pitfalls

[dave-o]

Don't forget the Protafloc/Irish Moss - that's my most common one.

[RichardG]

Learn from your mistakes (everybody makes them); note want went well, but particularly what went wong. That way you can avoid it next time.

[Blackjack]

For me the number one thing to get right is the mash temperature. Unless you hold the temperature within a few degrees of 67C for about an hour you will not get enough fermentables to make beer.

After that it is sanitisation. Sanitise and rinse everything post boil.

Do these two things and you will make beer. It will take you all day and you will not believe the amount of tidying up afterwards but you will make beer!

And don't worry about the odd mistake. You are bound to make some. It's a fairly forgiving process. If you have an urgent question, post on here and you are likely to get a reply within 10-15 minutes (unless it is the middle of the night).

This man is right, but if I may emphasise....sanitise post boil...anything before can contain rat droppings, it just adds to the flavour. Mash temperature....getting the idea of strike temperature and mash temperature is a bit head scratching. ( strike is usually about 8 or 9 more than mash) but do gen up until you are happy...and... just to make sure you end up at 67 as boingy says. keep a large jug of cold water and a kettle of boiling water near at hand for your first mash just to throw a little in to heat up or cool down as required. AND ONCE the mash is running, put the lid on and forget for 90 mins...no peeking..no thermometers...( you can take the temperature when you are ready to lauter ( posh name for running off ).

This week I have a new big mash tun. I will do exactly what I have said above because I have no idea whether I will end up to hot or too cold to start with just throwing it all in.

JP

ps a month or two ago I strained off the hops when I ran from the boiler to the FV and while shoving it into the waste bin I found a substantial piece of "matter"
embeded with hops,? wholly vegetable/large cat/small dog/average fox, who cares I told no one I thought the beer was lovely.