A Series of Unfortunate Events: My 1st AG

Well, I took the all-grain-brew plunge yesterday, and it was awesome and horrible at the same time!

The recipe: Rye Wouldn't I?
6# 2-row barley malt
2# 6-row barley malt
1# Rye malt
1oz Black Barley
0.5oz Magnum Hops @ 60min
1oz Cascade Hops @ 20min
1tsp Irish Moss @ 15min
Nottingham yeast starter from previous fermentation

1) I busted out my new corona grain mill, which I had modded with a bolt to use a drill-drive. Unfortunately, the battery on my cordless drill gave out about halfway through the grind, so I had to find the original crank to finish the job. The stock crank was worthless (couldn't get it to seat right), so I ended up using a ratchet driver to drive the mill. The bride thought I was crazy when she came home to see me cranking away like a madman (as it were).

2) While I was finishing the grind, I put 4qts of boiling water in my DIY Igloo 5gal MLT to preheat it. What should I discover, but that my jerry-rigged ball valve assembly was leaking like a sieve. I looked around for the original Igloo tap, and of course couldn't find it, so I thought my day was over before it started. Fortunately, I unscrewed everything and re-engineered the order of the connections, and it held tight with no leaks.

3) I began the single-infusion mash, hitting my 154* temp pretty spot-on. Checked it again at 10min, too hot so I added a bit of ice, 30min too cold so a bit of hot water, and at 60min I realized I should've started the mash-in at 45min. So at 75min, I started the problem-free vorlauf, and got some pretty good first runnings after 2 qts or so of vorlauf. No stuck sparge at all, in spite of using a bit of rye and no rice hulls!

4) I did a running sparge, and of course, I didn't have enough boil volume after I had completed the pre-set amount. So I switched to a batch sparge to make it to 6 gallons. No problem, I just hope I didn't overextract (which is a real possibility, given that I was using a corona mill to grind). I hit 1.043 mash SG when expecting 1.045, so I got pretty good efficiency (99% by my calculations - is that possible, or am I doing it wrong?).

5) Into the boil kettle, while lighting the propane burner, I discovered that my turkey fryer has developed some sort of issue, it wasn't shooting blue flame like it usually does, but rather a sickly yellow, smoky flame that nastied-up the bottom of my boil kettle. So it was back into the kitchen, which pleased the bride none-too-much. An electric stove versus six gallons of wort, I was pretty sure it would never reach boil. But it did, and from there it was no problem (this was my 10th batch, 1st All-Grain).

6) I cooled down to 83* using my DIY recirculating immersion chiller, and pitched a few TBSP of a yeast cake I had saved from a previous fermentation. It was a bit warmer than I normally pitch, but I was in a real hurry at that point to get to a dinner engagement. When I got home 5 hours later, the airlock was bubbling violently, so apparently the Notty yeast didn't have a problem with the slightly high temp. We could have success!

Here are some pix from the day:

Sounds like you hit a few obstacles but powered right through 'em. Nice work!

1.043sg for 6gals.=82% efficiency.That's awesome for any batch let alone a 1st batch.Congrats.
When you dough in,it helps to overheat your strike water,put it in the MLT and let it fall into the right temp. range,then add grain and stir for about 4-5mins before taking a temp. reading.This pre-heats the tun and you don't lose temp from the transfer.

Congrats on your 1st.

They do get easier.

sorry, double post, see below.

RCCOLA said:

When you dough in,it helps to overheat your strike water.

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This is good advice...just add your strike water 10 - 15 degrees hotter than your target and let it cool in the tun for 10 15 minutes. Adding boiling water can be a bit hard on a plastic cooler.

Also, next time don't pitch so hot...IMO better to pitch late than hot. Pitch the following morning, rather than in the eighties. Neither are ideal, but from what I've read, hot pitching is NG. Mid to low sixties works well for notty.

Oh, also look for an old big ass drill w/ a cord to power that Corona mill. Cordless tools have there place, but sometimes being on the grid has advantages.

Much obliged for the suggestions, everyone!

The strike water was heated to 172*, and then I added the grain, stirring it for a good minute before I took a temperature reading. I guess I was a bit unclear on my pre-heat process - I had boiled about a quart and a half of water and let it cool down to about 195* before I poured it in for the pre-heat. I use an electric boil kettle to keep about 48oz of water at the ready, and that makes it really easy to hit a specific temperature.

As far as the yeast pitching, I guess I should've waited, but I also at that point had an audience (we were heading out to a group dinner, and I was delaying them). By that point, four or five people were gathered around watching the process, and I kinda let the peer pressure dictate my process. A bad idea, I know, but it looks like the yeast survived my hastiness. At this point, after 39 hours, the airlock is pretty calm. It was violent throughout the first 24 hours, but I really wish I'd taken your advice and let it cool down to the mid-60's to minimize potential esters. The temperature of the wort/beer is still right at 69*, so it was on the upper side of the range for Notty. I am not in a real hurry, it will sit in the fermenter (I use a conical) for 20-24 days or so to clean up any of the off-aromas and flavors before I rack to the keg. This is a rye, so it can be enjoyed on the younger side, if it's anything like the wheat that I last made and killed in 16 days.

RCCOLA, what is the method to calculate efficiency? I appreciate your help in giving me the 82% figure, and I'd love to know how to do that for future!

I'm going to hit a garage sale this coming weekend and keep an eye out for a corded drill. Thanks for the advice, wilserbrewer!

khiddy said:

stirring it for a good minute before I took a temperature reading.

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Something I've realized and think worth passing on is that it usually takes around five minutes (at least a few, not really sure) for the grain and strike water to settle at a stable temp. I guess the cold grain is taking heat from the water, hot spots and cold spots throughout the grain bed. A few minutes seems like an eternity when you think your mash is too hot or too cold. Try and resist the initial temptation to temper the mash, or you can start see sawing...too hot...too cold...too hot.

oh and on the drill, big, slow and strong works nice. Good luck on finding one cheap...there out there.

Far out! I use BeerCalculus and Hopville for all of my recipe storage, so I am quite familiar with the site. I just never thought to use it in that direction as a reverse-calculator!

Thanks for the reply!

what type of hose is that on the outside of the cooler.

It's high-pressure plastic tube rated for hot water (3/8"ID and 1/2"OD). I got it in a 10-foot coil at Home Depot for like $12.99. It was left over from my IC construction (hot water outflow tubing). I probably don't need to use it (does hot-side aeration before the boil make a difference?), but it cuts down on splashing and mess-making.

I sure hope it's food-grade!

yea, leave the hose on the discharge of your mash tun, HSA is an issue or a myth depending on you you ask. But more importantly, the discharge tube will draw the wort out of the tun faster and better, perhaps not an issue now, but with a few pounds of wheat and a fine crush, the discharge tubing will help to avoid a stuck sparge.

Looks like your system will be ironed out pretty quick. A good crush from the mill gave you good efficiency from the get-go which is nice.

Get that burner adjusted... Mine has louvers that can be opened or closed, you want a blue flame but not one that comes up off of the burner.