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Date: 14 Aug 2006 18:36:03
From: wpattison
Subject: First Batch Down - Couple of Questions...
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Hello All,
This past weekend, I took the plunge and began my homebrewing "career".
I got a kit from the local homebrew store, and decided upon an
American-style Wheat. (I'm a sucker for the wheat's...)
The setup/preparation/sanitization went great. I've been reading
everything I can, and the whole cleanliness factor really hit home.
Also, I've read alot about how your wort can boil over. This brings me
to my first question: what's the best way to clean up that sticky
wort? <g >
It went like this: I'm an experienced amatuer cook. I've had many a
boilover's. When Charles Papzian mentioned in his Joy of Homebrewing
that this could happen, I made a mental note to be vigilant.
Unfortunately, Charles, and every other source I've read on homebrewing
neglect to relay how violent a heated wort can be. My wort was at a
rolling boil - as per directions - when I decided to make sure that
things weren't sticking to the bottom of the brewpot. As soon as my
spoon hit the wort, I got a good 3-4 inches of super-hot wort thrown up
in the air, and subsequently all over the stovetop, counters, floor,
walls, etc. This "boilover" wasn't your run-of-the-mill boilover, it
exploded.
After recovering, I continued on with the process. Half an ounce of
Hallertauer at full boil, and then another half an ounce at post-boil
for aroma/flavoring. Cooling the wort in the double-sink took a while,
and once I got it to 90 degrees, I ladeled it to the fermenter. I then
topped off the fermenter with another 3 gallons of cold tap.
Unfortunately, "cold" here in Texas is approximately 85 degrees. The
O.G. at this point came out to 1.035. This prompts the next question:
when adjusting the hydrometer reading for the temperature, I've read it
changes .001 for every 7 degrees above 60. Is that the temperature of
the wort, or room temperature? If it's room temp - then my final O.G.
should be 1.038 to 1.039 - which is in range for what I'm brewing (room
temp at that point was ~85 degrees).
By this time, I already had the yeast proofing in a pyrex measuring
cup. So I soaked a towel, wrapped the fermenter, and put a fan on it.
That was at 9pm last night. At midnight, the temperature strip still
wasn't registering below 80. This morning at 6:45am it showed 77
degrees, so I pitched the yeast and Bru-Vigor. If I had written this
earlier today, I would have asked my 3rd question on if that's OK to
cool the wort all night and then pitch the yeast that had proofed all
night. But, I'm happy to report I'm getting the airlock popping every
second, so we have fermentation! <g >
The kitchen looks like a war zone, tho. So far Formula 409
Cleaner/Degreaser seems the best at cleaning the wort. Unfortunately
the cabinets are still sticking when you open them.
I'm sure I'll have more questions later. Thanks in advance for any
replies, and thanks again for the help I've gotten on here so far. BTW
- for logging my brews, I've found this awesome tool called the
BrewBlog - www.brewblogger.net.
Happy Brewing,
Warren
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Date: 15 Aug 2006 09:37:13
From: Ryan Case
Subject: Re: First Batch Down - Couple of Questions...
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wpattison wrote:
> Hello All,
>
> This past weekend, I took the plunge and began my homebrewing "career".
> I got a kit from the local homebrew store, and decided upon an
> American-style Wheat. (I'm a sucker for the wheat's...)
>
> The setup/preparation/sanitization went great. I've been reading
> everything I can, and the whole cleanliness factor really hit home.
> Also, I've read alot about how your wort can boil over. This brings me
> to my first question: what's the best way to clean up that sticky
> wort? <g>
>
> It went like this: I'm an experienced amatuer cook. I've had many a
> boilover's. When Charles Papzian mentioned in his Joy of Homebrewing
> that this could happen, I made a mental note to be vigilant.
> Unfortunately, Charles, and every other source I've read on homebrewing
> neglect to relay how violent a heated wort can be. My wort was at a
> rolling boil - as per directions - when I decided to make sure that
> things weren't sticking to the bottom of the brewpot. As soon as my
> spoon hit the wort, I got a good 3-4 inches of super-hot wort thrown up
> in the air, and subsequently all over the stovetop, counters, floor,
> walls, etc. This "boilover" wasn't your run-of-the-mill boilover, it
> exploded.
>
> After recovering, I continued on with the process. Half an ounce of
> Hallertauer at full boil, and then another half an ounce at post-boil
> for aroma/flavoring. Cooling the wort in the double-sink took a while,
> and once I got it to 90 degrees, I ladeled it to the fermenter. I then
> topped off the fermenter with another 3 gallons of cold tap.
> Unfortunately, "cold" here in Texas is approximately 85 degrees. The
> O.G. at this point came out to 1.035. This prompts the next question:
> when adjusting the hydrometer reading for the temperature, I've read it
> changes .001 for every 7 degrees above 60. Is that the temperature of
> the wort, or room temperature? If it's room temp - then my final O.G.
