Hi All,
I am new to brewing and made my first batch yesterday. It has been somewhat
confusing trying to follow my local suppliers directions, while trying to
follow the beginners book to brewing, while getting everything right, and I
made a few mistakes in the process. So, here is my question.

I decided to make for my first batch a bavarian wheat beer. I used cracked
wheat, malt, hops, and a half-teaspoon of irish moss for the last 30 mins of
the brew. My mistakes, when I strained the wheat after steeping it for 45
minutes, I only used a colander, I didn't use a filter for either the
initial strain or sparge step. I then used this wort with my malt, hops for
the 55 min brew. When it was done I cooled it in the sink until it was room
temp (about 75 degrees) and mixed it with 2.5 gallons of 60 degree water. My
second mistake was when I again used the collander without a filter to
separate the hops from the wort. I poured the contents out of the 2.5 gal
stainless steel pot through the colander into the fermentation pail which
held the other 2.5 gallons of cold water.

After adding the yeast and sitting back to wait for fermentation, I went
over the directions and realized that I should have used a filter to capture
the fine particles when straining and sparging the wheat wort. Then as I
read on, I realized that all of the protiens in the bottom of the pot that
settled with the cold break were also in my brew now. So, what can I do to
get the best batch at this point? Should I throw it out and start over?
Would filtering it at 7 days into a secondary fermentation pail be a
possibility?

Thanks in advance,
Nick

Nick wrote:[color=blue]
> Hi All,
> I am new to brewing and made my first batch yesterday. It has been somewhat
> confusing trying to follow my local suppliers directions, while trying to
> follow the beginners book to brewing, while getting everything right, and I
> made a few mistakes in the process. So, here is my question.
>
> I decided to make for my first batch a bavarian wheat beer. I used cracked
> wheat, malt, hops, and a half-teaspoon of irish moss for the last 30 mins of
> the brew. My mistakes, when I strained the wheat after steeping it for 45
> minutes, I only used a colander, I didn't use a filter for either the
> initial strain or sparge step. I then used this wort with my malt, hops for
> the 55 min brew. When it was done I cooled it in the sink until it was room
> temp (about 75 degrees) and mixed it with 2.5 gallons of 60 degree water. My
> second mistake was when I again used the collander without a filter to
> separate the hops from the wort. I poured the contents out of the 2.5 gal
> stainless steel pot through the colander into the fermentation pail which
> held the other 2.5 gallons of cold water.
>
> After adding the yeast and sitting back to wait for fermentation, I went
> over the directions and realized that I should have used a filter to capture
> the fine particles when straining and sparging the wheat wort. Then as I
> read on, I realized that all of the protiens in the bottom of the pot that
> settled with the cold break were also in my brew now. So, what can I do to
> get the best batch at this point? Should I throw it out and start over?
> Would filtering it at 7 days into a secondary fermentation pail be a
> possibility?
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Nick
>
>[/color]
Nothing to fear. The first batch I did I strained about the same way
you did. The "stuff" that made it into your fermenter will settle out.
You don't have to "filter" when you transfer to secondary. Just rack
carefully so you don't get too much trub in your secondary. The next
batch you do, use some cheesecloth in your collander and you'll have
less trub. Or you could get a grain/hops bag. I use one of these for
my hops during the boil. I also, sometimes, use one for steeping my
grains, depending on how much I have.
Cheers,

--
Michael Herrenbruck
Dragon Tail Ale
Drunken Bee Mead

Nick wrote:[color=blue]
>
> Hi All,
> I am new to brewing and made my first batch yesterday. It has been somewhat
> confusing trying to follow my local suppliers directions, while trying to
> follow the beginners book to brewing, while getting everything right, and I
> made a few mistakes in the process. So, here is my question.
>
> I decided to make for my first batch a bavarian wheat beer. I used cracked
> wheat, malt, hops, and a half-teaspoon of irish moss for the last 30 mins of
> the brew. My mistakes, when I strained the wheat after steeping it for 45
> minutes, I only used a colander, I didn't use a filter for either the
> initial strain or sparge step. I then used this wort with my malt, hops for
> the 55 min brew. When it was done I cooled it in the sink until it was room
> temp (about 75 degrees) and mixed it with 2.5 gallons of 60 degree water. My
> second mistake was when I again used the collander without a filter to
> separate the hops from the wort. I poured the contents out of the 2.5 gal
> stainless steel pot through the colander into the fermentation pail which
> held the other 2.5 gallons of cold water.[/color]

Keep in mind that unless you use wheat *malt*, you can't use wheat
without another "diastatic" grain, which has enzymes to convert the
starch in the wheat into sugar that the yeast can ferment. If you don't
do that, you end up with a starch laden beer that provides food for
bacterial infections.

------------>Denny
--
Life begins at 60...1.060, that is.

