Did you do a "test run" ?

[Braumeise]

I haven't brewed this weekend. had to work a double shift and was to uncomfortable to start anything that needs my full attention.

I was thinking to do a test run "mashing" and boiling Hay or Straw or just rice hulls just to get acquainted with my equipment and the amounts of liquid I will have to direct into certain pots and tuns... and to see how long it takes to get the liquid to a boil, how hard it is to keep it from boiling over etc.

Did anyone of you guys do something like this before you started with "real" ingredients?

I guess I'll do it anyway but just wondering...

 

[m00ps]

All I did was make sure my stove could boil the ~7gallons I needed and check if the thermometer worked

 

[Picobrew]

All I did was make sure my stove could boil the ~7gallons I needed and check if the thermometer worked

That is good advice! I would say messing around with non-barley is sort of a waste of time. You can get the barley for about $10/batch and nothing else will really compare , the mash will be different, the volumes, the boil over risk etc. Just make an inexpensive beer your first time through.

 

[PlexVector]

All I did was make sure my stove could boil the ~7gallons I needed and check if the thermometer worked

Same here...and as John put it: Beer happens.

 

[BigJack]

It's a smart thing to do, but I didn't bother on any set-up I've ever owned. I just jump in and see what happens.

 

[Braumeise]

Ok. I triple checked Thermometer already calibrating a digital Thermometer in ice cubes first and then heating up liquid to see if both have the same temperature at boiling point

Heating up the water was on my list to test if my DIY Ball Valve is not leaking.

 

[PlexVector]

Ok. I triple checked Thermometer already calibrating a digital Thermometer in ice cubes first and then heating up liquid to see if both have the same temperature at boiling point

Heating up the water was on my list to test if my DIY Ball Valve is not leaking.

Yes! I also checked everything for leaks at temperature: kettle, mash tun, valves, hoses, pump.

 

[Delusions_Brewing]

If you have pumps, hoses, domed kettles bottoms, etc. which will cause you to lose liquid along the way, then a good idea to do some measuring/compensating beforehand, although I wouldn't worry about using rice hulls or the such. The key is to adjust your recipe for any losses associated with your equipment.

As long as your heat source can bring the volume of liquid to a boil in a reasonable amount of time, then I wouldn't worry too much about what that actual time period is.

Determining the probability of boil over is somewhat dependent on the recipe, so it would be determine without actually making a batch, you can determine the amount of space remaining based upon your pre-boil volume though and use that to determine if you're likely to have an issue.

 

[sablesurfer]

Water tests is what I did. Once all leaks addressed then went straight to first recirc BIAB beer.

 

[Braumeise]

It might be a waste of time if I get nothing but 7 Gallons of "Hay tea" - yet - I get just a little confidence in handling this volume and maybe that is worth the time I put in?

After all I need to set all this up so I can handle it alone and I am not "feeble" or weak but still quite tiny and no matter how much I think I can handle everything just as well as a man, most of the time the "just as well" only works because I compensate the lack of muscles and height with thorough planning ...

 

[brewcat]

Haha! Reminds me I had plans to time some things out on my last brew. I didn't. I need to write some of this stuff down.

On new equipment my test run is when I clean/sanitize before first use. Then I just jump in and go from there.

 

[brewcat]

It might be a waste of time if I get nothing but 7 Gallons of "Hay tea" - yet - I get just a little confidence in handling this volume and maybe that is worth the time I put in?

After all I need to set all this up so I can handle it alone and I am not "feeble" or weak but still quite tiny and no matter how much I think I can handle everything just as well as a man, most of the time the "just as well" only works because I compensate the lack of muscles and height with thorough planning ...

I'd jump right in. At least you will get beer out of it. Plan as best you can but things always pop up with new equipment/techniques.

My suggestion is to build a dolly if you are moving large amounts of water/wort more than a few steps. Mine is just a square piece of wood with casters.

 

[Braumeise]

I'd jump right in. At least you will get beer out of it. Plan as best you can but things always pop up with new equipment/techniques.

My suggestion is to build a dolly if you are moving large amounts of water/wort more than a few steps. Mine is just a square piece of wood with casters.

Is it safe to assume since we both chose "brew" combined with a sort of female animal as our sign in here, that you are one of the few females here?

I actually thought of a hand truck/dolly when I thought I'd be brewing on my patio. Since I moved my plans to the inside I should not have to walk further than five steps

And I have practiced moving 5 Gallons in and out of the chest freezer
Gotta be prepared!

 

[brewcat]

Is it safe to assume since we both chose "brew" combined with a sort of female animal as our sign in here, that you are one of the few females here?

