My first batch - questions/observations

The warmer the fermentation, the more yeast esters that are produced. Depending on the style you are brewing, this can be a good thing or a bad thing. Your OG should be just fine. As Charlie would say... Relax, have a home brew....

Welcome to the addiction, BTW!!

 

1) Totally ok to throw in your yeast pack as is. Re-hydrating is a debatable topic, but I bet you will come out ok here.

2) It's not uncommon to see so much activity in 12-14 hrs. Especially since it was so warm. For future reference, your pitching temperature might have been too warm. When fermentation is finished, you might want to let it sit in your carboy for an extra week or so (at least 2 weeks total time). And if you bottle carbonate, you might want to let it sit in the bottles for a while as well to let the yeast clean things up.

3) No cause for concern here. That is totally acceptable. If you correct for temperature (I think you said 80 F), I bet you will be sitting right at 1.052

 

1) Some homebrewers simply sprinkle the dry yeast in. Some of the yeast will die from the absorption of wort but the theory is that there is a lot of yeast cells in a packet so even with some yeast cell death you still have plenty of yeast cells to get the job done. Rehydrating the dry yeast will mitigate yeast cell death when pitched into the wort. I prefer to rehydrate my dry yeast to optimize yeast cell count when pitching dry yeast.

2) Starting off so hot (e.g., 82-84 degrees) is not good practice. Hot temperatures will not only increase the production of esters (e.g., fruity flavors, solvent flavors) but it will also encourage the production of fusel oils (higher alcohols) which can provide a harsh flavor. I would encourage you to conduct an extended (2 weeks) conditioning phase after signs of fermentation are complete. This will aid in the ‘processing’ of fusel oils (if they exist).


3) For all intents of purposes an OG reading of 1.052 is the ‘same’ as 1.050. It could be as simple as a reading error or if you top of with water a difference in volume issue. Just practice getting close and don’t be too concerned about replicating the OG value exactly.

For your next batch takes measures to have the wort in the proper temperature range and then pitch the yeast (rehydrate the dry yeast if you want or just sprinkle if you want).

Cheers!

 

You don't need to do a secondary for this beer. Recipe kit instructions often suck. Some extra time on the yeast won't hurt, to help clean up any fusels from your high fermentation temps, but you can do that in the primary.

 

That is how I homebrew.

I must confess that I was a bit disappointed that the instructions mentioned such a high temperature (78 degrees F) for pitching the yeast.

I have a Robust Porter in my bucket right now where I used Danstar Windsor yeast. I pitched at 66 degrees F and I never let the fermentation temperature exceed 70 degrees F throughout the primary fermentation.

A temperature like 82-84 degrees F is too high for this yeast strain (and most yeast strains). There are a few Saison yeast strains which can 'operate' properly in this temperature range.

Cheers!

 

Temperature control is most important during active fermentation in primary. Something to consider: the inside of your carboy is actually 1-2 degrees warmer than what the surface temp of your carboy is. So, if your carboy says 74, it is probably fermenting closer to 76. But as far as both stages go, secondary is not as big of a deal. But like Vikeman said, there is no need for you to transfer to a secondary container. It really increases the chances for contamination / mistakes. I suggest just leaving it in your primary carboy for a minimum of 2 weeks.

 

I am assuming that your carboy that you obtained is a 5 gallon carboy, is that correct?

If it is indeed a 5 gallon carboy you can not ferment a 5 gallon batch of beer in it. You need some headspace. For example a 6.5 gallon carboy can ferment a 5 gallon batch of beer.

Cheers!

 

Only time will tell.

How big is said carboy? If it was meant to be a secondary, I bet it is 5 gallons. Trying to brew 5 gallons of beer in a 5 gallon container will guarantee a bad time. There won't be any room for krausen. The good news is, a fermenting bucket is cheap. That being said, brew what you like. There is a book called "Brewing Classic Styles" that has great recipes.

My $0.02 if you are just itching to brew another: Find a local home brew store. Get a Fermentation bucket and 2 books ("How to Brew", & "Brewing Classic Styles").

 

Amen. Don't be a slave to a dumb'ed-down recipe. This is what recipe would publish about how long to condition the beer if they weren't worried about scaring off new brewers (it's a long read):
https://www.morebeer.com/articles/conditioning
Even the originator of the article, MoreBeer, doesn't include this in their instructions.

You can use the 5'er as a primary, just keep the level in the 3.5 - 4 range. A one gallon brew in a 5 gallon carboy will give too much headspace . . . it's certainly possible but I would worry about oxidation. Many brewers on this Forum will suggest reserving the use of a secondary to beers that require extended aging/dh'ing/fruit-additions . . . most every other style does well with a single stage.

 

I pretty much did the same thing. So do most people.

 

Another helpful technique is to use the search function of this forum. In all probability whatever question(s) you have, have been posted/asked before.

Cheers!

 

The main uses for a secondary fermentor are when you want to bulk age a high alcohol beer such as an imperial stout, Belgian quad, etc., or if you are going to 'age' your beer in oak chips or fruit, etc.

You seem anxious to brew another batch of something, and using your secondary for a 2.5 gallon batch is okay. However, and I'm not recommending this option for you since you are new at this hobby, some homebrewers who want a quick turnaround of their primary fermentor will transfer a beer to a 5 gallon fermentor after the bulk of the fermentation is complete and there is no change of krausen rising up through your airlock because of the reduced head space in the smaller carboy. I don't recommend this to you because moving beer in this type of procedure creates an unnecessary exposure to a mess-up when siphoning and exposing your beer to oxygen, or perish the thought, wild yeast in the air. But you can keep this 'extra' use of a secondary fermentor in mind for when you are more experienced, and you have a need for a quick brewing session to help get your fridge filled.