Conference bookie::homebrew

    I've just brewed my first batch.Everything so far is going
    well.Fermentation in the primary was very active.I am making
    an India Pale ale.Ingredients included toasted barley,7 lbs of
    amber dried malt extract,hops for bittering and flavor.I've just
    transferred from the primary to secondary glass carboy w/airlock.
    The brew at this point appears very,very cloudy.I've read that
    irish moss can be used for clarity and this is usually added during 
    the last minutes of the boil.My question is that since i did not 
    add irish moss during the boil because the recioe i was using did
    not mention it,can i now boil a small amount of water and add the 
    irish moss then transfer this to the brew in the secondary? 
    Any suggesions appreciated , thanks from a new brewer in Delaware.
                                           
             

Irish moss needs to be in the boil because its "particles"
are relatively heavy and need the turbulence of the boil
to keep them from settling out.  If you add them to the
secondary, they'll just drop to the bottom real fast and
not have much affect.

But fear not!  There are many other vile substances you
can add to the secondary or during bottling to aid
in clarification:

1. Plastics (polyclar or its ilk).  Usually added during
racking but you can just add some to the top of the
brew in the secondary (will foam up though).

2. Horse's hooves (gelatin, jello, etc).  Added at
bottling (to the pail you rack the 2ndary into just
before you bottle).

3. Fish guts (isinglas in polite society, which this
isn't).  Added at bottling, as for 2.

Hope this helps!

Mark

    
     Or:  if any of those ingredients don't seem too tasty....
    
      You could give it "time" and it will clear natrually... :^)
    
       George
    

    re .10
    
    How long did you leave it in the primary before transferring?  It will
    probably clear by itself, but if it doesn't you can move it to a colder
    location for a few days after fermentation is done.
    
    If it doesn't clear, I'd advise you to let it clear in the bottle or
    drink cloudy beer.
    
    Jamie

    re: -1
    4 days in primary.It is currently in my basement on it's 5th day in the
    secondary.Tempature in the basement is about 55 degrees.It does appear
    to be clearing.I will update all after the taste test.
                                                      Thanks,Delaware Joe

    First,thanks for the advice given so far.The brew is clearing
    nicely.When I checked on it last night (9th day in the secondary),
    i noticed the airlock burp twice about 5 minutes apart.Just the two
    hiccups.Did not notice anymore activity afterwards.Is this normal for
    fermentation to be continuing this long? And how long should it remain
    in the secondary normally? I'm getting conflicting stories such as
    "when all activity has stopped","four days""3-4 weeks".Or should i 
    siphon some out for hydrometer test although i'm not sure of FG level
    of this recipe.I'll also be bottling in 2 liter bottles with screw caps
    that I got from a Pharmicutical company.This is the same type of bottle
    used by our local microbrewery for brews to go.Any thoughts on using
    this type of container for bottling (head space,explosions?)

    3-4 weeks should be enough for almost any brew...my rule of thumb 
    ( I use thumbs instead of a hydrometer) is 7-10 days..4-5 in the
    primary and *if* we transfer, 4-5 more days in the secondary.
    Otherwise, 7-10 days in the primary..bottle, 2-3 weeks in bottles
    before i taste. Of course that's when we brew/bottle regularly...we
    now have 10 gallons that has been in primaries for 3 weeks....%^)
    but will bottle that tonite.
    deadhead

Delaware Joe,
I'd go ahead and bottle it.
Let it hang in the bottle for 2 weeks, then drink.

i rarely ferment my ales/stouts more than 7 days before it
is kegged.

re 2ndary fermentation...

My personal, empherical observations of "time in fermentation" are that the 
variables are Yeast (type, freshness), Sugars (% of Malts, Honey, etc), 
fermentation temperature, and my patience.  In general, the more sugar content 
and/or the older the yeast, a longer net fermentation seems to be best.

I have brewed a sufficient number of batches of exactly the same recipes
(lager, steam, ale) that I have been able to isolate the effects of 2ndary 
fermentation (within each recipe) and develop a "rule of thumb" that seems to 
work for other recipes of similar style.

Within the following:

	* I usually brew around 8-10 lbs sugars for 5 gallons; Extract Syrup,
	  DME, Honey. (If I wanted light beer, I'd buy Bud.)

	* I always use liquid yeasts.

	* I always ferment in the basement where it stays around 60F for most 
	  of the year, up to 65F in the late summer. 

I have developed the following rule of thumb:

	For a lager yeast, 2 weeks in the primary, 6 weeks in the 2ndary.

	For an ale yeast, 3 weeks fermentation, no 2ndary.

After bottling, I usually get a drinkable brew after 2 weeks.  Normally, flavor
(and head) improves markedly over the next 2-4 weeks while retaining
"freshness". 

What that works out to for my rate of consumption is that I bottle one batch 
while I brew another. 

FWIW,

Dave

    We're bottlin' tonite!!
    All this advice and experiences have been most helpful.
    
                                              Thanks, Delaware Joe
    
    *Also, if anyone visits this Mid-Atlantic area and needs a brewpub
    crawl tour guide ...or a sample..look me up Joe Kinney @DWO
    
                                             Thanks, Delaware Joe

    Joe 
    	You could try this if you like on the next batch.  I put a
    sanitized hydrometer in each secondary, I have about four that I use.
    Then I wait till the gravity is stable over about 3 to 4 days (Ales),
    this will save you lost beer from each read if you had used the
    standard reading technique. I usually tilt the carboy so the hydrometer
    will not hit the bottom of the carboy and crack the glass hydrometer.
    				Good luck, Eric 				

>    	You could try this if you like on the next batch.  I put a
>    sanitized hydrometer in each secondary, I have about four that I use.
>    Then I wait till the gravity is stable over about 3 to 4 days (Ales),
>    this will save you lost beer from each read if you had used the
>    standard reading technique.

This is a good technique if you don't have anything floating on top of
your beer to interfere with reading the hydrometer.

However, even when I use the 'standard' technique of pulling beer from the
carboy into a tester, I never have 'lost' beer -- I drink it and record
the taste in my brewers notebook.

Andy V

>>However, even when I use the 'standard' technique of pulling beer from the
>>carboy into a tester, I never have 'lost' beer -- I drink it and record
>>the taste in my brewers notebook.


I give my dogs their monthly dose of vitamin B.  They love it!

    Beer Bottled,now in waiting phase..back to the brew pub in the mean
    time.I taste tested it during bottling and was quite surprise,not bad
    but i believe the 7lbs of amber malt will make it quite the kicker.I
    have recently purchased a long (10") glass turkey baster sort of device
    in order to collect samples from the secondary for testing in the
    future.Again this conference is an invaluable tool for us newbies!
    
                                                 Thanks, Delaware Joe