First AG Brew

[mr x]

Vacation is finally over and I can get down to having my fun. About to start my first AG.

Gear:
http://i3.tinypic.com/52x2exu.jpg

Boiler @ CFC:
http://i11.tinypic.com/4v2w2sx.jpg

Crush (those are the finer parts of the crush):
http://i13.tinypic.com/4ztlo4g.jpg

Crusher:
http://i4.tinypic.com/4qxdbt2.jpg

 

[Jester]

awesome..!!! i jsut did my first all-grain a few weeks ago... good luck..!!! post more pics once you start brewing...

 

[mr x]

I'm gonna post pics as I go. Just waiting to pick up my car so i can get brewing!!! Trouble's coming:
http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/city/pages/ns-1_metric_e.html

 

[FlyGuy]

Wow -- the setup looks great! Can't wait to hear how it all worked out. Best of luck man!

 

[mr x]

Wow, steam heat is fast...

 

[Evan!]

Wow, steam heat is fast...

Word. But I thought you had a propane burner system...??

 

[mr x]

At the babes house I do....after careful consideration (lol) I am now brewing at my house. And I now understand that I don't need propane to run the pressure cooker. The trials with water were significantly different that with mash. The mash takes and hold the heat much quicker. Hardly need to be past medium on a glass top stove to do a 5 gallon batch.

Love the 'steam heat'...rotflmfao

 

[mr x]

The vorlauf is looking ok I think... a little murky maybe...hard for me to say, but I'll post the pics when I'm done. Had to blow back the manifold to get things moving, my poor lips hahaha

But very sweet

 

[mr x]

Well, I need a bigger boiling pot. Got 2.25 gallons of 175 in for a sparge, but probably be 10 minutes for the other gallon.

And it's raining like hell.

Can I have some lag time to boil my wort, or do I need to get out ther now?

 

[mr x]

Ok, some quick advice needed, if I need to boil Ed Wort Pale Ale a little longer, am I going to have problems with the hops. Should be ok on the 15 and 5 minute. 60 and 30 minute is another story

 

[mr x]

1.034 @ 158 degrees

My online calculator is offline, so I hope that's good

I got just under 6.5 gallons, so things aren't looking too bad...I hope

Off to boil...

 

[mr x]

Was shooting for 152, but got a little high. Didn't take much steam to go over the target. I turned the burner down after this.

http://i6.tinypic.com/4q8x3qo.jpg

Vorlauf:
http://i12.tinypic.com/4xo5cat.jpg
http://i19.tinypic.com/4umqu8n.jpg

Sparge:
http://i9.tinypic.com/4lt51mb.jpg

Final Product:
http://i3.tinypic.com/645ha4o.jpg

Boiled down:
http://i6.tinypic.com/52qfjhi.jpg

Makeshift tarp..I'm been waiting too long and I ain't stopping now
http://i9.tinypic.com/5yd2tk9.jpg

 

[mr x]

Hop stopping screens - heavy aluminum pie plate and fine titanium mesh:
http://i11.tinypic.com/47wwv2q.jpg

CFC - getting a little wet outside:
http://i10.tinypic.com/5xfwjyu.jpg

Into the carboy - it's a total monsoon outside!!!!
http://i9.tinypic.com/6bw25ie.jpg
http://i15.tinypic.com/4r2bsdc.jpg

The final product:
http://i2.tinypic.com/4ky0tbm.jpg

 

[mr x]

Overall a fun experience - I've never been so drenched though.lol

 

[mr x]

Was there supposed to be trub somewhere along the line? There was next to nothing in the filter mesh or the carboy? the CFC had the wort temp about 75 when I was transferring to the carboy.

 

[BierMuncher]

Congratulations. Looks like you were well prepared. I've never seen an enclosed CFC like that. Did you make that yourself or buy it like that?

 

[mr x]

I bought it at a yard sale on the street for $15 bucks. 25 feet of copper inside. Buddy was getting out of the beer making. I had never seriously considered making beer until I came across all his stuff, put the bug into me. It worked great...from boil to about 75 degrees.

He also had three BIG bags of hops with date tags...1989!!!! They were so pale and light, they almost defied gravity! rotflmfao