3rd batch - New Castle Brown

[Due51]

I boiled up my 3rd batch tonight as the snow hammered us here in Michigan. I found a NCBA recipe on the site but it was All Grain. So my guy at the brew shop found a recipe in one of his books.
2oz each British Crystal Malt, British Chocolate Malt, and British Black Malt. Steeped at 150° for 30 minutes.
5.75# Muntons Light DME
1oz Bramling Cross buttering hops (recipe actually called for 1/2oz Target @ 8% AA but they didn't have it)
60 minute boil
1/2oz East Kent Goldings for final 15 minutes.
Cooled wort in record time using my homemade wort chiller and 2 buckets of Michigan made powder snow in my wash tub.
Rocked the carboy for 10 minutes to generate some oxygen bubbles
Pitched Wyeast 1098 British Ale yeast at about 64°. That's a little cool but that's what the temp is in my brew room next to the furnace.
OG 1.056 (recipe called for 1.050).

I'll let this go for 7 days until I can rack it to the secondary (my secondary carboy has a Weihenstephaner that is almost ready for bottling. )

I'm getting a lot of enjoyment from brewing again. I'm getting my processes down a little better and developing a system. Feels good.

Hooray beer.

 

[Due51]

I pitched last night and had no activity as of 1pm this afternoon. The temp read 64° so I moved the carboy off the floor, on top of a file cabinet, and closer to a warm spot next to the furnace. Activity picked up immediately because the temp rose to 75° however, the aroma from the submerged blow off tube isn't great. Could a sudden change in temp adversely affect the fermentation? Should I move it back down to the cooler floor?

Thanks.

 

[carluchi]

I assume when you say no activity you were referring to the air lock? If so, that is not a good indicator of activity plus it hadn't even been 24 hrs.

I suspect it was just coincidence that it started to churn after you moved it since that yeast's range is 64 - 72. Either way, I would move it back to the floor and wait it out since 75 is a little too hot.

 

[rhythmsteve]

The aroma will not be entirely pleasant in general from an air lock because ur basically just smelling carbon dioxide and any odors from the brew. It is normal in all forms of fermentation. IF it smells a lot like Sulfer a little trick to use is sanitized copper tubing or wire in your fermenter. The copper absorbs Sulfer.

 

[Due51]

Whoa. Came home from work today to find the bung and blow off tube had blown right out of the carboy. The bottom of the bung got clogged with bits of hops. I don't think I have to worry about contamination because there was still foam oozing out, so the CO2 should have kept any oxygen off the beer. At least, I hope.