I checked my newest batch (Octoberfest) and it has turned out wonderfully. Well carbonated, holds head, pretty tasty. It only did a primary for 2 wks and I bottled it 8 days ago. I suspect it will get better with time. Nice clean fresh taste. Took a couple to the chili party yesterday to let people sample and everyone seemed to like it, or at least they said they did. This was my second ever attempt at making beer, so I am quite happy with it. It was an extract kit. While my first beer was pretty disastrous (if you remember the black licorice flavored weiss), I managed to avoid the same mistakes this time around. I did make a rookie mistake while pouring yesterday. Didn't leave the last oz. in the bottle and wound up with a glass full of yeast flakes. Still tasted fine and didn't kill me yet! Most of them settled anyway. Sat. morn was a gorgeous day so I decided to brew a Pilsner kit I had waiting. I is an all malt pilsner, so the box says anyway. The instructions were for a half hour boil adding hop pellets at 20 min. and leaf hops at final 1 minute. Box directions are not the best I'm told, so I did what I have read in books and elsewhere and did a 60 min boil. I like a stronger bitter to pilsner and this recipe only called for hops later in the boil. Aren't the hops added at start of boil for bittering, last 20 minutes for aroma, and final few for flavor? So I thought anyway and decided to split the pellet hops in half and add .5 oz at boil start and .5 oz at last 20 min. with the leaf bag at last minute. Think this was a mistake? I also used
2 pkgs of muntons dry yeast mixed with 2/3 cup boiled but cooled to room temp water for pitching. I aerated by shaking after pitching yeast instead of before, not sure who's right on this one, but the beer seemed to start fine. Woke up next morning and thought my freezer was broken and knocking, but it was the airlock banging away. By that (Sun.) evening movement had all but ceased and this am it has ceased. Should this be? The other two beers I made went on for at least a week.
This is what is in the wort:
2 lbs Muntons Light DME
3.3 lb can Light Malt Extract
1 oz Cascade hop pellet
1 oz Cascade leaf hops
Pitched yeast at 75F, stirred for a couple of minutes and shook on lap for a solid 5 minutes. I'm looking into some sort of stirrer I can do with a portable drill.
thanks for any help or suggestions. Ziggy