First AG Friday, how's my recipe?

[Hegh]

I'm going to brew my first AG on Friday (picking up the ingredients tomorrow evening). I've come up with a recipe based on https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/100-shilling-scotch-ale-2050/ but lighter. I just wanted a quick sanity check that this looks appropriate, doable, and tasty:

Batch size: 5.5 gal

Grains:
7.50 lbs Maris Otter
0.50 lb CaraVienne
0.25 lb Roasted Barley

mash at 152* for about 1 hour, 1.25 qts/lb

Hops:
1.0 oz Fuggles @ 60 minutes
0.5 oz Kent Goldings @ 15 minutes

Yeast:
11g Nottingham dry yeast

Extra ingredients:
1/2 campden tablet
2 tbsp 5.2 pH stabilizer (if the LHBS sells it)
1 tsp Irish Moss @ 15 minutes

Expected results:
OG: 1.039
FG: 1.010
Bitterness: 18 IBU
Color: 14* SRM
ABV: 3.8%
ABW: 3.0%

I wasn't really sure about the proper mash temperature, but 152* seems to be the middle-of-the-road choice. I might go 1-2 degrees higher so it'll have more body (did I get that right?).

Thanks in advance!

 

[Denny's Evil Concoctions]

Keep in mind that the FG will be higher the higher you have your mash temp. 152F is fine but if you used beersmith to calulate you recipe the FG it puts out will prbably be 1 or 2 points higher. (It also does not take into account crytal malts as far as FG).

 

[Hegh]

I used QBrew, since I haven't had the spare cash for BeerSmith. It doesn't include the mash temperature in the calculation, so I'm assuming that it based it off of the ideal for each grain.

 

[Hegh]

No more feedback? Either I came up with a really good recipe, or everybody is looking forward to a "is my beer ruined?" thread tomorrow as I get halfway through...

 

[double_e5]

Hint: If you post this in the Recipe/Ingredients forum, you'll get more responses.

 

[mkling]

It looks nice! The thing that you're doing that I think is especially wise is not trying to do some great big IPA or Belgian for your first all-grain brew. It drives me a bit nuts when when some all-grain n00b decides to try a 1.080+ beer for his AG batch. Things never go as smoothly as you want the first time & having 15-18 lbs of grain amplifies the things that can go wrong the 1st time. So, very wise move! You've got a nice looking 80 Shilling there. Only thing I might do differently is mash a bit higher. Being a Scotch Ale, you want the malt to be highlighted -- mashing at 154 or 155 will definitely do that making it more true to style. It'll taste good either way, though.

 

[Minky]

Hegh
You should have no problem hitting your target gravity with that grain bill. At 1039, you're right on the line between a 70 and 80 shilling "Scottish" ale. On the other hand, "Scotch" ale (there is a difference) has a OG range beginning at 1070. Quite a difference.

Should be an excellent brew. Go for it!!

 

[Mutilated1]

That looks tastey. I would drink it.

 

[Hegh]

It looks nice! The thing that you're doing that I think is especially wise is not trying to do some great big IPA or Belgian for your first all-grain brew. It drives me a bit nuts when when some all-grain n00b decides to try a 1.080+ beer for his AG batch. Things never go as smoothly as you want the first time & having 15-18 lbs of grain amplifies the things that can go wrong the 1st time. So, very wise move! You've got a nice looking 80 Shilling there. Only thing I might do differently is mash a bit higher. Being a Scotch Ale, you want the malt to be highlighted -- mashing at 154 or 155 will definitely do that making it more true to style. It'll taste good either way, though.

Thank you! Makes me feel good that someone thinks I'm doing the smart thing. I was actually aiming for a 70/- but I'm at the top of that in terms of gravity, with an estimated brewhouse efficiency of 70%. If I get just a little better, I'll have an 80/-, and if I'm lower, I'll be closer to the middle of the 70/- range.

As for the temperature, I think I will aim for 154ish, as I want the extra body and maltiness. Thanks again!

Also, this will be my first try using my new cooler mash tun that I built last week. I went with a copper manifold (more fun to build), and I tested it this morning with water and found that I've only got 1.33 cups of dead space, which made me happy.

 

[Hegh]

Thanks for the support and enthusiasm! I'm quite excited to brew this tomorrow.

I chose a Scottish ale because that was my first extract brew back in November, and I thought it'd be a fitting entry into AG brewing now.

 

[Hegh]

One more question -- I don't think that my LHBS carries CaraVienne, but they do carry CaraMunich. QBrew shows only a 1* increase in color, but would it adversely affect the flavor at all?

 

[mkling]

For a 70- or 80- either should be fine. Caravienne is roughly equivalent to a 20L Crystal whereas Caramunich is more like a 50 or 60L Crystal. Either will taste good in a Scottish ale.

 

[Saccharomyces]

Tasty.

I'd run off the first quart of your first runnings to a small pot and boil that until it's reduced in volume by half and add that to your boil kettle. More carmelization flavor. Yum!

I'd mash this brew at 156*F.

 

[Sean]

Tasty.

