Hi everybody! Noob's first brew day is today!

[schmidty_nd 0]

I just wanted to say "Hello" to you all.

I've been reading here and on HBT for quite a while now. I had planned on setting up a 5 gal home brew set-up from scratch for quite a while, and was doing research the whole time while saving up my $.

Then, our local "we sell everything" store put the Premium Mr. Beer on sale for $35. I showed the add to the wife and told her, "You know, for $35 that is everything I need to brew beer. And, it'll never be any cheaper than that". She said "buy it". Sweet!

So, anyway, today is my very first Brew Day. Any advice for a complete newbie? I read a post on here a while back listing a few things to do differently than the MrB instructions, but forgot to bookmark it. I'll keep searching, but if anybody has any words of wisdom to keep me from making stupid mistakes, let's here them! Thanks!

[rev_evans 0]

For your first brews just follow the instructions from Mr. Beer. That way you will learn what the changes you make actually do later on. It will help making recipes and everything later.

Sanitize! Follow the instructions on sanitizing and no beer will get hurt.

And most importantly, post what you brew and all of the updates here on the forum!

Welcome to the Borg! Welcome to brewing!

[schmidty_nd 0]

That's the advice I expected...and have been trying to give myself. I nearly started planning on adding some adjuncts, but I talked myself back down from that silliness.

Basically, I need to just follow the KISS theory!

[ricewing 0]

Welcome to the obsession :cheer:

Remember....patience is of utmost importance

[Brian1179 0]

welcome to the borg schmidty_nd :cheers:

read the section at the top of this forum titled simple guide line
that should answer most of your questions. if you have any more and you will, ask them here in this forum and they will be answered usually very quickly but within 24 hours you will have at least one response :laugh:

[Jeffrey Sp8 0]

Sanitize your keg and utensils, can opener stir spoon ect, But dont pour out all of your one step pour it back into a bowl and keep it till your completly finished, might just need it again.

[schmidty_nd 0]

Thanks for the welcome, and quick responses everybody!

@Jeffrey. Great tip on keeping some One Step to the very end. I will definitely do that. You never know.

[oly 0]

Welcome aboard schmidty! I agree with Brian that YankeeDag's "simple guideling post" is a good one for beginners to read. Since I'm not sure how everyone accesses the forum pages, go to the categories tab, click on "new brewers and FAQs". It's right there at the top in yellow.

As long as you're there, check out the "malt to adjunct ratios" post too.

[truckndad 1]

I say follow the instructions except for one thing. You will NOT have beer in 14 days. Keep it in your fermenter for 14-21 days, closer to 21 if you can, then bottle and hide the bottles for 4 weeks. THEN, you have beer and can pop a couple in the fridge.

[Trollby 1]

Welcome Aboard!

Only thing I would add is watch your temps. You want to try and keep the LBK (Little Brown Keg) below 75*F. The keg beer temp is normally 2-4*F higher than room temp so keep that in mind.

Don't Porn the keg (Keep it closed, no peeking)

The instruction says 7-10 day in LBK, really 14-21 is best along with 4 weeks in bottle before putting 1 in the fridge for 3-5 days prior to drinking.

Again Welcome aboard!

[WolfMagus 0]

+1 to Trollby, that's sound advice.

Welcome to the Borg.
:cheers:

[yankeedag 24]

:borg: Welcome to the BeerBorg Information Center. You will be Assimilated. Resistance is quite futile: we have beer.

...and you will too...

[truckndad 1]

Like the man says, the waiting is the hardest part.

[schmidty_nd 0]

Thanks for the warm welcome! I did read Yankeedag's post up top. Very good stuff.

But, all your good advice will have to wait for another day. Everybody sit back and prepare to laugh or cry, depending on your temperment.

So I was getting everything all ready to brew. I was talking to my brother who has been using MrB for a while now, getting advice from him. Two pieces of advice he gave me are very pertinent to this story:

1. Get the booster in water ASAP, because it takes a while to dissolve.

2. Put the LME in some water in a sauce pan, on the stove, at a low setting to get the syrup thinned out.

So, I had the booster dissolving in a small plastic ice cream bucket and set it on the left front burner of the stove, (brew pot was on the right front) waiting for it's time in the spot-light. I put the sauce pan with water on the left rear buner, and turned "the" burner on low.

So I'm talking beer with my bro, and I start to hear a "sizzle". I look at the stove, and grab the plastic bucket just to "make sure". Well, it didn't want to move! I pulled harder and the entire burner came up with the bucket and it now has sprung a leak and sticky, liquid booster is pouring all over the stove, floor, counter-top and sink.