I actually thought of a hand truck/dolly when I thought I'd be brewing on my patio. Since I moved my plans to the inside I should not have to walk further than five steps

And I have practiced moving 5 Gallons in and out of the chest freezer
Gotta be prepared!

Nope, I'm male. I used it as a play on cool cat, but I do have two cats so they also played into the name.

Yeah I brew on my patio and mash in the kitchen. The dolly is nice for getting to the burner easily and without splashing.

Preparation is key.

 

[dwhite60]

Do a small one gallon batch. It'll give you a feel for the process and you should get some reasonable beer out of it once it ferments out. If something goes wonky, you've only lost a gallons worth of ingredients.

All the Best,
D. White

 

[Billy-Klubb]

when I started AG, I just went all in with a kit.

 

[Bosh]

Probably just go with a forgiving recipe the first time around. Use dry US-05 (forgiving of temp), a really simple grain bill with lots of pale base malt so if the temps go a bit high you won't kill all the enzymes and very little in the way of hops. Probably use gelatin, having clear beer really impresses people for some reason and gelatin is really easy, cheap and simple to add.

My first AG came out with 45% efficiency which is pretty sad but the beer was OK at the end since it was a dead simple SMaSH! beer. Probably should've used 2-row rather than Vienna then.

 

[Braumeise]

four more days until Sunday so I will figure out until then what I will do. Must have a test run for leakage though. haven't dared to drill my hole in my kettle yet so at this point in time I am not at all prepared.

mash tun looks awesome though. Will post pictures of my DIY adventure

 

[Kampenken]

I liked the post on the low cost for first test run. Now combine that with a highly rated (#1 recipe on HBT), quick turn and low cost brew--- well go with Biermuncher's Centennial Blonde. A quick search (top hbt recipes for ex) in google and you'll find it. Of course it helps if you like this style, and it is getting later in the year for this style, but its a great one to start out on! Enjoy and best of luck brewing on Sunday! (I'm brewing on Sat- BM's Black Patent Porter).

 

[Singletrack]

Is it safe to assume since we both chose "brew" combined with a sort of female animal as our sign in here, that you are one of the few females here? (In reference to a post by @brewcat)

This made me chuckle. I didn't realize cats are female animals. Some are male, I think. But maybe you're right; there is no Catman (that I know of).

On topic: Perform test runs if that will make you enjoy brewing more. It really is just beer, so if you don't mind learning everything on the fly, do that instead. Like others, I checked for leaks, but did almost all actual learning by trial and correction.

My German is failing me. What's a meise?

 

[chickypad]

I was thinking to do a test run "mashing" and boiling Hay or Straw or just rice hulls just to get acquainted with my equipment and the amounts of liquid I will have to direct into certain pots and tuns... and to see how long it takes to get the liquid to a boil, how hard it is to keep it from boiling over etc.

Mashing hay? C'mon now, this is just plain silly. And I really don't know if things like the water absorption and lautering properties of hay are going to give you any useful information. Sure, check your equipment for leaks but then I say put on your big girl pants and just brew a batch! :rockin:

Seriously though, the worst that can happen is it's bad enough you have to dump it, but much more likely is you get some good beer. So your numbers may not be perfect, but it's really not rocket science and what you learn you can apply to the rest of your batches. I feel that I can speak from experience as my very first all grain batch was on a 10 gallon 3 vessel system with pumps and HERMS, no test runs except for leaks. I did enlist some lifting help getting the rig out on the deck though.

 

[chickypad]

My German is failing me. What's a meise?

Just googled that and it came back with tit and chickadee. Guess that is a girly sounding animal. chicky approves!

 

[Subdivisions]

all i did was make sure my stove could boil the ~7gallons i needed and check if the thermometer worked

+1

 

[Braumeise]

I liked the post on the low cost for first test run. Now combine that with a highly rated (#1 recipe on HBT), quick turn and low cost brew--- well go with Biermuncher's Centennial Blonde. A quick search (top hbt recipes for ex) in google and you'll find it. Of course it helps if you like this style, and it is getting later in the year for this style, but its a great one to start out on! Enjoy and best of luck brewing on Sunday! (I'm brewing on Sat- BM's Black Patent Porter).

Thanks for the recipe hint.
I looked at it for a long time and might take it into consideration
still have some days left and still haven't drilled a hole in my pot...


Might sound stubborn but I really want to brew something I truly enjoy so I can see if I made terrible mistakes by tasting.

I am very bad at describing or tasting beers I genuinely do not like, like pumpkin beers haha! Not a huge fan of blondes here but recipe looks tasty...

will think about it

Thank you!

