First AG/BIAB/boil - How did I do?

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mattd2

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So I can't believe I am actually starting a "how did I do" thread but as last night was my first: AG/BIAB/full boil (only a 2.5G batch though)/time actually boiling anything/using hops/not using a cooper's kit and kilo, I thought I should at least document this great moment in (my) brewing history:ban:

So if anyone wants to chip in and offer any advise for next time (still got a long way to go to get my process on lock down) thanks heaps!

Where to start?
Recipe - made it up as I want something simple so went with a SMaSH of UK pale & sticklebract (sp), got a lb of it for about 1.5x the price of 100g of pellets!
So:
BIAB Mini
4.5G pot
Boiled on the BBQ
Strike & sparge water heated by 0.5G kitchen kettle & mixed with cold to get temp
4.4 lb UK pale malt
0.5 oz sticklebract @ 60 min
0.25 oz sticklebract @ 15 min
0.25 oz sticklebract @ flameout
3.25G boil size
2.6G after boil
Safale US-05 yeast

Ended up mashing for an hour at ~151*f with 3G
Then sparged the BIAB bag by pouring 1G of ~158*f water over the bag as I held it above the pot.

The hitting the right temp in the mash was an issue as I was aiming for 154*f but was very low after 2.5G (my original goal for the mash) so topped off with 0.5G of boiling water, then doughed in, stirred and covered. Stirred again after 30 min, then after an hour I stirred, lifted the bag, and sparged with 2x 0.5G to get 3.25 in the pot (forgot to count for grain absorption hence the extra 0.5G sparging)
OG = 1.022 @ 131(?)*f

Then took the pot out of the kitchen into the garage and onto the BBQ, took about 20 min to get to the boil, then had a reasonable rolling boil for an hour with the hops additions at 60, 15 and flameout. No boils overs!
OG = 1.050 @ 64*f

Strained through the cleaned/sanitised grain bag into a sanitised corny, fitted a blow off to the in post QD and sprinkled in a packet of Safale US-05 yeast.

With UK pale estimated at 38p/p/g and 2.6 of 1.050 wort after the boil I get my efficiency at 78%, is that right? I know brewhouse eff will be less than this due to volume loss due to trub/hop material left in the pot, but still I am stoked if I am right, anyone care to kill my hopes and dreams on that one? ;)

As for timing, once I got started after the kids were in bed and house tidied it was about 9pm when I dosed my water with some Sod. Met just in case of chlorides/chloramines (sp?).
Rough Timeline:
Heated strikewater 10 – 10.20,
Doughed in 10:20,
Sparge 11:20 – 11:40,
Transferred to BBQ 11:40
Boil started 12:05
Flameout/Transferred to sink 1:05am
Started cooling 1:10
Cooled to 64*f 1:25
Transfer to corny and yeast pitched 1:30

My cheap ass IC worked pretty good, 15’ x ¼” copper tube x3 in parallel with 57*f water.

Hopefully some pics will follow :)
As I said, if anyone has any comments, questions or suggestions please let me know.

Cheers for listening to my ranting ;)
 
Pics from brewday,
Grain - crushed by my LHBS
P9080138.JPG

Grain after the mash
P9080140.JPG

Bringing the wort to a boil
P9080139.JPG
P9080141.JPG

The boil
P9090144.JPG

3x 15' x 1/4" IC
IMGP6694_-_Copy.JPG
 
I'm trying to get my hands on some sticklebract because I actually want to do a SMASH with it, too.

How did this turn out?
 
It was really good, surprised me for my first go at proper brewing ;)
Saying that I have no real other benchmark to compare it against as it is the only hops I have used so far.
 
I need to get my hands on some, but I can only find one site that sells them and I've never heard of it prior to now. RebelBrew or something like that...
 
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