Batch #1: Kreidler's New Peculiar

Tonight's measurement?  1.014 Sp. Gr.  So, things have definitely ground pretty much to a halt, which isn't surprising, since its been almost 3 days longer in the fermenter than predicted.  However, I recently realized I made a HUGE mistake in the brewing process: Having lost the instruction booklet that came with my Coopers Microbrewery kit, I turned to the man, the myth, the legend, Charlie Papazian, to light my way.

Long story short, Charlie's advice and instructions (found in the Complete Joy of Homebrewing...and any and all mistakes are MINE ALONE...I am NOT passing the buck here!) were for 5 gallons of beer. The Coopers kit is designed for 6 gallons. Yup, I topped off the water a full 5L short, a full 16 cups shy, a gallon less than Coopers recommends.  What will that mean for the finished product? I have no idea. From the start, I kind of thought something was wrong, but I attributed it to the issues I had with the brew pot and the burner, etc. It didn't occur to me that the super-high initial Sp. Gr. reading might be because I hadn't watered down the wort enough!  Also, another gallon of cold water in the fermenter would have dropped the temperature that much faster, allowing for the yeast to be pitched sooner, etc. etc. etc.

So, what happens when you brew a basic lager without enough water?  I'll tell you in a couple of weeks. I'm not excited, but as the fine folks at the mega-breweries have proven time and again, no matter how bad it tastes, if you get it cold enough, its fine. Especially if you wait for a hot day. ;)

As I was warned by every homebrew source I've ever even glanced at, I've been planning out my next TWO brews.  The first next will be another kit, most likely a stout of some sort, just to get down the cleansing/brewing process, before I get bold, and try the chocolate stout recipe in the last issue of All About Beer. Because that looked freaking gooooood.