 

[Braumeise]

This made me chuckle. I didn't realize cats are female animals. Some are male, I think. But maybe you're right; there is no Catman (that I know of).

On topic: Perform test runs if that will make you enjoy brewing more. It really is just beer, so if you don't mind learning everything on the fly, do that instead. Like others, I checked for leaks, but did almost all actual learning by trial and correction.

My German is failing me. What's a meise?

ha! You have a cat as well (in the picture at least)

in German die Katze is always female... if not female it is called der Kater (Kater also meaning hang over btw.)

We do not only use "the" as an article but differentiate between female (die) male (der) and neutral (das).
die Katze (the female cat)
der Kater (the Tom cat)
das Kätzchen (the child of the Cats or the kitten)

Most females have Cats, male persons have dogs (at least thats a rule of thumb in Germany)

I thought since one distinguishes between Cat and Tom Cat that Cat refers to the female Felines.

Nevermind but I am smiling here too...

Soooo.... a Meise is a tiny Bird and in German it is die Meise (female personal article)

Blaumeise is a blue Bird but it also refers to drinking a bit to much in certain regions ... blau meaning tipsy or rather wasted.

I exchanged the l for an r and brau means "brew"...

and this is a Blaumeise:

I am taking all your opinions into consideration. helps me a lot to make up my mind.

Thanks Guys... I'll keep you posted

 

[Braumeise]

Mashing hay? C'mon now, this is just plain silly.

Not if your 100% imported German (sort of) house wife, detesting anything that is not made from scratch and enduring the end of the world if something home made goes slightly wrong...

gotta practice before screwing up badly...

And I really don't know if things like the water absorption and lautering properties of hay are going to give you any useful information. Sure, check your equipment for leaks but then I say put on your big girl pants and just brew a batch! :rockin:

Not useful information in a sense that it would be transferable to grain mash but it gives me a felling for what I am doing, some practice handling my equipment and so forth...

Seriously though, the worst that can happen is it's bad enough you have to dump it, but much more likely is you get some good beer. So your numbers may not be perfect, but it's really not rocket science and what you learn you can apply to the rest of your batches. I feel that I can speak from experience as my very first all grain batch was on a 10 gallon 3 vessel system with pumps and HERMS, no test runs except for leaks. I did enlist some lifting help getting the rig out on the deck though.

Mashing Hay will provide very useful information what it means to clean up the mess I have made in my kitchen, though!

Thanks. I'll let you know what I did.

 

[Braumeise]

Just googled that and it came back with tit and chickadee. Guess that is a girly sounding animal. chicky approves!

my dictionary comes up with Blue tit...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasian_blue_tit

 

[timdillon36]

Not recommending but when I went to all grain I assembled my MT while the strike water was heating. It did not leak during the mash but when I filled it with water to clean it leaked. I lakes to this day with water but not during a mash. I guess a few bits of grain will seal up a small leak. Also I consider my time and propane more valuable than if I can turn water to wort on a test run. Depending on the beer the hops could b half the cost and depending on how the wort turns out u can decide to continue with the boil or dump the wort, or test your chiller.

 

[iijakii]

Not if your 100% imported German (sort of) house wife, detesting anything that is not made from scratch and enduring the end of the world if something home made goes slightly wrong...

gotta practice before screwing up badly...



Not useful information in a sense that it would be transferable to grain mash but it gives me a felling for what I am doing, some practice handling my equipment and so forth...




Mashing Hay will provide very useful information what it means to clean up the mess I have made in my kitchen, though!

Thanks. I'll let you know what I did.

The thing is -- it wont. Heat up water and move it around your various pots/chiller and what not if you want, but there's nothing to gain from mashing hay. Just have to jump in and do it. If youre scared of experimenting with new things brewing is going to be a tough hobby for you.

Unless youre a horse, then I'm all for 5gals of haywater.

 

[Billy-Klubb]

just remember that your grist will clump if poured in too quickly and you don't stir well enough while pouring. but that's not the end of the world. the dough balls are easily broken up with the mash paddle. it sounds like you're using a kettle to mash, so preheating your tun won't be an issue and controlling your mash temp will probably be easier than using a cooler set up. after the mash will be all about proper pitch rates and temp control. are you using any brewing software?

 

[Braumeise]

Not recommending but when I went to all grain I assembled my MT while the strike water was heating. It did not leak during the mash but when I filled it with water to clean it leaked. I lakes to this day with water but not during a mash. I guess a few bits of grain will seal up a small leak. Also I consider my time and propane more valuable than if I can turn water to wort on a test run. Depending on the beer the hops could b half the cost and depending on how the wort turns out u can decide to continue with the boil or dump the wort, or test your chiller.

haha! sounds like I used to do stuff
I am actually very impatient and over enthusiastic. It needs something I really care for deeply to slow me down.
I did a couple of things in my life with thorough preparation because I did value them highly and because I wanted to give it my very best shot instead of "winging" most of it.

