milholen
Well-Known Member
I've done countless extract batches and 5 AG batches now. Every time I brew I learn something new. Usually it's some small but important detail about my equipment or the environment in which I brew. The common lesson overall seems to be that processes are more important in brewing a delicious beer than equipment or environment. I can have an expensive mash-tun, conical fermenter, and a stainless steel coated kitchen but that doesn't mean I'm going to make good beer. More important to making good beer is to understand the intricracies of the processes involved. It seems that when someone is concerned about a batch being less than perfect, it is usually because they feel they have approached a process incorrectly.
I feel there's a need to have a chronological list of steps neccessary to make great beer. I can read a book such as JP's "How to Brew" and get this same info but I would like a condensed, summarized checklist. If only to assist me as I brew so that I don't forget anything. Please add/modify this checklist as you see fit based on your own experiences.
I would appreciate any additions or extra details anyone could make to this process list. For example, I don't do anything to my tap water and perhaps I should. I am ultimately concerned with what steps are absolutely critical to achieve success.
The following assumes batch sparging and bottling:
1. Clean
2. Sanitize
3. Heat Mash Water
4. Mill grain
5. Add heated mash-water to mash tun using 1.25 qts water per 1lb of grain
6. Check strike temperature of water in mash tun - if too hot, let water sit in mash tun and cool until strike temp correct. use this calculator: http://www.brew365.com/mash_sparge_water_calculator.php
7. Add grains slowly, stirring as you add them
8. Mash for 90 minutes
9. Stir mash every 15 minutes and adjust volume with boiling water as needed
10. Vorlauf
11. Drain wort from mash tun into boil kettle - do not splash
12. Add sparge water and stir
13. Let sparge water sit in mash tun for 10 minutes
14. Vorlauf
15. Drain wort from mash tun to boil kettle
16. Take pre-boil SG reading
17. Boil wort for 90 minutes
18. Add hops/adjuncts per recipe
19. Add whirfloc tablet or Irish moss with 15 minutes left in boil
20. Add immersion chiller with 15 minutes left in boil
21. At flameout, start immersion chiller - stir briskly to facilitate faster cooling. Cool until wort reaches < or = to 70F
22. Take post-boil SG - this is your OG
23. Drain brew kettle into sanitized fermenter
24. Oxygenate fermenter
25. Pitch yeast at correct rate - use this calculator: http://www.mrmalty.com/calc/calc.html
26. Ferment for 3 weeks in primary at < 65F
26.5 Add dry-hop additions after 2 weeks in primary
27. Ferment in primary for 2 days at higher temp ~ 70F
28. Take SG reading - this is your FG
29. Clean bottles and workspace
30. Sanitize bottles and workspace
31. Boil 3/4 cup priming sugar in water for 15 minutes
32. Add cooled sugar water to bottom of bottling bucket
33. Rack beer to bottling bucket - do not splash
34. Cap bottles with oxygen-absorbing caps
35. Store bottles in warm area > 70F
36. Age in bottles for 3 weeks
37. Drink and enjoy
I feel there's a need to have a chronological list of steps neccessary to make great beer. I can read a book such as JP's "How to Brew" and get this same info but I would like a condensed, summarized checklist. If only to assist me as I brew so that I don't forget anything. Please add/modify this checklist as you see fit based on your own experiences.
I would appreciate any additions or extra details anyone could make to this process list. For example, I don't do anything to my tap water and perhaps I should. I am ultimately concerned with what steps are absolutely critical to achieve success.
The following assumes batch sparging and bottling:
1. Clean
2. Sanitize
3. Heat Mash Water
4. Mill grain
5. Add heated mash-water to mash tun using 1.25 qts water per 1lb of grain
6. Check strike temperature of water in mash tun - if too hot, let water sit in mash tun and cool until strike temp correct. use this calculator: http://www.brew365.com/mash_sparge_water_calculator.php
7. Add grains slowly, stirring as you add them
8. Mash for 90 minutes
9. Stir mash every 15 minutes and adjust volume with boiling water as needed
10. Vorlauf
11. Drain wort from mash tun into boil kettle - do not splash
12. Add sparge water and stir
13. Let sparge water sit in mash tun for 10 minutes
14. Vorlauf
15. Drain wort from mash tun to boil kettle
16. Take pre-boil SG reading
17. Boil wort for 90 minutes
18. Add hops/adjuncts per recipe
19. Add whirfloc tablet or Irish moss with 15 minutes left in boil
20. Add immersion chiller with 15 minutes left in boil
21. At flameout, start immersion chiller - stir briskly to facilitate faster cooling. Cool until wort reaches < or = to 70F
22. Take post-boil SG - this is your OG
23. Drain brew kettle into sanitized fermenter
24. Oxygenate fermenter
25. Pitch yeast at correct rate - use this calculator: http://www.mrmalty.com/calc/calc.html
26. Ferment for 3 weeks in primary at < 65F
26.5 Add dry-hop additions after 2 weeks in primary
27. Ferment in primary for 2 days at higher temp ~ 70F
28. Take SG reading - this is your FG
29. Clean bottles and workspace
30. Sanitize bottles and workspace
31. Boil 3/4 cup priming sugar in water for 15 minutes
32. Add cooled sugar water to bottom of bottling bucket
33. Rack beer to bottling bucket - do not splash
34. Cap bottles with oxygen-absorbing caps
35. Store bottles in warm area > 70F
36. Age in bottles for 3 weeks
37. Drink and enjoy