Noob Question

Bradfordlad · Post by **Bradfordlad** » Tue Jul 17, 2012 2:00 pm

Hello

I am gonna try my first ever partial mash/extract brew this coming weekend. In fact it's my first ever attempt at any kind of home-brew

A couple of Q's......

Once it has finished its primary fermentation am i ok to transfer it straight to barrel?
And if dry-hopping, when should i do this? Can i drop some hops into the bucket for a day or so after fermenting and take them out before barrelling?

Hope that makes sense?!

Cheers for any advice!

Dave

stitch · Post by **stitch** » Tue Jul 17, 2012 2:10 pm

Yes, once it has finished its primary fermentation it's good to transfer it straight to the vessel it will be served from - i.e. your pressure barrel - with some priming sugars.

For dry-hopping, throw your hops in after the first few days of vigorous fermentation is over. I believe opinion is split over how long you should leave them in there, from 3-4 days at the low end to 2 weeks at the high end. I think. Also, it's best to weigh them down in a sanitised muslin bag with some sanitised marbles or stainless cutlery.

timbo41 · Post by **timbo41** » Tue Jul 17, 2012 2:16 pm

you could go straight to barrel but my brews always seem to turn out a bit clearer and brighter if left for longer, say another week or so at least and that would be an ideal time to dry hop as c02 in primary tends to drive off any aroma from dry hopping. if you enter dry hopping in forum search engine youll be amazed how much stuff is on here about it. also you dont mention what style of beer youre making that might make a difference as to barrelling or bottling

oh by the way welcome to jims and this messed up hobby

Opinions do of course vary. Hello stitch! But again much of the time its what you find successful first time out that you will continue to do

Bradfordlad · Post by **Bradfordlad** » Tue Jul 17, 2012 2:26 pm

cheers for the quick replies

So i can leave the brew in the fermenter for a week after it has finished fermenting?

I wanted to try something along the lines of Thornbridge Jaipur but after looking at recipes i think it's a bit too advanced for a first try!
I am gonna go to my local HB shop and take their advice, but i will hopefully settle on something close to Sierra Nevada Torpedo...... i think it only uses 3 hop types?

I deffo dont want to get into bottling if i can help it.

stitch · Post by **stitch** » Tue Jul 17, 2012 2:39 pm

Opinions do of course vary. Hello stitch! But again much of the time its what you find successful first time out that you will continue to do

Precisely. At the end of the day you're bound to make some great tasting beer that you can call your own. And fiddle and change things as you please or as you grow more confident.

I deffo dont want to get into bottling if i can help it.

I sort of know what you mean, bottling is annoying, painful and awkward. But once it's done, it's done and I've generally found barrels to be unpredictable and troublesome in the long. But don't let that put you off!

timbo41 · Post by **timbo41** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 9:24 am

Bradfordlad wrote:cheers for the quick replies

So i can leave the brew in the fermenter for a week after it has finished fermenting?

Again this is an issue that raises debate. Some brewers feel that leaving the beer to sit a while longer in the primary vessel allows a greater amount of suspended material to "drop out" hence clearer beer. Others feel that the sediment wil cause off flavours in your beer. I believe this is called diastyl or similar. My own preferred method is to rack off into a secondary fv, add finishing hops and again leave, sometimes adding a small amount of additional fermentables to get a bit of c02 on beer surface as a protective layer, sometimes adding a crushed sodium met (campden) tablet which acts as a peservative. Dependant on beer style i dont worry too much about priming or finings, preferring to let the beer naturally condition over time. I seem to get big froth issues when i prime!!

Again you will find the method that best suits you. I am not familiar with the brews you mentioned so cant advise on best method

Bradfordlad · Post by **Bradfordlad** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 9:46 am

Cheers Timbo!

I will probably buy a 2nd FV and do both primary and secondary before barelling. Plus I can start straight away on another brew. Win Win situation

timbo41 · Post by **timbo41** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 12:57 pm

no worries glad to assist as are most on foum. all new brewers once. in fact today i am attempting a partial mash for first time and totally cocking it up. Having a second fv has great advantages as you have found. get them dead cheap all over, wilkinsons around Â£10 even cheaper elsewhere. i have found the most salient points to stress to new brewers are

be stringent in your cleaning and sanitising
nvr trust kit instructions re time..always leave a bit longer
let the beasties get on with it..dont tamper(always hard)
Get another brew on asap.then another

best of luck Tim

Bradfordlad · Post by **Bradfordlad** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 3:41 pm

Just one final question....... for now.......

Do the FV's need an airlock? I have seen some come pre-drilled and others without a hole in the lid.

Sterilising should be no problem as my other hobby is making chilli sauce so am used to this aspect of it. Leaving the stuff alone may prove slightly trickier

Cheers again for the advice

dave

stitch · Post by **stitch** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 4:51 pm

Do the FV's need an airlock?

Not really. I've done plenty of successful brews with just a lid gently resting on top. But not recently. I think after a couple of failures I started trying to minimise opportunities for infection and fitted airlocks to both my FVs. But in theory it should be okay. Having said that, you don't want any crud falling in.

Bradfordlad · Post by **Bradfordlad** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 4:55 pm

Right. Think i'll play it safe and go for airlocks from the off-set.

simco999 · Post by **simco999** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 7:31 pm

Bradfordlad wrote:Right. Think i'll play it safe and go for airlocks from the off-set.

50 odd brews under my belt inc. kits and TC's. Never used an airlock never will. One chucker due to screwing around with mashing temps. I'm with Ditch on this one.

timbo41 · Post by **timbo41** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 7:41 pm

up to you wouldnt bother with airlocks myself. Co2 produced by primary will put a protective blankey over beer. Also when an airlock stops bubbling it leads you to believe fermentation is done which is bollocks just slows down to a quieter less productive level. Again horses for courses. 14 days in primary will do the job then rack dry hop wait a week or so prime, barrel, sit in anticipation then neck the best beer youve ever made!!

Bradfordlad · Post by **Bradfordlad** » Thu Jul 19, 2012 9:06 am

Right........ I think I have mis-understood the purpose of the air-lock. I guessed that amongst other things it was a type of safety valve to stop the lid flying off if too much co2 is produced.
Take it that is incorrect?

Dominic · Post by **Dominic** » Thu Jul 19, 2012 9:39 am

I'm a newbie too but as I see it, it is a visible valve so you can at least see it is fermenting without taking the lid off and risk getting nasties in there. It also acts as a guide to when it's all getting there. I guess the old pros don't need them as they have the confidence and experience to be able to follow other signs?

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