Feedback after first all grain BIAB!

[carloscede2]

I wish I could say this day went smooth but it didnt. Here's my story:

- First I heated the pot to the mash temp with the bag in tit (155). Preheated the ovem to 170 and turned it off once the mash temp was reached. Put the grains and waited 1 hour.

- After that, I took the pot out of the oven and the temperature increased 1 degree (not a big deal as far as Im concerned).

- Now I had to get to my preboil volume (4.5 gallons to end up with 3.5) by sparging. I put a strainer on top of the pot and it slipped, making the wort splash all over me and my buddy (at least two cups of wort).

- I got scared after that. I didnt know if I could use my preboil volume anymore because of the wort loss so I decided to put less volume. (3.5 to emd up with 2.5)

- Before I started boiling the wort I put the stats in my app and it told me that I would get a beer with 8.2% with that volume. I wasnt sure why but it sure looked like there was something off.

- I decided to put my faith in my original recipe and sparge to 4.5 gallons and boil that, even though in my mind I was gonna get a lighter beer because of the wort loss.

- So I started the boil and everything went smoothly until the end of the boil where I realized I didnt boil off enough water to get my 3.5 gallons. I continued the boil for 20 more minutes to get to that mark.

- This recipe was designed to have 30 ibus, but with the new boiling time, it changed to 37.5. (I guess I now know the rate of boiling of my stove)

- I took a hydrometer reading and it measured 1.030 (extremely low) amd I got really frustrated. However, I let the hydrometer sit for 20 min and when I came back, it measured 1.052, EXACTLY what I was aiming for (Assumed 70% efficiency is not too bad for my first all grain) and I realized that I was being paranoic before.

- This is also my first time using am ice bath ( in extracts I used to top off with cold water to get the pitching range) and it went down perfectly. The wort was cooled down in about 15 min.

- Rehydrated the yeast and pitched it when the wort was 25 celsius.

- I used my secondary fermenter because my primary was busy fermenting another beer. So I tried to siphon the wort into my secondary but it was gonna take for ever. So I used a funnel and poured it directly from the pot.

- Moved the fermenter to my bedroom where the temperature is constantly 18-20 celsius.

This is the recipe I had lined up
6 lbs of vienna malt
1 lb of munich malt
0.5 lbs carapils
Northener brewer @ 80
Saaz @ 17
Nottingham dry ale yeast.
37.5 IBUs
OG 1.052 - FG 1.010 (approximately)
Abv 5.6%
Efficiency 70%

If you got up to this point thanks for reading, I know it is a lot but I wanted to be as descriptive as possible.

I would like your thought's both in this recipe and the procedures to make it better.

Thanks again for reading!

 

[carloscede2]

Some pics!

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View attachment 1456121152530.jpg

 

[theseeker4]

I wish I could say this day went smooth but it didnt. Here's my story:

- First I heated the pot to the mash temp with the bag in tit (155). Preheated the ovem to 170 and turned it off once the mash temp was reached. Put the grains and waited 1 hour.

- After that, I took the pot out of the oven and the temperature increased 1 degree (not a big deal as far as Im concerned).

- Now I had to get to my preboil volume (4.5 gallons to end up with 3.5) by sparging. I put a strainer on top of the pot and it slipped, making the wort splash all over me and my buddy (at least two cups of wort).

- I got scared after that. I didnt know if I could use my preboil volume anymore because of the wort loss so I decided to put less volume. (3.5 to emd up with 2.5)

- Before I started boiling the wort I put the stats in my app and it told me that I would get a beer with 8.2% with that volume. I wasnt sure why but it sure looked like there was something off.

- I decided to put my faith in my original recipe and sparge to 4.5 gallons and boil that, even though in my mind I was gonna get a lighter beer because of the wort loss.

- So I started the boil and everything went smoothly until the end of the boil where I realized I didnt boil off enough water to get my 3.5 gallons. I continued the boil for 20 more minutes to get to that mark.

- This recipe was designed to have 30 ibus, but with the new boiling time, it changed to 37.5. (I guess I now know the rate of boiling of my stove)

- I took a hydrometer reading and it measured 1.030 (extremely low) amd I got really frustrated. However, I let the hydrometer sit for 20 min and when I came back, it measured 1.052, EXACTLY what I was aiming for (Assumed 70% efficiency is not too bad for my first all grain) and I realized that I was being paranoic before.

- This is also my first time using am ice bath ( in extracts I used to top off with cold water to get the pitching range) and it went down perfectly. The wort was cooled down in about 15 min.

- Rehydrated the yeast and pitched it when the wort was 25 celsius.

- I used my secondary fermenter because my primary was busy fermenting another beer. So I tried to siphon the wort into my secondary but it was gonna take for ever. So I used a funnel and poured it directly from the pot.

