Did I screw up my first AG brew?

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desertw0lf

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So I attempted my first AG brew yesterday. I was doing a SMaSH, consisting of 11# Maris Otter, and E Kent Goldings as my hops.

I did my mash with 4.5 Gal @ 154 F for 60 Min, and my sparge with 2.5 Gal @ 167 F for 15 Min. My mesh stayed in place in my mash tun, and I poured the first ~ Gallon of runnings back into the tun as it was full of bits of grain.

I then did my boil for 60 Min with hop schedule of 1oz EKG @ 60m, 1 oz EKG @ 30m, .5oz EKG @ 15 Min with a couple tsp of Irish Moss. Hops was in plug form, done in a hop bag.

When boil was finished, I cooled with immersion chiller and poured off into fermenting bucket. It was at this point that I realized my wort was full of tiny grain bits and pieces. I pitched my yeast anyhow (Safale US-05) and it is fermenting pretty heartily - moreso than any extract brew I've ever done.

So, what to do about all the sediment and grain granules?? Am I screwed?

Edit : OG came out ~ 1.050.
 
Your probably fine. Next time you may want to vorlof more than a gallon. Keep doing it until the runnings are clear. A few specks though won't kill it. Are you sure the pieces weren't hop particles that escaped you bag?
 
Your probably fine. Next time you may want to vorlof more than a gallon. Keep doing it until the runnings are clear. A few specks though won't kill it. Are you sure the pieces weren't hop particles that escaped you bag?

I used a really fine hop bag, and it looks like grain in there.

Guess I'll see when I rack to secondary. Sure is fermenting vigorously! Good sign :)
 
desertw0lf said:
So I attempted my first AG brew yesterday. I was doing a SMaSH, consisting of 11# Maris Otter, and E Kent Goldings as my hops.

I did my mash with 4.5 Gal @ 154 F for 60 Min, and my sparge with 2.5 Gal @ 167 F for 15 Min. My mesh stayed in place in my mash tun, and I poured the first ~ Gallon of runnings back into the tun as it was full of bits of grain.

I then did my boil for 60 Min with hop schedule of 1oz EKG @ 60m, 1 oz EKG @ 30m, .5oz EKG @ 15 Min with a couple tsp of Irish Moss. Hops was in plug form, done in a hop bag.

When boil was finished, I cooled with immersion chiller and poured off into fermenting bucket. It was at this point that I realized my wort was full of tiny grain bits and pieces. I pitched my yeast anyhow (Safale US-05) and it is fermenting pretty heartily - moreso than any extract brew I've ever done.

So, what to do about all the sediment and grain granules?? Am I screwed?

Edit : OG came out ~ 1.050.

No matter how hard I try to avoid it I always end up with tiny minute bits of grain in the boil... it never hurts the brew at all that I've noticed.
 
When you rack to secondary and/or bottling bucket, take your mesh bag and put it on the beer end of your racking cane. I sanatize and secure it with a rubber band. The beer will get filtered on the beer end without oxidation. You don't want to filter on the other end, as this will cause oxidation.
 
When you rack to secondary and/or bottling bucket, take your mesh bag and put it on the beer end of your racking cane. I sanatize and secure it with a rubber band. The beer will get filtered on the beer end without oxidation. You don't want to filter on the other end, as this will cause oxidation.

I'll try this, thanks!! You mean the beer end as in the carboy I am siphoning from, not into - correct?
 
Cool! I think I will try doing another SMaSH while I wait for this one. Thinking 12# 2-Row and Cascade, but caramelize/reduce the first gallon of clear runnings and add back in @ boil time.
 
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