ESB - Comments

My ESB - Brewing tonight [edited to include grains]:

1. 6 lbs Munton's Extra Light Spraymalt
2. .75 lbs British Crystal 55 Deg. L.
3. .25 lbs American Victory
4. 1 oz. Northern Brewer - 60 mins.
5. 1 oz. Northern Brewer - 30 mins.
6. 1 oz. Fuggle - 10 mins.
7. Safale S-04 Dry Ale Yeast

Steps (since I am still new):

1. Bring 3 gal. of water to 160 Deg.
2. Steep grains for 30 mins at 160 Deg.
3. Bring water to boil.
4. Add in 6 lbs of spraymalt.
5. Boil for one hour, adding in hops as shown.
6. Bring down to < 75 Deg. F in ice bath to sprinkle yeast.
7. Drop in fermenter.

Here's the question - should I chill the wort in the boiling pot, in an ice bath, to a certain temp, and then pour it into the fermenter and add cold water? Or put it into the fermenter at boil (helping to sterilize the fermenter) and fill it up to 5 gallons with cold water to help chill it and then ice bath it down to 75 deg?

Looks good to me, right on with the style IMO.

The only thing I would recommend is bringing your water up closer to 170, not 160, for steeping. When you add the grain it brings the temperature down a bit more than just 5 degrees (you want to steep around 155).

SkewedAle said:

Looks good to me, right on with the style IMO.

The only thing I would recommend is bringing your water up closer to 170, not 160, for steeping. When you add the grain it brings the temperature down a bit more than just 5 degrees (you want to steep around 155).

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Excellent. I'll bring the 3 gals. up to 170, then add the grain in. I plan to do it in a mesh bag. Would that change your rec?

Nope, just bring it up to 170ish, drop in the bag and turn the heat down to stabalize.

SkewedAle said:

Nope, just bring it up to 170ish, drop in the bag and turn the heat down to stabalize.

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That worked well. I got an OG of 1.055 on this. It's bubbling away quite nicely this morning.

Sounds good, bet it turns out great.

SkewedAle said:

Sounds good, bet it turns out great.

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Here's to that -

SkewedAle said:

Sounds good, bet it turns out great.

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I bottled this yesterday. Finished at 1.020, for about 5% ABV. Tastes incredible before carbing. Should be delicious.

--J.

jawats said:

My ESB - Brewing tonight [edited to include grains]:
Here's the question - should I chill the wort in the boiling pot, in an ice bath, to a certain temp, and then pour it into the fermenter and add cold water? Or put it into the fermenter at boil (helping to sterilize the fermenter) and fill it up to 5 gallons with cold water to help chill it and then ice bath it down to 75 deg?

Click to expand...

My $.02
One of the main purposes of chilling the wort prior to putting it into the fermenter is to get all of the "cold break" to fall out. It will give you a much less cloudy beer in the end. Hence, less chill haze.

masher2882 said:

My $.02
One of the main purposes of chilling the wort prior to putting it into the fermenter is to get all of the "cold break" to fall out. It will give you a much less cloudy beer in the end. Hence, less chill haze.

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Do you then skim off the cold break, or...?

jawats said:

Do you then skim off the cold break, or...?

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It'll settle out while cooling. Best way to separate is to whirlpool after cooling then siphon from the side of the vessel. I just dump it through a strainer. Whole hops pick most of it up, pellets not so much. The yeast will use it for fuel anyway, so I don't worry so much.