First Brew Issues

[Gorris]

I did my first brew today and noticed that I did a couple things wrong.
1. I added hops at the wrong time. The pot wasn't at a boil when they were added, will this hurt anything?
2. Noticed that some of the malt was still stuck to the bottom of the pot after putting everything in the fermentation bucket. There was just one spot it was in and wasn't a lot.

Is my batch completely ruined? Was so worried about not messing things up that I did just that. Any feedback would be grateful.

Thanks for reading and keep on brewing!

[BDawg]

Relax-
It will be fine. Next time, wait for hot break before you add your bittering addition and starting the boil clock.
Also, be sure to stir the extract more so that all the extract is evenly dissolved. This batch will be fine, so don't worry about it for now. There's nothing you can do and it won't be very detrimental anyways.

The thing you can do right now is just to ensure that the temp stays cool. Most ales taste best when they are fermented in the mid 60's F. Try to keep the beer there. If it is warmer than that right now, I suggest draping a wet t-shirt over your fermenter. The water will evaporate and that cools it down. Keep it moist by putting the whole thing in a tub so that the bottom of the shirt wicks the water up.

Then, give it the time it needs. At least 2 weeks in the fermenter. The yeast will work on their time, not yours.
Even after the active fermentation is finished and the krausen (yeast foam on top falls in to the beer), the yeast will still be active and cleaning up their byproducts. That is a very crucial part of the process.

Good luck and feel free to ask if you have any questions whatsoever. We are here to help.

[brewinhard]

Relax-
It will be fine. Next time, wait for hot break before you add your bittering addition and starting the boil clock.
Also, be sure to stir the extract more so that all the extract is evenly dissolved. This batch will be fine, so don't worry about it for now. There's nothing you can do and it won't be very detrimental anyways.

The thing you can do right now is just to ensure that the temp stays cool. Most ales taste best when they are fermented in the mid 60's F. Try to keep the beer there. If it is warmer than that right now, I suggest draping a wet t-shirt over your fermenter. The water will evaporate and that cools it down. Keep it moist by putting the whole thing in a tub so that the bottom of the shirt wicks the water up.

Then, give it the time it needs. At least 2 weeks in the fermenter. The yeast will work on their time, not yours.
Even after the active fermentation is finished and the krausen (yeast foam on top falls in to the beer), the yeast will still be active and cleaning up their byproducts. That is a very crucial part of the process.

Good luck and feel free to ask if you have any questions whatsoever. We are here to help.

This ^^^^^. Sage advice.

[Gorris]

Thanks for the help and advice will do the wet t-shirt trick once i get home from work.

[BDawg]

One of these is great for this. Put your fermenter in, add a few inches of water, cover the fermenter with the t-shirt so the bottom is in the water.
It will drop your fermenter temp by about 5 degrees. Point a fan at it and it will cool it even more.


http://www.amazon.com/United-Solutions- ... lastic+tub

[Gorris]

I used a Rubbermaid tote that I had lying around. Thanks again for the help I really appreciate it.

[BDawg]

Glad to help. Let us know how it turns out.

[madgirlbruise]

One of these is great for this. Put your fermenter in, add a few inches of water, cover the fermenter with the t-shirt so the bottom is in the water.
It will drop your fermenter temp by about 5 degrees. Point a fan at it and it will cool it even more.


http://www.amazon.com/United-Solutions- ... lastic+tub

Solid advice!