This Sucks

Did my first All Grain about 2 ago (Aug 20th).

Simple 5 Gallon set up (Cooler Mash Tun). First was a Imperial Stout a buddy and I did. we had enough OG Mash water to do a full 5 gallon batch, so all the Sparge water went into a second batch, which I took home.

Then the second was an American Wheat All Grain Kit from Northern Brewer.

Kegged them both last Wednesday and allowed them a week to Carbonate under 15 psi in the fridge (38 deg). Tapped them both Yesterday when I got home, and both Sucked.

The Imperial, I wasn't expecting much as it was just Sparge water, but it just isn't right.
And the Wheat. Flat Horrible. Taste like a stale water almost. I can't even describe it. Real Cloudy, but weak around the edges. It's just weird.

Not sure if I should give them more time to age, or cut my losses and next time I need a keg dump them.

Sorry, maybe this is just a rant, but for my first All Grain go's I was expecting better.

I am curious though if anyone has had luck with the American Grain Kit from NB?

What method did you use to extract the wort (fly/batch sparge, biab)? Also, what was your efficiency, pre-boil gravity, OG, etc....

I'm 9 AG batches in and haven't had a single problem. I batch sparge in a coleman 52qt cooler with a manifold and hit my numbers pretty consistently with anywhere from 68%-79% efficiency.

First of all....if your imperial stout was "sparge water", then it wouldnt be beer at all, it would just be yeast in sparge water. lol. I think you mean second runnings, and if that's the case, then I am also quite confident that it wasn't imperial. Maybe that was your issue, and you didnt account for the lower gravity and overhopped it? With the wheat...they should be enjoyed young...so don't try to age it too much. Just keep practicing.

Safest bet without knowing your gravity readings is you missed your OG/FG or both, or your fermentation temps were off.

Well.. A) That does suck, and we've all been there.

B) Let's talk numbers. Did you hit your gravities? How much yeast did you pitch?

This is why tracking your metrics is important, so that you can know what did or did not work.

yeah, I need better record keeping in that department. I don't remember what my SG was. Oh well... Live and learn!

On the Imperial, I added a lb of molasses to up the SG, but again don't remember the number.

IMHO, detailed notes makes better beer when you are starting something new (all grain). It helped me dial in all my new toys after a couple batches. It helped me.

johngault007 said:

What method did you use to extract the wort (fly/batch sparge, biab)? Also, what was your efficiency, pre-boil gravity, OG, etc....

I'm 9 AG batches in and haven't had a single problem. I batch sparge in a coleman 52qt cooler with a manifold and hit my numbers pretty consistently with anywhere from 68%-79% efficiency.

Click to expand...

We did just a batch sparge.
How do you check efficiencies? I can do the SG no problem, but that one has me at a loss.

landshark said:

We did just a batch sparge.
How do you check efficiencies? I can do the SG no problem, but that one has me at a loss.

Click to expand...

Google is my friend: http://braukaiser.com/lifetype2/index.php?op=ViewArticle&articleId=133&blogId=1

Me, I just plug the SG readings (adjusted for temperature) and volumes into BeerSmith and it tells me the efficiency.