My brew supply store gave me the necessary ingridients to make my first
batch. I told him I wanted to make a wheat beer, and he threw everything on
the counter and rang it up. I watched him crack the grain, and I believe he
used two different grains. A wheat and I'm guessing a barley. He's a cherry
fella but dont say much, so I dont exactly know what he sold me ;)

The first trip to the store, he handed me the stuff to make a lager beer,
and I had just told him that my wife bought me a beer making kit for my
birthday. When I got home and started reading up on Lagers, the book said it
was the most difficult to brew at home. It was on my second trip to the
store, that he told me I needed a refrigerator with a special 70$ thermostat
installed to brew my own lager. (unless I do a steam beer). I was a little
upset he didn't pass this info on during my first trip, but neededless to
say, I'm now looking for a used freezer, refrigerator for my garage :)

Thanks
Nick

"Denny Conn" <denny.g.conn@ci.eugene.or.us> wrote in message
news:45969E7B.8484CA05@ci.eugene.or.us...[color=blue]
> Nick wrote:[color=green]
>>
>> Hi All,
>> I am new to brewing and made my first batch yesterday. It has been
>> somewhat
>> confusing trying to follow my local suppliers directions, while trying to
>> follow the beginners book to brewing, while getting everything right, and
>> I
>> made a few mistakes in the process. So, here is my question.
>>
>> I decided to make for my first batch a bavarian wheat beer. I used
>> cracked
>> wheat, malt, hops, and a half-teaspoon of irish moss for the last 30 mins
>> of
>> the brew. My mistakes, when I strained the wheat after steeping it for 45
>> minutes, I only used a colander, I didn't use a filter for either the
>> initial strain or sparge step. I then used this wort with my malt, hops
>> for
>> the 55 min brew. When it was done I cooled it in the sink until it was
>> room
>> temp (about 75 degrees) and mixed it with 2.5 gallons of 60 degree water.
>> My
>> second mistake was when I again used the collander without a filter to
>> separate the hops from the wort. I poured the contents out of the 2.5 gal
>> stainless steel pot through the colander into the fermentation pail which
>> held the other 2.5 gallons of cold water.[/color]
>
> Keep in mind that unless you use wheat *malt*, you can't use wheat
> without another "diastatic" grain, which has enzymes to convert the
> starch in the wheat into sugar that the yeast can ferment. If you don't
> do that, you end up with a starch laden beer that provides food for
> bacterial infections.
>
> ------------>Denny
> --
> Life begins at 60...1.060, that is.[/color]

Nick wrote:[color=blue]
> My brew supply store gave me the necessary ingridients to make my first
> batch. I told him I wanted to make a wheat beer, and he threw everything on
> the counter and rang it up. I watched him crack the grain, and I believe he
> used two different grains. A wheat and I'm guessing a barley. He's a cherry
> fella but dont say much, so I dont exactly know what he sold me ;)
>
> The first trip to the store, he handed me the stuff to make a lager beer,
> and I had just told him that my wife bought me a beer making kit for my
> birthday. When I got home and started reading up on Lagers, the book said it
> was the most difficult to brew at home. It was on my second trip to the
> store, that he told me I needed a refrigerator with a special 70$ thermostat
> installed to brew my own lager. (unless I do a steam beer). I was a little
> upset he didn't pass this info on during my first trip, but neededless to
> say, I'm now looking for a used freezer, refrigerator for my garage :)
>
> Thanks
> Nick
>[/color]

Glad to see the enthusiasm towards lagers, but I'd suggest making a
bunch of ale batches to get your technique down. Ales are a little more
forgiving. I tried a lager early on and was a little dissapointed. I
ended up with a fruity (estery) beer closer to a Steam beer than a
lager. I think my primary fermentation temp wasn't as low as it should
have been, but also not as high as ale temps.
Welcome to the craft.
Cheers,


--
Michael Herrenbruck
Herrenbruck Brewery

"Nick" <nicke@cfl.rr.com> wrote in message
news:45982ac8$0$8960$4c368faf@roadrunner.com...[color=blue]
> My brew supply store gave me the necessary ingridients to make my first
> batch. I told him I wanted to make a wheat beer, and he threw everything
> on the counter and rang it up. I watched him crack the grain, and I
> believe he used two different grains. A wheat and I'm guessing a barley.
> He's a cherry fella but dont say much, so I dont exactly know what he sold
> me ;)
>
> The first trip to the store, he handed me the stuff to make a lager beer,
> and I had just told him that my wife bought me a beer making kit for my
> birthday. When I got home and started reading up on Lagers, the book said
> it was the most difficult to brew at home. It was on my second trip to the
> store, that he told me I needed a refrigerator with a special 70$
> thermostat installed to brew my own lager. (unless I do a steam beer). I
> was a little upset he didn't pass this info on during my first trip, but
> neededless to say, I'm now looking for a used freezer, refrigerator for my
> garage :)[/color]

It sounds like you might want to look for a new
brew supply store first. If you told him you were
brewing with a new kit you got for your birthday,
he never should have sold you ingrediets for a
lager without a much more thorough explanation.

A good homebrew supply dealer should be able to provide
you with sound information and advice about the products
he sells you, and it sounds like this guy is not up to it.