Brew Day Tomorrow - Check My Work?

[Obese Chess]

Cool, I've got it sitting on some cooling packs right now and that seems to have brought it down a bit until I can get it in an ice bath. Still bubbling like mad, which I expected from the reviews of this yeast - A10 is no joke.

 

[smata67]

So far so good! I may have used a tiny bit too much sparge water and have a bit too much going into the boil - seems to be more like 7.25 gal rather than 6.75 and still have a bit of wort left in the tun - but the bits of wort I've had have been tasty and the wort is damn near BLACK, a good sign for a chocolate porter imo. The wort is coming up to a boil now and I've got a sample in the freezer cooling down for a gravity reading.

I don't like leaving wort in the tun after the second running. I described what I do to avoid that. I measure the volume drained first go around and then subtract it from my boil volume and that is the sparge water (I'm doing batch sparging) volume I add for the second running. An interesting thing happened yesterday, I usually just drain the tun and when I don't see any more wort coming down the tubing, I shutoff the drain valve and move my pot over to begin the boil. I did not do it like that this time, I got distracted and came back 15 minutes and found that my wort volume had increased by 1/2 gallon! So that much trickled out or the bed settled or something and dumped some additional wort. From now on, I am not going to be in a hurry after draining, I'm going to give it some additional time to more completely drain.

 

[smata67]

Cool, I've got it sitting on some cooling packs right now and that seems to have brought it down a bit until I can get it in an ice bath. Still bubbling like mad, which I expected from the reviews of this yeast - A10 is no joke.

Smells awesome, doesn't it?

 

[Obese Chess]

Smells awesome, doesn't it?

It does! Makes me think I've got a pretty good batch going in spite of my weird mix-ups.

 

[LittleRiver]

... It looks and smells great, a very deep rich brown, almost black, with a lot of toasty sweetness. I'm really excited. And now the waiting begins.........

Patience is a virtue for the type of beer you are describing. Age is going to help it.

Don't be in any hurry to get it out of the fermenter, give it an extra week, or two, or four.

Once it's packaged (bottled I assume) don't be in a hurry to open the bottles. You're gonna open at least one early to give it a taste (like we all do), but give the bulk of the bottles at least a month to age (at room temperature).

Take a six pack or two and put them in the back of bottom cabinet where you will forget about them and find them 6 months or a year from now.

 

[Obese Chess]

Yes, the notes I have here say explicitly that it gets much better with age after bottling - "don't be in a hurry. 3 months is NOT too long."

Based on the recipe I based my beer off of, it looks like he kept it in primary for about two weeks before racking into secondary for another two weeks and then bottled. Per recommendations from members here I will likely skip secondary and bottle after about 3-4 weeks in primary (depending on when the gravity stabilizes).

Ugh. I've got the bug, y'all, I'm already planning my next one.

 

[LittleRiver]

...bottle after about 3-4 weeks in primary (depending on when the gravity stabilizes)...

If it were me, I'd just leave it alone for a month. The gravity will stabilize sometime during that period, but it will continue to mature and change character (for the better) even after the gravity stops changing. Check the FG when you bottle it. [That's not a general recommendation, it's a recommendation for this situation, for this type of beer.]

Then give it another month in the bottle.

Ugh. I've got the bug, y'all, I'm already planning my next one.

Well done! If you're having fun you're doing it right!

 

[kh54s10]

I would age it a bit longer in the fermenter but there is no reason to leave it in there for a month or more. The aging can be done in the bottles. And that decreases the chance of infection or oxidation while sitting in the fermenter.

 

[Obese Chess]

Yeah, I asked the folks at Imperial, they said that especially because the volume is comparatively small and A10 is such a fast-working yeast, there's not really a benefit to leaving it in the fermenter for a month - that said, bottle conditioning/aging will be key on a beer like this. So, I'll probably take a gravity reading on Sunday (8 days after) and then another a few days later and if it's stabilized I'll bottle on 9/22 and leave it alone for a while. Exciting stuff!

 

[Jag75]

I've had great results with Imperial yeast . Good stuff for sure.

