Accumulating wort

[EJM3]

OK, now, before we start: Please do not immediately tromp all over my ideas without due consideration...

I have been reading up & watching videos on a LOT of different methods to do my brew the way I can and/or need to. My little brain, all on it's own, came up with something that could work for ME & MY setup, equipment, etc...

I cannot go out and buy myself a 10 gallon, or even a 5 gallon, pot to do my mashing, I plan on maybe 3-4 batches a year due to my mead making habit. I have no way to heat 5 or 10 gallons of water to a FULL BOIL, my little stove has a hard enough time with bringing 3 gallons to a full boil. I cannot afford a burner, pot, wort chiller, etc, so I will just have to make do with what I have on hand. What I have on hand that I'm thinking about are these: 3 gallon pot, 5 gallon carboy, 8 gallon fermentor, massive amounts of time, very limited funds, limitless imagination...

My solution to this: Sanitize a 5 gallon carboy, make as large of a BIAB wort as I can, put in 5 gallon carboy when cooled, make another batch of wort, add both to fermentor, pitch yeast.

I see no problem with this if my sanitation is impeccable, I know of a guy on another site that pitched his yeast, then waited for fermentation. When said fermentation did not kick off right away he waited as he was told to expect a long lag time. He waited 6 weeks before writing and saying that there were still no signs of any fermentation. He never opened the fermentor after pitching his yeast. And after 6 weeks I would expect SOMETHING to happen, nope, zilch, zero, nada. So I can extrapolate from that that I can safely wait a day or two if needed between mashing a couple batches. As long as I'm scrupulously clean that is!

There is also the possibility of rinsing the grains (not a true sparge so rinse seems more appropriate) by putting them into a colander and pouring my additional water for my boil over them, already heated to ~168ºF.

Does that sound practical or am I just full of suds??

 

[1977Brewer]

Go for it. Sounds like a great workaround.

 

[feinbera]

Sounds like a solid way to get to five gallons if you've got more time than cash, but, why not pitch the yeast with the first batch of wort, then add the second batch of wort to the already-fermenting carboy? No horny wort sitting around waiting to get infected, and the beer will be finished a couple days quicker.

 

[FatDragon]

That's a lot like what most professional brewers do - their system is smaller than their fermenters and they do multiple batches back to back to fill the fermenters. If you're taking time between batches, you definitely want to pitch yeast in the first batch and make sure that subsequent batches are chilled before they go into the fermenter. You could even do a sort of solera/continuous brew where you essentially keep the carboy full at all times. Each time you brew a new batch, you take that volume out of the carboy and bottle or secondary in the 3 gallon fermenter, then add the new wort into the 5 gallon carboy and let it ferment on the yeast that's already in there.

Actually, now I'm thinking about doing this - maybe start off with a simple base beer and then reserve a gallon from every brew I do and swap it into the carboy. I'm sure there are several good reasons I shouldn't do it (oxidation and overpitching yeast come to mind), but it's intriguing nevertheless.

 

[EJM3]

Thanks for all the positive replies! Now I don't feel like a complete idiot for thinking that would work! Here's another, with references, mostly for me, but for others as well...

I came across a wonderful method that could really help me out more with my grand designs even more:

I was also thinking of doing the no-chill method of adding the hot wort to a PP container, squeeze the air out, then leave overnight to cool. PP will not melt/deform until 260ºF so filling one with wort won't compromise the container. Even found a video of some Aussie brewers that use 30 liter (8 gallon to those in the USA) PP fermentors fitted with heating element to do the boil in! Love that Aussie "Can-do!" attitude!! I'd then add the next batch later that same day, leave the cube overnight, then collect the wort the next day, add to my fermentor all at once, pitch, sniff the airlock for a couple weeks, rack, bottle, condition, chill, drink....


Reference material for myself (mostly) and others:

http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/11694-a-guide-to-all-grain-brewing-in-a-bag/

http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/wp-content/uploads/How-To-Brew-in-a-Bag.pdf

http://terrencetheblack.com/forum/v...&sid=3f84225ae33f73f6fc1a466f335a6213&start=8

http://biabbrewing.com/

Original source material that lead me to these ideas and places:

http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/11074-all-in-one-brewery/

 

[wilserbrewer]

You cold also try the "Texas two step" method whereby you brew 1/2 the batch, pitch yeast then the following day brew the second half and add it to the first.

I have done it once and it seemed to work fine.

