Successful 1st AG attempt

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MVKTR2

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Well I posted the recipe a week+ back. Finalized it. Ordered the ingredients for 2 brews. Brewed my first AG last night. A "breakfast" stout, low alcohol session oatmeal stout. I'm such an anal perfectionist I didn't have any real issues with the process.

On the good side I hit 74% efficiency on my first AG batch sparge, don't think I could have done much better than that. I'm so stoked, it's like magic enzymatic activity!!!! :mug: I've done a couple of partial mashes in preparation for doing AG and figured I'd get around 68% eff. My mash temp. target was 154, I hit 153. No big problems to speak of so I'd say I did pretty darn good!

On the down side it took me "Forever and a Day" to get through the brew because I don't have a big enough pot so I was using two pots and the stovetop which just STINKS!!!

My only worries are that I pitched the yeast when the wort was about 86 degrees, oops! Should be alright though. Also my mash went for about 70 mins and I mashed out with 180 degree water. So long as I didn't pull any tannins I'm golden and should be drinking some quality homebrew in about 6 weeks! Just in time for College Football season! Can't wait to get my 2nd AG batch done next weekend, a Crimson Tide (Irish Red) Ale, it'll be the official brew of the 2008 season at my house!

My recipe is as follows:
Rotund Breakfast Stout - an oatmeal stout.
5lb M.O.
.85 lb Toasted whole oats (cooked before adding to mash)
.625 lb Choc.
.5 British Roast Barley
.5 Caramel 120
.5 Caramel 60

1.15 oz Kent Goldings for 78 mins.

S-04 yeast expected attenuation, 70%

O.G. 1.038-1.039
Expected F.G. 1.012
Estimated abv 3.5-3.8%

Schlante and a BIG THANKS to everyone who's answered my questions and helped make this a phenomenal hobby!

Phillip
 
Good going! It feels good to nail everything. Now you can get a pot and you are good to go. You did your homework and it paid off. Yeah the pitch temp was way to high but you were excited so you have a good excuse. It should be OK this time.
 
At what temp will you kill the average bier yeast?

Also what are the keys for avoiding tannin extraction? I've been led to believe there's no real worry when batch sparging as the quickness of the process doesn't allow tannin extraction to occur because you're adding water back in, stirring, waiting a max of 10 mins (some don't wait at all), and dumping the wort as fast as possible. This was my only real concern as I mashed for a little longer (wasn't really worried about the extra 12 mins), and mashed out with 180 degree water instead of 170. Any tips on the mashout process?

Schlante,
Phillip

Ps I was so pumped after I dumped my wort into the primary and the residual sugars condensed in the boiler leaving me malt syrup behind that I tried and it tasted just like lme... only better!
 
Preventing tannins is less about time & more about temp. As long as the grainbed does not go above 170* you're golden. I use 180* water for my first sparge (I do not do a mash out, and I do 2 equal sized sparges). I have never brought my grainbed above 170 with these temps. In fact, my first sparge usually bumps the GB to around 164*, and the second sparge to 168* (Depends on grain qty/mash temp/etc)

When I first started, I must have pitched yeast at a temp around 130*! It still fermented, but very slowly. I don't know the right answer to your question, but I'm sure you'll be fine.

Making beer is fun
 
I didn't check my grain bed temps when sparging. I filled up the mlt with water to a couple inches above the grain bed, stirred, began run off (making sure to catch the runnings till clear and put back in mlt), and then used a lg cup to add water to the top doing a rough-semi fly sparge. Oh well I'll rdwhahb and see how it taste at transfer!

btw Fermentation was at 1 bubble every 2 seconds, 10.5 hours after pitching, at 68 degrees. Can't wait to smell that sweet fermentation scent when I get to my brew closet!!! Whoohoo! :ban: I wasn't worried about killing my yeast I'm actually fairly sure the temp wasn't over 87 or so. I've just heard about people forgetting etc. and dumping yeast into 120+ degree wort, yikes!

Schlante,
Phillip
 
73% is a great number, heck I wish I could do that consistently. A lot of people recommend rehydrating yeast at 90F, so 80 something is not really a problem except it might shock the yeast and lead to a slower start.
Hope it taste great, sounds like you nailed it.
 
Kauai Kahuna you did say something real intresting in another thread. The idea that a fast sparge is bad seems foreign too me. Since I'm essentially batch sparging a fast sparge seems natural. I'm doing the semi-rough fly/batch sparge process as I've heard several say it's added 7 or 8 pts of gravity to their process. That's actually the only reason I had any interest with tannins. I figured if I was dumping 180 degree water on the grain bed and having it sit for about 10-15 mins while it drain, I might get some tannins. If the process was just dumping the sparge water in, letting it sit for a couple mins stirring and draining as fast as possible I'd feel one has NO worries at all. Thoughts?

Schlante,
Phillip
 
I have only done batch sparges so far and primarily for that reason. I use a SS/braid with a slit tube inside for the batch sparges, only my efficiency is in the low 70's, dropped to high 60's when I took out the inside tube. I have tried one sparge and two sparges of equal volume. On the third sparge I was at about 1.018 so next time I will attempt to stir more and wait around 10 minutes. I plan on trying fly sparging once I get everything else nailed down.
I have read that once it goes below 1.010 you are asking for off flavors from tannins, anyone done that and can it replace bittering hops? Just kidding, I don't like tea over boiled so I know I would not like it.
 
Checked the gravity last night, it's at 1.015. Airlock has stopped bubbling. Hopefully it'll drop another 2-3 points. I was hoping for 1.012 or 1.013, if not it'll be fine. Wanna know how I know it'll be fine? huh do ya do ya?

The hydrometer sample was very nice. Oddly enough this bier had virtually no suspended CO2 in it. The least of any of my previous brews. Also the sample was perfectly clear. Let me restate that, it was COMPLETELY CLEAR. I know the directions said S-04 left a very compact yeast sediment, but I didn't expect this. Anyway I'm gonna rack it over to secondary tomorrow. Since it's so well cleared I'm probably just gonna leave it in the secondary 1 week and bottle next weekend. Then let it bottle condition for a month!

I'm so stoked! AG Rocks!:rockin::fro::rockin:

Schlante,
Phillip
 
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