Recent content by chandlervdw

ReverseApacheMaster - at what temp?

So, I tried to make an all-grain belgian golden strong using 2-row, table sugar, saaz hops and Wyeast 1388. I had some issues with mash temperature being a bit too high but then it ended up fermenting well and dropped down from 1.082 to 1.007. BUT, I realized after the fact that I had started...

Jeff, I brewed that same thing a week ago and I'm already dropping the temp tonight. I ended up using 2-Row instead of Pilsener malt (all grain) because I had it on hand. My OG was low (1.076) but a few hours short of a week and I'm down to 1.007 (9%). I'm about to drop the temp down to 45°F for...

username: chandlervdw

Ok, so the mashtun worked AMAZINGLY well last night. I prefilled it in the tub with hot water (≈ 120°F) and dumped it out (probably a little too early, about 30 mins) before adding the strike water, which was 10.5 gallons of 185°F, campden-tablet treated, filtered water. I overshot the...

ok, so boiling point is 212°F. I found the right calculator in BeerTools Pro. For 29.5 lbs of 149°F grist, I'll need my 2.8 gallons to be 185°F for the first sparge, and 170-172°F for the second sparging.

Brew Your Own makes a good point about mash thickness. It's harder to dissolve more sugars into a concentrated wort so I'm going go for more efficiency with a less thick wort. I'm going to do a thickness of .356 gallons / lb @ 29.5lbs which gives me a strike of 10.5 gallons @ 160°F (I'll start...

scinerd, I've heard that 1/3 gallon per lb of grain is a good ratio. If I do 1.5 quarts, that's .375 gallons versus .33. Your calculations give me 11 gallons where mine gives me 9.75 gallons. Which is better? 1.5 quarts or 1/3 gallon per lb of grain? Today is Brew Day! I'll be taking pics and...

Nice, thanks guys. That makes a lot more sense. After I found the appropriate calculator in BeerTools Pro, I got the same calculations. Plan on doing the 2 part batch sparge as suggested by Gammon N Beer. One more question. I did some yeast washing from one of my "weird" batches and used it to...

Ok guys, I need some help. I'm going to go for another IPA, this time a 10 gallon batch. Don't worry, I'm splitting it between friends. I think the larger amount will help my mashtun not lose as much heat (plus, I've got the high density styrofoam, if needed, an in-oven thermometer and I will be...

I didn't seem to have too much trouble with the grain bed settling, although it was fairly shallow (4-6 inches deep). I got my wort to run clear after about a gallon or so of vorlaufing. Just sampled my beer from the secondary and it's got that weird taste, which is sad. It's also at 5.5 Brix...

Scinerd, will do and thanks for the tips. Crossing my fingers hoping that a thorough pre-heat and some steam leaks will fix my problem! I'll post, for sure :)

The Inside Inside near drain Outside Outside near drain Inside filter end Obviously, it's pretty big. Last night I put in 190°F water and after 10 or 15 minutes (possibly 20 or 30) it was down to 173°F. After about 4 or 5 hours, it was down to 143°F or so. This morning it was still...

yeah, I guess I'm just afraid of the cost & ruining another batch...

Well, I'd rather not get another cooler cause I bought this one specifically for converting into a mashtun. I just apparently got one that's too big. I used a 1/3 gal of strike water per pound of grain so proportionally it's correct but the grain bed does end up being fairly shallow. It's a...