 

[EJM3]

That is an EXCELLENT idea!! I wasn't aware that you could do that with wort, I thought there would be issues with things like over pitching, but now that I think about it it makes sense as I've already done that with a batch of cider that I made last year.

I made a 6 gallon batch of fresh juiced cider, but spread it over a 3 day weekend, making 2 gallons a day of fresh juiced cider, then adding it to the already going gangbusters ferment, it really rocketed along! Getting things quartered then chopped & juiced was quite a chore with only a little baby Braun juicer. But it worked VERY well, with the cider finishing extremely dry & flavorful. I also used some piloncillo to goose the SG up a bit & add to the overall flavor profile, then a couple weeks with some Fuggles...

 

[ol-hazza]

As an alternative to doing 2 batches you could try one double strength batch and then dilute.

Potential issues are hop utilisation and the size of the grain bill.

This would be the way I would go about it but thats not to say that its actually any better (the main advantage is saving time which as you said is no issue to you).

 

[EJM3]

Well, have to admit that I made a mistake when doing my calculations. I relied on the numbers input by the program I have been trying out. Now I've got a problem on my hands...

Stupe program I was using input my efficiency at 35%, I mis read it, and now I've got some super strength wort on my hands. I ended up at 83% efficiency after a 90 minute 152ºF BIAB mash with 170ºF rinse/sparge. Now I've got to get this diluted as I have the smack pack all ready to go (separate issue below). So I have no sterile water, only filtered tap, guess this beast has to wait, so I hope the yeast still like me in the morning when I get to them...

So funny story about the yeast (not to me though!), I was on the way to the fridge when I knocked my yeast (and a couple other items) out, then did a Jerry Lewis routine trying not to step on it, and, stepped on it.

I did manage to get the wort cooled down to 70ºF in under 30 minutes though. Got a nice bunch of gunk forming, we'll see how much I have in the morning.

OK, off to bed before I have a stress out over the wheat wine I just made! 5 lbs white wheat, 2.5 lbs NW Pale, 4 oz Crystal 40ºL...

 

[RM-MN]

Well, have to admit that I made a mistake when doing my calculations. I relied on the numbers input by the program I have been trying out. Now I've got a problem on my hands...

Stupe program I was using input my efficiency at 35%, I mis read it, and now I've got some super strength wort on my hands. I ended up at 83% efficiency after a 90 minute 152ºF BIAB mash with 170ºF rinse/sparge. Now I've got to get this diluted as I have the smack pack all ready to go (separate issue below). So I have no sterile water, only filtered tap, guess this beast has to wait, so I hope the yeast still like me in the morning when I get to them...

So funny story about the yeast (not to me though!), I was on the way to the fridge when I knocked my yeast (and a couple other items) out, then did a Jerry Lewis routine trying not to step on it, and, stepped on it.

I did manage to get the wort cooled down to 70ºF in under 30 minutes though. Got a nice bunch of gunk forming, we'll see how much I have in the morning.

OK, off to bed before I have a stress out over the wheat wine I just made! 5 lbs white wheat, 2.5 lbs NW Pale, 4 oz Crystal 40ºL...

Congratulations on getting that high of efficiency on your first batch. Now that you have had success on this batch at 90 minutes mash, you need to try something shorter. I wouldn't suggest you go as short as I have but a 30 minute mash might be just as good as a 90 and take an hour less. I've never stressed about using water that isn't "sterile" and have sparged with cold water right from my tap with no problems.

 

[The_Bishop]

You don't need to do a 90 minute mash. 60 should be fine. RM-MN likes to tell everyone to do a 16.3 second long mash, but don't do that just yet. Stick with what works, make your process consistent and get repeatable results before you start going experimental.

RM-MN, quit telling everyone, especially new brewers, to do short mashes. You might have no problems with them but you're giving flawed shortcut advice to people who are just starting out. I could list a *whole* pile of reasons as to why a short mash might not be desirable, but that's another post.

 

[RM-MN]

You don't need to do a 90 minute mash. 60 should be fine. RM-MN likes to tell everyone to do a 16.3 second long mash, but don't do that just yet. Stick with what works, make your process consistent and get repeatable results before you start going experimental.

RM-MN, quit telling everyone, especially new brewers, to do short mashes. You might have no problems with them but you're giving flawed shortcut advice to people who are just starting out. I could list a *whole* pile of reasons as to why a short mash might not be desirable, but that's another post.

