# I'm taking the plunge into home brewing **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 8, 2006, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-taking-the-plunge-into-home-brewing/347536 "2006-03-08T14:07:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-taking-the-plunge-into-home-brewing/347536/81 "2006-03-21T03:43:45Z")
When the bubbling slows to one bubble a minute, transfer to secondary. Let ferment for a week or two. Prime and bottle. I have to go with the “no such thing as too hoppy” crowd. Sierra Nevada is mother’s milk to me. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![jweb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/71c47a/32.png) [@jweb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jweb)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-taking-the-plunge-into-home-brewing/347536/82 "2006-03-21T04:23:17Z")
Thanks for the answers. It started bubbling sometime between when I left for work this morning (around 7:30 a.m.) and when I got home tonight (about 6:00 p.m.). Right now it’s going about once every 1-2 seconds. Might have a bit of a problem with the bottling, as I’m planning on aquiring my supply of bottles from a friend, who just got a job in the area and is flying in from Colorado every week, bringing me a 12-pack of Fat Tire on each trip. So if I’ve got about 3 weeks to drink 2 cases of Fat Tire… hmmm… I think that’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make (\*runs downstairs to grab another Fat Tire \*) Anyway, I must be enjoying myself so far, as I’m already pondering what kind of beer I’ll make on my next batch, and wishing I had a second primary so I could start another batch right now. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-taking-the-plunge-into-home-brewing/347536/83 "2006-03-21T15:25:53Z")
> [@jweb](#): > > Anyway, I must be enjoying myself so far, as I’m already pondering what kind of beer I’ll make on my next batch, and wishing I had a second primary so I could start another batch right now. Obligatory Warning: That way lies Madness. OK. You’re hooked. I’ve been known to have 4 secondaries going at the same time. Time to step up to something hoppier. An IPA, or maybe a California Pale. Then move to a maltier, beefier beer, like a bock. Then you can start playing with fruit. Then herbs! Then… \ Keep us up to date on how things are going. ---
**Author:** ![Whammo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8dc957/32.png) [@Whammo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whammo)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-taking-the-plunge-into-home-brewing/347536/84 "2006-03-21T19:36:19Z")
OK… all day Sunday I had what I would term VERY vigurous fermentation. The airlock was bubbling about twice a second. It did that all day until I went to bed… When I woke up the next morning it was dead. No bubbling at all. I left it that way and went to work, when I came home it was still dead. I took a gravity reading and it was 1.019. I added some yeast nutrient and swirled it around to airate it a bit and it started bubbling again… but slowly… once ever 30 seconds or so… it was doing the same this morning… Any ideas of whats happening? ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-taking-the-plunge-into-home-brewing/347536/85 "2006-03-21T20:20:37Z")
Whammo, it’s just slowing down, that happens after vigorous fermentation. Just give it more time, and rack to secondary after it’s been a week or so in primary. You’ll be fine. Don’t aerate after the fermentation starts though, at this point, oxygen is the enemy. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-taking-the-plunge-into-home-brewing/347536/86 "2006-03-21T22:17:53Z")
Patience is a virtue, **Whammo**. Leave your beer alone and let it do its thing. After a couple of days with no visible action in the air-lock, transfer to your secondary, making sure you don’t splash the beer in any way. Oxygen bad. The very act of tranferring will rouse the yeast into one last gasp of fermentation. Let set under airlock for a week or so, in the dark, then check Final Gravity, prime and bottle. You can’t rush greatness. ---
**Author:** ![Whammo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8dc957/32.png) [@Whammo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whammo)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-taking-the-plunge-into-home-brewing/347536/87 "2006-03-21T23:27:28Z")
KK gotcha… hands off. 🙂 Thanks guys! I got worried when it seemed to quit all fermentation whatsoever after only one day. I’ve never had my “wine” or Mead do that. ---
**Author:** ![GWVet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/65b543/32.png) [@GWVet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GWVet)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-taking-the-plunge-into-home-brewing/347536/88 "2006-03-23T01:02:04Z")
7 Days and my Honey Wheat tastes like beer…well, flat warm beer, but tastes like BEER SG is now down to 1.030 (OG was ~1.056). Another week and it’s time for priming. Target SG is ~1.017. I tasted the sample after taking the gravity reading again and it tastes kind of like an IPA left open overnight. Definitely more hop character than I expected. I’m optimistic about how this is going to turn out 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Whammo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8dc957/32.png) [@Whammo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whammo)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-taking-the-plunge-into-home-brewing/347536/89 "2006-03-25T04:30:50Z")
