skyebrewing
Well-Known Member
So about a week ago, i decided to brew a pumpkin ale. Got the pumpkin puree browned, grain ground, rice hulls thrown in... bring it on!
Well, first mistake was brewing when my 1 yo was sick and fussy. In my defense, my wife told me it was ok and was excited for me to do it anyway. Second, i ground my grain finer since i consistently get 70% eff. And was thinking my grain was too course. Third, half a pound of rice hulls were enough for 60 oz of pumpkin... oops
Missed my mash temp by 4 degrees, coming in at 150. No biggie. Time for first runnings.... got about half a gallon before my 12" braid got stuck.
Stir, mash out, stir, add water. An hour later and im only to 4 gallons. My wife comes outside to see how much longer....baby is working her good. Damn.
So frustration and guilt sets in (its not just the baby, there are 4 other kids all driving her crazy in their own special way). I start scooping the grain with my strainer and pressing it with my hand to get the wort in. I give up at 5 1/2 gal 30 minutes later.
Screw it, the worst i can do is make beer. Finish the boil, put the cover on and leave it till the next day so i can go rescue the wife.
Well, i get ready to pitch yeast and check my sg. I only had 4 1/2 gal instead of 5 but my gravity was 1.074 instead of my expected 1.060. Thats kinda cool. I pitch notty and put a blow off tube on in and in the fermenter it goes.
A week later, its at 1.005! It calculates out to 9% alc! It doesn't seem infected, actually doesn't taste like much at this point other than pumpkin meat. I guess a long time in the fermenter will help it all come together.
So that brew day was driving me nuts but after seeing it work out pretty surprisingly good, i just gotta laugh at myself.
Well, first mistake was brewing when my 1 yo was sick and fussy. In my defense, my wife told me it was ok and was excited for me to do it anyway. Second, i ground my grain finer since i consistently get 70% eff. And was thinking my grain was too course. Third, half a pound of rice hulls were enough for 60 oz of pumpkin... oops
Missed my mash temp by 4 degrees, coming in at 150. No biggie. Time for first runnings.... got about half a gallon before my 12" braid got stuck.
Stir, mash out, stir, add water. An hour later and im only to 4 gallons. My wife comes outside to see how much longer....baby is working her good. Damn.
So frustration and guilt sets in (its not just the baby, there are 4 other kids all driving her crazy in their own special way). I start scooping the grain with my strainer and pressing it with my hand to get the wort in. I give up at 5 1/2 gal 30 minutes later.
Screw it, the worst i can do is make beer. Finish the boil, put the cover on and leave it till the next day so i can go rescue the wife.
Well, i get ready to pitch yeast and check my sg. I only had 4 1/2 gal instead of 5 but my gravity was 1.074 instead of my expected 1.060. Thats kinda cool. I pitch notty and put a blow off tube on in and in the fermenter it goes.
A week later, its at 1.005! It calculates out to 9% alc! It doesn't seem infected, actually doesn't taste like much at this point other than pumpkin meat. I guess a long time in the fermenter will help it all come together.
So that brew day was driving me nuts but after seeing it work out pretty surprisingly good, i just gotta laugh at myself.
