Mike's Blog

Mike's Homebrewing Notes - First 2 Mr. Beer batches - 10-Jan-2009

Fermenter #1: Honey Maiboch
Fermenter #2: Brew Ha Ha

Reread FAQ and MB Instructions
Sanitized keg #1, brewing equipment, hop sack, and plate for 15 minutes with One Step

Poured One Step solution from keg #1 into brew pot ... added can opener (because I forgot to earlier ... Wilson #1 [??] ) and thermometer probe ... decided to at least sanitize the scissors to be used for opening the hops package and cutting hop sack! 15 more minutes on the timer.
Place utensils from keg #1 onto sanitized plate
Used Great Value (Walmart brand) spring water for this batch.
Coffee / smoke break ...
Tared kitchen scale with sanitized hop sack. Opened hops and added to hop sack until scale read 0.3oz
Tied off and cut hop sack ... saving remainder for another day
Added 4qt spring water into fermenter #1
Removed remaining utensils from brew pot onto sanitized plate and poured One Step solution down the kitchen drain
Added 4c spring water into brew pot and set on stove to boil
Once good boil (212F) achieved ... turned off the heat and added:

2c honey ... stirred well
HME (High Country Canadian Draft ... provided with MB kit) ... stirred well
UME (Pale Export) ... stirred again ...
OMG this smells GOOD!!! Had to taste the sticky on my fingers after stirring ... tastes good too! Washed hands ...

Carefully poured wort into keg #1 ... Note to self: get funnel
Filled keg to 8qt mark with remaining spring water and stirred vigorously with whisk
Checked temp in fermenter ... right at 80F ... decided to let cool a bit before pitching the yeast

At about 5 minutes remaining, checked temp on keg #1 ... 77F so ...
Pitched the yeast and after timer went off stirred vigorously with whisk
Put lid on keg #1 and then poured One Step from keg #2 into brew pot
Rinsed whisk/temp probe in warm tap water and added to brew pot
Timer at 15 minutes
Smoke and coffee break ... plus making room in basement bar area for brew kegs to ferment
Moved keg #1 downstairs to bar area
Decided to use tap water for batch #2 as there is no noticeable [to either wife or me] smell or taste
Poured 4qt tap water into keg #2
After timer completed, moved whisk/probe to sanitized plate and poured One Step down the drain
Added 4c tap water to brew pot and set on medium flame
Slowly added Booster to warming water in brew pot ... stirring all the while
Very quickly switched from spoon to whisk ... sure seemed easier to dissolve the Booster (didn't I read this tip on the friendliest place on the web??)
Once Booster dissolved upped the heat and brought wort (pre-wort?) to boil
Removed from heat once boiling ... and opened HME ...
Wilson! Didn't remove the lid from the HCCD ... and you know right where it went as I began to pour ... first instinct was to grab it ... but I resisted and fished it out with the sanitized spoon (no sense getting my grubby hands in the wort!!)
Poured Mellow Amber ... this wort smells good too ... definately different than the first though ...
Checked the temp ... 155F so too warm to pour into keg #2 ... but smells GREAT!!

Wait ... coffee and cigarette time ... called wife in to smell the wort ... she agrees it's good
Temp of wort finally under 140F, so poured into keg #2 and filled to 8qt mark with more tap water
Stirred vigorously with whisk then checked the temp .... 77F (tap water much colder than the RT spring water was)
Pitched the yeast and set 5 minutes on timer
Rinsed/cleaned all utensils (except whisk and plate) while waiting
Timer off ... stirred vigorously ... capped and transported keg #2 down to bar area
Final cleanup completed
Labelled each keg with beer name, pitch date, 2 wk date, and recommended lager/condition time

// posted by Mike @ 10:15 PM