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The mash out water is part of the batch sparge. If I bother to mash out, I sparge what's in the tun, then add the next batch of sparge water (3 or 4 gallons depending) at 170F. Maybe I've been doing it wrong. Sometimes I don't get enough wort and I run a third batch of water through. Though I...

Good to know. Next time I'll cut the rice hulls down 75%.

Thank you both for the tips. I figured I was overboard. I was using 25% rye, 2.5 lbs, split between malt and flakes. I couldn't start until around 5pm and didn't want to risk a stuck sparge keeping me out in the dark any longer than normal. How much hulls would you recommend in this case?

If I have 12 lbs of grain, and 1 lb of rice hulls, when I'm calculating mash water do I include the rice hulls? They don't have anything to extract, but they absorb water. So if I want, say, 1.5 qts per 1 lb., do I add 12 * 1.5 = 18 quarts, or do I use 13 * 1.5 = 19.5 qts? I know, not much...

Did you brew the rye? What did you learn? What was your recipe, and how'd it turn out?

I took everything apart but didn't find anything. I set it all back up and relit it. I got very little output which quickly turned to nothing. So that tank was practically empty. Maybe that was the cause? I also heard a king of a pop as I was heading back outside, probably the fire sucking...

I'm in the middle of a brew day. It's always something different. I got my sparged wort up on the burner and got everything started, then I stepped inside to clean something. I stepped out 5 minutes later to check on it and the flames were not coming out of the banjo any more. The flame was...

Thanks. And the excess yeast smell and odd flavor, you'd expect that to be solved as well?

I opened the first bottle of a recent batch today that gushed a little bit. It smells bready, yeasty. It tastes very sugary, and with some yeasty aftertaste. And a layer of sediment collected on the bottom of the glass. An eighth to a quarter inch or so over the course of an hour. I realize...

Thanks for confirming, and the explanations. I'll put some of these tips to use next time. Saturday I was just glad I had a second tank on hand.

Is there something about propane tanks that they can't output as much propane as they get emptier? Or perhaps the longer the tanks been open & burning? I planned for a two hour boil yesterday, and adjusted my volume up to compensate for expected burn off. I had almost 10 gallons of liquid...

MORE planning - no, I was doing too much of it already. Ah, but that's not what you said... BETTER planning - I'll give you that :). Unfortunately, I had apparently reached the upper limit on the quality of my planning. And of course there's the things I planned to do, but then didn't...

As far as picking a bew - go with a style that you've had success with in extract. Don't pick something overcomplicated unless you really want that. For my first, I chose an IPA because I'd had success with that and find the extra hops to be forgiving of certain mistakes. As for lessons...

#11 - If you put anything in the hop spider to weigh it down, don't forget to reclaim those items. Don't know why it came to me this morning but for some strange reason I was sitting there drinking coffee when I realized that 8 days ago I put some SS washers in my hop spider to hold it down -...

I think I was getting a little desperate, certainly wasn't thinking as clearly. It was approaching midnight & raining. Looking back, I think I had a clogged dip tube in my BK.

Yes, I'm relieved to report my batch is bubbling away in the primary. Your post doesn't detract in the least. I posted mine for the benefit, and amusement, of others. I got a good laugh out of yours, too. Especially #2. I wish I'd thought of #1. But having gone through it & lived to tell the...

A backup propane tank was the one thing on my prep list that I kept forgetting. As soon as I had everything set in the mash tun, only 2 or 3 hours after my planned start, I made the trip out to pickup another tank. Went to the closest place and probably paid more for it, but I was finally able...

I recently made the step up to AG. After much planning and bargain hunting and shopping and planning, I finally got to brew. I moved out of the kitchen and into backyard. I learned some things in the process, and thought I'd share with the community. I hope those of you who have been around the...