 

[Obese Chess]

Active seems to have settled down as the bubbles are fewer and farther between. I pitched at 68° and the garage is holding at a pretty solid 62°-64° during the day, 58°-60° at night, so I'm not super concerned about temperature - tomorrow's supposed to be a freak Hot Day so into the bathtub the bucket will go.

Smells sweet, strong and boozy. I might be getting a *very faint* banana smell, but I imagine that's either normal esters or my brain playing tricks on me.

 

[Obese Chess]

Picked up a new Fermometer last night and slapped it on. Fermentation temp seems to be holding at about 66-68° so I'm not going to worry further about the airlock smells.

 

[Obese Chess]

Accidentally bumped the lid of the fermenter. Not enough to let air in but enough to get a puff of something through the airlock. It smells like beer! No weird smells, just smells like beer. Can't believe I have to wait a few more weeks to drink this stuff.

 

[kh54s10]

Get another one started so it will be ready when this one is about gone.....

 

[Obese Chess]

Get another one started so it will be ready when this one is about gone.....

I'm going to do an MO/Amarillo SMaSH next, I think. My LHBS is starting to get shipments of fresh Amarillo hops - their website says they are sold out but I'm hoping I can score some on another shipment as they are $9.50/lb.

I also have a recipe I'm kicking around for an NEIPA but don't have a kegging setup. Fortunately, the guy on craigslist from whom I bought my Mash Tun is giving away a broken kegerator. I could likely fix it, and Free is a very good price.

I'm pretty thrilled that I appear to have not messed this thing up. It smells great.

 

[Obese Chess]

Couldn't resist and took a one week gravity reading and sample. Definitely tastes a little "green" and I'm sure it will sweeten up and mellow out after bottle conditioning, but it's really nice. A lot of toastiness and a deep brown color. I am at 1.021 after one week at fermentation temps between 64-68 (minus a brief stint at 70), down from 1.069. I'm gonna leave it alone for another week.

 

[Day-Day]

I had some banana esters in a stout when I pitched the yeast in the high 70's (one of my first few brews)... it was actually pretty good... tasted like banana bread or something... not something I shoot for but whatever... mine was similar OG to yours if I remember correctly...

 

[Obese Chess]

Well, I've been out for two weeks with a herniated disk, which sure has dampened my resolve to haul this bucket around and take samples. That said, I am planning to bottle on Sunday (three weeks plus one day in primary at 66-68 degrees). What's the easiest way to sanitize your bottles? I've got star san, but I've also got an oven and a dishwasher with a "sanitize" function (though I don't know if I trust it). I'm seeing lots of options and figure I'd ask y'all directly. I plan to sanitize the bottles tomorrow and then bottle on Sunday morning.

 

[Day-Day]

When I bottle I just soak them in star san in a bucket or tote while I'm racking to my bottling bucket... then I just pull 6 or twelve out at a time while I'm bottling... so they all stay in star san right up until I bottle... I just pull them out... and drain and shake out as much star san as I can... then fill em and cap em... I used to use on of those sprayer things and a tree, etc, etc, but I've found my lazy soak and fill method works just fine... that's assuming you've already cleaned and rinsed your bottles...

 

[kh54s10]

Well, I've been out for two weeks with a herniated disk, which sure has dampened my resolve to haul this bucket around and take samples. That said, I am planning to bottle on Sunday (three weeks plus one day in primary at 66-68 degrees). What's the easiest way to sanitize your bottles? I've got star san, but I've also got an oven and a dishwasher with a "sanitize" function (though I don't know if I trust it). I'm seeing lots of options and figure I'd ask y'all directly. I plan to sanitize the bottles tomorrow and then bottle on Sunday morning.

I use a Vinator and Starsan. I spritz each bottle and put in the bottom rack of my dishwasher, bottling bucket on counter above. Door catches the drips.

I would NOT sanitize one day and bottle the next. Maybe, if you used the dishwasher cycle then left it closed until you bottle.
Definitely not with Starsan. Once dry it is no longer staying sanitary.

 

[Obese Chess]

Cool, thanks. Did a gravity reading yesterday and this morning. It's holding steady at 1.013, lower than the 1.017 predicted. Tastes pretty good, too!

