Questions I used to have....

[Ward Chillington]

While cleaning up around the house today, I came across a note pad that had a bunch of my scribbles on that I did not recognize so I took a look and after that I thought it would be a good idea to share a bunch of the questions that I had as a new brewer trying to figure out how to turn these bags of grains and hops that Wifey and the kid gave me for Christmas into beer.

I figure this must be just about 4 years old and they were most likely questions I asked the guy on the customer service line at one of the kit sellers....so with a little embarrassment and solid answers to all of them; here you go new guys! I hope you find these useful, maybe funny and know that you are in good company with these questions. I I have seen many of these same quandaries on this and other forums!

How long do I have with these ingredients before they are not going to make good beer?

What's the better way to oxygenate before adding yeast? injection from a cylinder or stir the heck out of it?

Can sanitizer be used in the dishwasher?

Can twist off bottles be reused?

What's the best hose to use? PVC or Silicon?

What's the post boil volume supposed to be?

Is 8.325 gallons supposed to be the pre-boil volume? ( this must of been the total of all the water being put into this recipe before I understood grain absorption or that 1 quart per pound of grain is really just a suggestion )

Should I "splash" the chilled wort into the fermentation bucket to oxygenate it before adding the yeast? ( I think my idea here was to trickle enough wort from the cooled kettle into the bucket so the stream would take enough air with it into the bucket to consider it oxygenated )

Can I put Star San into the dish washer?

Is soft water OK to use? ( Very funny this one was in here since I bought this up last week )

 

[Bulin's Milker Bucket Brews]

Should I "splash" the chilled wort into the fermentation bucket to oxygenate it before adding the yeast? ( I think my idea here was to trickle enough wort from the cooled kettle into the bucket so the stream would take enough air with it into the bucket to consider it oxygenated )

Wait a minute...I just put the drain hose in the top of the fermenter and let 'er roll, slosh it a couple of times and pitch...

I've got aeration equipment, but I quit using it after a few batches. Haven't noticed any difference in the finished beer. Hope I'm not commiting a cardinal sin...or maybe I'm just lucky. LOL

 

[Ward Chillington]

Wait a minute...I just put the drain hose in the top of the fermenter and let 'er roll, slosh it a couple of times and pitch...

I've got aeration equipment, but I quit using it after a few batches. Haven't noticed any difference in the finished beer. Hope I'm not commiting a cardinal sin...or maybe I'm just lucky. LOL

This last batch was the first in years that I didn't aerate the wort but the starter got a good 24 hours on the stir plate.....and don't loose any sleep over it Bulin....I forgive you!

 

[Donoroto]

If it turns into beer, you are doing it correctly.

"Sure you can use StarSan in the dishwasher, but the foam will make you lose your mind"

 

[Bubba Wade]

Wort aeration is always a highly-discussed subject. With my set-up, fermentation starts with about as little oxygen as you can get. I transfer boiling wort (which has little to no O2) directly into the fermenter, and chill the wort in the fermenter. Almost no chance for oxygen to dissolve. And I pitch with dehydrated dry yeast. And yet fermentation chugs along and makes great beer.

A lot of the things that home brewers take as gospel are necessary at a 50 barrel scale, but quite superfluous at the 3 gallon scale. The trick is to find what works with your own small scale brewery.

 

[SabreSteve]

Wort aeration is always a highly-discussed subject. With my set-up, fermentation starts with about as little oxygen as you can get. I transfer boiling wort (which has little to no O2) directly into the fermenter, and chill the wort in the fermenter. Almost no chance for oxygen to dissolve. And I pitch with dehydrated dry yeast. And yet fermentation chugs along and makes great beer.

A lot of the things that home brewers take as gospel are necessary at a 50 barrel scale, but quite superfluous at the 3 gallon scale. The trick is to find what works with your own small scale brewery.

I've never really worried about aeration because I figure it sloshes around enough getting poured into the fermenter and then gets pitched right away. However this time because of a mishap with my glass thermometer I transferred it while it was still around 80F and let it sit in the fermenter several hours before pitching S-05. Now I know Fermentis says you don't need to aerate and I know that no airlock activity doesn't mean no fermentation but 3 days in I'm freaking out. I'm ready to ditch the bucket and upgrade to a wide mouth carboy. I need the peace of mind...

 

[Bubba Wade]

I've never really worried about aeration because I figure it sloshes around enough getting poured into the fermenter and then gets pitched right away. However this time because of a mishap with my glass thermometer I transferred it while it was still around 80F and let it sit in the fermenter several hours before pitching S-05. Now I know Fermentis says you don't need to aerate and I know that no airlock activity doesn't mean no fermentation but 3 days in I'm freaking out. I'm ready to ditch the bucket and upgrade to a wide mouth carboy. I need the peace of mind...

Not to hijack the post, but I really like my Ss Brewtech stainless brew bucket. A bit pricey, but it eliminates a host of problems.

 

[Hawkbox]

They are pretty sweet I have to say, but you can get 5 or so fermonsters for the price of one. Add a milk crate to carry and they are just about as good.