First Homebrew Bottled!
It’s been two weeks (at the time I’m typing this) since I brewed the very first batch. I’ve learned a ton since brewing, and a ton since trying to do things like check gravity. On that last thought, I bought a wine thief to make checking gravity easy, but even after getting acclimated to using it.
September 19, 2014: Checked gravity, got 1.014. Tasted beer. Initial flavor very citrusy (specifically orange), followed by a bitter slam.
September 21, 2014: Checked gravity, got 1.012. Tasted beer. Citrus flavor more subdued, and bitter slam gone.
September 22, 3014: Checked gravity, got 1.010.
September 23, 2014: Checked gravity, got 1.010. Ready for bottling!
I don’t know if bottoming out the wine thief on the bottom of the ale pail made any difference, but the flavor change after ~36 hours was pretty substantial. I had a ton of stuff to do on September 21, so the gravity change was well timed.
Evidence of fermentation!
The color is about right for a pale ale.
In other news, I was given birthday money (kinda weird feeling to still get birthday money when you’re 36), but I decided to spend it on a handful of homebrew things – a cooler to be used as a mash tun, a spare airlock, another lid (since I’m using my bottling bucket for sanitizer for now and want a lid on it to keep dust out), and some tube. Through reading one of the forums or Reddit or something, I saw someone post that they use a spray bottle of sanitizer with things like checking gravity (when removing the lid). I decided that I should do the same.
In addition to buying more stuff, I cleaned up an area in my basement that will ultimately be used for brewing. I do want to get an electric boiling kettle that I can use down there as opposed to using my stove. I also want to build an exhaust hood that would cover that area so when I’m boiling I can exhaust the steam as opposed to letting it go through the house – this is especially important in my basement as there is no air return duct in the basement, only a supply duct.
The food dehydrator is dehydrating hot peppers, which is why there is an airlock on the bucket marked ‘sanitizer’.
Bottle supply.
Bottling Day
There’s not much to talk about with bottling except that I was reminded of something – that little hole on the bottling bucket spigot is important.
Yeah, that little hole.
…and that’s why.
1.010. Pretty much right in range of where it was expected.
42 bottles of made-my-own 6-pack.
Cheers!