1St AG batch this weekend 10/30/10

[LesNichols]

Fixing to do my 1st AG run this weekend and i think for a simple starter im going to do a SMaSH just to see where my efficiency is. But for my 1st run how many pound do u all suggest for a 5 Gal run for my 1st just to see where i am setting.

What i have as on hand is

Grain

55 lb pale malt 2 row

Hops

kent goldings 2.0 oz
willamette 2.25 oz
cascade 2.0 oz
saaz 2.0 oz

i would like to try amarillo but not sure how that would be ?any recipe help for my 1st run will be appreciated. single infusion for now is how i plan on running this 1st 1 till i get all the other pieces put together. im thinking about 1.25 qt of water per pound of grain. dough in around 154 for 60 min and sparge with 175 deg water and try and hit 5.5 to 6.0 of wort, boil down to say what ever i get over 5? in a 60 min boil? Thanks Les:rockin:

 

[Frodo]

Can't help you on which hops - they are all great hops. Guess that depends on what style you're thinking. As far as lbs of grain, I'd just determine what you want your OG to be, figure on maybe 65-70% efficiency from your mash, and go with whatever amt of grain you need to get there as long as your system can handle it. Since you want to do a SMaSH, the recipe will be easy you just have to pick your hops and maybe do a taste and/or aroma addition near end of boil. Good call on the 1.25 qt/lb - that way if you miss your mash temp you can add cold or hot water. I dough in at 1 qt/lb, after letting the temp of the strike water stabilize in the MLT BEFORE adding the grain. I find I like between 1 to 1.25 qt/lb for my mash.

 

[Yooper]

Do you want an English pale ale style, or an American pale ale? You can do either, simply by using different hops. The problem is that if you want to do a smash, you don't have enough of a single hop variety. 2 ounces of low AAU hops isn't quite enough. If you can buy more hops, you could do a smash, though.

I'd probably do something ultra simple like this:

10 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row)
1.5 ounces cascade (60 minutes)
1 ounce cascade (15 minutes)
1 ounce cascade (5 minutes)

You'll want to start with about 6.5 gallons of wort. If you mash at 1.25 quarts per pound, and then take the measurement out of the MLT, you can sparge with whatever you need to get your boil volume of 6.5 gallons.

 

[hotbrew]

I agree with Yooper. However I would up the malt to 12 lbs of Pale 2 Row just in case your efficiency isn't fantastic. First AG brew will likely have a low mash efficiency due to a new setup and inexperience.

Do 1.25 quarts per pound for mashing and sparge out until you have 6.5 gallons.

 

[HalfPint]

yeah, Yoop's got the idea. You said that you might want to try some Amirillo If you do, you could use some of those for bittering, then use Yoops cascade schedual for flavor/aroma. That would be a nice APA.

 

[Homercidal]

I agree with the others. And going higher on the malt is ok, because if you overshoot your OG, you can add water easily enough at ferment.

Just make sure to measure ALL of your volumes very closely so you can figure your efficiency accurately.

 

[LesNichols]

Well thanks for the reply's. I quess im at the point of lets try 1 and see how it goes and how it ends up. i have read and read till i have to just jump in both feet. I have been doing extract batch's for a a while and they all worked out fine. i keep detailed notes on all of the batch's i have done so far and i will keep doing that for sure. ill keep ya posted on my 1st virgin AG!:rockin:
Thanks Les
I know i like the cascade so i quess ill try the amrillo.