So I brewed an AG with my new system, here is a few bullet points on the brew day from hell!
Recipe as follows
#8 pilsner malt
#.45 crystal 60L
#2 Vienna
Mashed in at 150 for an ALE... a bit low but thats ok! sparge would not clear. It would not come out a nice clear colour (like tea) came out more like hot chocolate... no visible grain pieces, but like muddy water... nothing I could do, so I siphoned anyway. Cooker would not bring wort the to boil, only a gentle boil more like an active simmer... came out almost a gallon short post boil and 2 gallons short pre boil. Got 65% efficiency.... various bits and pieces came loose, floated up etc during mash / boil. Mash was way too thick. I think I boiled some grains meaning its going to be verry tannin like... in all it was a terrible brew day...
But on the plus side, I know my system now. I have fixed up all the little problems I had with it. Know how my system works, got a better and bigger burner etc. So I think this next brew day should go down a treat. I guess it didnt help having a few too many home brews while doing it, but by that stage I was in the whole "just get it over and done with and into the fermenter allready"
On the plus side, it kicked off within 8 hours and is going strong. Smells OK, nothing terrible and the sample of wort wasnt bitter... but time shall tell!
Edit: On a side note, this was an atempt at my hause ale I usually make with extract. So for my first AG on my new system and by myself, and considering it went terribly wrong, its going to be called
"Hause burnt down ale"
Recipe as follows
#8 pilsner malt
#.45 crystal 60L
#2 Vienna
Mashed in at 150 for an ALE... a bit low but thats ok! sparge would not clear. It would not come out a nice clear colour (like tea) came out more like hot chocolate... no visible grain pieces, but like muddy water... nothing I could do, so I siphoned anyway. Cooker would not bring wort the to boil, only a gentle boil more like an active simmer... came out almost a gallon short post boil and 2 gallons short pre boil. Got 65% efficiency.... various bits and pieces came loose, floated up etc during mash / boil. Mash was way too thick. I think I boiled some grains meaning its going to be verry tannin like... in all it was a terrible brew day...
But on the plus side, I know my system now. I have fixed up all the little problems I had with it. Know how my system works, got a better and bigger burner etc. So I think this next brew day should go down a treat. I guess it didnt help having a few too many home brews while doing it, but by that stage I was in the whole "just get it over and done with and into the fermenter allready"
On the plus side, it kicked off within 8 hours and is going strong. Smells OK, nothing terrible and the sample of wort wasnt bitter... but time shall tell!
Edit: On a side note, this was an atempt at my hause ale I usually make with extract. So for my first AG on my new system and by myself, and considering it went terribly wrong, its going to be called
"Hause burnt down ale"