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dazzer22

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just about to start my first brew and trying to remember everything i have read and watch so far , so this question is probably a beginner one , Is it ok to do a boil with 2 gallons in one pan and then split the wort up into two 1 gallon demijohns for fermentation
 
just about to start my first brew and trying to remember everything i have read and watch so far , so this question is probably a beginner one , Is it ok to do a boil with 2 gallons in one pan and then split the wort up into two 1 gallon demijohns for fermentation
Yes ...no issue whatsoever and you could even brew with different yeast and dry hop differently as well ..
 
yes no problem but to get 2 gallon you will need to have more than 2 gallon to start with as some will evaporate with boiling
 
thanks for all the tips , i am doing the 60 min boil and all is going well , it didn't got quite to plain as i was going to use a muslin bag but did get any so had to drain the malt with a strainer instead and find extra pans could have done with an extra 15L pan . should i just shake the yeast into the demijohn , it says on the pack to add to 100ml water 25c-30c sprinkle yeast wait 15 min
 
should i just shake the yeast into the demijohn , it says on the pack to add to 100ml water 25c-30c sprinkle yeast wait 15 min
well done athumb..
how you add the yeast won’t have been too critical so long as the wort has cooled down sufficiently - hopefully not too long before you see signs of activity…
 
i think maybe i should have took the temp of the wort before adding the yeast but the pan felt cool , I noticed in the s airlock after i used some vodka in them it moved to one side , the side that enters the demijohn not sure if that's normal and i might have add to much vodka in one of the airlocks. its been 7 hours
 
You'll be fine :-)
The movement you have seen is probably just the air in the headspace of the demijohn contracting a bit as it cools down - that's quite normal.
It quite normal for there to be no visible activity for at least 24-48 hrs; although sometimes it does get off quicker than that
Patience is the brewers best friend athumb..
 
Definitely in future always check the temp before pitching the yeast.

Why vodka in the fermentation locks??
 
i read something about vodka being good to kill germs so i put some in the airlock , but its not the only thing i did because i added some tap water to the wart to cool it down and i am not so sure i should have done that although the tap water is normally clean, I am still learning and i do think my next brew will improve on this .
 
don't start getting anal over adding tap water I've done it for years the anals will tell you to boil and cool but I am sure if its safe to drink its safe to add to wort as long as you have a good clean and sanitation method its no problem athumb..
 
don't start getting anal over adding tap water I've done it for years the anals will tell you to boil and cool but I am sure if its safe to drink its safe to add to wort as long as you have a good clean and sanitation method its no problem athumb..
I add cold filtered tap water to help cool my batches.
 
Definitely in future always check the temp before pitching the yeast.

Why vodka in the fermentation locks??
I'm pretty careful and rarely make a process error, but I nearly always forget that drawing off a bit of beer is going to suck back through the fermentation lock. I don't know why, it's like a blind spot. For that reason I always use fruit preserving alcohol (40% abv, at €13 a litre, it's cheaper than vodka) in the airlock. To tell the truth, I've stopped using them and just plug the bung hole with a bit of cotton wool or some kitchen towel.
 
don't start getting anal over adding tap water I've done it for years the anals will tell you to boil and cool but I am sure if its safe to drink its safe to add to wort as long as you have a good clean and sanitation method its no problem athumb..
true but its not something i will probably do next time i was in a hurry and wanted to go bed , i think i got the sanitation right I used some Chemsan and boiling water , just want the brew to start bubbling now :oops:
 
I'm pretty careful and rarely make a process error, but I nearly always forget that drawing off a bit of beer is going to suck back through the fermentation lock. I don't know why, it's like a blind spot. For that reason I always use fruit preserving alcohol (40% abv, at €13 a litre, it's cheaper than vodka) in the airlock. To tell the truth, I've stopped using them and just plug the bung hole with a bit of cotton wool or some kitchen towel.
that's something i picked up on with the airlock it came with red caps i thought they where just covers to keep clean in storage, do they need to be on the airlock , what dose the cotton do?
 
Clearly it depends on your set-up. I use fermentation locks only with demi-johns, and there is never going to be any blow-back or risk of mixture between what's in the fermentation lock and the beer. So I just use tap-water. if your set-up is such that there is chance of that happening, as An Ankou says, then using alcohol makes senses.

I do what The-Engineer-That-Brews says, and start with a bucket with the lid on loosely. Then I transfer to demi-johns under locks later. So the peak fermentation, when things might get really lively, doesn't actually happen under fermentation locks. I discard the red tops.

Every beer I've ever made (and that's a lot of beer) has been made with 100% tap-water.
 

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