First batch questions???

[snowcapt]

Filter will clean the water up, too. Just remember to change the damn things or its all for nothing.

[hopshead]

All suggestions given are good. But, this is your first batch of homebrew, get the process down and under your belt once, then start figuring out how you can improve the beer you made. The suggestions given above about water, etc. are good ones and come from trials and tribulations from the brewer. That is the cool part of the hobby, where you ask yourself "how can I make the best beer?"

Good luck and cheers.

Post back to this thread and tell us how the beer turns out.

[snowcapt]

All suggestions given are good. But, this is your first batch of homebrew, get the process down and under your belt once, then start figuring out how you can improve the beer you made. The suggestions given above about water, etc. are good ones and come from trials and tribulations from the brewer. That is the cool part of the hobby, where you ask yourself "how can I make the best beer?"

Good luck and cheers.

Post back to this thread and tell us how the beer turns out.

Great point hopshead. Get it down and just remember that the most important thing for a new brewer is sanitation. If you develope good sanitation habits, things will fall into place. You will even begin to line things up like a surgeon to have things near and clean. And like hopshead said, focus on the process and read read read!
Also, print out some check lists to go off of. It will help you immensly. Nothing worse than needing something and not having it!

[o2bwest]

My brew kettle has been used to boil shrimp. I have scrubbed the hell out of it with hot water and Dawn soap. It doesn't have have any kind of smell, but I was thinking about rinsing it with vinegar or maybe scrubbing with baking soda just to make sure I get any kind of oils or off flavors out. any suggestions?

[spiderwrangler]

If you've cleaned it well it should be fine. And if not, there are oyster stouts, why not shrimp?

[o2bwest]

I asked this question in the fermentation forum, but I thought I would put in here too for good measure:

I got my extract kit from NB a couple weeks ago. The smack pack has bee at room temp in the kit all that time. I smacked it this morning with the intention of brewing this afternoon. The smack pack is getting a little puffy 3 hours later but nothing to get excited about. What are the chances I will get to brew today? Will the yeast ever become active enough to brew with? How can I make it happen?

[hopshead]

Go ahead and brew. The pack has already swelled a little and that means the yeast if fine. Now BREW and get that yeast in the fermenter soon.

[o2bwest]

I did it. I brewed my beer. My smack pack finally swelled up nicely, so I pitched that bitch. The carboy is in a dark cozy place festering away as I type. I was going to listen live tonight, but I spent the whole show brewing and missed it.

On a somber note, I missed my OG by about 3 or 4 points. I was supposed to be at 1.049 and came in at about 1.046. How bad did I mess it up? I think I know what I did wrong.