Today I lost my virginity.. Story and pics to prove it.. dial-up death

My AG virginity that is..

First AG brew 8/11/07 Old house APA
Start time of 12:30pm sunny an 85* and high humidity


Moved SWMBO’s Laptop to the barn to type this out.

Heated 5 gallon of water to 185*
Transfer to MLT to preheat
Heated 7 gallons of water to 163*
Drained MLT when water hit 140*
Added half of grains to MLT (10.5#)
Added 3 gallons of water at 163* to MLT steering as the water is added
Added half of remaining grains (5.25#) and 2 gallons water steering as water is added
Added all of remaining grains and one gallon of water (leaving one gallon in HLT)
Total grain bill is 21# and water to grains = 1.333gal/1#-grain
Checked grain temp was 148* (to low)
Heated last gallon of water to 185* and added it to the MLT
Steered quickly and checked temp.
Temp ranged from 152* to 150*. Was shooting for 152* so I called it good I did not want to dilute the grain bed any more then it was.
Started the 60 minute mash
Went and mowed the front yard grass the poured myself a 22oz glass of my Strawberry Hefe-Weizen when done.

60 minute mash done.

My boy Grigo came to see what I was doing.

My boy Nero was just chillin

Made mistake number 2, steered grain bed so I was unable to get it to run
clear, even after recirculation of 3 gallons. So I ran it thru a strainer and moved on.


First runnings gravity was 1.050 and got 5.25-5.50 gallons of wort.

Added 3.5 gallons of water at 182*. Steered water and grains. Rested at 168* for 10 minutes.


Need to check thermometer, I’m not believing it to be accurate.

Drank a bottle of Dragonmead’s Wee-Heavy.. Very good Scotch –style Ale.
Fist sparge of 3.5 gallons yelled a gravity of 1.022
Added 3.5 gallons of water at 180* steered water and grains and rested at 172* for 10 minutes. (if thermometer is accurate)
2nd sparge of 3.5 gallons yelled a gravity of 1.010… (ROCK ON)

Added all runnings into brew pot and looking at the wort level, I’m guessing I have about 13 gallons.
It’s a 15 gallon pot and I’m about 2 gallons shy of the top. “Man I need to mark that pot with half gallon marks.”

After all running were added together and steered, I got a gravity reading of 1.030

Started boil flame on at 3:45 pm.
While waiting for boil, drank a bottle of Dogfish Head 90 minute IIPA and took 800mg of Advil. (going to be thankful for that one later)
While typing this out, checked out hot as hell chick next door in bathing suite getting ready for some sun bathing. Damn, if I was 15 years younger and not married, the things I would do to her……
Finished the IIPA at 4:15
Reached boil at 4:21


Boiled for 35 minutes to lower wort level.
In the mean time, I drank a bottle of Red Hook Sunrye (starting to get a buzz)

At 5:01 I added my first hop addition, 2oz of Cascade pellet hops (AAU = 6.9%) 60 minute boil

5:05 poured myself a bottle of King Weissbier. (starting to get drunk now.)
Cleaned out the MLT, spreading spent grain onto the SWMBO herb garden
Added 1oz of Cascade pellet hops (6.9% AAU’s for 30 minute boil)

The boys chillin after a hard day of brewing.

Poured myself a glass of my “1st Time Irish Stout” (still one of my favorite brews)
Added .5oz of Cascade pellet hops (6.9%AAU for 15 minute boil)

Yes that is a 40th Annv. Vette I'm using as a bench
Dropped in my way to small of a IC (built for 5 gallons not 10)

Added .5oz of Cascade pellet hops (6.9%AAU for 5 minute boil)
Flame off at 6:02 and kicked on water to chill wort.
Wort cooled to 70* at 6:36 (not to bad for the little chiller to cool that much wort)
Drained thru a strainer, 5.25 gallons into one primary fermentor and add my air pump for 30 minutes

Drained 5 gallons into primary fermentor and pitched yeast at 7:00 did the shake the crap out of it method to aerate.
Waiting for other to aerate with pump before pitching yeast.
Note: one Danstar Nottingham yeast packet per fermentor.
I got 10.25 gallons out of this at a OG of 1.056 before splitting between 2 buckets.

All done and clean up, ready for tomorrow’s brew 7:40

Very Sweet! A stainless braid and a silicone hose would have made your day much easier though.

Welcome to the club, The All Grain Club!

EdWort said:

Very Sweet! A stainless braid and a silicone hose would have made your day much easier though.

Welcome to the club, The All Grain Club!

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I have one in the bottom of my pot and it kept pluging up. I have to keep running the spoon around it to keep the pot draining.
The MLT looks like this.



Oh by the way Edwort. That was your APA recipe I did but upped to 10 gallons.
By my math I got 79% efficiency.
Not to bad for the first time

FSR402 said:

I have one in the bottom of my pot and it kept pluging up. I have to keep running the spoon around it to keep the pot draining.

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The braid was in the boil kettle? You must have used pellet hops, right? Unfortunately, most have the same experience. Pellet hops just form too much sludge to drain through. Whole leaf hops might work better for you.

And congrats on the first AG brew! Sounds like a great day!

FSR402 said:

I have one in the bottom of my pot and it kept pluging up. I have to keep running the spoon around it to keep the pot draining.
The MLT looks like this.



Oh by the way Edwort. That was your APA recipe I did but upped to 10 gallons.
By my math I got 79% efficiency.
Not to bad for the first time

Click to expand...

Good Job!. Enjoy! I still would put a hose on your MLT so you don't areate your wort on the hot side of things. I make sure I have one that reaches to the bottom of the kettle.

My keg of Haus Pale blew today along with a Hefe, so I have to swap out two in the morning. Let me know how you like it.

FSR402 said:

While typing this out, checked out hot as hell chick next door in bathing suite getting ready for some sun bathing. Damn, if I was 15 years younger and not married, the things I would do to her……

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Dude, you had a camera handy - where's a picture???

desertbronze said:

Dude, you had a camera handy - where's a picture???

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LOL I figured someone would ask for one, so a snapped one for you. One that wont show enough for anyone to know who she is.
Edit: Deleted pic... Was inappropriate to take and even more so to post.. Deleted from hard drive also. So don't ask me to send it to you

EdWort said:

Good Job!. Enjoy! I still would put a hose on your MLT so you don't areate your wort on the hot side of things. I make sure I have one that reaches to the bottom of the kettle.

My keg of Haus Pale blew today along with a Hefe, so I have to swap out two in the morning. Let me know how you like it.

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Once I get the MLT to drain clear I'll add the hose.

Sorry to hear about your brews. I'll let you know what I think of this one.

FSR402 said:

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Are you peeing into your mash? That's one way to get to the desired temp.

Seriously though...brewers watchin a fellow brewer document their first AG batch must be like little old ladies looking at baby pictures.

Congratulations FSR402...or should we call your "Deeper in Debt"

PS - Get those friggin scissors off that car or you'll scratch the paint...sorry...just the Dad in me coming out.

BierMuncher said:

Congratulations FSR402...or should we call your "Deeper in Debt"

PS - Get those friggin scissors off that car or you'll scratch the paint...sorry...just the Dad in me coming out.

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Good job on figuring out the plate. Most people never get it..

I don't care so much about the paint. It's all scratched up as it is and needs to be repainted in a bad way.
I only care about the way it runs. 340hp when NA and 490hp on the N2O

Congrats! Thanks for posting the pics. Looks like a good brew session.

FSR402 said:

Good job on figuring out the plate. Most people never get it..

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I'm smaartur when Ime drounk.

By the way....throw those dogs some doughnuts or something. They need some meat on dem dare bones.

kidding...good looking specimens. They look like they got into your homebrew there towards the end.

BierMuncher said:

I'm smaartur when Ime drounk.

By the way....throw those dogs some doughnuts or something. They need some meat on dem dare bones.

kidding...good looking specimens. They look like they got into your homebrew there towards the end.

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My wife wants to get them a shirt that says "No I'm not a baby Greyhound, No I'm not a Whippet. and No I don't need a damn sandwich"..