- Moved the fermenter to my bedroom where the temperature is constantly 18-20 celsius.

This is the recipe I had lined up
6 lbs of vienna malt
1 lb of munich malt
0.5 lbs carapils
Northener brewer @ 80
Saaz @ 17
Nottingham dry ale yeast.
37.5 IBUs
OG 1.052 - FG 1.010 (approximately)
Abv 5.6%
Efficiency 70%

If you got up to this point thanks for reading, I know it is a lot but I wanted to be as descriptive as possible.

I would like your thought's both in this recipe and the procedures to make it better.

Thanks again for reading!

Not too much specific feedback, sounds like it worked out nicely.

Only comment is, when you took the gravity reading and it said 1.030, was that a cooled sample? If not, that was the problem of course. If it was a cooled sample, not sure what went wrong with that reading, as there shouldn't be a huge change just by the sample sitting there other than with temperature.

Congrats, and enjoy all grain brewing!

 

[bransona]

+1 on the temperature of the hydro reading

Everything else looks perfectly in line for a first time AG. You learned, and you'll wind up with beer!

Out of curiosity, what are you shooting for with that recipe?

 

[RM-MN]

With using Nottinham yeast, if you don't cool the beer fast below what you have pitched it at and keep it cooler than your bedroom temp I don't think you will like the flavors of your beer. Nottingham would prefer to be pitched at 15C and kept below 17C for the best flavors. I'd put some cold water in a tub and set your fermenter in there to bring the temperature down and add a frozen water bottle to help keep the temperature of the beer near 16C for the first 3 or 4 days. After that you can let it warm to about 20C and it will be fine.

While it may have looked like a lot of wort splashed out when your strainer slipped in, I doubt it really was a significant amount. You didn't say how long you boiled the wort for but by 60 minutes the hop oils would be pretty much all isomerized and an additional 20 minutes would have very little effect on the IBU's.

You probably can increase your efficiency by milling the grains finer. With the grains milled fine the conversion happens quickly so the varying temperature would have minimal effect.

 

[carloscede2]

Not too much specific feedback, sounds like it worked out nicely.

Only comment is, when you took the gravity reading and it said 1.030, was that a cooled sample? If not, that was the problem of course. If it was a cooled sample, not sure what went wrong with that reading, as there shouldn't be a huge change just by the sample sitting there other than with temperature.

Congrats, and enjoy all grain brewing!

Hot ass sample, I put it outside (the sample and it was -10) to let it cool and when I checked back it was different

 

[carloscede2]

+1 on the temperature of the hydro reading

Everything else looks perfectly in line for a first time AG. You learned, and you'll wind up with beer!

Out of curiosity, what are you shooting for with that recipe?

Honestly I am not sure. I wanted a malty beer and vienna as a base seemed like a nice choice. I was hoping one of you would tell me what I would end up with lol.

 

[carloscede2]

With using Nottinham yeast, if you don't cool the beer fast below what you have pitched it at and keep it cooler than your bedroom temp I don't think you will like the flavors of your beer. Nottingham would prefer to be pitched at 15C and kept below 17C for the best flavors. I'd put some cold water in a tub and set your fermenter in there to bring the temperature down and add a frozen water bottle to help keep the temperature of the beer near 16C for the first 3 or 4 days. After that you can let it warm to about 20C and it will be fine.

While it may have looked like a lot of wort splashed out when your strainer slipped in, I doubt it really was a significant amount. You didn't say how long you boiled the wort for but by 60 minutes the hop oils would be pretty much all isomerized and an additional 20 minutes would have very little effect on the IBU's.

You probably can increase your efficiency by milling the grains finer. With the grains milled fine the conversion happens quickly so the varying temperature would have minimal effect.

Ok Ill put the wort in a cold bath then for a couple of days (my girlfriend wont like this lol)
To be honest with you, I dont know. I always plug whatever I do in an app and it tells me. I boiled for 80 min but the original plan was to boil for 60 ans according to my app it changes the ibus.
I dont know how to mill the grains finer but everyone says that. Can I use my blender? Because I get them milled from the online website where I order them from. In ottawa theres only 1 lhbs and it is expensive as hell.

 

[RM-MN]

Ok Ill put the wort in a cold bath then for a couple of days (my girlfriend wont like this lol)
To be honest with you, I dont know. I always plug whatever I do in an app and it tells me. I boiled for 80 min but the original plan was to boil for 60 ans according to my app it changes the ibus.
I dont know how to mill the grains finer but everyone says that. Can I use my blender? Because I get them milled from the online website where I order them from. In ottawa theres only 1 lhbs and it is expensive as hell.