Have you ever even tried a 30 minute mash? Unless your grains are really poorly milled they will have converted completely in less than that. So, with that out of the way, why are you insisting on a 60 minute mash with BIAB?

 

[SPR-GRN]

I do something similar when I double batch (2x5 or 6 gallon batches): I start my first mash, move it to the sparge vessel and start another mash. When the first sparge is done, I'll start the first boil and second sparge, the second boil happens when second sparge is done. Cool and pitch the first batch during the second boil, then cool and pitch for the second batch after second boil is done.
I have an 8 gallon, 5 gallon & 4 gallon pot for brewing & some other pots to help with transfers/warming water... it's a very active brew day but I enjoy it and wind up with 10-12 gallons of finished beer. This is all done on a stove top indoors btw.

 

[passedpawn]

Have you ever even tried a 30 minute mash? Unless your grains are really poorly milled they will have converted completely in less than that. So, with that out of the way, why are you insisting on a 60 minute mash with BIAB?

http://braukaiser.com/documents/Effects_of_mash_parameters_on_attenuation_and_efficiency.pdf

See page 8 of that doc. I trust Kai. There's about a 3% difference in fermentability between 30 and 60 minutes. You can coax a little more out of the grain by waiting to 90m. Many brewers like to optimize the fermentability and extraction, at the cost of time. It's a personal decision whether this sacrifice of time is worth it.

 

[RM-MN]

http://braukaiser.com/documents/Effects_of_mash_parameters_on_attenuation_and_efficiency.pdf

See page 8 of that doc. I trust Kai. There's about a 3% difference in fermentability between 30 and 60 minutes. You can coax a little more out of the grain by waiting to 90m. Many brewers like to optimize the fermentability and extraction, at the cost of time. It's a personal decision whether this sacrifice of time is worth it.

Please read through the results of my experimentation.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f244/mash-heresy-tale-3-brew-sessions-519615/

If I did the math right, I got 81% attenuation with all three experiments. That seems pretty fermentable considering that the mash temperature was 155. I was hoping for a FG of about 1.012 to 1.014 so there would be more residual sweetness. Brewhouse efficiency exceeded 85%. Should I spend a lot more time to maybe get it up to 90%?

 

[passedpawn]

Should I spend a lot more time to maybe get it up to 90%?

I already covered that. It's a personal decision. Sounds like you don't want to.

If you've already covered the idea of short mash time in your thread, maybe we can stop discussing it here and just refer to that link you posted.

 

[EJM3]

I used a 4 gallon pot for this batch, so have some more room to expand that I previously thought. Plus if I can get 1.100 2 gallon batches at 83% efficiency in that pot, then I don't have to worry about things like making little batches. Just a high SG batch to be watered down. I may still use the no-chill method as that is way less water wasting than chillers and ice. Mostly because we may be having a drought where I live come Summer time, so thank goodness the Aussies found some great methods to reduce water usage!!

I had been reading a bit about how there are some people that have had a poor (under 60%) efficiency with 30 and even 60 minute mashes. Might have been a poor crush, which it looked like I had as there were quite a few whole grains in mine. I know, I fished some out and nibbled on them, not even cracked, still whole, but tasty. So I figured since I do not have a job & have copious amounts of time (but not money) available to me, that I would just add time to the mash to make sure I got some good numbers. Got `em, and how!

I just got it all in my bag, wrapped it in a blanket, set a timer, then stirred & goosed the temp from 150ºF back to 152ºF as needed, ~4 times. I may have been a bit anal with that, had a thermometer inside with the wort to be, then another tucked between the burner and base of the pot... It seems to have worked whatever the method I used. Now as people said will come my repeatability. Just for that occasion I bought a double batch of crushed grains, now I know it's enough for ~4 to 5 gallons, so can make another batch.

I'm just looking at my hop utilization and WOW did that plumet! I went from a 18.94 IBU down to 13.07 IBU, with dilution I'm wondering where I'll be at now?? I added some filtered tap water (can't make it to the store today), got 4 gallons with a ton of gunk that is currently settling to the bottom. But I've also been reading where high amounts of trub can actually help a beer along... Now I just gotta find that article again... Found it! http://brulosophy.com/2014/06/02/the-great-trub-exbeeriment-results-are-in/

OK, Im off to the races and will be pitching in the next few minutes with Wyeast 3056. Done...

 

[EJM3]

Just got my iodine out and did a test, somewhat reddish, no blue/black. Lookin good!

