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Nanik006

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Couple of Questions for my upcoming Oaked American Ale brew ...

Using Pale 2 Row and 80L Crystal ... do they go into the mash at the same time or at separate times?

in the airlock ... water or vodka ... why? always used water before, never had a problem.

primary vs. secondary fermentor ... do i really even need 2? i've never used 2 before, but my current plan is to leave for 10 days at 68F after pitching yeast, then add the oak for 14 more days .... should i rack to a second fermentor? add the oak to the primary?

if racking to a second is recommended .. can i rack to a sanitized bucket, clean the primary and use it again?
 
Nanik006 said:
Couple of Questions for my upcoming Oaked American Ale brew ...

Using Pale 2 Row and 80L Crystal ... do they go into the mash at the same time or at separate times?

in the airlock ... water or vodka ... why? always used water before, never had a problem.

primary vs. secondary fermentor ... do i really even need 2? i've never used 2 before, but my current plan is to leave for 10 days at 68F after pitching yeast, then add the oak for 14 more days .... should i rack to a second fermentor? add the oak to the primary?

if racking to a second is recommended .. can i rack to a sanitized bucket, clean the primary and use it again?
Click to expand...

- Same time

- Water in the airlock, Vodka in the gullet.

- I'd just oak the primary and let it go long, opinions vary.

- could but what a PITA. Primary in the bucket and then rack to glass if that's what you got.
 
well, the current plan is to do the mash/boil/cool ... puor it to the carboy, pitch the yeast, and airlock ... wait 10 days and add the oak ... wait 2 more weeks
 
Couple of Questions for my upcoming Oaked American Ale brew ...

Using Pale 2 Row and 80L Crystal ... do they go into the mash at the same time or at separate times?

Same time


in the airlock ... water or vodka ... why? always used water before, never had a problem.

50/50 of both vodka keeps it sterile in case of suckback, water keeps it cheaper.

primary vs. secondary fermentor ... do i really even need 2? i've never used 2 before, but my current plan is to leave for 10 days at 68F after pitching yeast, then add the oak for 14 more days .... should i rack to a second fermentor? add the oak to the primary?

rack onto oak in a secondary is the usual process


if racking to a second is recommended .. can i rack to a sanitized bucket, clean the primary and use it again?


I suppose, but you want a second carboy anyway, don't you? hummmmmm :D
 
I would rather rack to a glass carboy with less headspace. Also, plastic is permeable, so if you end up leaving it on the secondary to long, that may have a negative effect. At least so I've heard around here. ;)
 
I have a half of pound of crushed grain left over from my first batch back into brewing, how long will that be good for if refrigerated? Thanks
 
ok, here's another question ... how do i figure out how much grain i want to use? for an american ale ... or if i wanted to do partial grain, partial extract ... where can i find that type of info?
 
-Mash all of your grain together
-vodka will not grow nasties. I use properly diluted starsan also.
-I would primary for at least 14 days, then rack to a secondary for oaking. Listen to the Jamil Show's podcast on wood aging. Its free through the itunes store. Search for "The Brewing Network Presents The Jamil Show"


Nanik006 said:
ok, here's another question ... how do i figure out how much grain i want to use? for an american ale ... or if i wanted to do partial grain, partial extract ... where can i find that type of info?
Click to expand...

Get beersmith. It can help you calculate pm, all grain, extract amounts according to OG of that style.

Also, what are you trying to brew? An American Pale Ale?
 
american amber or american pale .... i'm lookin at beersmith ... my origional recipe was all grain, 15.5 lbs of either american 2 row or pale 2 row, but i don't think that will fit into my 16qt stockpot.
 
ok, what if i use my original recipe, cut everything in half and do it in 2 - 16qt stockpots? then i can keep my recipe as it is, and keep with the all grain?
 
You're going to be impossible to do a 5 gallon all grain batch in a 16qt stockpot. It's pushing it to do a 5 gallon all grain batch in a 30qt pot when you factor in evaporation rates.

Post a little more info on what you plan to do. It sounds like some definitions and processes are crossed somewhere.
 
If you are doing 5 gallons, 15 lbs is a bit much. I use around 10ish lbs for an American Pale Ale.

Are you mashing in the stockpots, or just boiling. Before I got my 30 qt stockpot, I split my boil between two small pots.
 
is there a difference between mashing and boiling? i thought mashing was boiling the grains to get the sugars out? i'll probably split between 2 16qt stock pots, unless i use extract, which might be easier.
 
Nanik006 said:
is there a difference between mashing and boiling? i thought mashing was boiling the grains to get the sugars out? i'll probably split between 2 16qt stock pots, unless i use extract, which might be easier.
Click to expand...

Mashing is the process by which specific enzymes are used to convert the starches in grain to sugars. This is usually done between 148 and 158 degrees F for around 60 minutes. You then sparge, or rinse, the sugars from the mash.

After that, you boil your "wort", what beer is called before fermentation, and add hops for bittering, flavor and aroma.

Then you cool the wort and add yeast to a fermentation vessel.

I'd recommend going over the extract, partial mash, and all grain portions of John Palmer's book How To Brew just so you understand the steps and process needed. It will help clear up many of these questions.

How to Brew - By John Palmer
 
ok, i read how to brew, and then figured out beersmith and converted my recipe into a partial mash .... so i got it all figured out i think. thanks everyone that provided useful input.
 

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