1st AG brew day mostly a success...

[thorongil]

After 2 extract w/ specialty grains batches under my belt, I finally crossed over and went all-grain...

Like so many others here, the recipe was Ed's Haus Pale Ale. I put a lot of planning into this batch and wanted to see if I could really nail it... and almost did.

My setup is basic - 7.5 gal Rubbermaid cooler converted to MLT following directions from this thread: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=23008 $30 turkey fryer kit with a 30 qt aluminum pot, and a cheapo immersion pump to drive ice water through a 30 ft IC.

The day started off well, hit my mash temp (152) dead on, and collected a total of 7.5 gallons of wort with an OG of 1.041 - a hair above 80% efficiency!

I filled the pot as much as I thought I could and still avoid boil-over. With a quick hand on the propane, I was able to keep everything in the pot. I boiled it down for about an hour before adding the first hops, and by the time the boil was done, looked to have maybe a bit over 5.5 gal - just what I was looking for. Fired up the pump and was down to pitching temp in about 15 min.

Then it happened... the inevitable end of the perfect run. While pulling the IC out, I upset the kettle (I should have had it sitting on a level surface rather than wedged in the cooler for an ice bath) and spilled about 1.5 gallons...

It still looks like I got over 4 gallons into primary, and my post-boil OG was just about spot on at 1.052. Once again I am indebted to all of you for enabling me to get to this point! Next up - kegging for the first time

You can see some photos of my first AG experience at this link.

 

[cowgo]

Congrats on a successful first AG! You're hooked now. Good pics.

 

[thorongil]

Wow, only 3 hours after pitching, and I've got a thin krausen and bubbles in the airlock!

 

[BrianP]

Congrats on your first AG!

You said you added hops after an hour. How long did you boil them?

Too bad about the spill. It seems most first time efforts have their share of issues. On mine I badly twisted my ankle, which required me to get my SWMBO to assist with several brewing duties.

Another tip - for the 30qt pot (which I also use), you may have sparged too much if you collected 7.5g. I generally collect 6.5gal of wort, boil it down to 5.5g, then rack 5.0 to 5.25g to the primary (leaving trub/hops behind).

But hey, you did it. Next time will go much smoother. Congrats!

 

[thorongil]

I followed Ed's directions to the letter - 60 min boil with hop additions at 60, 30, 15, and 5 mins.

I was really surprised how little water the grain absorbed... will definitely cut it off a bit earlier next time. I guessed on the initial boil off... probably got it down to just about 6.5 gal before the hops went in.