 

[EJM3]

Here's the stats & estimates after diluting my wort:

OG: 1.068
FG: 1.017
ABV: 6.97%
IBU: 8.83
SRM: 6.66
Volume: ~3.75 (went by the SG, not volume)

Gonna be a sweet one as the hops got WAY underutilized due to the higher than expected SG of the boil. Thank (insert deity) that I went with the Citra instead of the Palisade or I'd be drinking malt alcopop, Feh!

Was reading up on increasing the IBU after the boil by using just plain old hops and water in a pressure cooker, I think it was on here I found that, anyway, the method is simple: Add water & hops, pressure cook for 2 to 3 minutes, then crash cool the pressure canner. The extraction rate was kinda insane on it as well as being fast. You lose most of the flavor and some of the moderating effects of the bitterness, so it's kinda one dimensional. BUT it has the benefit of being used to adjust the bitterness up until the bottling bucket.

 

[RM-MN]

Here's the stats & estimates after diluting my wort:

OG: 1.068
FG: 1.017
ABV: 6.97%
IBU: 8.83
SRM: 6.66

Gonna be a sweet one as the hops got WAY underutilized due to the higher than expected SG of the boil. Thank (insert deity) that I went with the Citra instead of the Palisade or I'd be drinking malt alcopop, Feh!

Was reading up on increasing the IBU after the boil by using just plain old hops and water in a pressure cooker, I think it was on here I found that, anyway, the method is simple: Add water & hops, pressure cook for 2 to 3 minutes, then crash cool the pressure canner. The extraction rate was kinda insane on it as well as being fast. You lose most of the flavor and some of the moderating effects of the bitterness, so it's kinda one dimensional. BUT it has the benefit of being used to adjust the bitterness up until the bottling bucket.

I think your software is underestimating the attenuation you will get from your yeast. I'm just guessing but I think your beer will have a final gravity closer to 1.010 and won't be nearly as sweet as you expect. That's one of the side effects of milling fine for BIAB. You get great efficiency but higher attenuation than you expect.

 

[RM-MN]

http://braukaiser.com/documents/Effects_of_mash_parameters_on_attenuation_and_efficiency.pdf

See page 8 of that doc. I trust Kai. There's about a 3% difference in fermentability between 30 and 60 minutes. You can coax a little more out of the grain by waiting to 90m. Many brewers like to optimize the fermentability and extraction, at the cost of time. It's a personal decision whether this sacrifice of time is worth it.

Please read through the following statements.

At mash temperatures the beta amylase is quickly denatured.
Conversion of starch to sugars happens quickly.
There's about a 3% difference in fermentability between 30 and 60 minutes.

If the conversion happens quickly and the beta amylase is quickly denatured at mash temperatures why is there a 3% difference in fermentability between 30 and 60 minutes of mashing and how might one eke out a little more with a 90 minute mash?

In my experiment I got the same (within 1 point) OG of all 3 batches and the same FG even though the mash times were different. These were mashed at 155 which should have limited the activity of the beta amylase leaving me with a much higher FG.

 

[EJM3]

Great article, gonna be reading that tonight, might print it and stick it in my binder, you know "binders full of beer" ...

I was aiming for a long mash first, then trying to shorten it down. Trust me I have the time, plus if I do get just a few more points then that's all the more for the yeasties to ferment.

I didn't want to try a 30 minute mash with the small setup I have, not at the outset anyway. Also the grain I had crushed by the local store was kinda chunky, with more than a few (5%ish) that were not cracked open. I tried a few, quite whole, tasty, but not crushed.

Enzymatic conversion of starch to sugars is something I've played with by sprouting grains for different food stuffs, but not one with this precise of a conversion! My next batch I'm planning to run it all through the Ninja for a bit, I know ours can crush grains, I've done it to raw wheat berries, kamut, etc. Works beautiful, but I didn't want to fire that up and make it more science project than it was for me already.

Next time it'll be 60, then 45, then 30 if I'm still getting a decent efficiency like this one. 83% seems pretty good to me for a first try brewing AG BIAB, or just a first try brewing AG, or even my second ever batch of beer for that matter.

I also really stirred the crap out of the bags contents & tea bagged it while goosing the temp up 2ºF each time I stirred, every 15 minutes, for ~3+ minutes of moving grains around each time.

I'm just getting my bearings with all this.

