2nd BIAB Experience

[tgolanos]

I just did my 2nd BIAB partial mash on Friday evening, an Märzen-ish beer:

2kg (4.4lbs) Dark Munich Malt
1kg (2.2lbs) Pilsner Malt (2-row)
200g (.45lbs) Carapils
1.5kg (3.3lbs) Amber LME
40g (1.4oz) Tettnanger Hops at 60 minutes
15g (0.5oz) Tettnanger Hops at 20 Minutes
Whirlfloc tab at 15 minutes
10g (0.35oz) Saasz Hops at 10 minutes
1 pack Safale US-04, rehydrated

I had my processes all written down and followed them exactly. While it went relatively smoothly, two big issues that cropped up along the way:

Issue 1: Digital Thermometer crapped out at beginning of the mash. I was planning on mashing at about 65°C (149-150°F) but my thermometer stopped reading above 42°C and then flat-out died. I'm positive I was well above 42°C, but I have no idea what my actual mashing temperature was. Same goes for my sparge water, which was supposed to be 72°C (161°F). Again, no idea what my actual temperature was. Overall I'm pretty sure this led to a lower-than-expected extraction.

Note to self - buy new thermometer.

Issue 2: Hydrometer tube was warped. I went to check my pre-boil gravity and I only measured 1.020, giving me an efficiency of about 43% according to Brewer's Friend. Not terrible for a newbie, but I was expecting more around 55-60%. Upon closer inspection I noticed my hydrometer tube had a noticeable curvature. I assume this would affect the reading, as the hydrometer doesn't have the proper space to float? My wort had a slight sweet taste so there was some conversion that took place, but I have no idea what the actual, more accurate pre-boil gravity was.

Note to self - buy new hydrometer tube.

I proceeded with my standard 60-minute boil- added my LME, hops, and whirfloc and let it cool to 24°C (75°F) before pitching my yeast and topping-off my fermenter to 23L (6.1 gallons). I took my OG reading (knowing the tube was warped) and got 1.032. I was expecting more around 1.038-1.040, but I'm still wondering if my lower reading has to do with the curve in the hydrometer tube, the inaccurate mash temperature, or a combination of the 2.

However after less than 12 hours, fermentation had taken off. I woke the next morning to the sound of steady bubbling from my airlock and this morning (about 36 hours after pitching) I'm getting about 2 bubbles per second and there is about an inch-and-a-half layer of kräusen floating on top. It's the most vigorous fermentation I've had since I started brewing. I'm expecting a FG of about 1.007. We'll see in about 10 more days. Who knows, maybe this will be my best beer yet.

 

[RM-MN]

I just did my 2nd BIAB partial mash on Friday evening, an Märzen-ish beer:

2kg (4.4lbs) Dark Munich Malt
1kg (2.2lbs) Pilsner Malt (2-row)
200g (.45lbs) Carapils
1.5kg (3.3lbs) Amber LME
40g (1.4oz) Tettnanger Hops at 60 minutes
15g (0.5oz) Tettnanger Hops at 20 Minutes
Whirlfloc tab at 15 minutes
10g (0.35oz) Saasz Hops at 10 minutes
1 pack Safale US-04, rehydrated

I had my processes all written down and followed them exactly. While it went relatively smoothly, two big issues that cropped up along the way:

Issue 1: Digital Thermometer crapped out at beginning of the mash. I was planning on mashing at about 65°C (149-150°F) but my thermometer stopped reading above 42°C and then flat-out died. I'm positive I was well above 42°C, but I have no idea what my actual mashing temperature was. Same goes for my sparge water, which was supposed to be 72°C (161°F). Again, no idea what my actual temperature was. Overall I'm pretty sure this led to a lower-than-expected extraction.

Note to self - buy new thermometer.

Issue 2: Hydrometer tube was warped. I went to check my pre-boil gravity and I only measured 1.020, giving me an efficiency of about 43% according to Brewer's Friend. Not terrible for a newbie, but I was expecting more around 55-60%. Upon closer inspection I noticed my hydrometer tube had a noticeable curvature. I assume this would affect the reading, as the hydrometer doesn't have the proper space to float? My wort had a slight sweet taste so there was some conversion that took place, but I have no idea what the actual, more accurate pre-boil gravity was.

Note to self - buy new hydrometer tube.

I proceeded with my standard 60-minute boil- added my LME, hops, and whirfloc and let it cool to 24°C (75°F) before pitching my yeast and topping-off my fermenter to 23L (6.1 gallons). I took my OG reading (knowing the tube was warped) and got 1.032. I was expecting more around 1.038-1.040, but I'm still wondering if my lower reading has to do with the curve in the hydrometer tube, the inaccurate mash temperature, or a combination of the 2.

