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New Brew Kit and a Few Questions

Northern Brewer General
#1

First of all, greetings! My wife decided it was time to get me a home brew kit as I have been asking for one FOREVER so Merry Xmas to me!

She knows I do not like IPA’s so she got me the small batch homebrew kit and american wheat as the beer. I had a question before I got started. I have a saltwater tank so I have a RODI filter for that and was wondering if I should use that to brew my beer with or stick with plain ole tap water. Couldn’t find much info on here and thought I would just ask. That and I am sure a TON of people got brew kits for xmas and might have the same question!

Thanks for the help guys.

#2

Welcome to home brewing! To answer your question tap water can be fine as long as its not chlorine (town water ) you can boil it to declorine it. if you have good well water use it. Or you can use spring water from the store. But some say spring but are treated with chlorine. So maybe check the label As for your filter I would let the fish keep it. A lot of algae and other gunk go through there.

#3

So the filter cleans the tap water to make RODI water to add as top off for evaporation and to mix with salt. The tank water does not go through there. I know my water has chlorine in it as it comes from town water.

#4

As long as it filters the chlorine out you should be fine. A very good place for you to learn more about home brewing is how to brew by John Palmer is free on the internet Google it. Is where most everyone starts at and is a excellent book and it’s free.

#5

The RODI filter may work for brewing extract beers if it is functioning as it should. Small batch brewing requires so little water, purchasing known clean water would not cost very much for each brew. The filter would not work for all grain brewing unless you adjusted the water with mineral additions. Extracts contain the necessary minerals so that spring water, distilled water, or RO water can be used.

#6

Thanks guys! Looking up that book now!

#7

Another question…what do I use to steep the wheat in? The kit didn’t come with anything and the instructions don’t help much lol.

#8

If you live close to a brew store grab a steeping bag from them. Looks kinda like a sock :slight_smile:

#9

With the American Wheat kit, you shouldn’t have to steep anything. It should come with a 1 lb bag of wheat malt extract. You just bring 1.25 gallons of water to a near boil in a kettle (should be about a 2 gallon kettle), take the kettle off the heat, add the malt extract, stir to thoroughly dissolve it, then put it back on the heat and bring it to a boil. You then start your 60 minute boil, adding hops as per the schedule in the instructions. You then chill to around 60-65 degrees, transfer to your fermenter, and pitch your yeast. :cheers:

EDIT: I just looked up the directions for this kit. It comes with one pound of dry malt extract as I thought. The boil time is also only 45 minutes, not 60 as I said earlier.

#10

With the American Wheat kit, you shouldn’t have to steep anything. It should come with a 1 lb bag of wheat malt extract. You just bring 1.25 gallons of water to a near boil in a kettle (should be about a 2 gallon kettle), take the kettle off the heat, add the malt extract, stir to thoroughly dissolve it, then put it back on the heat and bring it to a boil. You then start your 60 minute boil, adding hops as per the schedule in the instructions. You then chill to around 60-65 degrees, transfer to your fermenter, and pitch your yeast. :cheers:

EDIT: I just looked up the directions for this kit. It comes with one pound of dry malt extract as I thought. The boil time is also only 45 minutes, not 60 as I said earlier.[/quote]

Annoying! I guess they use the same instructions for every brew kit. Step 2 said to steep the grains, and since it is a wheat beer I figured that was the grains. What I get for thinking! Makes my life MUCH simpler.

#11

The best advice I can give you…other than sanitize everything…is to keep your fermentation temps in line with the recommended temps for the yeast. Try to keep it toward the low end of the yeast’s range. If you ferment too hot, it will produce some esters that are less than desirable.

Namaste!!!

#12

Good advice! Thanks a lot! Right now it is in my basement which I think runs right around 62 degrees and is in almost absolute darkness. Hope that helps it taste perfect!

#13

Thought I would post a few pics. It is the American Wheat starter kit which I got for Xmas.

This is about 24 hrs after I started fermentation.

This is now, one week after putting it into the fermenter.

For you experienced brewers, what do you all think? Look about on track with coloring and what not? I think it looks pretty delicious lol.

#14

Picture perfect. You were extremely close to needing a blow off tube. It would be a good idea to start your next brew with a blow off tube installed, in place of the air lock, for the first few days of fermentation.

#15

Is there Starsan sanitizer or vodka in the air lock?? Can’t see the level if it is filled.

#16

In the first pic of 24 hrs after, there was sanitizer in the airlock. In the second pic of a week old, there is not as I installed a blow off tube cause the airlock got kinda full.

#17

The second pic looks like it has a blow-off tube going into a bowl behind the jug.

#18

My mind lapse. Getting old.

#19

Lol! Happens to us all :slight_smile:

Now I need to figure out what to make next! I was thinking the Bavarian Hefe 1g recipe. After that one I was planning on doing a 5 gallon mix. Plan is to buy a turkey friar for the heat and get a new 7g pot and 7g bucket for fermenting. We shall see!

#20

A propane burner, good for you! Brewing outside. It was 31°F colder this morning than yesterday morning. High today will be the minus single digits. I think I’ll stay inside and cook up a dry Irish stout.

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