Ok,
I've read numerous posts and a few chapters on the subject and think I'm ready to try my first AG recipe. I have a kit for an irish red from morebeer.com and have bought some yeast at a semi-lhbs. I'm looking for comments on my gameplan outlined below for any tips on 'gotcha's' I might encounter. If not an unreasonable request, I'd appreciate 'Replies for Dummies'. I know that there are fancier methods of sparging, and debatable ratios for mashing/sparging waters, but I don't think I'm ready for those debates as comments on this thread - I want to get my first batch under my belt to understand the process and look at tweaks in the future.
Equipment:
6.5g bucket with false bottom and valve
6.5g Carboy
Turkey Pot 6.5g or so
2x 3 gallon pots
Tubes, racking cane, thermometers, hydrometer, etc.
Ingredients:
9lb of 2-Row
1lb Crystal 120L
8oz Aromatic
8oz Caramunich
2oz Black Roasted
2oz Special B
Hops:
1oz Magnum Hops
2oz Willamette Hops
1pkg Whirfloc
Wyeth 1084 Irish Yeast
4oz Corn Sugar
Infusion Mashing:
3.75g water for Mashing
5g water for sparging
Allow grain to raise to room temp for 24 hours
Heat mashing water to 168 degrees
pour hot water into mashtun
Slowly stir grain into mashtun to avoid clumping
maintain temperature around 154 degrees by adding water and by capping mashtun
After 60 minutes recirculate a few pitchers full
??Drain all but 2" of water into kettle
Sparging
Heat 2.5 gallons of hot water in extra kettle to 170 degrees
Gently add to mashtun
Create a shallow hatch pattern in the mash with a spoon
Let water sit for 30 minutes, drain slowly into kettle
Repeat with second 2.5 gallons of water filling kettle to 6.5 to 7.0 gallons
Recirculate if practical
Boil
Boil for 90 mins total
Add Magnum after 30 minutes
Add whirfloc after 70 minutes
Add Willamette after 85 minutes
Pitching Yeast
Transfer wort to carboy
Cool carboy in sink until wort is 80 degrees or so (no wort cooler)
Take OG reading
Dissolve yeast into 1 quart of sterilized water at 80 degrees
Stir yeast solution into wort for three minutes
Add blow-off tubing and store in 70 degree, low light area.
One week in primary, one week in secondary, bottle and go!
Thanks in advance for everyone's tips and expertise!!! I think I'm going for it on Sunday!!!
I've read numerous posts and a few chapters on the subject and think I'm ready to try my first AG recipe. I have a kit for an irish red from morebeer.com and have bought some yeast at a semi-lhbs. I'm looking for comments on my gameplan outlined below for any tips on 'gotcha's' I might encounter. If not an unreasonable request, I'd appreciate 'Replies for Dummies'. I know that there are fancier methods of sparging, and debatable ratios for mashing/sparging waters, but I don't think I'm ready for those debates as comments on this thread - I want to get my first batch under my belt to understand the process and look at tweaks in the future.
Equipment:
6.5g bucket with false bottom and valve
6.5g Carboy
Turkey Pot 6.5g or so
2x 3 gallon pots
Tubes, racking cane, thermometers, hydrometer, etc.
Ingredients:
9lb of 2-Row
1lb Crystal 120L
8oz Aromatic
8oz Caramunich
2oz Black Roasted
2oz Special B
Hops:
1oz Magnum Hops
2oz Willamette Hops
1pkg Whirfloc
Wyeth 1084 Irish Yeast
4oz Corn Sugar
Infusion Mashing:
3.75g water for Mashing
5g water for sparging
Allow grain to raise to room temp for 24 hours
Heat mashing water to 168 degrees
pour hot water into mashtun
Slowly stir grain into mashtun to avoid clumping
maintain temperature around 154 degrees by adding water and by capping mashtun
After 60 minutes recirculate a few pitchers full
??Drain all but 2" of water into kettle
Sparging
Heat 2.5 gallons of hot water in extra kettle to 170 degrees
Gently add to mashtun
Create a shallow hatch pattern in the mash with a spoon
Let water sit for 30 minutes, drain slowly into kettle
Repeat with second 2.5 gallons of water filling kettle to 6.5 to 7.0 gallons
Recirculate if practical
Boil
Boil for 90 mins total
Add Magnum after 30 minutes
Add whirfloc after 70 minutes
Add Willamette after 85 minutes
Pitching Yeast
Transfer wort to carboy
Cool carboy in sink until wort is 80 degrees or so (no wort cooler)
Take OG reading
Dissolve yeast into 1 quart of sterilized water at 80 degrees
Stir yeast solution into wort for three minutes
Add blow-off tubing and store in 70 degree, low light area.
One week in primary, one week in secondary, bottle and go!
Thanks in advance for everyone's tips and expertise!!! I think I'm going for it on Sunday!!!