Ruined first all grain?

[gddunton]

How many people here were happy with their first all grain batch??

Mine was a disaster! Missed temp, low efficiency and overall bad taste.

If you did, what made you want to try it again?

 

[Burrito]

After every batch I think of what wasn't "ideal" about my process or recipe and identify what I can do to make it better/more efficient. Then that motivates me to try again. Everyone's first time is a bit awkward and sloppy. Yes, the connotation is intentional

 

[mgortel]

My first all grain session was not perfect.....but I still made beer!

The most important thing is that you learn from it and make appropriate adjustments for the next time. You now have a benchmark for your next batch.

You should be able to figure out YOUR actual efficiency based on your results from first attempt. Next time use YOUR efficiency to determine the amount of grains for the recipe. i.e. any recipe you find should have an assumed efficiency...if your efficiency is less then you will need to increase the grain bill (weight) proportionately so you get the desired OG.

You should also now know how much to adjust your strike water temperature next time to hit your target based on what happened in your first attempt. You now have actual "experimental" data to tell you how much heat your mash tun "sucks" away from the strike water, etc. (Amount of grains matters too.....). If you are not sure how to figure this out....BeerSmith software is helpful....or post your data if you wrote it down and we can help you.

Bad taste....could be lots of things....may not be from missed temp and efficiency....maybe you didn't let it ferment and condition long enough.....could also be a pH issue with your mash if your water has high or low alkalinity depending on what type of brew you made. (I had this issue with Stouts)

How far off were you on those things?

Also....did you write down everything you did so you can make adjustments next time,,.......and do you have BeerSmith software...??? Software makes it so much easier to make adjustments on your next batch.

Give us some more information and I am sure we can help you out.

Why didn't i give up when my first session wasn't quite right? Beacause I knew it was my first time and with experience...and help form folks on here....I would get smarter and better.....and now the beer gods smile down on me (most of the time....still make mistakes)

Don't give up...hang in there and learn from your mistakes...and have a beer!

 

[Cyclman]

Mine took FOREVER, had to re-fire the mash several times, etc. etc., but in the end it made a very nice Steam beer.

 

[jrgtr42]

My first all-grain was a 1-gallon kit from Brooklyn Beer Works. I did it that way so I could have everything I wanted in one box, with good instruction as to what to do, plus a bit of extra equipment. I went extra slow with it, read the instructions many times before starting and kept reading them as I brewed. Came out pretty well, TBH.
I've been brewing all-grain since then, probably another dozen batches. I do plug the recipes into one or another of the calculators, or if I'm using an existing recipe, I know more or less what expected gravity is. I don't stress if I'm not exactly on, though if I was expecting 1.070 and end up with 1.035 I'd really start questioning myself. if I'm within .010 of the expected, I call it good and continue.

 

[BlkWater_brewer]

My first batch since leaving the hobby in the 1980's was an utter failure, a Chocolate Stout. Mashed too hot and was too sweet when done. Added a vial of Brett to it and set it aside. After 6 months I needed the fermentor and it tasted quite good as a sour stout. Brett fixes everything, of course it tastes funky, it's the Brett.