 

[kh54s10]

Cool, thanks. Did a gravity reading yesterday and this morning. It's holding steady at 1.013, lower than the 1.017 predicted. Tastes pretty good, too!

Pretty close. FG predictions are just that, predictions based on calculations and averages. I also say that there is a margin of error in just reading a hydrometer.

 

[Obese Chess]

Cool. The fun part is that, if the calculator I'm using is correct, 1.069 down to 1.013 gives me an ABV of almost 7.4%. It is, truly, Big Boy Season.

 

[kh54s10]

Cool. The fun part is that, if the calculator I'm using is correct, 1.069 down to 1.013 gives me an ABV of almost 7.4%. It is, truly, Big Boy Season.

Wait until you brew a beer over 10% ABV

 

[Obese Chess]

Planning on it!

Bottling went swimmingly. I'll let everyone know how it turns out!

 

[DVCNick]

Sounds like it is coming out good so far.
I think there were some potential weird things going on on brew day though. Getting volumes and temps and everything right can take some experience; here is what I do:

1) Calculate strike water volume, and heat strike water to about 5 degrees over my target temp (target temp before adding grain that is). Example: I want to mash at 152 and my calculator says the water should start at 162. I'll heat the water to ~167 and then put it in the mash tun. I gave up on preheating the mashtun... never saw any repeatable benefit from it.
2) Check the temp of the strike water after transfer, hopefully it is just a degree or two high and I can vigorously stir for a minute or two to get it just right.
3) Add grains, confirm the mash temp, and mash.
4) During the mash, heat up the sparge water to ~180 and put it in the hot liquor tank.
5) At the end of the mash, add a gallon or two of sparge water to the mashtun, give it a gentle stir for a minute or so.
6) Drain out the mashtun into the kettle until it is empty.
7) Check volume in the kettle. Subtract this from your desired preboil volume. Add that much sparge water to the mashtun. Give it a gentle stir and let it sit for a few minutes.
8) Drain out the mashtun again, into the kettle. This should get you to the right preboil volume. For a 5 gallon batch, this is likely 7 gallons and some change, but correct preboil volume should be calculated beforehand. Again, it might take some experience with your exact equipment to get this perfect.
9) Stir the contents of the kettle (wort is in the kettle) and take a preboil gravity sample. The stir here is important because the wort will layer with more sugar on the bottom during the drain, so if you don't stir here you won't get an accurate gravity measurement.
10) Boil. You should be boiling off roughly one gallon per hour from a 5 gallon batch. As mentioned, if it is much more than that you are boiling too hard.
11) Post boil, take your Original Gravity sample (This is original, not final), cool, ferment, etc.

You CAN add water to the kettle or fermenter if your volumes were low, but figure out what happened for next time so you don't have to do that in the future.

I remember my first batch too, but if you can avoid the urge to mess with it every couple days, you'll be better off.
Good luck!

 

[Obese Chess]

Yeah, the problems I had were, fortunately, easy ones to address in my next batch - forgetting to re-calculate how hot the mash/sparge water would need to be on a significantly colder day than expected when brewing outdoors, accidentally using 50% too much sparge water, underestimating trub loss, and boiling too hard.

 

[Obese Chess]

Well, I am recovering from emergency back surgery but I gave my friend who helped me out permission to try his out without me (we split the bottles evenly) and he was quite pleased. So now I'm triply excited.

 

[Obese Chess]

Great news, everyone: it totally rips. The hops balance perfectly with the roastiness of the chocolate malt and wheat, the head is out of control, and there's just enough sweetness to mask the high ABV. Can't wait to see what it's like after a few more months, assuming I have the sense to not drink it all.

 

[Obese Chess]

Hello again! Emergency back surgery sidelined me from making new batches for a few months, but I'm cleared to lift buckets and coolers again. Five out of five people have told me this is one of the best porters they've had and I'm excited to refine it further.

I'm thinking about making this one again in the near future (after a SMaSH of some sort) and have managed to procure some organic cacao nibs. Let's say I want to add those to this for some extra chocolate. I found a writeup that says 4oz for a 5gal batch in secondary - so, rack into secondary after primary is done, toss them in a mesh bag, and wait? Or can I just add them to primary, since I didn't do secondary?