First brew tonight

[wottaguy]

Say PhalC1...

So how did your brew session go? CONGRATS on taking the plunge.....of course you know that your life will never be the same again....right?? The brew bug bites pretty hard...LOL!!

Keep brewin!

(_)3

[PhalC1]

lol that's what I hear


It went well. Everything was cleaned very well(hopefully lol)

One thing I didn't know that it will almost always boil over at the start though. That kinda scared the !@#$ out of me. It's chilling in my basement right now and it's about 67 degrees down there

Oh and it smelled like heaven

[caughtinamosh87]

Congrats and good luck with the first brew. I remember mine. Was nervous as hell, but 4 weeks later I couldn't have been happier. And yes, this is a cool site. I've gotten good advice and instruction from here. Let us all know how it turns out. Next time, go for the 5 gallon batch. You'll be wishing you did when its all gone too quickly.

[PhalC1]

I need advice guys! My foam is getting pretty tall here and there isn't much room left


[img]http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/9307/img00462xg3.jpg[/img]

[wottaguy]

rig up a blow off tube if necessary

[Legman]

Hey is there an air lock on that thing??????
If not, that looks like a nice big beer bomb!

What is that, a Mr. Beer Kit or something?

[brewmeisterintng]

The lid has a hole in it for an air lock but I don't see one installed. I would highly encourage you to upgrade to a larger fermentation vessel.

[PhalC1]

Yeah it's Mr Beer lol

Can I shake it or move it at all?

[Legman]

I'm not familiar with Mr. Beer, but I can tell you that fermenting in a close container with no way for the CO2 to escape.....is a bomb in the making!

Did it come with an airlock??? If it didn't, I'd do something with it now before it blows beer all over the place.

[PhalC1]

It has holes under the lid for it to escape. I found that out when I was cleaning it and turned it upside down and got hot !@# water all over myself lol

[slothrob]

Yeah it's Mr Beer lol

Can I shake it or move it at all?

Sure, moving it won't hurt anything. I probably wouldn't shake it, but a little agitation or swirling to try and knock down the foam (krausen) won't hurt anything.

Probably the best way to control the yeast activity and the resultant foam is to cool it down. I used to need a blow off tube now and then, but by keeping my fermentation temperatures (for ales) down around 60-64°F I usually slow everything down enough to keep the foam under control. Sometimes I'll move the beer someplace warmer as it starts to finish, just to make sure it goes to completion.

[PhalC1]

That's why I wanted to swish it around. To distribute the yeast around more

I took a small sample from the built in tap and it smells amazing and it tastes good with no off flavors

[brewmeisterintng]

I stayed with Mr. Beer too long brewing their kits and adding stuff (DME etc.). Go for broke and get a real fermenting vessel. I personally like carboys and have used nothing less after my bout with Mr. Beer. There are plenty of good recipes posted to this site and by reviewing them you will find that there is a standard of ingredients that goes in a particular style. Above all do not get discourage when it doesn't turn out the way you planed; it's a hobby after all and enjoy the fruits of your FUN.
P.S. My Mr. Beer has been resting in the loft of my shed for a few years now. I just didn't have the heart to throw him away. I figure that I my some day find a use for him.

[bfabre]

Welcome aboard