> [@GWVet](#): > > 7 Days and my Honey Wheat tastes like beer…well, flat warm beer, but tastes like BEER > > SG is now down to 1.030 (OG was ~1.056). Another week and it’s time for priming. Target SG is ~1.017. > > I tasted the sample after taking the gravity reading again and it tastes kind of like an IPA left open overnight. Definitely more hop character than I expected. I’m optimistic about how this is going to turn out 🙂 GW… That is awesome. Hope you dont mind me playing in your thread… but it is what got me going after all. heh. I tasted… I mean tested mine tonight (tomorrow is day 7, and bubbling is all but stopped). Wow… was I surprised… It turns out, it tasted like beer… only possibly maybe even GOOD beer!!! it was 64 degrees cool and flat mind you… but my hidden thoughts were… this might be as good as a micro brew! But I dont claim that yet! This weekend I will secondary and let it go some more and let it go another week… its only at 1.016 SG tonight, final should be 1.010 - 1.014. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Whammo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8dc957/32.png) [@Whammo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whammo)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-taking-the-plunge-into-home-brewing/347536/90 "2006-03-25T04:39:42Z")
> [@Eleusis](#): > > I stand by [this IPA](http://www.homebrewadventures.com/shopping/index.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=homebrew&Product_Code=REC-064A&Category_Code=ING-REC-DME-ale). Ignore the warnings… brew two batches… or download the pdf and halve it. Real beer is… real beer. There’s a very good a chance you’ll cream your jeans when you first try this brew. Eleusis… I got my CJinJ JPA kit today… love it… that is one complete kit. The hopping he came up with is awesome… I am salivating to start this new one when my first wont be in secondary 'till tomorrow!! lol Given the reviews on it I know I wont be disappointed. I have one question for you though as you have obviously ordered from them… I got my wyeast liquid starter pack and wrapped with it and not on the invoice is a probably 1/4 pound pack of clear gel. Is that Geletin for clearing? no mention for it anywhere. I cant wait to hop this wort! Whammo ---
**Author:** ![GWVet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/65b543/32.png) [@GWVet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GWVet)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-taking-the-plunge-into-home-brewing/347536/91 "2006-03-25T13:03:28Z")
> [@Whammo](#): > > GW… That is awesome. Hope you dont mind me playing in your thread… but it is what got me going after all. heh. One of the fun things about a hobby is sharing it - play at will:). ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-taking-the-plunge-into-home-brewing/347536/92 "2006-03-25T22:49:42Z")
Cool **Whammo**. You won’t be disappointed. The gel pack is just to keep the yeast cold during shipping, like an ice pack. ---
**Author:** ![BlackNGold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@BlackNGold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackNGold)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-taking-the-plunge-into-home-brewing/347536/93 "2006-03-26T12:33:14Z")
OK, I think this thread has convinced me to take the plunge as well. Based on what I’ve read here, I’m going to go with an all-glass, two-stage kit. I’ve been looking though my Northern Brewer catalog, and I have three questions: 1- Do I need a racking cane? The kits come with a siphon, but no cane. Am I correct in assuming they fill the same function? 2- They also sell “carbonation drops”. You put one in each bottle before you fill it. I assume this is in place of priming sugar. Any benefits/drawbacks to either method? 3- I know you want to chill your wort as quickly as possible, but I don’t think I want to make a huge investment here. How cold do you have to get it and how quickly? TIA My god, my next thought was - “If I buy a couple more 5-gal secondaries and airlocks…” ---
**Author:** ![MsMitey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@MsMitey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsMitey)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-taking-the-plunge-into-home-brewing/347536/94 "2006-03-26T16:14:28Z")
We bottled today! It’s a wheat beer, and boy howdy it’s tasty. Now if we can just be patient and wait the 2+ weeks to drink it… I’ll be heading back to the store later this week to pick up another kit. Maybe an IPA this time. Best. Hobby. Ever! ---