I'm also reading through this right now: http://www.braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php?title=Understanding_Efficiency

 

[The_Bishop]

A short mash might work well if your grain is milled very fine. I have my own mill, condition my grain, and mill as fine as I am comfortable with. My mill is gapped at .030. I'm very happy with the mashing and recirculating/lautering capability of the grain bed in my mash tun.

Now, for the purposes of this thread: The OP is not milling their own grain. Therefore, the crush is not optimal for a very short mash. In fact, the OP states that they have some whole kernels in their 'crushed' grain. That tells me it is a *very* coarse crush. A short mash will not give the starch time to gelatinize and be converted.

Look, I'm glad you can get results you're happy with using a short mash. However, this does not mean that an abbreviated mash is right for everyone, and you need to stop suggesting it to new brewers that are still learning what they're doing with an all-grain process. Do what works first, get a complete understanding of the process of making wort, *then* experiment.

 

[RM-MN]

A short mash might work well if your grain is milled very fine. I have my own mill, condition my grain, and mill as fine as I am comfortable with. My mill is gapped at .030. I'm very happy with the mashing and recirculating/lautering capability of the grain bed in my mash tun.

Now, for the purposes of this thread: The OP is not milling their own grain. Therefore, the crush is not optimal for a very short mash. In fact, the OP states that they have some whole kernels in their 'crushed' grain. That tells me it is a *very* coarse crush. A short mash will not give the starch time to gelatinize and be converted.

Look, I'm glad you can get results you're happy with using a short mash. However, this does not mean that an abbreviated mash is right for everyone, and you need to stop suggesting it to new brewers that are still learning what they're doing with an all-grain process. Do what works first, get a complete understanding of the process of making wort, *then* experiment.

Even an average milling job will have converted in less than 30 minutes. If the milling is so poor that it won't convert in that much time when the brewer is BIAB (that is the section of the forum) then they need to have a word with their LHBS or find a different one. These are supposed to be adults that are brewing, not children. They should be given all the information and make thier own choices. We shouldn't have to hold their hands or spoon feed them.

 

[EJM3]

I'm definitely not a child, but I'd like to get my training wheels off my brew pot before I enter the tour de ferment. I've been making mead, melomels, a couple of fruit wines, etc & have made over ~25 batches varying from 1 gallon to 5 gallons. I know how to ferment and make something drinkable, I've even made mead that tasted so good out of the fermentor it never made it to bottling. But that took me a while to learn, now I have to start with knowing the basics of fermentation, but with a whole new flood of fermentables, all of them highly customizable. With so many ways to make the wort, and so many more varieties of yeast, it's gonna take me a while to get used to it all. No wide eyed kid in a candy store, ok, OK, well maybe...

Yeah I didn't find out the grain was milled with chunk until AFTER I got it home, I'm not about to hop on the bus for another 4 hour round trip ride to get it re-crushed either. I've got medical issues that make taking the bus uncomfortable on the ride in, and worse by the ride back. I do not own a vehicle and I am no longer capable of driving even if I had a vehicle. I live in Leavenworth Washington (NOT Leavenworth Kansas BTW), and the nearest LHBS is not that great when it comes to grains I found out. They have mostly ingredients for BMC clones, IPA/APAs, etc... And an EXTREMELY limited (and limiting) list of almost anything really now that I am getting into beer.

I'm just going to start getting all my supplies from stores with an online presence, better selection, better prices, ease of access for me (delivered to my front door), etc. The local is fine for a few smaller items, but not as much as I'd like/need to getting into brewing beer. Their yeast selection sucks as well. They say that have over 30 types yeast available, but they are always out of the ones that I am looking for, and no special orders on yeast. They got me started, but I don't think I'll be continuing to use them as my main supply, just a few odds and ends is about it. Plus their price on grains are kinda ridiculous, averaging twice what I have been able to find online so far...


OK back to the fun stuff:

I pitched the yeast yesterday ~5:40PM PST, the wort was still kinda cool at 59ºF, but the yeast was still in the fridge. I pulled the yeast, popped it into some water the same temp as the fermentor, added some iodophor to sanitize the pack, then pitched after 15 minutes of equalizing the temps.

This morning I come down and was greeted by a nice little krausen, LOTS of turbidity, with an airlock going 1 blorb a second, temp is at 66ºF and rising slowly to room temps at ~70ºF for our house. I'm going to check temps and regulate as needed.

Now I just have to get my next batch of yeast slurry ready...

