On Tuesday I brewed my first all grain beer. I bought two all grain kits from Midwest Brewing Supplies-10 gallons of fat tire clone. Here is the ingredient breakdown:
18 lb. Domestic two row
1 lb. Special B.
1 lb. Caramel 120º L
1 lb. Munich 10º L
2 oz. Northern Brewer Hops for bittering for 60 min (AA-7.0%)
2 oz. Czech Saaz for aroma for 2 min (AA-2.8%)
I used the dry Nottingham yeast that came with the kit, re-hydrating it 20 minutes before pitching.
Mash was for 70 minutes at 150-153º then I fly sparged and after 90 minutes I got the recommended 12 gallons.
I mashed in my homemade mash tun made out of a 10 gallon cooler with a stainless steel braid. I used two 5-gallon coolers for hot liquor tanks.
My problem came when the borrowed propane burner didn't fit my keggle, so I had to use mine that doesn't boil too quickly. I added the wort as it came out of the tun to help speed up the boil.
After a 70 minute boil, I had not lost the two gallons that I expected.
After I put the wort into my fermenters I still had a couple of gallons left over so I put into another fermenter and rigged the blow-off from one to go into the other. I did not have any more yeast to just start the extra wort.
The full one started an extremely active fermentation and so to give it some more headroom I racked about 1 1/2 gallon into the extra wort in the second bottle. Fermentation started almost immediately in the extra wort and is continuing still.
The other fermenter is a 6 1/2 gallon bucket, and it broke my airlock and blew the lid off.
It tasted good when I took the hydrometer reading before pitching so I have high hopes.
A new burner is high on the priority list. My stand is great but my burner sucks.
Anyway, I'm glad to join the ranks of the all grain brewers.
I feel more like a real brewer now!
Linear Mode
