mbeattie

Recipes 

I did my first all grain today. I ended up doing an oatmeal stout. Did a batch sparge in my 5 gallon igloo max cold mash tun. Got about 68% efficiency... not that bad for my first attempt I guess. Now I am just waiting for it to start fermenting. Cant wait to taste it.

I also used whole leaf hops for the first time (Figured all grain called for whole leaf hops...) was a bad idea. There were hops everywhere. I need to get a strainer if I intend to do that again.

Janx

Recipes 

68% seems pretty good for a first go at it. Congrats on your first AG batch!

It's funny you founf whole hops so messy. I find pellets horribly messy myself. They clog my outflow and inevitably get into the fermenter. I guess I have a kettle suited to whole hops

Cheers

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Oh don't give me none more of that Old Janx Spirit
No, don't you give me none more of that Old Janx Spirit
For my head will fly, my tongue will lie, my eyes will fry and I may die
Won't you pour me one more of that sinful Old Janx Spirit

BrauLieber

Recipes 

Try using the bags available in HBS stores for containing your hops. I've used them for some time with great results. Makes kind of a hops "tea bag." Cleanup is a snap.

Dude

Recipes 

One reason to stay away from hop bags is because you don't get as much hop integration as you do when letting the hops "roll" in the boil.

I'd venture to guess you lose as much as 25% by boiling in hop bags.

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