Getting Started (Concerns over first batch)

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by Josbor11, Jan 12, 2016.

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  1. PapaGoose03

    PapaGoose03 Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,057) May 30, 2005 Michigan
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    Just don't shove that racking cane into the trub. Try to estimate the bottom of the cane being just above the trub. Are you bottling directly from your fermentor or do you have a bottling bucket with a spigot and a filling wand?

    I make 4 gallons of sanitizer in a plastic 7.5 gallon fermenting bucket each time I brew, and then again when I bottle. Everything gets washed and then sits for a while in the sanitizer. Actually I skipped telling you a step there. After washing things I put them in a bucket with an iodophor solution, and then later I rinse that iodophor odor in a bucket of sanitizing solution. (I practice over-kill.) Others have posted in these forum that Star San in a spray bottle is their preferred method. That certainly sounds more convenient to use, but I have never looked into doing that because my home brew supply store doesn't carry that brand.

    However, my point is with the first comment asking about a bottling bucket, is that it can serve double duty.
     
    #21 PapaGoose03, Jan 13, 2016
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  2. Josbor11

    Josbor11 Initiate (0) Dec 21, 2013 Ohio

    Since its just a one gallon starter batch I'm bottling from the kettle which will act as my bottling bucket. To elaborate, will boil the sugar and water in the kettle then siphon from carboy to kettle then from kettle to bottles. I wonder if I am under sanitizing. I was under the impression that a simple soak in b-brite for a few minutes did the trick. Should I be washing them too beforehand and using iodophor? The star san spray bottle seems like an easy enough idea, but I would be nervous that a spray bottle wouldn't get proper coverage for tubes or anything with an inside.
     
    #22 Josbor11, Jan 13, 2016
  3. PapaGoose03

    PapaGoose03 Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,057) May 30, 2005 Michigan
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    Okay, gotcha' on the kettle being used as a bottling bucket. However, I suggest that you make your sugar solution in a smaller pan and then add it after cooling into your kettle. Trying to make a sugar solution in your kettle seems to me like it could easily scorch the sugar, but go ahead if you plan to keep close watch on it. Be sure to stir the beer gently with no splashing after combining it with the sugar solution so the sugar is well mixed into the beer, otherwise you'll have uneven carbonation among your bottles.

    Sanitizing with a soaking in B-Brite after a good washing with soap and hot water should be enough. I use a different brand from B-Brite, but I assume a 3-minute soaking is what is recommended by any sanitizer for anything that contacts your sterile beer. I just go the extra step with a soaking in the iodophor solution first just to give me some peace of mind. I never skip the soap and water either, although it also seems like overkill at times.
     
    #23 PapaGoose03, Jan 13, 2016
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  4. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    It is my understanding that B-Brite is a cleaner. Is it a sanitizer as well? If so, what is the required contact time? Does it need to be rinsed?

    Cheers!
     
    #24 JackHorzempa, Jan 13, 2016
  5. PapaGoose03

    PapaGoose03 Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,057) May 30, 2005 Michigan
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    It sounds like you are right, Jack, but someone on HomeBrewTalk says that it is a cleanser and a sanitizer if there is a 30 minute soak. (I assume this info came off of that person's container label.) And the first reply to that thread was that this stuff definitely needs to be well rinsed. @Josbor11 is this what your container's label says?
     
    #25 PapaGoose03, Jan 13, 2016
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  6. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    Below is from the BSG website:

    “B-BRITE™ is an eco-friendly cleaner that uses sodium percarbonate and sodium carbonate to remove stains, beerstone and other fermentation residues. It contains no chlorine (contrast C-BRITE™) and no disulfites (contrast sodium metabisulfite and potassium metabisulfite). While it is not a sanitizer or disinfectant, B-BRITE™ has moderate antimicrobial properties that are beneficial in fermentation settings. It is safe to use on all materials.

    Recommended Usage

    Dissolve one tablespoon of B-BRITE™ per gallon of warm water (4 mL per L). Wash equipment with B-BRITE™ solution and then rinse with clear, cold water. For descaling of significant mineral buildup, a 20-30 minute soak in B-BRITE™ solution might be required. Rinse with clear, cold water after soaking.”

    Based upon the above information I personally would not utilize B-Brite as a sanitizer.

    Cheers!

    http://bsghandcraft.com/index.php/b-brite-cleanser-8-oz-tub.html
     
    #26 JackHorzempa, Jan 13, 2016
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  7. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    I agree with @JackHorzempa. "Moderate antimicrobial properties that are beneficial in fermentation settings" could equally apply to soap.
     
