ruined brew day - no extraction from mash

[BrewMoreBeers]

So, i was doing my first AG brew today with a Saison kit from Northern Brewer.

10 lbs Belian Pale Malt - crashed by NB
.75 lbs Briess Caramel 20 - crushed by NB

2.5 oz Strisselpspalt 60 min.
.5 oz Stisselspalt 10 min.

Wyeast 3522

After mashing for 60 minutes at 149 degrees (checked with three thermometers and i hit the mash temp according to the recipe). then mashed at 170 degrees. my MLT is a 10 gallon rubbermaid cooler with a false bottom.

After getting about 4 gallons into my brew pot i checked the gravity to see how i was doing. This is when i learned that i was on track for a 1.005 pre-boil gravity. That is not a typo - i actually got 1.005 (checked with hydrometer and refractometer). i could have spit in the mash and gotten higher gravity than this...

i have no idea why i did not get any appreciable sugar from my mash. any thoughts? Is it opossible i just have bad grains?

i am assuming that i just need to dump this and call it a wasted day - i only have about 2 lbs of DME in the house.

Any suggestions on how to avoid this in the future?

 

[tasq]

This doesn't make much sense to me. Are you sure the grains were crushed?

 

[Poobah58]

What do your thermometers read in an ice bath? What do your hydro and refracto read with water at room temp?
Lastly, how did you sparge?

 

[MeatyPortion]

This doesn't make much sense to me. Are you sure the grains were crushed?

+1

In my very limited experience that's what I would guess too. Outside of that, however, I got nothin.

 

[shamrockdoc]

What do your thermometers read in an ice bath? What do your hydro and refracto read with water at room temp?
Lastly, how did you sparge?

Yeah calibration of that stuff will help out and give a baseline.

 

[gmtech825]

what did you use for water

 

[flabyboy]

So, i was doing my first AG brew today with a Saison kit from Northern Brewer.

10 lbs Belian Pale Malt - crashed by NB
.75 lbs Briess Caramel 20 - crushed by NB

2.5 oz Strisselpspalt 60 min.
.5 oz Stisselspalt 10 min.

Wyeast 3522

After mashing for 60 minutes at 149 degrees (checked with three thermometers and i hit the mash temp according to the recipe). then mashed at 170 degrees. my MLT is a 10 gallon rubbermaid cooler with a false bottom.

After getting about 4 gallons into my brew pot i checked the gravity to see how i was doing. This is when i learned that i was on track for a 1.005 pre-boil gravity. That is not a typo - i actually got 1.005 (checked with hydrometer and refractometer). i could have spit in the mash and gotten higher gravity than this...

i have no idea why i did not get any appreciable sugar from my mash. any thoughts? Is it opossible i just have bad grains?

i am assuming that i just need to dump this and call it a wasted day - i only have about 2 lbs of DME in the house.

Any suggestions on how to avoid this in the future?

I'm going to be doing the same thing this weekend, except with the patersbier kit. God. Hope this doesn't happen to me. You sure those grains were crushed?

 

[BrewMoreBeers]

i questioned the crush on the grain... the grains were mostly intact, but the grain bag was clearly labeled as crushed.

the hydro and refract have both been calibrated with distilled water at 68 degrees (room temp), the thermometers where all calibrated (one of them was SWMBO's high dollar instant read candy thermometer).

i used tap water (municipal water). our water is a little hard, but not bad enough to prevent mashing.

 

[tasq]

i questioned the crush on the grain... the grains were mostly intact, but the grain bag was clearly labeled as crushed.

the hydro and refract have both been calibrated with distilled water at 68 degrees (room temp), the thermometers where all calibrated (one of them was SWMBO's high dollar instant read candy thermometer).

i used tap water (municipal water). our water is a little hard, but not bad enough to prevent mashing.

If the grains were mostly intact, then that is your problem. Take a picture of your mash and call NB... sounds like they might have messed up.

 

[BrewMoreBeers]

I just emailed them. We will see if they will make it right.

 

[MeatyPortion]

If you've got nothing else to do with the spent grain you could always make some bangin' pizza dough.

 

[shamrockdoc]

Oh Northern Brewer you crazy kids! Get some stickers out of this ordeal.

