I am going to order my first brewing kit and taking advantage of buying the Dead Ringer and Stainless kettle and get the free Essential Kit.
I have a question about the Dead Ringer. I can make choice for Yeast and Priming. What are the advantages of both of them from the drop down selection? Which should I pick? I see one of the Yeast choice saying that it is best to use Dry Yeast in the summer time so that means this option is out for me. What other two choice of Yeast should I select and the Priming? Help me out so I can place this order. This is my first time so bear with me!
First time out brewing I would choose the dry yeast option, US-05. It is also good to have an extra pack on hand at all times. With the dry yeast you wouldn’t need to get into making liquid yeast starters right from the start. These two yeasts are same strain of yeast. The recommendation to order dry yeast in the summer because high summer temperatures are not goof for liquid yeast shipping.
Rehydrate the dry yeast before pitching. Pitching the yeast dry can kill up to half the cells.
[quote=“bluridge”]I am going to order my first brewing kit and taking advantage of buying the Dead Ringer and Stainless kettle and get the free Essential Kit.
I have a question about the Dead Ringer. I can make choice for Yeast and Priming. What are the advantages of both of them from the drop down selection? Which should I pick? I see one of the Yeast choice saying that it is best to use Dry Yeast in the summer time so that means this option is out for me. What other two choice of Yeast should I select and the Priming? Help me out so I can place this order. This is my first time so bear with me![/quote]
Welcome to the forum and your new obsession!
Any of those yeast options will work fine. The only reason they recommend dry in the summer is to avoid issues with shipping delays that could cause the liquid yeasts to overheat. A shipping delay in the winter could also allow it to freeze I suppose but I’ve never had either issue.
Corn sugar is fine for priming or many people just use table sugar.
Thanks. I looked at the link and will go for the dry yeast. might be easier for me for my first brew.
I got a question though. How much priming sugar do I need to use and assume they are different based on the kinds of sugar. If I can use the sugar from my table (i.e. the kind you use in cereal like Domino Pure Cane Sugar.) then this will work. I presume that I boil the water and sugar to get it dissolved pretty good before adding to the fermenter? How much water would be considered too much?
Sorry I posted after the last message from Danny. So tell me how much priming sugar I should use.
I am getting a bit antsy as I see some folks screw up their first batch but I guess the only way to learn is to get right down to it and if necessary learn from your mistake.
I had originally was going to get a $30 kit and lear from that but I am jumping up to the Deaf Ringer ale
[quote=“bluridge”]Sorry I posted after the last message from Danny. So tell me how much priming sugar I should use.
I am getting a bit antsy as I see some folks screw up their first batch but I guess the only way to learn is to get right down to it and if necessary learn from your mistake.
I had originally was going to get a $30 kit and lear from that but I am jumping up to the Deaf Ringer ale [/quote]
I’d say many people make mistakes on their fist batch, (and 20th and 30th…) but truly very few really “screw up.” so don’t worry too much.
NB’s instructions tend to be pretty conservative on timing, but if you follow them, you’ll be making pretty good beer pretty soon.
The one thing NB’s kits underplay is temperature control; get the wort cool before pitching, and keep it in the lower range. There are lots of posts around about how to control temps.
Just to clarify one thing you mentioned; the priming sugar goes in the bottling bucket, not the fermenter. I usually weigh the sugar in the measuring cup, then add just enough boiling water to dissolve the sugar completely. - its usually about a cup or less. I do it as my first step, by the time I’m done sanitizing everything and start racking the beer, I can just dump the cup in the bucket. Mix gently.
Well I got everything, the Dead Ringer and the Irish Ale. I have a couple questions I want to ask. In these two kits I got what looks like dry yeast. I picked the dry yeast for the Dead Ringer and the dry yeast came with the Irish Red. From the instructions it looks like only liquid yeast needs to be put in the refrigerator but the dry yeast does not need to be put in the refrigerator, is that correct?
And the Syrup in the Deaf Ringer seem to be cold even when sitting in room temp for a couple of days. Are these syrup container needed to be put in the fridge?
Again from the instructions only “liquid” yeast needs to be put in the fridge and I have the dry yeast. So no fridge for my yeast?
