"Joe Murphy" <SPAMTHIS@SPAMTHIS.com> wrote in message
news:413aa375$0$19707$61fed72c@news.rcn.com...[color=blue]
> I dusted off a pretty old brewkit (TrueBrew) recently and brewed my first
> batch. The kit was a porter and I think I did everything fine cuz my[/color]
airlock[color=blue]
> is gurgling nicely after more than 24 hours since putting the wort into[/color]
the[color=blue]
> fermenter. I think I'm on way to beer, but have some newbie questions.
>
> 1. I discussed this in an earlier post and everyone seemed to say "go[/color]
ahead[color=blue]
> and brew it to see what happens", but the kit was at least two years old[/color]
and[color=blue]
> that kinda concerned me. The only thing I noticed was that one bag of the
> dried malt had some serious clumping going on. Like hard clods of dried[/color]
malt[color=blue]
> extract. The smaller ones melted, but I had a large clod or two that I
> plucked out of the brew and threw out. Otherwise, everything looked fine.
> The second bag of dried malt extract did not suffer this clumping. I[/color]
bought[color=blue]
> new yeast since the original packet had expired long ago. When I pitched[/color]
the[color=blue]
> yeast, evidence of fermentation began within minutes. My yeast was hungry![/color]

I wouldn't worry too much about the clumping... it just shows the age of
your extract. Old extract can be a source of "cidery" flavors in your
finished beer, although I've never experienced it. You're probably fine.
[color=blue]
> 2. So it has been downstairs in a plastic fermenter with the airlock on
> tight. I check on the brew now and again and it has been fermenting just
> fine. My basement is a tad on the musty side and I'm concerned about
> off-flavors. Should I place the fermenter somewhere else in my apartment?[/color]
My[color=blue]
> only concern is that it can get pretty warm, even in September, where I
> live. Certainly above the 75-degree mark. Right now the wort smells like a
> sweet, malty porter when I put my nose above the airlock. Just dunno if
> anything is going to get in there that I don't like.[/color]

Keep it cool, less than 75 degrees if you can. It doesn't matter if you put
it in your musty basement. As long as you have an airlock on it, it's safe.
[color=blue]
> 3. When I strained the steeped grains into the wort, my strainer let some[/color]
of[color=blue]
> the grains through. I spooned out as much as I could (sanitized spoon),[/color]
but[color=blue]
> some 20-30 grains remained in the wort when I put it in the fermenter. I
> wasn't going to throw out the whole batch just for that and assumed that[/color]
the[color=blue]
> grains would settle. Am I right? Or are some of my bottles going to be
> 'chunky style'?[/color]

If you've only got 20-30 grains in there, it's not going to hurt anything.
When you go to bottle, siphon off all the clean beer to another bucket and
leave behind the yeast and chunks on the bottom.
[color=blue]
> 4. When I started the brew, I used too much water and after adding the
> liquid malt extract, realized my error. I Dissolved the can of extract
> completely into the water and then poured off about a pint or two of the
> mixture so that the remaining ingredients would fit in the brewpot. I
> suspect this will reduce my alcohol content.[/color]

Time to get a bigger brewpot! Pouring off one quart of wort will have
negligible effect. Everything will be fine. You won't be able to tell the
difference.

Next time consider making 2.5 gallon batches like I do. Even though I
consider myself a beer aficionado, I usually do smaller batches because I am
not really a big drinker (I probably drink 3 homebrews/week on the average),
and then if I royally screw up a batch like I do every so often, I've only
wasted about $20 instead of $30 on supplies, and I don't feel as bad about
dumping 25 bottles down the sink as I do 50. It's happened a couple of
times, out of about 25 brews that I've made. The whole homebrewing process
is definitely a learning experience, from purchasing supplies to gulping the
beer.
[color=blue]
> 5. How many days do I wait? I thought I heard three days and then seven[/color]
days[color=blue]
> and then "wait until the airlock shows no activity" and also suggestions
> that I take hydrometer readings to be sure that fermentation is complete[/color]
(I[color=blue]
> took a reading in my logbook before pitching the yeast). When do I rack[/color]
and[color=blue]
> fill?[/color]

It will probably take anywhere from 7 to 14 days to complete fermentation,
depending on a zillion factors, including health of the yeast, type of yeast
used, temperature, phase of the moon (just kidding... sort of...), etc. A
lot of people will tell you to check the gravity right away, but I think
this is more of a pain in the butt. Or maybe I'm just a little more
patient. I usually wait until the airlock quits bubbling, then give it
another 2-3 days to be absolutely sure, then finally I pop the top, and take
a gravity reading. For an extract brew, if the gravity is at 1.020 or
lower, that's usually pretty good. Extract brews don't ferment much farther
than that, at least for me. You can probably bottle the same day, if the
gravity is 1.020 or lower. Don't push it, though. If you're not absolutely
sure if it's done fermenting yet, bottling early can be disastrous.... you
can end up with gusher bottles that completely foam up when you pop the cap,
or you can even have explosions! To be safe, wait until you think
fermentation is finished, and then wait a few more days just to be certain.
That's what I've learned from my experience. Fermentation is complete when
there is nothing new going on for several days. That's the best way I can
describe it. You can confirm with gravity readings, or you can read the
airlock as long as the airlock is tight. That's my opinion.
[color=blue]
> I think that's it. Thanks in advance for any advice. Even if this brew
> doesn't turn out right, at least I got to do a dry run (and I enjoyed it a
> lot) so the next one goes more smoothly.[/color]

I think you'll be pleased with the result. It sounds like you've done your
research and know how to do everything by the book.

--
Dave
"Just a drink, a little drink, and I'll be feeling GOOooOOooOOooD!" --
Genesis, 1973-ish