kombat
Well-Known Member
I've done extract kits in the past, but today I did my very first partial mash. I followed Charles Papazian's recipe for "Laughing Heart India Pale Ale", from "The Complete Joy of Homebrewing, Third Edition."
Overall, I think it went well. The only thing that concerns me was my mash temperature. I heated my strike water to 170 F and transfered 8 qts. to my mash tun, but when I measured the temperature in the mash tun, it only read 150 F. So I boiled some water and transferred over another quart of (boiling) water. It still read 150 F. So I mashed anyway, assuming the thermometer was inaccurate.
I mashed for an hour, vorlaufed, drained, then sparged with 8 qts of 170 F water (though again, when I measured it in the mash tun, it only read 150 F). Stirred up the grains, waited 10 minutes, vorlaufed and drained again.
I brought to a boil, waited for the hot break, then mixed in my light LME and 2 oz. Centennial bittering hops. I boiled for an hour. With 10 minutes left in the boil, I introduced the chiller coil (to sanitize it), a paint mixing bit, 1 oz. Cascades hops, and 1/4 tsp Irish moss. Then I cut the heat, added a couple more gallons of spring water, and mixed the wort with the paint mixing bit on a drill to aerate it. I then fired up the chiller and brought it down to 70 F in about 25 minutes. I rehydrated a packet of Safale 05 while the wort chilled.
I transferred the wort to a sanitized carboy (splashing as much as possible), collected a sample for O.G. measurement, topped it up to 5 gallons with some more spring water, pitched the yeast and affixed an airlock.
My O.G. was 1.061, and the recipe called for it to be between 1.058 and 1.066, so I think I was right on. However, that was before topping up with a gallon or so of spring water, so I'm assuming my actual O.G. was a little lower than that.
I tasted the sample after I checked the O.G., and it was sweet, with a bitter, hoppy finish, which I'm hoping is exactly what it's supposed to be.
I can't wait to see how this turns out! I'm excited to see fermentation kick off in the next day or so.
Overall, I think it went well. The only thing that concerns me was my mash temperature. I heated my strike water to 170 F and transfered 8 qts. to my mash tun, but when I measured the temperature in the mash tun, it only read 150 F. So I boiled some water and transferred over another quart of (boiling) water. It still read 150 F. So I mashed anyway, assuming the thermometer was inaccurate.
I mashed for an hour, vorlaufed, drained, then sparged with 8 qts of 170 F water (though again, when I measured it in the mash tun, it only read 150 F). Stirred up the grains, waited 10 minutes, vorlaufed and drained again.
I brought to a boil, waited for the hot break, then mixed in my light LME and 2 oz. Centennial bittering hops. I boiled for an hour. With 10 minutes left in the boil, I introduced the chiller coil (to sanitize it), a paint mixing bit, 1 oz. Cascades hops, and 1/4 tsp Irish moss. Then I cut the heat, added a couple more gallons of spring water, and mixed the wort with the paint mixing bit on a drill to aerate it. I then fired up the chiller and brought it down to 70 F in about 25 minutes. I rehydrated a packet of Safale 05 while the wort chilled.
I transferred the wort to a sanitized carboy (splashing as much as possible), collected a sample for O.G. measurement, topped it up to 5 gallons with some more spring water, pitched the yeast and affixed an airlock.
My O.G. was 1.061, and the recipe called for it to be between 1.058 and 1.066, so I think I was right on. However, that was before topping up with a gallon or so of spring water, so I'm assuming my actual O.G. was a little lower than that.
I tasted the sample after I checked the O.G., and it was sweet, with a bitter, hoppy finish, which I'm hoping is exactly what it's supposed to be.
I can't wait to see how this turns out! I'm excited to see fermentation kick off in the next day or so.