Hi again,
Sorry for the multiple posts, I'll try to condense all the questions I have at the moment into one big (hopefully not rambling) post.
So I'm pretty new to the actual brewing process, although I have been reading about it for a while. I picked up a home brew kit with a keg system after coming into some money so I was able to finally get going on something I'm very passionate about, although having an English Literature degree, knew nothing about chemistry-wise. Anyways, my first brew, a coffee porter, is in the secondary at the moment. First question, in my haste, I never properly aerated the wort before pitching the dry yeast that I did not start early. Is this going to lower the alcohol and/or make the beer overly sweet?
Second question- today I transferred the beer to the secondary fermentor, where instead of letting it ferment again for a week or so, I tossed the coarsely ground coffee in right away. How bad is this? (Sad to think I spent a college career reading, yet can't handle simple instructions, eh?)
Third question- Is it better to keep with the kits for a while and stick to them completely? Or is it OK to tweak the recipe? I picked up BeerSmith about 45 minutes ago and need to play with it before I'm totally comfortable, but that should be before I brew again. I like recipes, but after reading the first part of "How to Brew" I don't want to be the inconsistent lucky guy. Yet I find myself fighting the urge to stick to the recipe. Or is it dependent on the type of beer maybe (fourth surprise question!)?
Thanks in advance,
J
Sorry for the multiple posts, I'll try to condense all the questions I have at the moment into one big (hopefully not rambling) post.
So I'm pretty new to the actual brewing process, although I have been reading about it for a while. I picked up a home brew kit with a keg system after coming into some money so I was able to finally get going on something I'm very passionate about, although having an English Literature degree, knew nothing about chemistry-wise. Anyways, my first brew, a coffee porter, is in the secondary at the moment. First question, in my haste, I never properly aerated the wort before pitching the dry yeast that I did not start early. Is this going to lower the alcohol and/or make the beer overly sweet?
Second question- today I transferred the beer to the secondary fermentor, where instead of letting it ferment again for a week or so, I tossed the coarsely ground coffee in right away. How bad is this? (Sad to think I spent a college career reading, yet can't handle simple instructions, eh?)
Third question- Is it better to keep with the kits for a while and stick to them completely? Or is it OK to tweak the recipe? I picked up BeerSmith about 45 minutes ago and need to play with it before I'm totally comfortable, but that should be before I brew again. I like recipes, but after reading the first part of "How to Brew" I don't want to be the inconsistent lucky guy. Yet I find myself fighting the urge to stick to the recipe. Or is it dependent on the type of beer maybe (fourth surprise question!)?
Thanks in advance,
J