Been a While Guys - Batch 3 on the Stove!

[project_dc1]

Hey again guys. Hope all of your holidays were safe and festive. Needless to say, Santa brought me some new brewing toys! A 30 qt. stainless steel brew kettle and a new 5 gallon glass carboy!

So, today was the day for my third batch, and the first time I'm using the new gear. I bought a thermometer today as well, to make sure my steeping grains are kept between 150 and 160 degrees.

Rather than try a new recipe, I decided to go with my previous recipe, which I detailed here, with a few alterations. And this time, no oak chips, and I'm boiling a full 2 gallons on the stove, plus all ingredients for 60 minutes. No more worrying about boil-over with this new kettle! 60 minutes, constantly rolling. Looks great so far, and smells even better!

Recipe:

-6 lbs. plain extra light dry malt extract
-1 lb. UK Carastan malt, steeped for 30 minutes
-1 oz. Magnum hops (60 min.)
-1 oz. Chinnook hops (60 min.)
-1 oz. Cascade hops (15 min.)

I plan on dry hopping 1 oz. of Cascade in the last week of secondary fermentation, unless you guys recommend something else.

I'll be going 1-2-3 with this batch. 1 week in primary, 2 weeks in secondary, and 3 in bottles.

And no oak chips. I think that funkified my whole second batch last time, though it has mellowed considerably over time.

Anyway, just wanted to post an update. Cheerz!

 

[gp125racer]

How did the brew go? Seems like a nice recipe!

gp125racer

 

[project_dc1]

Brew went great! The new gear kettle was excellent. I'm so excited to brew more often now that I have proper equipment.

Fermenting nicely in my basement. I'll be racking to secondary (feels pretty cool to say that!) as soon as it's done. I'll be checking in on it this weekend.

Now onto dry hopping. The person at my brew shop recommended I place my pellets in a steeping bag and drop them in during the final week in secondary. What would you guys recommend? Is there another method you prefer which yields better results, especially for aroma?

 

[gp125racer]

When I did my pliny the elder, I just dropped it in. I was using pellets. Just be extra careful when you go to bottle, as youll have lots more trub then normal (yeast + raw hops). I lost a little bit more beer with that batch as I wanted to make sure I didnt suck up too much floaties, but it turned out awesome!

gp125racer

 

[project_dc1]

Great!

Is the final week a good time frame?

 

[gp125racer]

IIRC, I added my hops 1 or 2 weeks before I was ready to bottle. Like I said before, just make sure they settle (the dry hops) somewhat before you move to bottling.

gp125racer