Brewing this weekend ? BREWATHON - PART II

SWMBO's bitching finally crossed my *****-tolerance threshold this week, so I'm moving beer brewing operations outdoors. Its kind of cool because I'd been planning to go out there sooner or later anyway, and I even invested in a couple of propane burners and some cool brewing gear that I never quite got around to brewing with when I was using the gas stove in the kitchen.

Anyway, I was kind of planning to have a great big all day brewathon again, and I realized if I was going to do that it really won't be near as much fun if its not even bigger and better than last time. So....

Instead of going for three all grain batches in a 24 hour period, I have decided to up the ante and do three all grain batches and three extract/partial mash batches at the same time - All in a 24 hour period, with enough time left over for enjoying some beer, good food and snacks, and even a nice nap in the afternoon.

Here are the beers that are on the agenda...

All Grains Recipes:
SmAsH Fest Beer Swap 2-Row/Cascades , Coldwater 420, Ordinary English Bitter

Partial Mash Recipes:
IIPA based on Dude's Pliny the Bastid

Extract Recipes:
Cooper's IPA Kit, Amber Frankenbeer Lager ( Amber Lager Made with Leftover Brew supplies )

I'm going to borrow SWMBO's digital camera and try and get some pics at various points of interest throughout the day, so I can share how it all goes down. Sorry no live web-cam this time - he he he

I have a pretty agressive time schedule planned out that will involve mashing the next bash at the same time as boiling the wort for the previous batch. Going to start shortly after midnight with the Coldwater 420, and knock out the Amber Frankenlager during the mash, I'll heat the water for the SmAsH swap mash while the 420 sparges and drains and have the SmAsH mash ready to start at the same time. Then I will appraise my progress and either do the Cooper's IPA kit or not depending on how much time has elapsed, and I anticipate needing a short nap before I have to go to my son's bowling league from 9:00-11:00 am. When I get home from that after lunch I will have all afternoon to brew Pliny the Bastid and the Ordinary Bitter and squeeze the Cooper's kit in there in case I didn't have time for it in the morning.

Now that I think of it, I believe I'll stop at the brew store on the way home and pick up an extra extract kit and an extra fermenting bucket just in case 6 is too easy.

Also, I would like to thank everyone who encouraged me the last time I announced I was going to do three beers in one day, and I would also especially like to thank those who expressed doubts that I could pull it off - you have no idea how much of a motivational help that is for me when someone says I can't do something. I would never have made it last time if it wasn't for you.

Cheers!

Hope all your brew sessions this weekend are enjoyable!

Mutilated1 said:

SWMBO's bitching finally crossed my *****-tolerance threshold this week,

Click to expand...

bwahahaha!!!!

welcome to the club my brother, and goodluck with your brews. As long as there is no wind, it's better outside

Maybe this will turn into an Olympic event brew marathons.

Wow, I thought I was being ambitious with two 10 gallon brews!

I don't see this happening...I couldn't do more than two in a day, just too much damn work.

ColoradoXJ13 said:

I don't see this happening...I couldn't do more than two in a day, just too much damn work.

Click to expand...

Yeah you could be right...

I had a few setbacks yesterday. First of all I got a call from work and since I'm on call this weekend and can work from home, I didn't really get started until about 2:00 in the afternoon, and did get to give brewing my full attention until after 5:00.

Then on my first batch when I was cooling, disaster struck. My Immersion Chiller developed a leak and sprayed cold garden hose water everywhere and into my just boiled wort, so I turned the water off and put the pot back on to boil again while I cleaned the mess up, and then chilled batches in the sink with ice for the rest of the evening.

Then I was making an extract batch at the same time, and with all the distraction from the leak and putting the pot back on to recover, I accidentally wasn't paying much attention when I topped off the fermenter with cold water and before you know it I had about a gallon and a half too much cold water, and my gravity I was hoping to be in the 1.070+ range was right at 1.040 So I called the homebrew store to see if they were still open, and drove up there to get some bags of dextrose to bump the gravity with. After 2#s of dextrose the gravity was back to 1.050 which was not really what I had in mind when I started making the batch, but all things considered I think it would be good enough.

The rest of the evening was without distraction except for running to the gas station to get bags of ice for chilling wort.

I have bags of grains all ready measured out and cracked, for the final two batches, so its very possible I can get those two batches finished and in the fermenters by 1:00 o'clock or so, which would be an epic win but I think I'm going to have some breakfast and veg out in front of the television instead and then brew a batch this afternoon, and have another batch to brew on Monday since its a holiday and I won't be working.

Totally overlooked the pictures guys, sorry.

Here's what I ended up getting in the fermenter...
* Coldwater 420 ( AG )
* English Common Bitter ( AG )
* Frankenbeer ( Mini-Mash + Extract + Leftovers )
* Cooper's IPA ( Cooper's IPA Kit, 3# Briess Amber LME, 3# Light DME, 1 1/2 gallons extra water, 2# Dextrose

I'll probably brew my SmAsH beer today/this morning and save Pliny The Bastid for tomorrow.

Brewing is fun, but drinking has a lot to be said for it too - and today is my birthday and the fridge is full.