I just brewed my first batch on Sunday (NB Bavarian Hefe). Everything seemed to go fairly smooth. My only problem I encountered was that when I had my wort cooled and in the carboy, my hydrometer was nowhere to be found. Not sure if I didn’t realize it was missing from my new kit, or if I somehow misplaced it after unpacking. Needless to say what was I to do? I pitched my yeast and we have a healthy fermentation. My initial question is, without the OG reading is my only concern going to be i wont know the final ABV? This kit is fairly simple and has a short fermentation time, so I didn’t get too caught up. I have ordered a new hydrometer, should i bother taking a reading in a week or so, or should I just go ahead and bottle after 2 weeks? On another note, I’ve seen people talking about using hop bags. Is this necessary, or is this a preference thing? Any comments and suggestions are appreciated.
I am guessing that this is an extract recipe kit? If so as long as you had the right volume you should be good as far as gravities go.
If it was an extract recipe where you added syrup to the kettle, your OG is on the recipe sheet. You can’t miss OG numbers with extract unless you miss putting 5 gallons into the carboy. I let my hefe sit 3 weeks before bottling it up. It turned out to be a really great beer. Take your OG at bottling and you can still calculate your ABV.
Hop bags are just a preference. Depending on your setup, you may want to do hop bags to keep the pellets from clogging a dip tube. I pour the whole pot into the fermenter, hops and all. I’ve perfected my siphoning technique to keep from picking up the stuff off the bottom at transfer.
This was an extract kit. Wanted to start simple and get the basics down. I assumed my OG should be close to the stated on the kit as long as I followed the directions, but when your doing something for the first time it helps to have confirmation. thanks
You’re welcome. When I first read your post, I thought you were going to wind up with a hydrometer in the carboy…
Welcome to homebrewing!
:cheers:
