Will be doing my first extract batch of caribou slobber soon. I got the Danstar Windsor dry yeast…should I rehydrate this yeast before using as shown on the yeast packet or just add the yeast from the packet to the wort in the northern Brewer instructions?
Will be using the deluxe big mouth bubbler kit…Any other first timer tips?
I’m planning to use whirlfloc and biofine clear in the process.
I’m undecided on using distilled water or just using city water from my refrigerator which has a filter.
My best advice is to find a way to keep the temperatures down especially for the first 5 days. Google swamp cooler or search this forum for same. You will be much happier if you do. This ale takes off like a rocket and generates a lot of heat.
I didn’t (my first attempt)and it had a very chemical taste and smell(fusel alcohols), as well as spouting up through the airlock. EVENTUALLY it came out ok with time and bottle conditioning.
Rehydrating the yeast is a good idea. Yes.
For extract I think you will be ok with your tap filtered water but try to get rid of the chlorine/ chloramine with a campden tab. OR distilled, probably easier for now.
While agreeing with Voodoo Donut, I’ll be a bit of a devil’s advocate and say rehydrating is optional. Better to do it, but with dry yeast in a normal strength beer, last of my concerns.
Temp control is number one, but it sounds like you’ve got that. Naturally, pay attention to sanitation. Obvious, but worth saying. I personally love distilled water. I do all grain, and buy eight or nine gallons every brew day. I don’t care about the seven dollars spent. For extract, I’d be all over six or seven gallons of distilled.
Patience, too. Give the beer some time. Ignore the timelines if one week primary, one week secondary, bottle for a week in the instructions.
Thanks uberculture…I wonder if the primo bottled 5gallon water jug is just as good as distilled?
As far as fermentation, the directions call for 1-2 weeks primary, 2-4 weeks secondary, and 1-2 weeks bottle… You think it would be better to go the long part of that range (2,4,2)?
Timing usually is driven by what’s happening. Yeast can’t tell time :lol:
For a brown ale, if I had to give a general rule, I’d say three weeks primary, skip secondary, bottle for two to three weeks.
As for water, I’m not sure what Primo is. “Spring” water is usually just bottled tap water. Probably good enough, but for extract, store brand distilled will be perfect. You’ll need to worry about mineral content more if you do all grain.
I’ll get flamed for this but… I have never rehydrated dry yeast. Even went as far as to do an experiment with one five gallon carboy with rehydrated yeast and another next to it with yeast sprinkled right from the packet. I could not find any difference between the two. I would not suggest this with a big beer like a Barley Wine but for any normal gravity beer, skip the rehydrate IMHO. Today’s dry yeast is far superior to the old packets that were taped to the lid of a can of extract and work as good as good as liquid yeast without as much work.
Water wise the old rule of thumb was if your water is safe to drink, it is safe to brew with. However distilled water has everything removed you might need for all grain brewing but with extract everything needed is in the malt extract so it will not hurt.
