Sun Apr 02, 2006 8:48 am
- My stove (flat top electric number from Kenmore) couldn't keep 3 Gallons of wort boiling. It was really hot, and there was convection, but nothing like the "rolling boil" I hear most homebrewers talking about
That's not unusual. Electric stoves are under powered for these kinds of volumes. If you use too big of a pot, you can overheat the stove and create other problems like darkening of the enamel paint or overheating the electronics. They do make canning elements which are larger and sit higher but it's cheaper just to go get a propane burner for the patio.
- I tried to be really careful wrt sanitation, but we'll see how things turn out.
Without a starter or much oxygenation, you gave the nasties a head start. No matter how good your sanitation was, some undesirables will get in. The trick is to over populate with yeast so that the nasties don't get much of a chance to grow. Use a growler or apple juice jar for growing a starter and at least get a paint stirrer to add some air to the wort.
- The immersion chiller did a really good job of getting the wort to 80 degrees or so, However, the topoff water was still cooling from the morning and it was probably still around 80 too. Bottom line is it took about 3 hours in an cold water bath (a little ice too) to get it down to about 73. I pitched at that temp and got the airlock in there and moved the carboy to the basement
You did good. Everything gets a bit easier as you get more experience.
- I also spaced aeration. I didn't aerate it until about 2.5 hours after I pitched, I aerated again 5 hours later. I don't have a "stone" or anything, just shaking the carboy (which I know doesn't help that much). I did get some foam on the top though
That was better than nothing. The extra shake at 5 hours was very worthwhile. As noted above, you will want to get more O2 in there on your future batches.
- I didn't do a yeast starter -- I will do one next time.
A starter and O2 will greatly improve the beer but it really complicates things for the begining brewer.
Other than the above, I think things went really well! The steeping grains were very easy to do, although messy. At this the, the carboy is still not bubbling, but if I shake it, I get a couple bubbles through the carboy. I'm taking that as a positive thing, we'll just see how things go. Oh, and the fermometer reported 64, is this too cold?
I have used the Irish Ale yeast a couple of times and find that it's a slow fermenter. Give it a chance. Was the date on the yeast tube recent? It really likes to be pitched big. I'll be racking a dark IPA today that I was fighting hard to keep the lid on the bucket for three days (OG 1.090) but I also pitched a big starter with it.
If you have the money and want to step up yur enjoyment of this hobby, get a propane burner and an O2 system (both together under $100). If the money is tight, get at least something to whip up some air into the wort.
BTW, you can now call yourself a BREWER!