    #27 VikeMan, Jan 13, 2016
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  8. Josbor11

    Josbor11 Initiate (0) Dec 21, 2013 Ohio

    Thanks guys, will just grab some star san instead. More expensive but looks like the bottle would last quite a while.

    Not really pertinent to what I'm doing now, but when you start making five gallon batches are you boiling five gallons or are you boiling more than that to account for the evaporation loss? I noticed when I made this batch (especially noticeable for one gallon) that I lost a pretty significant amount of liquid during the boil. It said to add water if needed to get back to the fill line and I did. I'm wondering if adding water after the boil is bad for the brew though or if it's wiser to start off with a higher quantity of water so that at the end of the boil you're closer to your target volume.
     
    #28 Josbor11, Jan 13, 2016
    Last edited: Jan 13, 2016
  9. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    Yes, you need to start off with > 5 gallons to account for evaporation. How much you start off will be dependent on your brewhouse: how vigorously you boil.
    Adding 'top off' water is not bad for the batch you brewed. For upcoming batches just start off with more wort to account for evaporation.

    Cheers!
     
    #29 JackHorzempa, Jan 13, 2016
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  10. Josbor11

    Josbor11 Initiate (0) Dec 21, 2013 Ohio

    Sorry to reboot this, but had question about measuring OG and didn't want to start a new thread.

    The FG for that IPA finished at 1.011 which seems to fall in the suggested range based off a chart I found online so not too worried about that one. I bottled it Saturday so will have to see how it tastes in a couple weeks.

    In the mean time I wanted to try another smaller batch and opted for a milk stout recipe this time which I brewed this morning. Once I finished the boil and moved it to the ice bath I let it drop to roughly 70 degrees then I took my OG right from the kettle using a wine thief. It was kind of difficult to get a reading because there was about in inch of foam at the top but I'm pretty sure I marked it correctly. OG ended up at about 1.085 which seems pretty high for a milk stout. It's worth noting that within the thief the bottom seemed a lot darker and cloudier than the top half (pretty sure some sediment got in and settled down low) so this could have possibly thrown the reading off but not sure about this one. Any who, I transferred it into the one gallon glass carboy with a funnel and mesh strainer and it was a little low after the boil so I had to top off with clean filtered water again. I actually started off by adding just under half a quart extra this time to help counter evaporation loss which made a great difference but I still needed to add (if I had to guess probably around a cup). Afterwards I got to thinking, topping it off with water would have lowered the density compared to what it read before being topped off, correct? Should I have measured the OG at this point instead? I'm thinking I did my hydrometer reading a little too early. Problem is the wine thief I have doesn't fit into the opening of the one gallon carboy so I can't really take a sample unless I siphon and that seem's like a pain in the ass just to get a sample (I don't have an auto siphon). Also for what it's worth, I plan on getting a five gallon kit soon so it's not worth the investment to buy an auto siphon or a smaller wine thief that fits my current setup.
     
    #30 Josbor11, Jan 18, 2016
  11. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    Yes.
     
    #31 VikeMan, Jan 18, 2016
  12. Josbor11

    Josbor11 Initiate (0) Dec 21, 2013 Ohio

    Okay that's what I thought, thanks. Sucks I didn't get the right reading before pitching the yeast but at the same time I'm just happy I'm understanding how it all works. Not sure if I will bother with any more one gallon batches after this but hypothetically speaking for the future, if I wanted to take a reading after I top off the carboy couldn't I just pour some of the wort from the carboy into the top opening of the wine thief using a funnel or would this be bad for the beer? This is before the yeast is added in obviously, so I'm assuming it would be safe but want to make sure first.
     
    #32 Josbor11, Jan 18, 2016
  13. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    As long as everything is sanitized, it would be okay.
     
    #33 VikeMan, Jan 18, 2016
  14. Josbor11

    Josbor11 Initiate (0) Dec 21, 2013 Ohio

    So the whole don't shake or pour your beer rule only apply once fermentation begins then?
     
    #34 Josbor11, Jan 18, 2016
  15. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    Basically. Shake it all you want before fermentation. You want the oxygenation anyway. Once fermentation begins, don't shake or pour.
     
    #35 VikeMan, Jan 18, 2016
  16. PapaGoose03

    PapaGoose03 Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,057) May 30, 2005 Michigan
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    Just be sure to mix the top-off water into the wort very well before you take that sample and OG reading.
     
    #36 PapaGoose03, Jan 18, 2016
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