First All Grain today!

Woohoo! English Special Bitter! I'll post pics/recipe later! Heating Mash water to 165 and preaheating MLT!:rockin:

Nicely done sir. Post your results!

All right! Now for some details! 9 lbs total grain bill, Single Infusion Mash @165 degrees for 152 degrees for 60 minutes. Collected just over 2g (slightly lower than I expected), Batch sparged 170 degrees 2.25g for 15 min drained, repeated for a total of 6.75g of sweet wort @ 1.038. Right on the money! Roughly 78% efficiency. Boiled 60 min. Hop schedule: Target for 60, EKG 30 and EKG again at fifteen. Immersion cooler brought temp to 80ish in fifteen minutes. 5.5g of 1.047 transferred to Primary. Pitched Yeast (Wyeast 1099) @73 degrees. Swamp cooling at 68-72.

Allgrain mashing using a MLT w/ batch sparge and full boil was very easy. I'll never go back to extract!

Now for the confusing part....I've never used the slap pack before (I folowed the directions though) .....Didn't have any bubbles this morning...Hmmm. I'll just give it another 24 and if nothing I'll repitch some Nottingham! Gorgeous copper brown wort, Yummy!

Well I waited 72 hours before taking a sample and hydrometer reading....For sure failed Wyeast 1099. didn't move a bit, no bubbles, no krausen. Tasted the wort....still sweet wort just like it just came off the boil. So.....I rehydrated a pack of Nottingham @ 6pm and repitched. Had a 2 inch healthy, creamy krausen @ 6am and airlock going wild......I think we're golden. I'm dissapointed in the ol smackpack though. Next time I use one I'll definately make a starter.

I've always had good luck with the smack packs, but starters are a good idea for liquid yeast in general. Wait 'till you start washing your yeast and reusing it. Super easy to do and a real money saver (since 30% of your ingredient bill is yeast when using a smack pack).

Yep, that's next on my list....I just bought some drilled stoppers and airlocks to fit into 22oz bottles for starters and have been watching some vids on harvesting....I love to save money on my brew bill!

Don't airlock your starters! the exchange of oxygen in a starter is a must. Just sanitize some aluminum foil and cover the opening with that.