Like what flars said. The kveik is aweome yeast can hold up in high temp me here on a topical island. For the first week i use a swamp cooler. Steady temp control i do have. Later on temp seems to be fine for my ales. Thanks to kveik yeast
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I admit, I don’t usually put too much thought into my fermentation temperatures… but my brews stay in the basement where the temperature is pretty steady and in the mid 60s (plus it’s nice and dark down there).
As mentioned earlier, that trub (gunk) at the bottom of the fermenter is normal, and should be left behind when bottling.
I don’t think you did anything wrong with sanitizing. Many of my beers ferment “aggressively” for 2-3 days or so, then they slow down, and then the bubbling stops almost all together. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the fermentation is done, it just means that the yeast is no longer producing enough gas to create high pressure, hence why the bubbles stop. You should use a hydrometer, measure after 10 days or so. Then, measure after the 11th, the 12th, and so on. Once the gravity has settled for a few days in a row, that is when the fermentation is done. There is no real harm, however, in just trying to play it safe. When I first started, I never measured gravity, so I just waited a few extra days longer than instructed in the recipe, that way I was more likely to catch the batch after fermentation was complete.
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thank you for the input… i have just ordered a hydrometer kit from amazon as well as the book, “How to Brew: Everything You Need To Know To Brew Beer Right The First Time” by John J. Palmer. I also think my next brew will be the same recipe as this one (chinook IPA) so that i can compare the two batches… my house has no basement, so i can’t stash it down there… right now i am keeping the fermenter in a dark closet, but i think i might buy a used wine cooler (or mini frig) off craigslist ($60-$75) to control the temperature better.
interestingly enough, i live in Jacksonville, FL where i just found out that one of our local breweries, Bold City Brewery makes Chinook IPA… so that will create another opportunity for comparison.
this forum has been a tremendous place to get advice without the snark… thanks!
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Thanks for that! We try to be helpful. I know activity has sort of subsided on this forum lately, but it’s exactly that helpful, snark free attitude that makes me happy to be a member. As you read (excellent choice for a first book, by the way), feel free to ask more questions.
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^^^^ I suspect summer has slowed the talk down… Fall it will ramp up… Sneezles61
okay… i’m on day 8 now and the bubbling has pretty much stopped. pretty soon now i will transfer to the secondary fermentor… my only question is… when do i add the dry hops? the instructions are a little unclear as to whether i should do it immediately after the transfer to the secondary fermentor, or wait a week? …anybody?
also, i’ve read that many people don’t transfer to the secondary fermentor; but i’ve got it, so i might as well learn how to use it. down the road, i see using the secondary fermentor as a way to have 2 batches going at once… meaning, once i transfer wort from the primary to the secondary fermentor, i can clean the primary fermentor and immediately begin a new batch; thus, having 2 batches (at different stages of development) going at once. does anybody else do this?
You should take some specific gravity readings to confirm final gravity has been reached before you do anything else. Racking to a secondary vessel before FG can stall the fermentation and result in off flavors. Take a gravity reading, and taste today. Take a second one at least three days from now.
I don’t think the fermentation will be finished yet. You may taste some green apple flavor in your SG sample. This flavor can stay with the beer when the yeast is not given time to clean up.
I dry hop in the primary when the fermentation is complete. Usually around day 14. Bottle at day 21 when the beer is dry hopped.
Typically, I’ll dry hop for 3-7 days before bottling.
If your instructions instructions are similar to these http://www.northernbrewer.com/documentation/beerkits/ChinookIPA.pdf)
then let’s assume that we will 1) condition in secondary for three weeks, 2) dry hop for one week, and 3) decide on August 1st that we can transfer to secondary. Secondary would end on the 21st. A 7 day dry hop would start on the 15th.
I will do this (transfer to a secondary fermentor) occasionally, so I’m happy that I learned early on how to do it well.
Buckets for primaries are cheap, about $20 with a lid.
I wouldn’t transfer JUST to free the primary up, but I do transfer when I’m dry-hopping, or actually adding more fermentables, or harvesting the yeast, or when I see there is loads of trub. I, like many, feel like transferring helps keep sludge out, but that’s a debated topic. I’d say most of may batches go straight from primary to keg.
But to the intent. Yes, you absolutely want to keep a pipeline of brews going.
thanks for the advice… i will be dry-hopping as this is the chinook IPA… i suppose i just throw the hops into the carboy and it will eventually settle to the bottom? …or do i need some kind of filter bag?
Whether or not to bag the dry hops is another one of those debate topics.
I put them in a muslin bag with some glass beads, but others will just dump’s straight in.
If they’re in there naked I think they may be slow to drop out if you can’t cold-crash, but maybe a loose hop advocate can chime in on that.
I dry hop in the carboy with pellets. No bag no cold crash. I do have a catch bag on the end of my siphon tube in case some hop material does make it through.
Pictures here at post #11. Niffty little gadget - #11 by flars
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You may as well start by throwing them in without bagging/containing them… Easiest way to start… Down the road you can rethink that, if you want… Sneezles61
Not to be contentious., but I would use which ever method YOU are comfortable with. It’s supposed to be a fun hobby not a chore or work.
For me it depends on the amount and type. For large amounts and cones I bag 'em. For your average ounce or two of pellets I toss 'em in loose. I do use the catch bag when racking into the keg which kind of makes bagging them or just tossing them in a moot issue. RDWAHAHB. It’s all good!
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Thantos43- i appreciate your sentiments, but for me, the goal is to have a beer that i can enjoy and be proud of. that will be my reward. the rest is process. i doubt if i will have fun and enjoy cleaning out the 6.5 gallon carboy after i’ve emptied it. 
WMNoob- if i understand correctly, i will be tossing in the hops after i’ve racked the wort into the secondary fermentor, then the last step is bottling… so when would i use the catch bag? …or did I miss a step?
To follow up on what @chertel said, when you dry hop and what vessel you dry hop is really a matter of timing. If you’re going to secondary for a week and you have a 4 day dry hop then it’ll be in the secondary. If the dry hop is a 14 day dry hop then you’d toss 'em in the primary. Cold crashing prior to racking into the bottling bucket helps drop the hops out but isn’t absolutely necessary, especially with the hop catcher bag. I’ve used a chunk of a muslin bag but prefer the fine nylon hops bag material which can be washed and reused. So here you go: Primary-> Secondary->Bottling Bucket (add priming sugar solution Why do we boil priming sugar? and stir gently)
Parting thoughts. I’m a process guy with a bit of a scientific background. When I started brewing I got all wound up went at this like I was developing the cure for the common cold. Pretty funny! I’m 30+ batches in and one of the best lessons I’ve learned (as stated by my son/brewing buddy) is “We’re just makin’ beer man.” It’s all good @Byron ! Yes, we do need to pay attention to the basics like safety, sanitation, and timings but my experience is that what you make will be beer- barring any large mistakes, which are hard to make. You’ll learn from experience what works for your style of brewing, your equipment, your surroundings, your tastes, and your product will improve. You’ll learn some new techniques. You’ll likely make an occasional so/so brew but don’t worry because you’ll learn to make damn good brew! We didn’t expect our first beer to be the next ++insert your opinion of best beer ever++ and it wasn’t but it WAS drinkable! Best feeling ever! Some beers will be better than others. Even some of the most seasoned guys have an occasional “meh”. Learn what works for you, enjoy the hobby, and enjoy the fruits of your labors! Don’t sweat the petty things and don’t pet the sweaty things! Welcome to the hobby/obsession! RDWAHAHB Cheers! 
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Thanks! 
