Don't be scared....once you do it, you'll say "is that all there is to it?" As for a recipe, I recommend a simple pale ale so you don't have to worry about water too much and you can concentrate on procedures.
Don't be scared....once you do it, you'll say "is that all there is to it?" As for a recipe, I recommend a simple pale ale so you don't have to worry about water too much and you can concentrate on procedures.
That's what I keep telling myself. I wanted to ease into brewing, so I started with extracts. But I'm ready to do it for real. I just need to find a recipe and go with it. I'll explore around here a bit more.
Thanks for the advice :rockin:
Thanks again, fellas. I think I'm ready to graduate from the kits, so I just need to find an interesting recipe and go with it. I'm lucky that my LHBS is excellent, so if I go in with a recipe list, they'll be able to guide me a bit.
That is good information. I never thought of that. I wonder why that happens?
I used the ice because that is what I have always done as an extract brewer. It now seems to me that by diluting the wort, I can easily account for the low OG, and I need to not do that on my next batch.
I throw myself at your mercy - let me know if you validate or call shenanigans on my theory. Thanks!
If your final volume was correct, you didn't over dilute the wort. It's more likely to be due to incomplete mixing of the wort and water released by the ice.
You can calculate the OG change due to the ice before you add it. If it did not affect your extract batches, then I suspect a different cause for the unexpected gravity of the all grain batch. I take readings before and after I add any makeup water. Ice is makeup water.
Sounds like you may be diluting your wort. I had a similar experience.
I started AG last winter and had a run of low OG batches. Found the problem was rooted in the amount of water used in my boil. I was ending up with big batches of beer but low ABV. Now I'm trying for around 6.75 gal. at the beginning of the boil and, with careful attention to temps during the boil my OG readings are coming out much better.
Something you missed that I don't think has been mentioned yet - proper grain crush. .
Would running it threw my LHBS mill twice help much?
the_adj said:I'm hoping some of you more expert brewers can help this 1st timer. I tried to stick as close to recipe as possible but ran into a few snags and am curious how this will impact the final product.
*** Original recipe from Lodovico:
Recipe Type: All Grain
Yeast: US-05
Yeast Starter: Rehydrated Dry
Additional Yeast or Yeast Starter: N/A
Batch Size (Gallons): 6
Original Gravity: 1070
Final Gravity: 1016
IBU: 98
Boiling Time (Minutes): 90
Color: 9.6
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 16 days @ 67
Additional Fermentation: N/A
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): N/A
Tasting Notes: Aroma is like having your head in a bag of oranges. So drinkable.
14.5# American Two Row
1.3# Cara-Pils
1.3# Crystal 40
.50# Munich
Mash for 60 minutes at 152. 90 minute boil.
Hop Additions:
90 Min- .50 oz Chinook (11.5% AA)
.50 oz Simcoe (12% AA)
60 Min- .25 oz Chinook
.25 oz Simcoe
30 Min- .25 oz Chinook
.25 oz Simcoe
15 Min- .75 Simcoe
.75 Chinook
.50 Amarillo (11.5%)
10 Min- 1 oz. Cascade (5.8%)
O Min- .50 Chinook
.75 Simcoe
Dry Hop- 2 oz. Amarillo
1.5 oz. Cascade
.5 oz Chinook
1 oz. of American Medium Toast Oak Cubes is added at the same time you pitch your yeast.
So I did this...
Mashed in 5.3 gals on 17.6 #s of grain @ 169. Grain was 65 and cooler w/ false bottom @ 60. It seemed very soupy? After 10 mins temp was 147. Over the course of an hour I added varying amounts of increasingly hot water (about 1.5 qts all said and done) and got maybe a 1* raise.
Fearing too much dilution I took off 1.5 gals from mash tun and heated it to 189.5. I poured this back in and stirred and got to 154 in the mash tun.
I let it sit for an hour (temp held steady) then drained. Like an noob I forgot to do an iodine test.
I then batch sparged using apprx 6 gals @ 175. This took mash tun to 159. I stirred and let sit for 10 mins then drained.
Collected apprx 8 gals in BK.
Other changes to the recipe:
* Added the 90 min addition at flame-on. (FWH, right?)
* Added 1.25 oz Simcoe at 0 mins instead of 0.75 it called for.
* Added ~0.8 oz. Medium Toast Hungarian Oak Shavings (per LHBS)
* my gravity reading was at 1.060 instead of the 1.076 beersmith2 predicted
Collected ~ 6 gals in a 6.5 gal bucket. Re-hydrated 1 packet of US-05. Didn't see much action in the jar. Pitched anyways. 24 hours later little to no action in bucket. See picture. I went ahead and bought another US-05 from a diff LHBS and pitched it tonight. It looked better in jar but still not amazing. Trying to ferment w/ blow-off tube in a chest freezer @ apprx 66*.
My main concerns are: - what the hell will all this do to the flavor? I've had some bad luck with extract brews in the past. - the taste concerns me a little. Smell is good. The sweetness is nice and I know that will ferment well. But the end/aftertaste is super bitter. like.. mouth puckering. I'm a hop-head and all but dayum. Any thoughts on how this will end up in 3 weeks after being dry hopped and kegged?
I'm so thankful to anyone who can offer insight into this. I know I'm just a nervous nancy but I've had bad luck in the past and I'm worried I flubbed up again. What should I have done different (other than pre-heating mash tun)?
Whoops. That was an incomplete question. When I rinse, is THAT what I collect, and if so, how can I control the volume of water during the rinse?
OR, am I failing to understand the process?
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