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we didn't do a hydrometer reading during sparging, only before adding the yeast in the carboy, which was 1.072. I think that's we should probably get a refractometer. I could have added something similar to the maris otter in terms of dried malt extract before boiling. Our FG was about 1.026...

I'm guessing from more research and help from everyone that it might have to do with a temperature calibration issue (the internal probe is at one spot and might not be 100% accurate), stirring too often during rests and doing a step mash instead of single infusion. Also, to use an insulated...

Yeah, the grain was submerged by a few inches or maybe more. I try to get a good ratio with the 2 gallons subtracted, but with a big beer, it's a little more difficult. That's why I added the rice hulls right before mash out, otherwise stirring would be too much of a workout. Thank you!

We always stir quite a bit, especially when we step up the temperature with the burner. Someone who runs my local brew "guild" suggested to just do a single infusion; stir at the beginning and let it sit until it's done. He also said something seemingly against step mashes overall. Others have...

We measured the pH at the 149F temperature. We cooled it down to 70F and used a digital milwaukee 102 pro. We calibrate it each time we brew as well. I added 1/4 tsp of baking soda to get the pH a bit higher to 5.6. I saw Martin Brungard suggested getting a 5.5-5.6 pH for an imperial stout on a...

All of the spent grain at the end is fairly wet or at least moist. That's a great comment about the grain crush. I have been using the brew shop's grain crush. The brew shop that I use it, is also a brewery that makes a 13% imperial stout. I wonder if someone might have messed with it though...

I did the 112 rest, because of adding the oats. I thought it might help prevent a stuck sparge. I also added the rice hulls. It might not have been necessary, but with all that grain, I didn't want to chance it being stuck. Yeah, your OG was way more closer to what mine was in ratio. My...

Hello all, I've had back luck with two batches of an imperial stout with everything the same. It's not bad, but the abv for the 19 lbs came out to 6.5% abv. I was shooting for 9% or so. It's strange to me, since my previous batch before was an oktoberfest-like ale shooting for 5-6%, but turned...

Thank you for your reply. When you wrote second step, do you mean another amount of sparge water after the initial sparging? Also, are you putting the colander directly on top of the grain bed? I'm still new to some techniques, so I appreciate all the help I can get. Thank you.

My questions is mainly about the flow of fly sparging from the hot liquor tank to the mash tun, as well as the mash tun to the boiling pot. Many have said that it should be 45 minutes minimum (after vorlauf). Does that mean that it should be a very slow flow coming from both of those pots? I...