5th AG batch. I fianlly have time to myself after exams (and some more exams), so I get up at 8:00 this morning with the intention to brew my stout. I weigh everything and heat up my water. Hit 163F with my liquor, dough in. Check temperature. 140F. F?%$. I add a little boiling water and wait 10 minutes. 140F. WTF ?
I add some more boiling water and put the pot back on the stove under gentle heat. Check back in 10 minutes. 140F. I check my thermometer in cold water. Still 140F. %?$$%/$%.
So now I have no idea at what temperature I was mashing at. Plus, I'm starting to see some rising bubbles in the wort due to applying direct heat. I get the pot off the heat and just forget about it for another 40 minutes.
I heat up my sparge water to whatever. After "mashing" I take a gravity reading. I got conversion somehow since I'm over 15 points in gravity. I was at the end of my half sack and I guess I had more flour in there than I thought. I put my colander on top of my pot and start to sparge. 15 seconds later, I see the colander giving out and the whole thing falls down in the pot, splashing hot wort EVERYWHERE: curtains, windows, toaster, floor, inside cupboards. I learned about nook and crannies I never thought I had in my kitchen.
I finish sparging and strangely hit 6 gal right on without any problem. My gravity is still 15 points too high even after throwing away at least half a gallon of wort...
Now I just realized I haven't made any ice to cool the wort afterwards. I might just leave it in the shed for 3 hours and wait for it to cool down to pitching temp at this point... LOL.
I add some more boiling water and put the pot back on the stove under gentle heat. Check back in 10 minutes. 140F. I check my thermometer in cold water. Still 140F. %?$$%/$%.
So now I have no idea at what temperature I was mashing at. Plus, I'm starting to see some rising bubbles in the wort due to applying direct heat. I get the pot off the heat and just forget about it for another 40 minutes.
I heat up my sparge water to whatever. After "mashing" I take a gravity reading. I got conversion somehow since I'm over 15 points in gravity. I was at the end of my half sack and I guess I had more flour in there than I thought. I put my colander on top of my pot and start to sparge. 15 seconds later, I see the colander giving out and the whole thing falls down in the pot, splashing hot wort EVERYWHERE: curtains, windows, toaster, floor, inside cupboards. I learned about nook and crannies I never thought I had in my kitchen.
I finish sparging and strangely hit 6 gal right on without any problem. My gravity is still 15 points too high even after throwing away at least half a gallon of wort...
Now I just realized I haven't made any ice to cool the wort afterwards. I might just leave it in the shed for 3 hours and wait for it to cool down to pitching temp at this point... LOL.