Complete novice

[Fizzy]

Hi

Thanks for the add & hello from Worcester UK

Home brewing is a whole new world for me so no doubt lots of pending queries. I just pitched my first brew 3 days ago. Looks like it’s meant to be doing what it should but of course got very little to compare it to.

Keep you posted.

Cheers.

 

[Dicko]

Welcome fizzy.
It's a great hobby you're starting out on and there's lots of knowledgeable members here who will be more than happy to help you along the way.
What have you chosen as your first brew?

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Welcome to the forum :

 

[Fizzy]

What have you chosen as your first brew?

My Sis in law bought me a 40 pint Woodfords Sundew kit for my birthday, so i'm really starting out basic by just adding water & a yeast sachet, though do intend to get more scientific with experience.

Now I realise the following is in the wrong part of the forum but since i'm typing I'll ask anyway.

In all honesty I have my reservations that I may not of sanitised my fermenting bin correctly i;e after re reading the instructions I didn't use enough crystals.
I did however come up with my own invention for steam sterilising too with a couple of old car tyres, a saucepan & a camping stove, get it bubbling & sit the upside down fermenting bin upside down over the top.

Not that i've seen or heard of anyone doing this before but it just seemed logical, I do tend to think outside of the box with most things.

I have fermentation, 5 days in its pretty much completed its primary fermentation, It smells ok, i've just popped the lid off & fished a bit out with a freshly sterilised ladle & tried a little bit out of curiosity, tastes fine.

Just out of interest if I have any unwanted contamination at what point would this show itself?

 

[Gerryjo]

Hi and welcome to the forum....

 

[terrym]

Welcome to the forum.
I use both VWP and Starsan. Both are effective although Starsan is easier to use. It is fairly expensive but will go a long way when diluted. I make up some up in a spray bottle and use that.
So when I sanitise my FV all I do is rinse it out with mains water, give it a good wipe down with several pieces of kitchen roll, pour off- the-boil water onto all the internal surfaces, pour it out after a minute or two, drain, then spray with Starsan, and leave it for a few minutes. I always then rinse out with clean water again before adding the wort but many will say this is unnecessary. And when its been used I do it all again, and allow it to air dry. And that's me, but for every homebrewer there will be another way of doing it. And scrubbing out an FV is not a good idea imo since you will scratch it.
Finally this might be useful
Basic beginners guide to brewing your own beer from a kit - The HomeBrew Forum

 

[GerritT]

I have fermentation, 5 days in its pretty much completed its primary fermentation, It smells ok, i've just popped the lid off & fished a bit out with a freshly sterilised ladle & tried a little bit out of curiosity, tastes fine.

Just out of interest if I have any unwanted contamination at what point would this show itself?

Could be in fermentation, could be in botteling. You DO have plenty bottles? And you already ran them through the dishwasher? The swingtops too if you use them?
Sanitiser has a price, but mine is dosed at 2 teaspoons per gallon, and if you fill a tub with it, first you can drag the bottles through it and at the end use it to give your fermenting bin a swirl with it, after you cleansed that of course. Cleaning is not sanitising and same the other way around.
Good to see you here! :thumb:

 

[Fizzy]

Could be in fermentation, could be in botteling. You DO have plenty bottles? And you already ran them through the dishwasher?

Yep

Plenty of bottles and counting, my local pub landlady is also saving all of hers for me too so should have about 100 in circulation very shortly.
Bottle capper & a bag of caps at the ready.

They've been through the dishwasher then I've been tin foiling the tops and baking them in the oven at 170 deg C for an hour.

Just dropped a hydrometer into a sample tube & I think I'm 24 hours off bottling my first ever batch of home brew, I accidentally syphoned a mouthful, and although only at the end of primary fermentation actually tastes really good, almost like beer strangely enough. :)

 

[GerritT]

Yep

Plenty of bottles and counting, my local pub landlady is also saving all of hers for me too so should have about 100 in circulation very shortly.
Bottle capper & a bag of caps at the ready.

They've been through the dishwasher then I've been tin foiling the tops and baking them in the oven at 170 deg C for an hour.

Just dropped a hydrometer into a sample tube & I think I'm 24 hours off bottling my first ever batch of home brew, I accidentally syphoned a mouthful, and although only at the end of primary fermentation actually tastes really good, almost like beer strangely enough. :)

That's... more cleansing than I actually do with my bottles so you're considered safe there! :shock: