I posted my process up here a while ago but it has changed quite a bit so I want to see if anyone has any suggestions/criticism/additions to my brewing process. Thanks!
Note: My "lauter tun" is a pot that fits inside my brew pot and has holes drilled on the bottom of it to allow water to drain out the bottom.
BREW DAY
1. The golden rule of brewing: Don't be lazy with sanitizing!
2. Set lauter tun in brew pot, then slowly fill with 4½ gallons carbon filtered water. Place on burner and bring to the strike temperature needed for a 154°F mash.
3. When water reaches strike temperature, mix in gypsum salt and calcium chloride, then add full mash grains into lauter tun, cover brew pot with lid and towel, and let rest for 60 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
4. Mix 20 minute mash grains into the brew pot and continue mashing for 20 minutes, stirring 10 minutes in.
5. Meanwhile, slowly fill 3 gallon pot with 1½ gallons carbon filtered water (thisll be the sparge water) and bring to 175°F by the end of the mashing in step 4. Mix gypsum salt and calcium chloride once it is warm.
6. Remove towel from brew pot, then heat mash to 170°F (not exceeding 3°F/minute). Return towel and let rest for 5 minutes.
7. Slowly lift lauter tun above mash, allowing mash to drain out of the grains. When mash stops dripping, scoop grains into sparge water, mix, and let sit for 15 minutes, stirring often. With the lauter tun still above the mash level in the brewpot, pour the sparge water through the lauter tun into the brewpot. When water stops dripping, remove the lauter tun and grains.
8. Bring mash to a boil, then add 90 minute hops. Boil aggressively for 90 minutes.
20 minutes before end of boil, add Worfloc.
15 minutes before end of boil, place wort chiller in the brew pot.
5 minutes before end of boil, add the 5 minute hops.
9. At the end of the boil, turn off the flame, add the flameout hops, and mix for 20 seconds. Let sit, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
10. Cool wort to 175°F, add sub-isomeriziation hops, and mix continuously for 3 minutes. Let sit, uncovered, for 40 minutes.
11. Fish out as much of the hops as possible with the stainless steel strainer, then cool wort to ~70°F.
12. Remove wort chiller. Place brew pot 3 feet off the floor and mix vigorously for 60 seconds to create a whirlpool. Cover the brew pot and let rest for 30 minutes. This should create a cone of trub at the middle of the bottom of the brew pot.
13. Transfer wort to the primary fermenter with the racking cane:
Start at the top of the wort and slowly work down at the side of the brew pot, avoiding the trub cone. Hold the end of the racking cane at the top of the primary fermenter to allow it to aerate as much as possible. Pitch yeast into the primary fermenter half way through the transferring process.
14. Place lid, stopper, and stopper plug tightly on the primary fermenter. Shake the primary fermenter vigorously for 4 minutes.
15. Place airlock in place of the stopper plug.
Place primary fermenter
a) in a small insulated space with a heater set to 60oF (when ambient temperature is below 60oF)
b) in a non-insulated space, in the 8 gallon brew pot filled with water, and a towel half in/half out of the pot (when ambient temp is above 60°F.
16. After the airlock has stopped bubbling, rack to secondary (6-7 days after brewing).
SECONDARY (Avoid oxidation! Avoid oxidation! Avoid oxidation! Avoid oxidation! Avoid oxidation!)
1. Place primary fermenter 3 feet off the floor, cover with a towel to avoid light exposure, and let sit for >2 hours (to settle out any trub).
2. Attach hose to nozzle and fill secondary fermenter (at the bottom to avoid oxidation). Leave behind trub in primary fermenter.
3. Place stopper and airlock atop secondary fermenter and return to the fermentation space.
4. When haze drops to the bottom of the secondary fermenter, the beer is ready to bottle (~10-16 days)*.
BOTTLING (Avoid oxidation! Avoid oxidation! Avoid oxidation! Avoid oxidation! Avoid oxidation!)
1. Boil 2 cups carbon filtered water in a small saucepan, add corn sugar and mix until dissolved. Fill the larger saucepan with cold water and then place the small saucepan inside to cool for 5 minutes.
2. Place secondary fermenter 3 feet off the ground, then pour in sugar water and gently mix with the racking cane (avoiding aeration but mixing sufficiently). Return airlock, cover with a towel to avoid light exposure, to and let sit for 1 hour (to settle out any trub). Cover with a towel to avoid light damage.
Meanwhile, wash bottles in dishwasher (without soap).
3. Boil 2 cups water in a small saucepan, place bottle caps inside for 2 minutes, then strain.
4. Fill racking cane and hose with water. Bend hose at the half-way point, allowing water to drain out the open end.
5. Place racking cane half way into secondary fermenter, then push filler valve down in the bowl until beer reaches the valve.
6. Fill each bottle to the top, allowing the displacement of the bottle filler to bring the beer down to ¾ below the top.
7. Allow bottles to sit for 10 minutes (to allow CO2 production to displace oxygen in the headspace of the bottle), then cap in the order they were filled.
8. Let bottles sit in a dark, room-temperature space for 14 days to carbonate. Once carbonated, keep refrigerated, and drink.
Note: My "lauter tun" is a pot that fits inside my brew pot and has holes drilled on the bottom of it to allow water to drain out the bottom.
BREW DAY
1. The golden rule of brewing: Don't be lazy with sanitizing!
2. Set lauter tun in brew pot, then slowly fill with 4½ gallons carbon filtered water. Place on burner and bring to the strike temperature needed for a 154°F mash.
3. When water reaches strike temperature, mix in gypsum salt and calcium chloride, then add full mash grains into lauter tun, cover brew pot with lid and towel, and let rest for 60 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
4. Mix 20 minute mash grains into the brew pot and continue mashing for 20 minutes, stirring 10 minutes in.
5. Meanwhile, slowly fill 3 gallon pot with 1½ gallons carbon filtered water (thisll be the sparge water) and bring to 175°F by the end of the mashing in step 4. Mix gypsum salt and calcium chloride once it is warm.
6. Remove towel from brew pot, then heat mash to 170°F (not exceeding 3°F/minute). Return towel and let rest for 5 minutes.
7. Slowly lift lauter tun above mash, allowing mash to drain out of the grains. When mash stops dripping, scoop grains into sparge water, mix, and let sit for 15 minutes, stirring often. With the lauter tun still above the mash level in the brewpot, pour the sparge water through the lauter tun into the brewpot. When water stops dripping, remove the lauter tun and grains.
8. Bring mash to a boil, then add 90 minute hops. Boil aggressively for 90 minutes.
20 minutes before end of boil, add Worfloc.
15 minutes before end of boil, place wort chiller in the brew pot.
5 minutes before end of boil, add the 5 minute hops.
9. At the end of the boil, turn off the flame, add the flameout hops, and mix for 20 seconds. Let sit, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
10. Cool wort to 175°F, add sub-isomeriziation hops, and mix continuously for 3 minutes. Let sit, uncovered, for 40 minutes.
11. Fish out as much of the hops as possible with the stainless steel strainer, then cool wort to ~70°F.
12. Remove wort chiller. Place brew pot 3 feet off the floor and mix vigorously for 60 seconds to create a whirlpool. Cover the brew pot and let rest for 30 minutes. This should create a cone of trub at the middle of the bottom of the brew pot.
13. Transfer wort to the primary fermenter with the racking cane:
Start at the top of the wort and slowly work down at the side of the brew pot, avoiding the trub cone. Hold the end of the racking cane at the top of the primary fermenter to allow it to aerate as much as possible. Pitch yeast into the primary fermenter half way through the transferring process.
14. Place lid, stopper, and stopper plug tightly on the primary fermenter. Shake the primary fermenter vigorously for 4 minutes.
15. Place airlock in place of the stopper plug.
Place primary fermenter
a) in a small insulated space with a heater set to 60oF (when ambient temperature is below 60oF)
b) in a non-insulated space, in the 8 gallon brew pot filled with water, and a towel half in/half out of the pot (when ambient temp is above 60°F.
16. After the airlock has stopped bubbling, rack to secondary (6-7 days after brewing).
SECONDARY (Avoid oxidation! Avoid oxidation! Avoid oxidation! Avoid oxidation! Avoid oxidation!)
1. Place primary fermenter 3 feet off the floor, cover with a towel to avoid light exposure, and let sit for >2 hours (to settle out any trub).
2. Attach hose to nozzle and fill secondary fermenter (at the bottom to avoid oxidation). Leave behind trub in primary fermenter.
3. Place stopper and airlock atop secondary fermenter and return to the fermentation space.
4. When haze drops to the bottom of the secondary fermenter, the beer is ready to bottle (~10-16 days)*.
BOTTLING (Avoid oxidation! Avoid oxidation! Avoid oxidation! Avoid oxidation! Avoid oxidation!)
1. Boil 2 cups carbon filtered water in a small saucepan, add corn sugar and mix until dissolved. Fill the larger saucepan with cold water and then place the small saucepan inside to cool for 5 minutes.
2. Place secondary fermenter 3 feet off the ground, then pour in sugar water and gently mix with the racking cane (avoiding aeration but mixing sufficiently). Return airlock, cover with a towel to avoid light exposure, to and let sit for 1 hour (to settle out any trub). Cover with a towel to avoid light damage.
Meanwhile, wash bottles in dishwasher (without soap).
3. Boil 2 cups water in a small saucepan, place bottle caps inside for 2 minutes, then strain.
4. Fill racking cane and hose with water. Bend hose at the half-way point, allowing water to drain out the open end.
5. Place racking cane half way into secondary fermenter, then push filler valve down in the bowl until beer reaches the valve.
6. Fill each bottle to the top, allowing the displacement of the bottle filler to bring the beer down to ¾ below the top.
7. Allow bottles to sit for 10 minutes (to allow CO2 production to displace oxygen in the headspace of the bottle), then cap in the order they were filled.
8. Let bottles sit in a dark, room-temperature space for 14 days to carbonate. Once carbonated, keep refrigerated, and drink.