First Brew - First Mistake

[AntComo]

Hey guys!

So the time finally came to test out the new kit and brew my first beer. I brewed up a can of Coopers Pale Ale with the brew enhancer and am currently waiting for it to ferment.

I messed up something at the start though and I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with this and how it may affect the beer.

Rather than pitch the dry yeast as per the instructions, I took Palmer's advice from the book and 'activated' it first in a pot of warm boiled water. Ie, not boiling.

I boiled the kettled and left it for ten minutes or so, measured out 250 ml as written (into a jug, thus cooling it further) and then into the pan (cooling it even more). However I absent-mindedly made the assumption that it would be 'cool enough'. I put the yeast in and realised immediately that it may have been too hot. I checked the book, which recommended between 25-30 degrees for reactivation.

I quickly grabbed (and sanitised, safety first...) the thermometer and checked the water. It came in around 42 degrees. I topped it up quickly with a drop of fresh, cold water and the temperature dropped to 29. So I left it and followed all the instructions from then on.

If I did something bad to the yeast, what will be the first signs? Slow/no fermentation?

If, worst case, I killed it, I have another packet for pale ale from another kit I could use. If the worst should happen and no fermentation is happening in three or four days or so, what would be the best advice in this situation? Activate the new yeast (properly this time) and pitch it into the fermenter? Will there be side effects to this?

Overall I had fun, might do the second kit tomorrow!

 

[chrisb8]

Firstly, congratulations on your first brew day
If you pitched your yeast into water that was at least 42 degrees then I would be somewhat worried for it, but you have a back up plan so that is good. The first signs of fermentation would be bubbling from the air lock (if you have one) or the formation of a krausen layer on top of the wort. Either of these I would hope to see within 24-36hrs (assuming you are fermenting at current ambient temperatures). If there is no obvious activity within a couple of days then, given what you have said happened, I think you should repitch your backup yeast. As long as you sanitise everything you use then there should be no problems doing this.
Good luck

 

[GerritT]

If I did something bad to the yeast, what will be the first signs? Slow/no fermentation?

If, worst case, I killed it, I have another packet for pale ale from another kit I could use. If the worst should happen and no fermentation is happening in three or four days or so, what would be the best advice in this situation? Activate the new yeast (properly this time) and pitch it into the fermenter? Will there be side effects to this?

Overall I had fun, might do the second kit tomorrow!

If you killed it, the dead yeast could be considered nutrition for the backup yeast.

Actually, that's what I do. I have some old yeasts (mead, cider and wine) that get tossed into the boil at 10 minutes before flameout. Always had healthy fermentations: waterlock activity within 20 hours.

 

[Brew_DD2]

42 degrees in water for a brief moment isn't going to do the yeast any harm whatsoever.

 

[An Ankoù]

42 degrees in water for a brief moment isn't going to do the yeast any harm whatsoever.

Congrats on your first brew. If I remember right, Chris White of Whitelabs recommends rehydrating dried yeast at 41C (but I might have been pissed when I read it).
Meg, on the other hand, thought otherwise, but what does she know, she's only the drummer.
Should be fine.

 

[terrym]

Your choices are
a) wait 24 hours or so to see if you have killed some or all of your yeast and then act accordingly
b) add your back up yeast now
I would go for option b) since yeast is cheap enough*,wort is at its most vulnerable in the first few hours if there is no fermentation going on, and if you have managed to kill some of the cells in the 7g packet which is only really just enough the healthy cells might struggle when they do get going.
The choice is yours.
And if you do add more yeast just sprinkle the contents of the packet onto the top of the wort, its good enough.
* CML will sell you a packet of beer yeast for £1.30 inc forum discount
https://www.crossmyloofbrew.co.uk/online-store/Crossmyloof-Brew-Yeast-Beer-p93773089

 

[Brew_DD2]

Congrats on your first brew. If I remember right, Chris White of Whitelabs recommends rehydrating dried yeast at 41C (but I might have been pissed when I read it).
Meg, on the other hand, thought otherwise, but what does she know, she's only the drummer.
Should be fine.

I've read an article on warmer rehydration and it recommended 35°c which I thought was high, but it's what I do now and things do seem to take off more quickly.

 

[AntComo]

Thanks everyone for the advice! I guess we'll wait and see what happens. It's a shame to steal the yeast from the Evil Dog kit as I don't want to mess with it too much having read such good reviews. I've just seen that the local supplier I'll be using for ingredients has a lot of options though so I'm sure I can replace it with something thereabouts.

