After a week or so of having everything together to brew I finally got down to it yesterday. I did my first all grain brew and I have to say it went smooth as eggs. :rockin:There was very little down time but I felt like I was more relaxed and it was more satisfying than previous brew days. I was actually surprised. For some reason it seemed kind of intimidating making the jump, but as many people have said, "You can make it as complicated or as easy as you want". I created a Kolsch recipe with the thinking that it wouldn't be too difficult as far as the brewing side, and that if I made mistakes in my process it would be easier to pick up on and correct before I made too many more brews.
I was only one degree high on my temps which I was very pleased with. I took gravity readings from my first and second runnings which were 1.070 and 1.033 respectively and when I combined them I hit my preboil SG spot on. My post boil gravity was 5 points high, but that was because my post boil volume was .5 gals short. I think there was either more grain absorption or there was some water left in the tun. I think it might have been the latter. All in all, it was a great experience and I will now continue to fine tune my system and build on my knowledge. Next one up is an APA! I took lots of pics so I thought I'd share. Please don't hesitate if you have any advice. Thanks
I was only one degree high on my temps which I was very pleased with. I took gravity readings from my first and second runnings which were 1.070 and 1.033 respectively and when I combined them I hit my preboil SG spot on. My post boil gravity was 5 points high, but that was because my post boil volume was .5 gals short. I think there was either more grain absorption or there was some water left in the tun. I think it might have been the latter. All in all, it was a great experience and I will now continue to fine tune my system and build on my knowledge. Next one up is an APA! I took lots of pics so I thought I'd share. Please don't hesitate if you have any advice. Thanks