I'm going to do my first AG batch soon and I recently came across this video. . Would this be a good video to go by? Can you guys recommend a good video to watch before I begin?
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he has a beard... i gotta assume he knows what he's doing.
How many batches have you done thus far? is this your first batch or your first AG batch?
I'm really guilty of tl;dw when it comes to instructional videos, so I usually try to find written instructions. This is basically all I needed to jump into all grain: http://www.suebob.com/brew/Bobby_Mallgrainprimer.pdf (Credits to Bobby M)
With no further instruction or guidance I was able to successfully brew an American Stout with that primer. Sure, you can go into further detail than what's in that pdf, but for starting out I honestly haven't seen a better way to have everything you need to know in one place.
2. Heat strike water in your kettle to ABOUT 185F and dump it into your cooler, then close the lid. Wow, doesn't that seem a bit hot? Your cooler is going to absorb quite a bit of heat in the first 5 minutes. Leave it alone with the cover closed to let it warm up. After 5 minutes, open it up and stir the water, then test the temp. You're going to want it to cool to about 168F. Remember, software will help you figure out exactly what temp to use. Once you reach your ideal strike temp, dough in (mix the crushed grains in thoroughly) then close the lid.
Any suggestions on the software Bobby M is writing of? I need something compatible with Mac.
Rackers calculators are simple and intuitive...
http://www.rackers.org/calcs.shtml
You've got it. Make sure to close ball-valve before adding the sparge water. I accidentally "fly sparged" once for a minute before I realized the valve was still open. Good thing the tube was in the BK, too, or else burning and loss of wort would have ensued.
Monitor your preboil volume as you sparge. Don't just assume that your precalculated sparge volume will be dead-on. Personally I'd heat more than you think you need and then cut it off when the BK is at preboil. Chill that preboil gravity sample ASAP too and see where you are. If you're high, run some more of the sparge into kettle (if you can fit) and make more beer at same gravity. Of course your bittering will be slightly higher with increased volume but we're probably talking a few IBU's for an extra pint or quart of beer.
dfc said:I just did a test run today and everything went well. I think I'm ready.
Good preparation. I admire your attention to detail
First AG batch. I've done around 30 extract batches.
64% isn't bad your first time out. Did you mill the grains yourself, or did the LHBS?
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