> should be 1.038 to 1.039 - which is in range for what I'm brewing (room
> temp at that point was ~85 degrees).
It is the temperature of the test sample.
The hotter a water mixture gets, and this is a broad generalization, the
thinner it gets until you reach the point where the water evaporates off
in a steam and leaves all the stuff that was in solution behind. This
has to do with the molecules being excited by heat and expanding and
needing more space for them to spin around and bump into one another if
memory serves correct.
The hydrometer shows the relative "thickness" of a solution to pure
water as a function of the buoyancy of the hydrometer in the solution.
Thicker solutions make things floating in them more bouyant. So in the
inverse, things float lower in thinner liquids. This concept is drilled
into you when you take your open water scuba diving certification
becuase most of the training is done in a fresh water pool. But when you
go to take your final exam in the ocean, in most places, the water is
thicker with salt so you need to increase the weight you use to make
yourself sink.
Testing the wort hotter then the hydrometer was calibrated for will make
the hydrometer float lower because the solution is thinner for buoyancy
purposes when it is hotter. That is why they give the adjustment scale.
Sorry if this was long winded and more then you wanted to know. I also
hope I didn't offend by telling you things you already knew. I was just
excited that there was a question I felt I knew the answer to.
Ryan
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Date: 15 Aug 2006 09:50:57
From: Mark R
Subject: Re: First Batch Down - Couple of Questions...
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"wpattison" <warrenpattison@gmail.com > wrote in message
>
> By this time, I already had the yeast proofing in a pyrex measuring
> cup. So I soaked a towel, wrapped the fermenter, and put a fan on it.
> That was at 9pm last night. At midnight, the temperature strip still
> wasn't registering below 80. This morning at 6:45am it showed 77
> degrees, so I pitched the yeast and Bru-Vigor. If I had written this
> earlier today, I would have asked my 3rd question on if that's OK to
> cool the wort all night and then pitch the yeast that had proofed all
> night. But, I'm happy to report I'm getting the airlock popping every
> second, so we have fermentation! <g>
I hope you had it covered. You really need to chill it faster than that and
I would suggest you invest in or make a wort chiller before you do your
second brew. At a minimum you could put the pot in the sink and fill the
sink with ice and water. The ice bath isn't near as good as a chiller but
way better than the wet towel. I started the same way you did and after the
first batch I built an immersion wort chiller and picked up a turkey fryer
from Academy Sports. Those two items were the best improvement I've made to
my brew gear. Of course that may change as I just bought my first cornie
kegs and will have beer on tap soon after the last piece of meat comes out
of the chest freezer.
> The kitchen looks like a war zone, tho. So far Formula 409
> Cleaner/Degreaser seems the best at cleaning the wort. Unfortunately
> the cabinets are still sticking when you open them.
A nylon scrubbie pad applied lightly with the 409 might help. On the backs
of the cabinet doors nobody will notice any slight scuffing. On the stove
and out side of your pot you could try oven cleaner. A good soak with PBW
would work for the inside of the pot.
Mark R
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Date: 15 Aug 2006 11:49:28
From: wpattison
Subject: Re: First Batch Down - Couple of Questions...
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Oh yeah - I'm ordering the How To Brew book as well. Another person
here in the area highly recommended that book, too.
wpattison wrote:
> All - thanks a ton for the replies. Some clarifications and an update:
>
> 1) Yep - I had the wort covered overnight as if it had already started
> fermenting.
> 2) I actually did utilize an icewater bath in the sink. I have a
> double sink, so I would chill in one, switch to the other, refresh the
> water, etc.
> 3) If I had stayed up an hour longer, I'm sure I could have pitched
> the yeast at 1am or something like that.
> 4) I'm already planning on getting the immersion chiller - I don't
> think it's optional for where I live (in the summertime, that is).
> 5) The kitchen is *almost* back to normal. :-)
> 6) Readjusting the hydrometer reading for the temp of the wort, I'm
> getting an O.G. of 1.040. According to the BJCP, that's right in line
> with what I'm brewing - an American-style Wheat.
> (http://www.bjcp.org/styles04/Category6.html) I know this probably
> doesn't mean much after the explanation from Shaggy, but it's still
> gratifying. :-D (BTW - thanks for the explanation Ryan and Shaggy!)
> 7) Since it's a wheat I'm brewing - I can handle some haze. :)
>
> Now, a followup: I got home last night to a fermenter airlock that was
> bubbling away quite rapidly. That was so gratifying to see that. I
> would estimate the rate to be 2 bubbles/second. This morning, that had
> slowed a little. I wanted to badly to pop the lid and take a peek, and
> even thought about justifying a gravity measurement, but patience won
> out and I left it alone.
>
> Anyway, thanks again all and I'll report back with an update next
> weekend.
>
> -Warren
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Date: 15 Aug 2006 11:48:05
From: wpattison
Subject: Re: First Batch Down - Couple of Questions...