However after less than 12 hours, fermentation had taken off. I woke the next morning to the sound of steady bubbling from my airlock and this morning (about 36 hours after pitching) I'm getting about 2 bubbles per second and there is about an inch-and-a-half layer of kräusen floating on top. It's the most vigorous fermentation I've had since I started brewing. I'm expecting a FG of about 1.007. We'll see in about 10 more days. Who knows, maybe this will be my best beer yet.

While I've always used the thermometer to verify the mash temp, when I have the grains weighed and the strike temp is right for that amount of grains, the mash temp is always within a degree of predicted.

 

[GearDaddys]

Two pieces of gear that I find almost invaluable with this hobby:

1. Thermapen.. Almost instant read highly accurate to .1deg digital thermometer..

2. Refractometer.. I find using a refractometer on brew day to be WAY more convenient than messing with a hydrometer.. Also, you waste less beer!

 

[pretzelb]

Did you put hot wort in the hydrometer tube? That might warp it.

If want a refractometer, looks for sales. Some big online stores will give them away if you spend a certain amount.

 

[tgolanos]

Two pieces of gear that I find almost invaluable with this hobby:

1. Thermapen.. Almost instant read highly accurate to .1deg digital thermometer..

2. Refractometer.. I find using a refractometer on brew day to be WAY more convenient than messing with a hydrometer.. Also, you waste less beer!

I'm going to look into both of these. A digital thermometer would be ideal, but I know I can get a standard liquid one for like $10-$15. I'll see what's out there.

A refractometer sounds like an interesting toy. I admittedly don't know much about them but maybe it's the next logical step from just a hydrometer.

Did you put hot wort in the hydrometer tube? That might warp it.

If want a refractometer, looks for sales. Some big online stores will give them away if you spend a certain amount

Yeah, I think my during last brew the wort was too hot for the hydrometer tube. My fault.

I can get a refractometer for about $50 from one of my LHBS places. I'll see what's available online. Maybe I'll suggest it to my wife as a holiday gift.

Thanks for your advice, guys. Much appreciated.

 

[FatDragon]

A warped hydrometer tube will only affect the reading if the tube is in physical contact with the hydrometer. If the hydro is floating freely, it should be reading properly.

I had a similar issue with a thermometer once. I actually had three thermometers, two of which had given me headaches in the past, and all three of them were bad. I solved the problem by estimating the temperature of my source water and mixing it with boiling water in the right proportions to reach my strike temperature. Something along the lines of 10L water @10C plus 20L water @100C = 30L water @70C. The math was to multiply the volume of boiling water by 100 (for 100 degrees Celsius), multiply the volume of source water by whatever I estimated its temperature to be, add them together, and then divide by the total volume of water. If you have ice to chill the cold-side water to 0C, you should theoretically be able to mix your strike water to the exact temperature you need without using a thermometer. Naturally, it's not ideal to do this every brew day, but it can save you in a pinch.

 

[GearDaddys]

Do yourself a favor.. Don't get a cheap digital thermometer.. Really.. My wife complained when I bought my thermapen, but she uses it EVERY DAY now and has bought them as gifts.. It's dead nuts accurate.. every time.. I went through several cheap ones, and they were "accurately wrong"..

It's funny, the manual for the Termapen has a FAQ section in it.. one of the questions is "My thermapen doesn't agree with any of my other thermometers?" the answer "That's because all of your other thermometers are wrong"..

And the refractometer is awesome.. Put 2 drops of wort on the glass, look into a light source, and you read your gravity.. No filling the hydrometer tube, and disposing of the wort.. The only draw back to using a refractometer is that after fermenting has started, you have to use a calculation to determine the gravity, as the alcohol distorts the reading. I use a calculator in beersmith to do the math, but you can find the formula anywhere.. It's so handy to use a tiny pipette to pull 2 drops from my fermenting beer and check vs. using a theif and filling up the hydro tube.. I LOVE mine.. Much more civilized..

 

[pretzelb]

Another tip on the thermapen, if you get on their email list they have really good flash sales. These things are great for cooking too.

 

[Kharnynb]

I've been using an electric roast thermometer for my mash/boil, easy and it comes with a little clip to keep it on the side of the kettle, 20 bucks buys you a good one with a wired probe.

 

[tgolanos]

I really like the Thermapen. The only put-off is the price (AU$120-150).

The Australian Thermapen website doesn't have a mailing list but they do have a link to a kitchen-wares shop that sells them. It's a bit out of my way but they seem to have good sales. There are several other kitchen shops closer to me, as well. They don't have websites so I'll have to pop in and see what they have.

 

[Kharnynb]

http://www.yourhomedepot.com.au/coo...eless-grilling-thermometer-et-2213au-na.html#

that one should be fine for mash/boil, i use a similar one, they even have an alarm function, set it to 98 celcius and you don't have to watch the kettle like a hawk while bringing it to the boil