Nero (the darker and smaller one) got into the treat bag I had out when I went for another brew... The little bugger ate a good pound of it before I got it away from him. LOL

FSR402 said:

LOL I figured someone would ask for one, so a snapped one for you. One that wont show enough for anyone to know who she is.
Edit: Deleted pic... Was inappropriate to take and even more so to post.. Deleted from hard drive also. So don't ask me to send it to you

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Just having a little fun with ya' - I didn't think you actually had a picture. My bad for getting you in trouble.

desertbronze said:

Just having a little fun with ya' - I didn't think you actually had a picture. My bad for getting you in trouble.

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No trouble, I took it down on my own.

if you don't open the ball valve all the way on your cooler mash tun, that'll help you get clear runnings in a quart or two. draining too fast seems to give you cloudy runnings.

you should make some nice dog treats with your spent grains.

6 cups grain
4 cups flour
peanut butter
1 egg.

Cook them about 40 minutes to an hour at 350 degrees then cut them in the pan and put them back into the oven turned down to 250 for another hour or so. Pop them out of the oven and break apart where you cut them. Flip them over and re-arrange them so they'll dry out better and put them back in the oven until completely dry. You don't have to completely dry them out but they won't save well unless you do.

Sounds like a granola bar .

Thanks for the play-by-play pics. The more I see this the more
I get interested in going AG. Got to clear out the garage a bit
some first.

I also did my first ag batch this weekend. (only a 5 gal batch of wit)

Is straining the runnings out of the mash tun a good idea? I've heard this hot side airation can cause problems.

Great setup! Wish I would take more pics while I'm brewing, but I always seem to be more concerned with having a beer in my hand and watching the pot. And I really need to build a stand like that. Wanted to build a stand out of metal, but with prices so high right now maybe wood is the way to go.

FSR402 said:

My wife wants to get them a shirt that says "No I'm not a baby Greyhound, No I'm not a Whippet. and No I don't need a damn sandwich"..

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I was just going to ask, because they do look just like Italian Greyhounds

I might be doing something wrong but when they say vorlauf until "clear", I think they mean free from grain bits and husks. My runnings are a bit cloudy but free of the bits. It takes a couple of quarts.

Sounds like you did well although if it was me I would have been sleeping by the end of the boil with the beers you put away.

casper0074 said:

I also did my first ag batch this weekend. (only a 5 gal batch of wit)

Is straining the runnings out of the mash tun a good idea? I've heard this hot side airation can cause problems.

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I have heard that it does and I have heard that it does not. I would rather not do it the way I did but until I get the ton to drain clear I'll do what I have to do.
I think part of my problem is that my mainfold is 3/4" dia. I can drain 5 gallons in like 20 sec.

So I'm going to look into wrapping a grain bag around it or finding a stainless mesh to go over the tubes.

Great setup! Wish I would take more pics while I'm brewing, but I always seem to be more concerned with having a beer in my hand and watching the pot. And I really need to build a stand like that. Wanted to build a stand out of metal, but with prices so high right now maybe wood is the way to go.

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I was going to go steel but for the same reason I went wood. The wood is working out great. It's easy to add on and take away as I fine tune it. Once I have it just the way I want it I'll make a new one out of steel.

I was just going to ask, because they do look just like Italian Greyhounds

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Yes they are.. Sweetest dogs ever.

Blender said:

I might be doing something wrong but when they say vorlauf until "clear", I think they mean free from grain bits and husks. My runnings are a bit cloudy but free of the bits. It takes a couple of quarts.

Sounds like you did well although if it was me I would have been sleeping by the end of the boil with the beers you put away.

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I think you are right. I was not able to get it to flow without the chunks.

as for the brews, I'm not a "little guy" and I drink a lot so I'm used to it.

casper0074 said:

I also did my first ag batch this weekend. (only a 5 gal batch of wit)

Is straining the runnings out of the mash tun a good idea? I've heard this hot side airation can cause problems.

Click to expand...

The only study I've seen with a blind tasting of hot side aeration was on Basic Brewing and they found that hot side aeration made no difference in taste. I think the wort that they ran the drill bit paint mixer was the only one that had an off taste but that was due to an infection if I remember correctly. Not too surprising since I think it was the one that was aerated post-boil which makes sense because the wort wasn't boil-sterilized after aeration.


I found the podcast if you're interested. I didn't re-listen to it: http://media.libsyn.com/media/basicbrewing/bbr03-16-06.mp3