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All - thanks a ton for the replies. Some clarifications and an update:
1) Yep - I had the wort covered overnight as if it had already started
fermenting.
2) I actually did utilize an icewater bath in the sink. I have a
double sink, so I would chill in one, switch to the other, refresh the
water, etc.
3) If I had stayed up an hour longer, I'm sure I could have pitched
the yeast at 1am or something like that.
4) I'm already planning on getting the immersion chiller - I don't
think it's optional for where I live (in the summertime, that is).
5) The kitchen is *almost* back to normal. :-)
6) Readjusting the hydrometer reading for the temp of the wort, I'm
getting an O.G. of 1.040. According to the BJCP, that's right in line
with what I'm brewing - an American-style Wheat.
(http://www.bjcp.org/styles04/Category6.html) I know this probably
doesn't mean much after the explanation from Shaggy, but it's still
gratifying. :-D (BTW - thanks for the explanation Ryan and Shaggy!)
7) Since it's a wheat I'm brewing - I can handle some haze. :)
Now, a followup: I got home last night to a fermenter airlock that was
bubbling away quite rapidly. That was so gratifying to see that. I
would estimate the rate to be 2 bubbles/second. This morning, that had
slowed a little. I wanted to badly to pop the lid and take a peek, and
even thought about justifying a gravity measurement, but patience won
out and I left it alone.
Anyway, thanks again all and I'll report back with an update next
weekend.
-Warren
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Date: 15 Aug 2006 17:27:51
From: John 'Shaggy' Kolesar
Subject: Re: First Batch Down - Couple of Questions...
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On 14 Aug 2006 18:36:03 -0700, <warrenpattison@gmail.com > wrote:
> This past weekend, I took the plunge and began my homebrewing "career".
> I got a kit from the local homebrew store, and decided upon an
> American-style Wheat. (I'm a sucker for the wheat's...)
Welcome to the obsession... I mean hobby.
> It went like this: I'm an experienced amatuer cook. I've had many a
> boilover's. When Charles Papzian mentioned in his Joy of Homebrewing
IMO, I would highly recommend reading www.howtobrew.com (you can also
buy a printed copy) instead of Joy of Homebrewing. Nothing specifically
against Papazian, but you have to remember that his book was written 20
years ago. There is a lot of information in Joy of Homebrewing that is
either wrong or outdated.
> I then topped off the fermenter with another 3 gallons of cold tap.
> Unfortunately, "cold" here in Texas is approximately 85 degrees. The
> O.G. at this point came out to 1.035. This prompts the next question:
> when adjusting the hydrometer reading for the temperature, I've read it
> changes .001 for every 7 degrees above 60. Is that the temperature of
> the wort, or room temperature? If it's room temp - then my final O.G.
> should be 1.038 to 1.039 - which is in range for what I'm brewing (room
> temp at that point was ~85 degrees).
You adjust for the temp of the wort. Also, don't be surprised if your
OG reading comes out really weird. A lot of partial boil extract brewers
run into this. When you top up with water, the water and wort do not mix
well together. Even if you think you've stirred like crazy, it still
probably isn't well mixed. This tends to really throw off your hydrometer
readings. It is probably much more accurate to calculate the OG of an
extract batch than it is to measure it (unless you're doing full boils). If
the recipe predicted an OG, and you made the same batch size with the correct
amount of ingredients, then you should be able to assume that your OG was
what the recipe said it would be.
> By this time, I already had the yeast proofing in a pyrex measuring
> cup. So I soaked a towel, wrapped the fermenter, and put a fan on it.
> That was at 9pm last night. At midnight, the temperature strip still
> wasn't registering below 80. This morning at 6:45am it showed 77
> degrees, so I pitched the yeast and Bru-Vigor. If I had written this
> earlier today, I would have asked my 3rd question on if that's OK to
> cool the wort all night and then pitch the yeast that had proofed all
> night. But, I'm happy to report I'm getting the airlock popping every
> second, so we have fermentation! <g>
IMO, I think it would be a good idea to find a way of chilling your wort
more quickly than letting it sit overnight. Besides the whole thing
about wanting to pitch the yeast quickly, there is also something called
a cold break that occurs when you rapidly chill the wort. The cold break
will help improve the clarity of your beer. If you chill the wort slowly,
you will usually end up with cloudy/hazy beer.
There are several options for chilling your wort. Given that you're doing
smaller boils, one thing that works pretty well is an ice water bath.
Basically you fill your sink about halfway with ice water. Once you are
done boiling you take the pot off the stove and set it down into the
sink (make sure that it's not deep enough that ice water ends up in the
pot). The ice water in the sink will really help cool down the boiling hot
wort pretty quickly. Usually about 20 minutes of this, and you can add
your top up water and end up with the temp low enough that you can pitch
your yeast right away, instead of having to wait overnight.
If you want to go higher end than that, you can look into wort chillers.
They're really nice, but not absolutely necessary for partial boils.
John.
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