I put on my first ever batches of home brew yesterday -Coopers Stout -Connoisseur Wheat -Brupaks Trappist Tripel Yes, I know, brewing big beers the first time round, schoolboy error- we'll find out in a few weeks. I have them sitting in my cupboard stinking out my bedroom and I'm very happy to far. This is my first post to this forum, but I have been using the answers from previous questions here to resolve questions I'd had before getting started. I had lots of fun yesterday preparing the brews and already I'm a bit worried this could become an obsession. Are there any support groups for such manias? While I'm finding the fermentation smell charming at the moment, I'm sure I'll get sick of it, so am currently looking at devising a system to keep a constant fermentation temp in what is a freezing loft using a big tub and aquarium heaters. Anyway, I'm bound to be pestering all of you with questions in the near future so I thought it wise to introduce myself first. That's it really, just thanks for all the help you've unwittingly given me so far and I look forward to getting to know people in what seems a great community here. Cheers Andy
Andy, Congrats on your first brew day and welcome to the homebrew forum. A lot of good people on here that should be able to steer you in the right direction when you need it. Good idea getting that fermentation chamber going. The things that helped improve my beers the most were full wort boils (not adding top off water), pitching the right amount of healthy yeast, temp control and oxygenating my wort with pure O2. Combine those four things with good sanitation, fresh ingredients and patience and you will be suprised how good your beers can be. Good luck with your first brews and the many more after that. Cheers, Scott
