I started brewing a Ruination clone (my first attempt at homebrewing) 5 weeks ago and I have been extremely busy and havent had a chance to bottle yet. I did 3 weeks in my primary fermenter andtwo weeks now in my secondary. I'm not sure if i have waited to long or not because I was told this should have been done last week, and I am not sure if i will have time to do it this weekend or not.
Congratulations on your fine decision of joining the Homebrew community! Let me be the first to also praise your good taste in beer! As for your question about that extra week in secondary, you should be fine... Post some pics of your brew and the process. Did you do an all-grain or extract kit w/ specialty grains? Where'd you get your kit/recipe from?
Also curious about all your other details i.e.: Water volume pre-boil? Batch size post-boil? Original gravity? At what temp you steep your grains? How'd you cook (electric/gas stove, propane burner, grill, etc.)? Did you boil the whole batch or add water? Any flavor additives? Water additives? (Gypsum, pH hardeners/softeners?) Type of water? (well/city/bottled) Clarifiers? (Irish moss/whirlfloc/gelatin) Let us know the process and ingredients.
No worries. Assuming you already dry hopped, it's probably time to keg or bottle. BTW, most of us don't use secondary fermentations on most of our beers*. It's just not necessary, and carries risk of oxidation that is absent if you just leave it in primary. *big beers (RIS, barleywine), fruit, or sours are types of beers that secondaries are useful on.
Ok... I only have 4 gallons out of a 5 gallon batch... What did I do wrong? And what can I do to fix this??
When I first started, I never took into consideration the amount of water that boils off... Also, note that if you use leaf hops as opposed to pellets, they tend to suck up more water. Additionally, when steeping, your grains also soak up some H2O. Make sure to squeeze the bag gently enough to not extract any chunks, but enough to get most of the concentrated sugars/flavors out with the liquids. I've become quite comfortable with knowing my pot and when it's boiling, etc. I tend to keep the lid closed more than when I first started. By leaving it open the whole boil will cause a fair share of water to be lost due to evaporation. Hope these tips help!
Enjoy 4 gallons of high quality beer! Nothing is broke that needs fixing IMHO... If there would be a fix, it would be getting more ingredients and make another batch!
I hope your first beer turns out great. For your next one, you may want to try a somewhat more simple recipe. It's always best to start with the basics and then move on the the crazy stuff.
Not sure exactly what the recipe is for the Ruination clone, but I tend to think IPAs are nice simple recipes that are good for beginners. Granted, a double IPA has the added difficulty of pitching the appropriate amount of yeast, but aside from that, I think it's a great style to brew. Ipas were the first style I brewed where I actually impressed myself with the quality of beer.