I can't decide if I should be pissed, sad, or laugh my a** off.

[schmidty_nd 0]

Here's a picture: (if I can figure out how to add pictures)

[schmidty_nd 0]

truckndad wrote:

Gotta say, that's a new one. Me....I'm laughing. :laugh:

Yeah, I'm laughing about it now as well. I knew I would have a homebrew horror story at some point. I just thought I could at least get through my very first brew day OK! :think:

We may be laughing, but I'm thinking the wife may exhibit a different mood when she gets home! :pound: Ha-ha

[schmidty_nd 0]

So now I need some new advice! Since booster is just "corn syrup solids" according the the ingredients on the bag, Can I use store bought corn syrup in it's place? (Karo syrup)

I'm assuming the answer is "yes". The big question is how much???

[mashani 2]

Don't do it, just use the booster. It's not the same thing. It might have salt or other stuff in it.

Would be better to substiute dextrose (corn sugar) if you can find it, although you will get a thiner, drier beer if you do that.

If you have a local home brew shop you could try replacing booster with 75% dextrose, and 25% maltodextrine or something like that.

[Guest System Admin]

Booster is a combination of Malto-dextrin, corn sugar and other ingredients to add body to the beer (I would guess some grain solids)

Yes it is MOSTLY corn sugar, but is slightly different.

Did you loose all the booster in the bucket or were you able to salvage some?

I would NOT use corn syrup, get corn SUGAR and add about 1/2# at most.

As far as the bucket problem....

I feel your pain, when my wife and I were getting started some 25+ years ago she had no experience in the kitchen I I said one night "Just heat up the left overs on the stove" (I do all the cooking in our home) she put my tuperware bowl on the stove and turned it on, between the smell and the clean up I was not happy.

Well we did go out for dinner that night.

Now I look back and lagh at it, you will too.

[ZeeBeer 0]

Oops as my kids would say. My wife did the same thing with one of the kids toy buckets. Why it was on the stove I still do not know to this day. That plastic would not come off no matter what we tried. We ended up having to buy another burner.

[FedoraDave 4]

oly wrote:

Welcome aboard schmidty! I agree with Brian that YankeeDag's "simple guideling post" is a good one for beginners to read. Since I'm not sure how everyone accesses the forum pages, go to the categories tab, click on "new brewers and FAQs". It's right there at the top in yellow.

As long as you're there, check out the "malt to adjunct ratios" post too.

This. Totally this. Don't get all "Mad Scientist" with adjuncts, and don't try to rush the process. Learn the basics first, and be patient. You've got plenty of time to get creative with your brews. It'll happen more quickly than you think.

[bpgreen 209]

First of all, welcome.

Bummer about the burner. If there's a brew store nearby, pick up a pound of DME or LME (DME is Dried Malt Extract and LME is Liquid Malt Extract) and use that instead of the Booster.

Most corn syrups have things other than corn syrup in them that can do things to the beer that you won't like. They're also more fermentable, which will lead to a thinner more cidery beer. Having said that, I made a batch recently with corn syrup (from the Asian food store, so it didn't have any flavorings or preservatives in it), but I used something like 8 oz added to 6 lbs of LME in a 5 gallon batch, so it was a very small amount.

[yankeedag 24]

yep, HME or LME would be good. While your out buying that, swing in and pick up a new Heat Ring for your stove.

[schmidty_nd 0]

I asked for advice to keep me from doing something stupid...why didn't anyone warn me about what a stove heat coil will do to a plastic tub?!?! :woohoo:

Anyway, I gave up on the using corn syrup idea. My bro has an extra pack of booster and is coming out tomorrow to BBQ and light fireworks. So I will be supervised when I try again tomorrow! :silly:

[truckndad 1]

You set a plastic bucket on a hot burner, but your wife's gonna trust you with fireworks?? :ohmy: LOL

[schmidty_nd 0]

Well, the burner wasn't hot until I turned it on! Wait...that isn't helping... :silly:

[bpgreen 209]

truckndad wrote:

You set a plastic bucket on a hot burner, but your wife's gonna trust you with fireworks?? :ohmy: LOL

It'll be okay. Beer will be supplied before the fireworks come out.

[yankeedag 24]

schmidty_nd wrote:

Well, the burner wasn't hot until I turned it on! Wait...that isn't helping... :silly:

What? you didn't get the memo? Well poopies :blush:

[Guest]

Welcome to the Borg!

If this post is an example of what is to come, I for one look forward to them! I'm still laughing at the pic.... ROFLMAO!

nd?

