before reading???
Im a first time brewer and everything was going good until i realized i did not take a before reading..... Is there still a way to get an average alcohol reading??? THANKS
user1075
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14
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Good home brewing blogs
Any suggestions for good blogs aimed at home brewers?
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2
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Sloe wine: going very slowly
Since I had enough sloes left over after doing this year's sloe gin, I have a demijohn of sloes fermenting - the first home brewing I've tried. About 2kg of sloes, boiled down with 2kg of sugar, and ...
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Growlers v 12oz Bottles
As an about to brew newbie who foundly remembers his grandfathers home brew bubbling away back in th e late 50's & 60's when iy was actually (still) illegal) in 20g ceramic crock (w/nothing but ...
Ken - BeerHere2010 - ADKBREWCO
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First Time Brewing...am I doing it right?
So I went to my local brewing store, and got a starter kit. It came with a 7 gallon fermenter, a siphon tube, a floating thermometer, bottle caper, bottle caps, bottle scrubber, and sanitizer.
By the ...
chris
4
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2
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171
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Airlock is not moving but gravity has dropped
Well I bought a kit and followed the instructions. It has bee 4 days now and I don't think I have seen my airlock move. I opened the top of my bucket and there was a lot of foam (bubbles). It also ...
bryce