I will probably ask questions once I read through the instructions thoroughly. Thanks for your help!
It won’t hurt to put dry yeast in the fridge, this time of year it won’t be an issue. I would if I wasn’t going to use it for awhile. They don’t take up much room.
Same goes for the syrup. You’ll want to put the container in hot water before pouring, it’s pretty thick even at room temp.
I assume you got hops with your kit. They store best in the freezer.
Ok. I will put dry yeast in the fridge. And the syrup goes in the fridge too? I notice the syrup appears to be thick. I plan to start the Irish Red next weekend but I am going to put the yeast and syrup in the fridge. How long should they be out in room temp before using the yeast/syrup?
Yes I got the hops with the kit. I will put these in the freezer as well (instructions never said to do this but guess this is from experience.)
You don’t have to put the syrup in the fridge, I used to if it wouldn’t be used for a couple of weeks. When I brewed extract, I bought 7 lb containers divided from a larger container. I stored them cool to keep them fresh. NB has a quick turnaround, so it should be fresh. Just place in hot water to aid in pouring.
The yeast can be pitched straight from the fridge, or rehydrated in boiled and cooled water. There are a lot of opinions on the benefits of either method.
I prefer to rehydrate, but it’s simpler to pitch dry.
[quote=“bluridge”]Ok. I will put dry yeast in the fridge. And the syrup goes in the fridge too? I notice the syrup appears to be thick. I plan to start the Irish Red next weekend but I am going to put the yeast and syrup in the fridge. How long should they be out in room temp before using the yeast/syrup?
Yes I got the hops with the kit. I will put these in the freezer as well (instructions never said to do this but guess this is from experience.)[/quote]
Now that you are getting ready to go on your first brew, have you considered how you will chill your boiled wort? Controlling the the fermentation temperature is the next very important consideration. I haven’t used Notty, but reading what others have said about it, the least estery flavors come from having the fermenting wort fairly cool. 60°F to 64°F seems to be the most used temperature range. You might need a swamp cooler to control the fermentation temperature.
[quote=“mrv”]You don’t have to put the syrup in the fridge, I used to if it wouldn’t be used for a couple of weeks. When I brewed extract, I bought 7 lb containers divided from a larger container. I stored them cool to keep them fresh. NB has a quick turnaround, so it should be fresh. Just place in hot water to aid in pouring.
The yeast can be pitched straight from the fridge, or rehydrated in boiled and cooled water. There are a lot of opinions on the benefits of either method.
I prefer to rehydrate, but it’s simpler to pitch dry.[/quote]
IMHO and from experience you have enough to work through on your first brew day. Don’t worry with rehydrating the yeast. Just sprinkle it on top of your cooled wort. It will work just fine.
[quote=“dannyboy58”][quote=“mrv”]You don’t have to put the syrup in the fridge, I used to if it wouldn’t be used for a couple of weeks. When I brewed extract, I bought 7 lb containers divided from a larger container. I stored them cool to keep them fresh. NB has a quick turnaround, so it should be fresh. Just place in hot water to aid in pouring.
The yeast can be pitched straight from the fridge, or rehydrated in boiled and cooled water. There are a lot of opinions on the benefits of either method.
I prefer to rehydrate, but it’s simpler to pitch dry.[/quote]
IMHO and from experience you have enough to work through on your first brew day. Don’t worry with rehydrating the yeast. Just sprinkle it on top of your cooled wort. It will work just fine.[/quote]
I disagree with your advice not to rehydrate the yeast because there are other things to think about. The fermentation of the wort is one of the key steps to making beer. Pitching yeast dry into a wort can kill up to one-half of the yeast cells due to osmotic pressure damaging cell walls. Perhaps the main reason, under pitching, for extract quitting at the dreaded 1.020, which most people accept as normal in brewing with extract.
Rehydration is a simple process. Heat water to the right temperature, add yeast, give it a stir in a few minutes, and you are done.
+1 on storing the syrup in the fridge if you have space. It will slow down deterioration. When you get ready to brew just set the syrup in a container of warm to hot water to thin it before trying to pour.
