First recipe to brew... - Page 2

Frodo · 10-28-2010, 10:51 PM

Ok I see the recipe. Sorry I neglected to see the recipe above before... So here are some rudimentary directions (someone please correct me if any step is wrong, it's been a while since I did an extract/steep recipe, but here goes):

1) Steep the grains for 30 min
2) Remove the grains from the liquid (now called wort) - Try to rinse them off a bit if you can with 170F water to get the most sugar out of the grains as possible. You could have a second pot with the 170F water to dunk the bag in to rinse the grains. Then I'd hang the grain bag over the kettle (like on a cabinet handle over the pot) so they drain well (they'll be really friggin hot too, so the bag is hard to hold if you try to hold it by hand). You may or may not want to squeeze the wet grain bag, but if you squeeze you risk adding some husk tannins to your wort. Best to let it drain completely (mostly) by itself.
3) Bring the wort to boiling. (Watch for boilover. Be ready to turn the heat down as it approaches boiling. You can also use a spray bottle of water to knock the building mass of hotness down if you need to.)
4) At boiling add the Styrian Goldings (this is the 30 minute mark)
5) At 10 min left, add the extract, the candi sugar, and the Tettnanger hops.
6) At 2 min left, add the orange peel and coriander.
7) Kill the heat at 0 minutes. Cool down as quickly as you can (ice bath in sink works decent).
8) Depending on the volume of your boil, you'll probably need to add some water to the fermenter, then add your wort to that, then top up with more water to 5 gallons.
8) When at pitching temp, pitch your yeast. But here's another question: Do you plan to make a starter for your yeast? The easiest method in your case might be just to pitch 2 vials...

Verio · 10-28-2010, 10:56 PM

I was just planning to toss the Yeast in... do I need 2 vials? How do I know how much Yeast to add?

Frodo · 10-28-2010, 11:01 PM

Go to:

http://www.mrmalty.com/

The Yeast Pitching Calculator helps you determine how much yeast. Also read the Fourteen Essential Questions about Yeast Starters.

Frodo · 10-28-2010, 11:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frodo

Ok I see the recipe. Sorry I neglected to see the recipe above before... So here are some rudimentary directions (someone please correct me if any step is wrong, it's been a while since I did an extract/steep recipe, but here goes):

1) Steep the grains for 30 min
2) Remove the grains from the liquid (now called wort) - Try to rinse them off a bit if you can with 170F water to get the most sugar out of the grains as possible. You could have a second pot with the 170F water to dunk the bag in to rinse the grains. Then I'd hang the grain bag over the kettle (like on a cabinet handle over the pot) so they drain well (they'll be really friggin hot too, so the bag is hard to hold if you try to hold it by hand). You may or may not want to squeeze the wet grain bag, but if you squeeze you risk adding some husk tannins to your wort. Best to let it drain completely (mostly) by itself.
3) Bring the wort to boiling. (Watch for boilover. Be ready to turn the heat down as it approaches boiling. You can also use a spray bottle of water to knock the building mass of hotness down if you need to.)
4) At boiling add the Styrian Goldings (this is the 30 minute mark)
5) At 10 min left, add the extract, the candi sugar, and the Tettnanger hops.
6) At 2 min left, add the orange peel and coriander.
7) Kill the heat at 0 minutes. Cool down as quickly as you can (ice bath in sink works decent).
8) Depending on the volume of your boil, you'll probably need to add some water to the fermenter, then add your wort to that, then top up with more water to 5 gallons.
8) When at pitching temp, pitch your yeast. But here's another question: Do you plan to make a starter for your yeast? The easiest method in your case might be just to pitch 2 vials...

I forgot a crucial step: Once your wort has cooled to pitching temp, AERATE the wort by shaking the fermenter vigorously for a couple/few minutes. Then pitch yeast.

Verio · 10-28-2010, 11:04 PM

Wow, thanks a lot!

Frodo · 10-28-2010, 11:07 PM

Oh and you don't HAVE to pitch 2 vials (I'm guessing it's just 2 based on an OG of around 1.050), or make a starter... but it will make the beer better. It will be fine if you just pitch the one vial for simplicity if that's what you'd prefer to do.

Verio · 10-28-2010, 11:15 PM

Ugh... so torn on what recipe to start with... I think I'm just going to try and take a combination of a few of them, make sure it looks right, and go with it.

It's difficult to know what difference Chamomile will have, or Honey vice Belgian Candi... etc. I guess only time will tell, and lots of brewing/sampling