I’ve been brewing extract for about a year now and have had pretty good results. Yesterday I was brewing a spiced ale for the holidays and all was going ok. I was in the kitchen with all the gear, then wifey wanted to start making dinner and the little one started to get cranky. I cooled the wort, poured in 1.5 gallons of water, poured in the wort, then topped off another 3/4 gallon to just over 5 gallons.Temp reading was 76deg. I took the hydro reading and pitched the yeast. As soon as I pitched the yeast I realized my SNAFU!!! I didn’t aerate the wort!! I quicky shook it around for a minute or two. How bad did I screw up?? Will it needand/or can it be fixed?? This is the first big mistake I’ve made while brewing and will learn from it, ut am hoping to salvage the batch. Thanks.
It should be OK. Watch your airlock, and if it goes, forget it till you take a hydrometer reading before bottling. Check reading to see if it’s in appropriate range, check next day to see if it’s done.
You’ll be fine. Pouring water in would have aerated somewhat and the shaking you did will be fine. RDWHAHB
Thanks for the info. Being new to this hobby, I try to keep all my processes the same to minimize issues. Also being a newbie, AND brewing a flavor for the first time I don’t know what to expect, or off flavors if any.
It will be just fine. What is the OG and how much yeast did you pitch?
I agree about the aeration. Can you drop your temp and keep it down through active fermentation? 76* will be in the 80s during fermentation.
Presently I am at 66 degrees, approx 24 hours from pitching the yeast, I used 1 smack pack of Burton Ale, and orginal gravity of 1.070, the kit called for 1.067 OG. Very light fermentation through air lock, no thick head of foam that usually happens within 24 hours like I normally see. Now I’m second guessing things again. Hopefully just new brewer jitters
The only way you can be off on the gravity with an extract brew is to not have enough/to much water or not enough/to much LME/DME.
My guess would be your volume is off a little.
Or your hydrometer is off a bit.
Either way you beer will be fine.
The next posts will tell you that you under pitched the yeast. Some off flavors “could” come from this. But I doubt you would be able to tell the difference. I can’t.
http://www.mrmalty.com/calc/calc.htmlKeep the temps in line and this will be another great creation. Don’t worry about it.
ALL my beers have been over slightly from what the kits say, I also have water issues we won’t get into here, but that is on the wish list. I’ve been trying to compare “apples to apples” here, not concerned about water consistency(sp). I’ve boiled the same time and approx same amount. I was mostly concerned about lack of aeration like I normally due, and now lack of activity by the yeast. Thanks for all your time and info. I’ve been taking notes and will add this to them in detail.
Pouring the water in did a good enough job to get the yeast going. Since I bought this live well aerator for 10 bucks, my fermentations seem to have have started faster.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Bubble-Box-1. ... p/16326903For every Rookie mistake you make you owe me a $. :lol:
