Doing first AG tomorrow per DB's method 1 question

[RedIrocZ-28]

More of a general question than anything I guess... But when you want to scale a recipe back to make, for instants, a 4 gallon batch, you simply scale back the ingredients by 20% if the batch was a 5gal recipe? Recipe amounts are linear right?

I want to watch the fermentation happen this time, so I was going to use my glass carboy but since its only 5 gallons, I figure a 4 gal batch would be about right, right?

TIA

 

[Bobby_M]

Yes, for batch size scaling, scale everything up or down.

 

[abracadabra]

Use a blow off tube and you won't need to brew less beer

 

[RedIrocZ-28]

This ended up as a Partial Mash because the LHBS convinced me that my 5gal stock pots wouldn't be big enough to use as a Mash Tun. While I see their concern, I do not agree with their recommendation. Although, I was quite enthused about using almost 5lbs of grain and some DME!

I think my efficiency was a little skewed (screwed) due to the fact that I ended up pretty high on the OG (recipe called for 1.050 and I got 1.060). The online calculator said that the efficiency was 89% ??? Can that be right?

 

[DeathBrewer]

i use my 5 gallon pot as a mash tun for regular size beers at least once a week. the only way it won't work is if you use too much grain or too much water. it really depends on the size of beer, but if those guys said it won't work for anything then they don't know what they are talking about. the less headspace you have, the better your mash tun will hold temp.

versatility in brewing is what it's all about. i use a different mash tun/HLT/boiling pot/fermenter every day. i rarely use the same setup at the moment and am always experimenting. that will change once the brew sculpture is set up, but i will always have tons of options open.

i've got a little over 80% efficiency many times using the method, but never 89% (i've only go in the high 80s, low 90s when brewing on a larger scale with my other equipment.)

it's possible you didn't get a good mix in your sample...i'd assume 75% efficiency, as that is what this system generally yields.

 

[chainsawbrewing]

i've used a 5gallon mashtun, much like everyone here has, for tons of beers. some of them with pretty hefty grain bills too. usually, i'll have to fill it to the brim for my batch sparge, and then fill it again, due to lack of space, but for the actual mash, i've not had a problem with every beer i've ever made, except for one really big beer i made. your lhbs is wack fo shizzle.

 

[nghtmre4u]

i used death brewers stove top ag tut for my irish red and it worked great.

 

[RedIrocZ-28]

I think that I will lie and tell them next time I go to the LHBS that I upgraded to a cooler MLT setup. In fact I have an empty carboy just wanting something to go in it so I should probably go on Thursday. This one will be AG. What should I make... ??

Also can't wait for the spare bedroom err... Brewery room to be finished in the basement. I'll have to get pics once I get things set up in a few weeks (or months).

 

[RedIrocZ-28]

UPDATE: This APA I made fermented out to 1.012 from 1.060 (Thats what 6.2%?? Dang). I bottled it a week ago and I just cracked one last night to check on it. It had a nice malty sweetness to it and it was a little thick on the mouthfeel for some reason. But it was the best god damn beer I have ever tasted. Oh my god I will have to put this stuff under lock and key because I brewed it specifically for an event that will take place in April. I am going to have 2 cases of the tastiest beer I have ever had just sitting there, staring at me for 2 months, and I can't have any more of it.

 

[craigd]

Surely you'll have to make sure that APA is carbonating properly with a few more taste tests, right?

 

[RedIrocZ-28]

Surely you'll have to make sure that APA is carbonating properly with a few more taste tests, right?

I want to SO bad, god I can't stop thinking about that beer. But I can't!! Its like thinking about the sexy picture my new flame just sent me. Cant. get. it. out. of. my. mind!

One thing I noticed was that there was little to no hop bitterness. I thought that if you did a full boil, you were supposed to use less hops than if you did a partial boil. Thoughts?