I will definitely do a test run for leaks.
And maybe I will figure out that that is testing enough.
And you do have a good point there regarding the waste of energy put in with no usable outcome.

Merci!

 

[Braumeise]

The thing is -- it wont. Heat up water and move it around your various pots/chiller and what not if you want, but there's nothing to gain from mashing hay. Just have to jump in and do it. If youre scared of experimenting with new things brewing is going to be a tough hobby for you.

Unless youre a horse, then I'm all for 5gals of haywater.

Lol!

You had me thinking here! I am actually not scared of doing anything yet I thought you have a point there, what is my god damn problem, why am I not just doing it?

This question needs to be answered before proceeding further

 

[Braumeise]

just remember that your grist will clump if poured in too quickly and you don't stir well enough while pouring. but that's not the end of the world. the dough balls are easily broken up with the mash paddle. it sounds like you're using a kettle to mash, so preheating your tun won't be an issue and controlling your mash temp will probably be easier than using a cooler set up. after the mash will be all about proper pitch rates and temp control. are you using any brewing software?

in the vast universe of information I have gathered so far someone (I think in a German homebrew community) mentioned that it is a bit like pancake batter / home made pudding and you have to be able to do it like "real grandmas" are able to make a batter with no clumps....

I am using the Kettle to heat up my water for the mash. I will be mashing in a tun.

I am going to use beersmith. Comparing what I have looked at so far it seems the most useful unless you guys have other suggestions I have not come across yet.

 

[joshesmusica]

Miss (or Mrs.?) Meise,

I agree, you just have to go for it. Test for leaks, maybe time how long it takes to heat things up (although, as stated, that's a waste of energy), and then just jump right in. You're ready for it, I'm confident of that after all of the discussions I've had with you on here. At this point, the thing that you need to do is take that knowledge that you have and put it into practice. I know others have said that a wit is a difficult one to start with, but I truly don't find it a hard beer to brew, especially not since you're starting off with temp control. Go for it! And if you have a friend around, document it! It will make it that much more fun.

The best thing to do to ensure that you do everything correctly and at the right times is to print out some sort of brew day checklist. I doubt that coming up with a detailed checklist will come very difficult to you.

 

[chickypad]

Soooo.... a Meise is a tiny Bird and in German it is die Meise (female personal article)

Blaumeise is a blue Bird but it also refers to drinking a bit to much in certain regions ... blau meaning tipsy or rather wasted.

I exchanged the l for an r and brau means "brew"...

very clever, I like it

Though I guess I'm glad I'm not German, as my pup is a total mama's girl and I wouldn't have it any other way

 

[Braumeise]

very clever, I like it

Though I guess I'm glad I'm not German, as my pup is a total mama's girl and I wouldn't have it any other way

Awe! <3

 

[Braumeise]

Miss (or Mrs.?) Meise,

I agree, you just have to go for it. Test for leaks, maybe time how long it takes to heat things up (although, as stated, that's a waste of energy), and then just jump right in. You're ready for it, I'm confident of that after all of the discussions I've had with you on here. At this point, the thing that you need to do is take that knowledge that you have and put it into practice. I know others have said that a wit is a difficult one to start with, but I truly don't find it a hard beer to brew, especially not since you're starting off with temp control. Go for it! And if you have a friend around, document it! It will make it that much more fun.

The best thing to do to ensure that you do everything correctly and at the right times is to print out some sort of brew day checklist. I doubt that coming up with a detailed checklist will come very difficult to you.

No Mr. Meise here... yet politically correct it is Ms, right?

Sounds like a ship to me whenever someone says or writes it

HMS (her Majesties Ship) so MS would be Majesties Ship, no?

My brewing date has to work this Sunday but she is off next Sunday so I might just delay one more week or find myself some one else who cares to do a lot of "winging" for hopefully a bottle or two of drinkable beer in the future.


Will post pictures of my beautiful dirt cheap mash tun set up later

 

[chickypad]

Definitely work with a helper the first time, it's nice to have an extra set of hands for emergencies while you're figuring out your equipment (emergencies as in - oh sh**, quick shut that valve!).

 

[mkirkland]

Every time i need to test new equipment i just brew a SMaSH beer and keg it up. Works every time and is cheap.

 

[Braumeise]

okay. I will be brewing something will do a "dry run" just for leaks though.
Worst I will get out of it - if no drinkable beer - is lots of horse treats.

Horse will approve so all good.

updates to follow.