 

[ajf]

I once got very similar results.
It took me about 2 seconds to realize that I hadn't stirred the sparge, and what I was actually reading was the gravity of the final runnings. Stir well, and measure the gravity again.

-a.

 

[geezerpk]

i questioned the crush on the grain... the grains were mostly intact, but the grain bag was clearly labeled as crushed.

the hydro and refract have both been calibrated with distilled water at 68 degrees (room temp), the thermometers where all calibrated (one of them was SWMBO's high dollar instant read candy thermometer).

i used tap water (municipal water). our water is a little hard, but not bad enough to prevent mashing.

I'm a bit of a Noobie, but have you tasted the wort? If it's kinda sweet, you probably have a lot more than .005.

 

[Sean]

I'm a bit of a Noobie, but have you tasted the wort? If it's kinda sweet, you probably have a lot more than .005.

That's a darn good idea there!

 

[BrewMoreBeers]

It was stired... The issue was the lack of crush. The wort was not sweet.

 

[Bobby_M]

I wonder if they'll make it right after you've already tried mashing it. If I were them, I'd send you more grain to keep you as a customer. One thing I will say though is that a good crush is absolutely night and day different than uncrushed grain.

 

[knelson]

I believe Northern Brewer DOES NOT crush the grain in their kits. I have bought two kits from them and the first didnt realize the grain was uncrushed until I got home and started brewing. The second I asked them and they said no, so I crushed them at the store.

They really need to be telling people that their grains are uncrushed. If the recipe calls for crushed specialty grains I would assume the grain in the kit would be crushed.

Call them up, I bet they will get you some new grain. ce.

 

[tjpfeister]

They really need to be telling people that their grains are uncrushed. If the recipe calls for crushed specialty grains I would assume the grain in the kit would be crushed.

I have not ordered any grain from them, but I know when I look at the kits (I steal their recipe ideas a lot.) they always offer it unmilled OR with crushed grains at $1.00 more. Yeast and priming options have to be properly chosen as well.

 

[BrotherFreeman]

I was about to post a similar thread before I saw this one. I had a very similar experience except that I hit about 1.025 OG on mine. I am greatly suspecting the crush, or lack there of. I looked at my 2-row before putting it in the tun but didnt look at most of the other grains and just assumed. I cant verify until my LBHS opens back up tomorrow though. Last time i trust them to pre-crush.

 

[milesvdustin]

Hmm, both of my NB kits were crushed as requested and got good results.

 

[BrewMoreBeers]

The crush is a $1 option from NB.

They replied to my email today and offered to make it right and they tossed in a little extra. I am pleased.

Honestly, I have been really impressed with their customer service from the beginning of my dealings with them and this issue only served to solidify my faith in their customer service. I am happy and will be brewing again this weekend.

 

[DarkUncle]

Great to hear. I have not had a problem with Northern in my 3 AG kits from them. Very tasty brews.

 

[Burgs]

Sucks that it happened, but I think you're in good hands. NB are brewers too, they'd be just as disappointed as you if they got nothing from a mash.

Hopefully after attempt #2 you'll end up with a delicious beer!

 

[mariojr]

The crush is a $1 option from NB.

They replied to my email today and offered to make it right and they tossed in a little extra. I am pleased.

Honestly, I have been really impressed with their customer service from the beginning of my dealings with them and this issue only served to solidify my faith in their customer service. I am happy and will be brewing again this weekend.

Those NB guys are alright!

 

[BrewMoreBeers]

So, i finally made the time to rebrew this batch this morning. everything worked out great once i had the grain milled. my efficiency was a little low but i think that was caused my missing my mash temp by a few degrees. the recipe called for 149 degree mash and i hit 146 on the first infusion. I added about a gallon of 180 degree to try to bring it up but i neglected to stir after adding the extra hot water. i think this left my grain bed too cold on the bottom. go figure, i learned a lesson that i should have intuitively already known.

i also made time today to keg a Kolsch that has been in primary for about 3 weeks and i did my first yeast washing/rinse with the Kolsch yeast. I must say, it was supper easy and i highly suggest everyone learn to do this; what a money saver.

 

[flabyboy]

I'm guessing a gallon of 180 degree water brought your mash temp a lot hotter than 149. Best to add little bits at a time than stir and recheck the temp