Brew Day -- Extract Porter Kit

[schreck]

Just a few pictures i took while brewing a 5 gal extract kit. This was my 2nd time brewing, first batch i did was a 1 gallon all grain from Brooklyn Brew Shop in NYC. Unfortunately i was brewing alone so nothing too exciting made its way onto my camera. Results:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/16027883@N08/sets/72157623131375057/

makeshift steeping bag. i would have used cheesecloth but it was about 2.5 lbs of grain, so i opted to use a mesh laundry bag. Seemed to do the trick, although il be investing in a reusable steeping bag at the time of my next order. Could i also steep grains without the bag and then just strain it out once temp reaches 170*F?

grains steeping as temp rises

170* F... Steeping grains pulled.

beginning of 60 min boil with 1.5 oz vanguard

close up

1.5 oz of vanguard hops doin there thing. nice rolling boil

Thought i could get away with prepping dinner while the wort boiled... as you guessed i came within seconds of a major boil over! lucky for me i was about 2 feet away kneading this Pizza dough! pulled it off, but learned my lesson to say the least

1 oz of cascade added at the end of the boil.

time for the ice bath. extremely fast and efficient for <4 gal of boiling wort!

 

[schreck]

best $15 ever spent.. not quite, but this taylor thermometer is much more convenient than that damn lab thermometer. ..set it and forget it.

Spent grain.. saving it for some bread. left over -> compost. any other suggestions for spent grain!?

divided and pitched (5 gal round bucket & 4 gal bucket). Sam's club gave me 2 of the 5 gal round ones, slightly see through #2, but only had 1 lid to spare. Il head back eventually snag a few more (much better than the 4gal mayo buckets!

yeast pitched, lid, grommet and airlock in place! ready to move down to the "boiler room/work shop" (~ 68-70* F)

group photo.. someone stands out like a sore thumb

~half the 5 gal batch of porter (bubbling away already!)


Overall it was a successful afternoon of brewing. I decided against taking any readings. I was rushing the cleanup to get that pizza in the oven for dinner. All that hard work makes you hungry.. and thirsty. Enjoyed several Brooklyn Lagers - "Pre Prohibition Style" .. whatever that means..

The homemade fermenting buckets were a success, and only cost me the price of a grommet ($ .40). I need to head back to Sam's Club to fetch more of those icing buckets from the bakery. The lids have a nice seal and they are 5 gal. Easy way to save on those Ale Pails

Just to get everyone hungry... and to display one of my favorite combinations - beer and pizza... even better? - homebrew and a homemade slice.



Mind you, i did all of this on a electric coil stove top and the pizza, in the upper oven at 500*F (max temp). I will get into all grain eventually, but at this point, at my current house, it doesnt seem all that practical. Once i have the space and equipment, im taking off running!.

Hope you enjoyed.. please leave and comments and feedback. constructive criticism and pointers are always appreciated! Thanks!

 

[schreck]

no pizza stone, so i improvise with a cast iron pan. pre heat the cast iron pan in the oven to 500*F. works great.

kalamata olives, fresh garlic, chianti dry sausage, tomato sauce and mozzarella.

not bad for a 2 megapixel digicam... its definately time for a new camera, but hey if it aint broke dont replace it.

 

[Dave258]

Pizza and beer, is there anything better??

Edit: Both look Great by the way!

 

[PJford15]

Looks like a good brew!

 

[BenjaminR]

Ah I smoked a pizza this monday while brewing. Pizza and beer FTW!

 

[nepatsfan1]

Pizza and beer, is there anything better??

Edit: Both look Great by the way!

Yes

Beer and takeout Chinese food

 

[wcarter1227]

+1 on the thermometer. i have the exact same one and it is very nice to set it and go off doing other thing and get back when the alarm is going off. Nice pics by the way.

 

[schreck]

Thanks everyone. Few ?'s for you...

Ive been stuck in Florida since Thursday and just got back. The porter isn't bubbling, but the apfelwein is still chugging along. Since i wasn't there to keep tabs, im not sure when bubbling stopped - Its been exactly 6 days since pitched... is it okay that its no longer bubbling. I don't plan on racking to a secondary, instead i plan to bottle it. Should i let it sit in the pails another week? or wait for all krausen to fall out? or just do it right and take a reading?

*temps may also have dropped from a constant 70*F to 62*F on Sunday night/Monday morning.. i realize this may slow fermentation, but its not cold enough to stop fermentation - am i correct??

Thanks in advance.

 

[Graeme]

6 days is nothing man, you should be waiting about 2-3 weeks before considering bottling this. The temp shouldn't stop fermentation no. Take a gravity reading in a couple days then take one the day after to see if the FG is where it should be. I would strongly recommend giving it some more time. I usually give it 3 weeks minimum. Give it time to condition

 

[FungusBrew]

Haha, nice, nice.

Oh, and deep dish pizza is where it's at btw

 

[capcrnch]

Do you have a dog(s)? Or good friends with dogs?
If so, spent grain dog biscuits!

I just started making them last summer and my dogs go absolutely nuts for them.
Much better than them try to eat the grain out of the compost bin.

 

[schreck]

little update if you guys don't mind!

Because it was my second brew ever, first 5 gal batch, i couldnt help but taste it every step of the way.

The Good: Rich dark chocolate on the front, malty, complex and bold, stands up to red meats.
The Not-So-Good: Light mouthfeel, lower than desired carbonation, bitterness, tannins? (off flavor), bitterness has mellowed out with some aging.

I have been cold conditioning the beer in the fridge in order to get anything left in suspension to drop out. Color really is brown, but looks cloudy (chill haze?) I have a few questions in regards to the off flavors experienced with this porter...

I am attributing the bitterness to the tannins, which i think i may have extracted after squeezing the grainbag... these were the steeping grains btw. This bitterness is NOT from the hops. Just not sure about tannins first hand, but from what i read here on the forums, it is my best guess as to why it tastes..off. It could have also been caused by the mesh bag i was using to steep the grains - it has been run through the laundry and could have attributed some off flavors - aside from bitterness.

Overall i am happy with this batch. Everything went rather smoothly, but i gained some experience, learned from some mistakes and have since stepped up to 5 gal partial mash and 3 gal AG. I am not so thrilled with the beer itself, but il give it more time, because it has already improved with age..

Thanks!
sorry for the quality - snapped two shots just as my batteries died!

p.s. EdWorts Apfelwein was a hit.. my friends and i guzzled all 5 gallons in 2 weeks! ..you could have guessed that i made 2 more 5gal batches!

 

[Quarters]

looks great man...