[mnstarzz13 1]

schmidty_nd wrote:

Here's a picture: (if I can figure out how to add pictures)

First of all, WELCOME! This is a great hobby and a great one to share with friends and family! :chug:

Second of all, sorry for the brew day blunders

Lastly, BAAAAAH HA HA That is one funny pic. :laugh: :laugh:

[schmidty_nd 0]

FrozenInTime wrote:

nd?

You guessed right. Matter of fact, I'm not too far from you. I'm in Hatton.

[Guest]

schmidty_nd wrote:

FrozenInTime wrote:

nd?

You guessed right. Matter of fact, I'm not too far from you. I'm in Hatton.

Cool, we'll have to tip a brew some time. Not too many around here that aren't serious beer snobs (all grain, etc... LOL) I'm drinkin a hickory smoked porter right now that is pretty damn good!

[schmidty_nd 0]

FrozenInTime wrote:

Cool, we'll have to tip a brew some time. Not too many around here that aren't serious beer snobs (all grain, etc... LOL) I'm drinkin a hickory smoked porter right now that is pretty damn good!

Absolutely! Other than my brother (he's in GF), I don't know any homebrewers in our area. Snobs or otherwise! Ha-ha

Hickory smoked porter sounds interesting. I've never had a porter, much less a smoked one. If I can manage to brew a beer without melting my LBK or burning down the house, we'll have to make a trade! :silly:

[schmidty_nd 0]

On Sunday I managed to get a batch of West Coast Pale Ale into the LBK without any more troubles! The plastic even peeled of the burner fairly easily.

Question about light vs. Mr. Beer: I have my LBK sitting in an open pantry that is tucked into a corner of the kitchen. There is no direct sunlight on it, but definitely a lot of indirect sunlight as we have one very large window in the kitchen. Do I need to worry about light affecting it? I guess it can't hurt to throw a towel over it...?

[k9dude 0]

Hey welcome to the borg! Yeah throw a towel over it. The light is bad for beer. BTW loved your story and like everybody else I was LMAO!! Thanks for sharing and let us know how it turns out! Good Luck!!

[InsaneDragun 0]

schmidty_nd wrote:

On Sunday I managed to get a batch of West Coast Pale Ale into the LBK without any more troubles! The plastic even peeled of the burner fairly easily.

Question about light vs. Mr. Beer: I have my LBK sitting in an open pantry that is tucked into a corner of the kitchen. There is no direct sunlight on it, but definitely a lot of indirect sunlight as we have one very large window in the kitchen. Do I need to worry about light affecting it? I guess it can't hurt to throw a towel over it...?

Welcome Schmidty. Definitely cover the LBK with a towel or a box or whatever you have lying around. It's brown, so it filters out most of the light, but it's not a bad idea to keep it covered to make sure it's 100%.

Also, I can't believe no one has told you this yet, but you don't need to mix the booster in a bucket or anything first. Just throw it in the pot on the stove with the 4 cups of water you're boiling. Stir it in until it dissolves and then boil the water and turn it off. Add your Malt Extracts and you're done! No extra equipment required.

[schmidty_nd 0]

InsaneDragun wrote:

Also, I can't believe no one has told you this yet, but you don't need to mix the booster in a bucket or anything first. Just throw it in the pot on the stove with the 4 cups of water you're boiling. Stir it in until it dissolves and then boil the water and turn it off. Add your Malt Extracts and you're done! No extra equipment required.

Yeah...I was thinking that probably wasn't necessary either. But, I was just listening to my brother. I don't know why, since he's my little brother. He should be listening to me! Ha-ha.

Thanks for the advice!

[hanginthere 0]

Welcome Schmidty!

I got a good giggle from your pic.I bet there isn't 1 person on here who doesn't have a similar story.

Well...... maybe not burning down the stove, but we've all done something stupid. I just recently melted my auto siphon trying to transfer hot wort. Who'da thought plastic would melt in scalding hot sugar water?? Not this genius!

Tom Petty is right but you have to be patient and learn the basics.You will be making beer in no time.Really good beer if you read a lot and take your time.

Lots of folks with lots of experience here. If you have a question just ask. This group is great.

Hang in there! beer is on the way

[schmidty_nd 0]

Finally, FINALLY got the beer bottled today. Sorry, no funny stories this time. :silly: Everything went as it should have!

After the "fun" I had brewing it, and the many delays getting it bottled, I sure hope this beer tastes good!

[pdrauch 0]

Hope your's tastes better than my first batch. It was during a heat wave and the brew got too hot. I'm still waiting to see if the diactyl will go away.