 

[EJM3]

Just checked the temp after playing with plants & seeds in the yard & garden: Temp is up to 68ºF, moving up in the speed of blorping, krausen is much larger & creamier, the smells are heavenly from that corner of the kitchen too!

OK, time to get back in the garden, and, well, garden!

 

[RM-MN]

Just checked the temp after playing with plants & seeds in the yard & garden: Temp is up to 68ºF, moving up in the speed of blorping, krausen is much larger & creamier, the smells are heavenly from that corner of the kitchen too!

OK, time to get back in the garden, and, well, garden!

Leave the garden alone for a bit and get your fermentation temperature under control. At this point in the ferment you need to keep it cooler. I'd be shooting for about 64 but not any higher until the fermentation slows. When the churning slows way down, then you can let it rise to room temp.

http://www.brewgeeks.com/the-life-cycle-of-yeast.html

 

[EJM3]

Already dealt with, the yeasties have been cooling off in our front room, a fairly constant 50ºF, with a fan and ice swamp cooling setup. Temps are stable at ~70ºF. Also if I understand this correctly, that my primary will only last 2 to 4 days of major fermentation then taper off to nothing and the cleanup phase will start, but that is not where the majority of the compounds that I am looking for will be created. I want this nice and estery so I'm aiming for near the high end of the yeasts tolerance of 74ºF. From my understanding it is ONLY during its fermentation phase that the yeast creates copious amounts of esters (banana). Lower tends to bring out the phenols (clove) with I do NOT want copious amounts of. Floral, fruity & tropical, not spicy & phenolic. Or am I wrong about the temperatures??

 

[RM-MN]

Already dealt with, the yeasties have been cooling off in our front room, a fairly constant 50ºF, with a fan and ice swamp cooling setup. Temps are stable at ~70ºF. Also if I understand this correctly, that my primary will only last 2 to 4 days of major fermentation then taper off to nothing and the cleanup phase will start, but that is not where the majority of the compounds that I am looking for will be created. I want this nice and estery so I'm aiming for near the high end of the yeasts tolerance of 74ºF. From my understanding it is ONLY during its fermentation phase that the yeast creates copious amounts of esters (banana). Lower tends to bring out the phenols (clove) with I do NOT want copious amounts of. Floral, fruity & tropical, not spicy & phenolic. Or am I wrong about the temperatures??

As I understand it, you have it right. I was a bit worried that you would let the activity of the yeast keep heating up the beer until you got a boatload of fusels that would never age out. Once the activity slows you may want to let the beer warm up so the yeast don't go dormant as the beer cools in that 50 degree room. You want them to finish the cleanup before they drop out. Here's the source of my info on the yeast. I find that what is described in the article works but it takes longer in my setup.

http://www.brewgeeks.com/the-life-cycle-of-yeast.html

 

[EJM3]

9:30 AM PST:

Nope, learned my lesson when my first beer blazed at 74ºF, it turned out rather estery, the way I intended. But I decided to not take a chance on this one, so it's currently at 68ºF to 69ºF right now, I intend to try and goose this back to 70ºF or 71ºF to make sure of the ester production. I'm going to watch the temps today, if it keeps dropping then I'll bring it back in the house which is at ~65ºF this time of year most of the time.

Several hours later ~2:30 PM PST:

Been checking on this guy and the temps were at 68ºF this morning, the fermentation seems to have slowed quite a bit. Brought him inside to my fermentarium and got the temps to ~71ºF, but it's falling again, with slow airlock still. If this does not perk back up I may have to thieve a sample for a SG reading later tonight.

2:55 PM PST:

Went to look at the fermentor, there was a line of clear (amber) liquid at the top, looking like it was all kinds of done. Thieved a sample, comes out to a SG of 1.011, think I'll just call that my FG... Wow! In ~48 hours I'm done, went from 1.068 to 1.011, for an ABV of 7.81%. Wyeast 3056 are sugar mowing beasts of yeastie beasties! The taste is nice, slight bitter, not much sweet, flavors are muddled, no fusels I can taste, no alcohol burn either. OK, we're good, a couple of weeks for the yeasties to finish off the cleanup efforts, then it's off to bottling & conditioning for another couple weeks

 

[EJM3]

OK, bottled this batch using 125g honey in 3.75 gallons for ~2.7 volumes. Honey is what I have copious amounts of, so that got used. Now to let this sit for 2 weeks, then a taste test.