Since you are using the bag (BIAB) you can use the blender to mill the grains finer. It can be a bit rough on a blender if you try too much at a time so try with half a pound (.25kg) and see how the blender handles it. I think you will be ok with a pound at a time but you might have to let the blender cool a bit between fillings.

I use a Corona style mill, adjusted as tight as I can still turn it. It works well for me. I got it from Discount Tommy. I don't know if he ships to Canada. http://www.discounttommy.com/p-189-...er-for-wheat-grains-or-use-as-a-nut-mill.aspx

 

[wilserbrewer]

- First I heated the pot to the mash temp with the bag in tit (155).

I would strongly suggest adding your bag after the mash water is heated to strike temp and the heat is turned off to avoid potentially burning the bag.

 

[carloscede2]

I would strongly suggest adding your bag after the mash water is heated to strike temp and the heat is turned off to avoid potentially burning the bag.

I thought about that but then I also thought it might be hard to put the bag in withe the hot water. I didnt let the bag touch the bottom when it was being heated.

 

[carloscede2]

Since you are using the bag (BIAB) you can use the blender to mill the grains finer. It can be a bit rough on a blender if you try too much at a time so try with half a pound (.25kg) and see how the blender handles it. I think you will be ok with a pound at a time but you might have to let the blender cool a bit between fillings.

I use a Corona style mill, adjusted as tight as I can still turn it. It works well for me. I got it from Discount Tommy. I don't know if he ships to Canada. http://www.discounttommy.com/p-189-...er-for-wheat-grains-or-use-as-a-nut-mill.aspx

Thats a cheap ass price! Maybe I can find something like that in walmart or whatever. I just never thought of owning one cause the company where I get the grains from does it for free. However, theres another company that charges 40 cents per pound for milling the grains. If I had my own mill, I could get a pound of grains for 1.19$ making it even cheaper

 

[RM-MN]

Thats a cheap ass price! Maybe I can find something like that in walmart or whatever. I just never thought of owning one cause the company where I get the grains from does it for free. However, theres another company that charges 40 cents per pound for milling the grains. If I had my own mill, I could get a pound of grains for 1.19$ making it even cheaper

You mean like this one? http://www.walmart.com/ip/Chard-Chard-150-Table-Clamp-Grain-Mill/29340142

Because of the difference in the value of the currency it may be higher in Canada. Also check if your LHBS will sell you grain in bulk for a lower price. You will have to buy a 50 lb sack but sometimes the difference in price will equal the price of the mill so you start saving when you buy the second sack.

 

[carloscede2]

You mean like this one? http://www.walmart.com/ip/Chard-Chard-150-Table-Clamp-Grain-Mill/29340142

Because of the difference in the value of the currency it may be higher in Canada. Also check if your LHBS will sell you grain in bulk for a lower price. You will have to buy a 50 lb sack but sometimes the difference in price will equal the price of the mill so you start saving when you buy the second sack.

The cheapest one in the canadian walmart is 86$... Thats nuts and the lhbs sells them for 100... I trip to the states wouldnt be bad then lol I go to NY Miami and Orlando all the time so I should get one the next time I go there. If I get more of my friends into the hobby I will start buying in bulk, 50 lbs for myself is too much lol

 

[RM-MN]

The cheapest one in the canadian walmart is 86$... Thats nuts and the lhbs sells them for 100... I trip to the states wouldnt be bad then lol I go to NY Miami and Orlando all the time so I should get one the next time I go there. If I get more of my friends into the hobby I will start buying in bulk, 50 lbs for myself is too much lol

I only drink one bottle of my beer each day and I have no problems getting rid of 50 pounds of pale malt. It may take me two years, but it works out fine that way.

 

[RdeVjun]

Nice work, you've made some beer!

As you have experienced, the Stovetop BIAB processes have intricacies that aren't obvious until you actually try them yourself with your own gear and that's why I suggest sticking to a very simple MiniBIAB for the first one however, it seems you've succeeded in something more complex, so well done!

I don't know much about sourcing local ingredients where you are however I do know that one Australian firm delivers internationally with reportedly prompt delivery and happy customers. Your LHBS does sound expensive and unhelpful, I'd go online.

Oh yes, you can mill your grain finer with a blender if you wish, I recall one infamous Australian brewer that milled the lot in a mini blender, eventually burning it out after many a batch. However, perhaps just ask your LHBS if they would be prepared to mill it twice, or crush finer, in the mean time I would suggest ordering a little extra if you feel that efficiency suffered from a poor crush.

As already mentioned, cool hydrometer samples before measurement.

You will indeed benefit from ferment temperature control too, it can be one of the most significant improvements. Good luck in convincing the GF!