1st AG - Mistakes and Expectations

[DB_Cooper]

Did my first 5 g. AG batch yesterday after 15 years of piddling around with 3 - 5 partial mash batches per year. Thanks to all the info on here, it went pretty smooth, with the exception of missing my gravities and having to add water back to the fermentor after the 90 minute boil. I need a bigger pot I think.

Equip - 10 gall igloo tun, and 7 gallon pot. Recipe was the Pliny clone with hops on hand, so not a clone.

Mash went great, no doughballs, no stuck sparging. I checked my 2 thermometers and calibrated, kept getting different readings though. Now, I think I didn't stir enough. Stirred while doughing in , and for a minute or so after. I had hot pockets of 158, and cooler areas of 152 in the mash. I did the iodine test, definitely had conversion. The krausen looks good this morning, bubbling away.

Missed my final gravity by a whole lot 1.056 instead of 1.070. My question is what should I expect with this beer? It uses a ton of hops, so is the lower gravity going to make it completely unbalanced? I usually complain about my beers not being hoppy enough, not this time?

 

[Yooper]

It'll be more bitter and hoppier- not a bad thing in my opinion!

What I find when I mash in is that I stir like crazy, and check the temp throughout the grainbed. If it's different in different places, it needs more stirring. Once the temperature is equalized throughout, no need to stir any more during the mash. It might take 10 minutes or so before it's all equalized throughout. Stir, check, stir. Wait a minute, stir, check. It's a little OCD, but it works for me!

 

[DB_Cooper]

Thanks Yooper, there's definitely a lot of finess to this process that no matter what all you read, the devil's in the details.

 

[ThePearsonFam]

It's a little OCD, but it works for me!

Too funny!!! I'm the same way.

 

[BoxofRain]

It'll be more bitter and hoppier- not a bad thing in my opinion!

What I find when I mash in is that I stir like crazy, and check the temp throughout the grainbed. If it's different in different places, it needs more stirring. Once the temperature is equalized throughout, no need to stir any more during the mash. It might take 10 minutes or so before it's all equalized throughout. Stir, check, stir. Wait a minute, stir, check. It's a little OCD, but it works for me!

Aren't you afraid of loosing too much heat by keeping it open so long?

 

[DB_Cooper]

I think I just figured out why I missed my gravity so much, and it wasn't all mash temp related. I plugged 5 gallons into beersmith, but I put 6 gallons in the plastic fermenter, so I could get 5.5 in the secondary carboy, which gives me a good 5 gallons to bottle. I always use a lot of hops, so I have a big trub loss.

I just plugged 6 gallons into beersmith, and my OG and FG are only low by .004 on both and temp adj the hydrometer probably gets me closer. I basically just brewed Pliny the Skinny Elder.

I never worried about this stuff doing partial mashes, so I was probably always light on the gravities when using 5 gallon recipes.

 

[DB_Cooper]

Just bottled after only 10 days, 7 in primary, 3 in secondary, couldn't wait. FG of 1.008 after starting at 1.056.

This 1st AG batch is the best beer I've ever made! Granted it's hoppy as hell like I like, but not too bitter, it's almost perfect without carbonation, I'm hoping carbing and chilling don't ruin it.

So I missed making an Imperial IPA, but it made a fantastic regular ole IPA. And Wyeast 1056 sure can finish fast.