Today I was finally able to start the home brewing process. As previously mentioned, I recently bought a home brew kit so I can begin my ascension to Beer Master of the Universe. This was my first attempt and since there are no immediate results, I feel like I jacked it all up — I have high self-confidence.
I was sure to sterilize the crap out of everything, since it seems to be the most important factor. Whenever I asked for advice, everyone I spoke with spontaneously combusted and sputtered “sterilization” so I took extra precaution.
I will say, the instructions that came with the Brewer’s Best kit weren’t exactly conducive to someone who doesn’t know brewing jargon. I had my moments of pure rage while staring at the stupid piece of paper and kicking the box before Google’ing to high heaven.
Once I got things straightened out I was able to boil the grains, hops and extract with ease. One thing I did to help with the extract was to “temper” it in a pot with hot water so that it wouldn’t immediately sink to the bottom of the brew pot and caramelize but instead would be closer to the temperature of the wort when it was added.
I was a little worried when it came to cooling the wort as a I read that letting it sit too long can create off flavors. Perhaps a wort chiller will be necessary in the future. The nicest surprise was the mouthful of sanitizing solution when I began siphoning from the brew pot to the primary fermenter; I should have a clean mouth for weeks.
For some reason, I had an uneasy feeling about adding so much water once the wort was in the fermenter. I had 2 gallons of wort which means I had to add 3 gallons of water. It seemed excessive to me, but I am a rookie so what do I know? Nothing.
I added the yeast, put the lid on and installed the air lock. My “ale pail” will sit in my closet for the next week when it will be transported to the secondary fermenter which has yet to be purchased. Another trip to Brew Camp is in order!
It’s so unfair that this process is a month long. I am eager to find out whether I made beer or urine.