My second cock-up I've now realised was on the ordering side. Who knew hydrometers came in different scales? Managed to grab myself a hydrometer that only measures from 1.060 to 1.100 so it's practically useless for most beers it seems... actually what is this used for? I can't even get it to float in wine...

Apart from that though the kit's been great (Northern Brewer Deluxe Starter) and I had a blast so I'm not too worried. Whatever happens with this kit over the next couple of days I'm going to order an E+G kit from BirraMia to do after the Evil Dog so they'll get progressively more complex.

 

[Brew_DD2]

Managed to grab myself a hydrometer that only measures from 1.060 to 1.100 so it's practically useless for most beers it seems... actually what is this used for? I can't even get it to float in wine...

It wouldn't float in wine unless you are checking a wine before it has fermented out. I would imagine that hydrometer is for wine.

 

[AntComo]

It wouldn't float in wine unless you are checking a wine before it has fermented out. I would imagine that hydrometer is for wine.

Makes sense. If that's the only dud I've bought it's not the end of the world. Shame, as it's a Northern Brewer herculometer so I never thought to research much further into it. Kind of like ending up with a thermometer that starts at 75 degrees celsius

Still with the amount of information I've had to take in over the past couple of weeks putting all this together I'm happy with what I've got so far. Fingers crossed the first batch is good

 

[chrisb8]

Meg, on the other hand, thought otherwise, but what does she know, she's only the drummer.

Love the reference

 

[AntComo]

After 24 hours the thin single row of tiny bubbles has increased to four or five thick and I can see the occasional Co2 bubble floating up from the bottom of the fermentor. The left side of the airlock has decreased to about a 1/4 and the right side is now at 3/4.

I think that's good news!

 

[Underhill]

Good news, glad you're getting some activity.

 

[Arcs]

You can also harvest that yeast for your next brew, so even if things had gone wrong, you should bare that in mind for future brews. I always do the no-no and hydrate my yeast in cold tap water, smack some cling film on a normal cuppa and slap it into the fridge about 30 mins before pitching it and sometimes I keep it there in the fridge for a week. If temps are ok fermentation starts just fine in a few hours.

 

[GerritT]

Re-using yeast: not for beginners.
Dry yeast is, how much, 1.50 per brew? Get the process under the belt, experiments are nice for later.

Reminds me of someone who started his brewing career with a triple decoction...

 

[Arcs]

By some people's standards here, I am still very much the beginner

 

[Arcs]

I do harvest my yeast tho and it is a POC

 

[AntComo]

RE: Yeast harvesting I think I'll wait a couple of batches before venturing into that (my third batch will be my first partial boil so I'm gradually increasing difficulty) but thanks a lot for the heads up - I've just watched a few videos and read the section in Palmer so it's definitely something I'll start doing soon.

Good news re: the yeast. It's now bubbling away nicely and the foam ring is now an inch or so thick at the sides. The airlock is bubbling occasionally and things seem to be progressing well :)

Think I'll crack on with the Evil Dog double IPA tonight which will be largely a similar process apart from the hop additions towards the end of the fermentation.

Quick question - as my hydrometer is a dud and I won't be able to get a replacement for another week or so at least, what's the best solution for the end of the fermentation? I can't measure the SG, so I'm thinking I'll make sure to leave it at least an extra three or four days past the two week mark (or longer if activity continues for longer than expected) to ensure it's ready.

Or shall I leave it even longer?

 

[terrym]

At 48 hours in you should still be getting quite a lot of airlock activity. If you havent got that and all other signs -are that the fermentation is going strong you have a leak somewhere and CO2 is bypassing the airlock. That's not too important, it's commonplace, but it means you can't rely on your airlock.
Coopers kits come with a variety of different yeasts and I've made up most, but all are usually finished by about day 7/8. So if you leave it the full 14 days (and cant check things with a hydrometer) it will more than likely be OK to package especially if it has cleared or clearing and there is no sign of activity. However if you are unsure leave it until you have your hydrometer and can check the SG which should be somewhere around 1.010 or lower. The few extra days won't hurt provided you keep the beer covered/keep the lid on the FV.

 

[Llamaman]

Reminds me of someone who started his brewing career with a triple decoction...

It was barrel-aged in a cave as well! :)