**Author:** ![Whammo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8dc957/32.png) [@Whammo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whammo)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-taking-the-plunge-into-home-brewing/347536/95 "2006-03-26T19:57:38Z")
> [@BlackNGold](#): > > 1- Do I need a racking cane? The kits come with a siphon, but no cane. Am I correct in assuming they fill the same function? the siphon that came with my kit is the whole deal… inner part is the cane, the whole siphon/cane sits in the fermenter during racking. mine has a little clip attachment at the bottom that helps prevent yeast from being sucked up > [@BlackNGold](#): > > 2- They also sell “carbonation drops”. You put one in each bottle before you fill it. I assume this is in place of priming sugar. Any benefits/drawbacks to either method? Good question, i’ve seen them at my HBS and wondered the same > [@BlackNGold](#): > > 3- I know you want to chill your wort as quickly as possible, but I don’t think I want to make a huge investment here. How cold do you have to get it and how quickly? Being a newbie myself I’ll just tell you what i’ve read and what I did and let the experienced brewers give the real advise. You want to get it to about 70 degrees as quickly as possible as there are a couple of different “breaking” temperatures it will reach as the temp cools, basicly proteins are forming and setteling out to the bottom at those temperatures from what I understand. Also the quicker it cools the less chance of bacterial growth. I set my wort pot in the plugged kitchen sink and let cold water run till it overflowed into the adjacent sink, I let the cold water run slowly the whole time it was cooling so there would always be a current to wisk away the heat. > [@BlackNGold](#): > > My god, my next thought was - “If I buy a couple more 5-gal secondaries and airlocks…” I hear ya! Last night I racked my very first batch to secondary. Today I just got back from my HBS with a 6 1/2 gallon carboy so I can start my IPA tonight without using a bucket as my primary fermenter. Something about me just HAS to see whats going on… lol. ---
**Author:** ![Whammo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8dc957/32.png) [@Whammo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whammo)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-taking-the-plunge-into-home-brewing/347536/96 "2006-03-26T19:59:30Z")
> [@Eleusis](#): > > Cool **Whammo**. You won’t be disappointed. > > The gel pack is just to keep the yeast cold during shipping, like an ice pack. Well then, I will try to refrain from pouring it in my beer! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-taking-the-plunge-into-home-brewing/347536/97 "2006-03-26T21:12:47Z")
> [@BlackNGold](#): > > 3- I know you want to chill your wort as quickly as possible, but I don’t think I want to make a huge investment here. How cold do you have to get it and how quickly? You will notice some difference of opinion about this. You need to get the temperature of your wort down cool enough that the yeast won’t cook, and you need to do it in such a way that bad bacteria and such can’t get at it. This either means cooling it quickly (needs special equipment that can be pricy and needs to be cleaned) or letting it set with the lid on overnight (needs no special equipment, but demands that you pitch a good quantity of active yeast). I tend towards the latter, and have never had a bad batch because of it. I can transfer clear wort to the primary, leaving trub and spent hops behind. OTOH, if you are anal about things, a wort chiller can ease your mind a bit. Hell, if you are willing to pay shipping, I’ve got one in the closet that has never been used! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2006, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-taking-the-plunge-into-home-brewing/347536/98 "2006-03-27T00:14:33Z")
> [@BlackNGold](#): > > 1- Do I need a racking cane? The kits come with a siphon, but no cane. Am I correct in assuming they fill the same function? **Whammo** covered it, but yeah the autosiphon is all you need. > [@](#): > > 2- They also sell “carbonation drops”. You put one in each bottle before you fill it. I assume this is in place of priming sugar. Any benefits/drawbacks to either method? I much prefer the carb drops. Priming sugar is kind of a pain IMHO. It’s so easy to just drop a piece of candy in each bottle, and get perfect carbonation every time. In my case it’s doubly convenient, because I rarely bottle more than a sixpack, and keg the rest. > [@](#): > > 3- I know you want to chill your wort as quickly as possible, but I don’t think I want to make a huge investment here. How cold do you have to get it and how quickly? I recommend forking over the dough for a wort chiller. You should be able to find a 25’ immersion chiller for $35 or so… better yet, take up **Silenus** on his generous offer. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2006, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-taking-the-plunge-into-home-brewing/347536/99 "2006-03-27T00:17:24Z")
oh yeah… > [@BlackNGold](#): > > OK, I think this thread has convinced me to take the plunge as well. Based on what I’ve read here, I’m going to go with an all-glass, two-stage kit. **evil laugh** Excellent. /Mr. Burns ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2006, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-taking-the-plunge-into-home-brewing/347536/100 "2006-03-27T00:22:20Z")
Sorry for the triple post, it seems to be my modus operandi lately… Another note on priming sugar vs carb drops: When using priming sugar you need to be very careful to get it mixed thoroughly and evenly in the wort. If not, you’ll have a risk of some of your bottles exploding, and others never carbing up. That risk disappears with the carb drops. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-taking-the-plunge-into-home-brewing/347536.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-taking-the-plunge-into-home-brewing/347536.md?page=6)