Christmas Day Brewing

[C-Rider]

Merry Christmas to all you brewers out there.

Just finished cleaning up from a double 2 gallon brew day. A Dry Chocolate Stout which I'll add KonaChocMac Coffee in about 4 weeks. Mash Eff was 89% and an Irish Red w/a Mash Eff of 86%. Pretty happy about that. Ground up the grain in a blender till it looked like flour. Each was approx 3.8 lbs of Marris Otter for base malt since they are based on British/Irish ales. It only took about 4 min to grind each batch and of course this was a BIAB. I used only Fuggles hops in both. Each got about 7.75 gms of S-04 English yeast. I ferment in 2 gal paint buckets from HD which are kept in a chest freezer set to approx 6!*F. I'll up the temp about 5*s in maybe a week or so. Plan is to enter the Stout in the Kona contest next Feb/Mar.

 

[bondra76]

sounds good - enjoy the snow there in the islands!

 

[BlueHouseBrewhaus]

C-Rider, I'm curious. I double grind at my LHBS and get about 80% efficiency. It's always said that you can grind much finer with BIAB to improve efficiency but I thought I read somewhere that too fine a grind can effect flavor. It also seems like it would also greatly increase trub with so much "flour" getting through the bag. Have you noticed any difference in flavor/fermentability/whatever from your pre-super-grind days?

 

[C-Rider]

C-Rider, I'm curious. I double grind at my LHBS and get about 80% efficiency. It's always said that you can grind much finer with BIAB to improve efficiency but I thought I read somewhere that too fine a grind can effect flavor. It also seems like it would also greatly increase trub with so much "flour" getting through the bag. Have you noticed any difference in flavor/fermentability/whatever from your pre-super-grind days?

Sorry, the first of my "flour" mashes are still carbinating in the refer. All I can say is efficiency has gone up from the high 70%. Will know around New Years Day.

I've done 4 so far and have not found the trub to be any greater. I use a paint bag and then strain going into the fermenter with one of thses.

[url=https://www.homebrewtalk.com/photo/paint-strainer-60936.html] [/URL]

 

[BlueHouseBrewhaus]

Thanks. Check back in when they are done. I'll be curious to hear the results.