1) added the suger to the yeast starter before the yeast. Oops, forgot the point of rehydration was to allow rehydration without the concentrated sugar solution inhibiting it (which is why you rehydrate separately and not in the wort). All good though, after a few mins tiny bubbles formed, and after the boil and cooling and all that the yeast was quite active.
2) I forgot to take an OG before pitching. Not the first time i've done that one, not a big deal, but I would like to have known.
3) I added the kit to the wort after cooling the wort. I am not sure how this should be done, or if there is a right or wrong way. Generally I hear you should add the kit at flame-out, but I thought this is the worst time you should be doing stuff to the wort as we want to avoid oxidation. So I ended up cooling the wort down to about 30-ish degrees, then adding the kit, stirring as I went. Hopefully this is ok?
Anyways, my recipe was basically a 'use leftovers from when i brewed last, quite a while ago, but still make it a clean, dry beer so my fiance will drink it). Once she's satisfied I can make a drink she will like I will have more freedom to make the beers I want to make
1.5kg can Brewcraft Mexican Cerveza, 2 months out of date (just over 1 year old in total, as I got it in march last year)
1kg Brew Booster #20 (500g ldme, 250g dex, 250g corn syrup I think)
.5kg ldme
500g Carapils steeped
15g Hallertau NZ (7-9%) @ 30m
10g Hallertau NZ (7-9%) @ 15m
11.5g saflager W30-47
6.5g kit yeast (added to last 5m of boil to add yeast nutrients)
1pk Dry enzyme (this may have been 'out of date', i don't know if it matters much for this)
The carapils and hops were to mask the fact that the kit is a little old (normally I add hops, but this is the first steeped grain I've ever used), hallertau was used to keep it relatively neutral but still add the freshness. Most of the bittering will come from the can (which is fairly neutral anyway, I didn't want to make it too bitter a beer). This is my first lager (using a lager yeast) so that should also give it a cleaner taste compared to my other brews, and the dry enzyme is because my other half likes the dry beers.
We'll see how it turns out. Basically the only thing I bought was the grain, yeast and hops, the rest I had already, so if it turns out bad I'm not out of pocket and know next time to use fresh and only fresh ingredients. Hopefully my fiance will like it, I would probably have gone for a different hops profile, and skipped on the dry enzyme, for myself, but we'll see how it turns out. If it doesn't turn out, I'm thinking of going the tooheys lager, 500g malt, 500g dex, 500g rice syrup, dry enzyme for a tooheys extra dry clone and see how she likes that. I think i'll stay away from it and make a nice pilsner or bock as my summer lager in the second fermenter.
Now we play the waiting game. That's the worst thing about lagers I think, I plan on maybe 2 weeks primary, diacetyl rest for 2 days (since I pitched at about 20C before refridgerating), racking to lager @ 2 degrees (If i can get there) for 2-3 weeks, then bottling. The alternative is to not rack, but still give a diacetyl rest and lager in the primary since people seem to be downgrading the importance of racking these days?
Thoughts? comments? advice?
I love brewing, I just wish that I a) drank more, and b) could give more time to the process. The think I am missing the most is the time to try brew similar beers with different hop or grain profiles to do a comparison and start really experimenting. Perhaps I should try do 2 half batches at once and not bother racking (even for lagers).