I'd run off the first quart of your first runnings to a small pot and boil that until it's reduced in volume by half and add that to your boil kettle. More carmelization flavor. Yum!

I'd mash this brew at 156*F.

That is a very cool trick..

 

[Hegh]

I was actually already planning on boiling in one large pot and one or two smaller ones for a couple reasons:

1) I can't get a really powerful boil going on my stove
2) Faster heat-up time when using 2-3 burners instead of 1
3) Kettle carmalization, just what you were suggesting

As for mashing at 156*... Although I'm not experienced, that seems high. What would be different between that and, say, 152* or 154*? (I know that generally it'll have more body, malt flavor, and be less fermentable, but how much?)

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

152* or 154*? (I know that generally it'll have more body, malt flavor, and be less fermentable, but how much?)

I don't think we should tell you! That is what your second brew is for!

 

[944play]

As for mashing at 156*... Although I'm not experienced, that seems high.

1. Small beer
2. Aggressive yeast
3. 156F not really that high

I'd mash even higher (or cheat and add maltodextrin), although that kettle-caramelizing trick can make some nice unfermentables, I've heard.

 

[blackwaterbrewer]

you sound excited, dude! i'm sure your brew will turn out excellent, even if your brewday does not! try not to freak out too much if something goes wrong. the hardest part (to me) is getting the correct volume of wort post boil. once you get that down, the rest is cake! good luck. recipe looks great by the way. i would maybe suggest using 1 extra pound of marris otter because you might not get the best efficiency the first time around. oh yeah, make sure to do a s l o w runoff when sparging. dont just vourlaff and then open the valve all the way. let the wort trickle out as slow as you can stand it. that is the key to good efficiency.

 

[Minky]

For a 70- or 80- either should be fine. Caravienne is roughly equivalent to a 20L Crystal whereas Caramunich is more like a 50 or 60L Crystal. Either will taste good in a Scottish ale.

Caramunich is available in three different forms. From the Weyermann website: Caramunich I (30.6-38.1 L), Caramunich II (41.8-49.3L) and Caramunich III (53.1-60.6L).

It seems like a pretty wide range in color within each type, but it is probably the norm for any specialty malt from any maltster.

I LOVE Caramunich I in pale ales!!

 

[Hegh]

The LHBS only sells grain in 1 lb increments, so I've got 8 lbs of Maris Otter, so I guess I'll just throw it all in (what am I going to do with 1/2 lb of non-steepable grain anyway?). Unfortunately, I'll also have 3/4 lb extra roasted barley and 1/2 lb extra CaraMunich.

As for the color of the CaraMunich, I'm guessing it's in the I to II range (it's pretty light).

Is it weird that I feel honored that this is the first time that Laughing Gnome Invisible has posted something completely unhelpful but amusing to one of my threads?

I'll aim for 156* to get the right body and whatnot. Plus, it is supposed to be relatively light, and I'm throwing in an extra 1/2 lb of Maris Otter, so that will probably help make up. And hopefully I'll get better than 70% efficiency...

 

[nealf]

I'd mash this brew at 156*F.

I was going to suggest you mashing higher than 152, but didn't because I didn't want you to worry too much about mash temps. Sacc is right, IMO, this beer will be much better at a higher mash temp. Nottingham is a freaking animal and will eat anything in sight if you don't take some steps to prevent it ... nevertheless, if you miss the temp by a bit RDWHAHB. But, I personally would aim for a higher temperature.

Let us know how it goes and take pics if possible!

 

[Hegh]

I plugged my camera in earlier so I'd be able to get some good pictures of this brew.

I hadn't realized how hungry Nottingham was, I'll mash at 156* to make sure I retain some maltiness. Thanks for the suggestion/reassurance.

Oh, and I had three homebrews earlier while relaxing, so I think I'm good

 

[Saccharomyces]

The effect on mash temp for attenuation is very yeast strain specific, so you really have to try it to know for sure. Cali ale will attenuate the snot out of any wort, as will Whitbread ale, I've mashed at 157*F and had those yeasts tear through the wort like it was made out of yeast crack. On the other hand a few degrees difference with some less attenuative English strains like Fullers (WLP002) can make a big difference.

Being off by a few degrees isn't a big deal, unless I'm >2*F off my target I don't do anything but RDWHAHB so I wouldn't worry about it too much.

 

[Yankeehillbrewer]

The LHBS only sells grain in 1 lb increments

That's kind of lame, do they expect everyone to have a mill at home? just doesn't seem like a real smart way to do business.

Anyhow,that recipe looks good. take good notes so you can improve your process. Good luck

 

[Hegh]

That's kind of lame, do they expect everyone to have a mill at home? just doesn't seem like a real smart way to do business.

Anyhow,that recipe looks good. take good notes so you can improve your process. Good luck

It was annoying, but he milled it for me. Of course, now I've got 3/4 lb of roasted barley and 1/2 lb CaraMunich that I need to use ASAP so it doesn't go stale... I think I'll pack it in the freezer for now and hope it lasts, since I don't have anything planned.

Also, the day went smoothly, but my efficiency wasn't so great. I somehow managed to boil off 2 gal instead of the expected .5 (what I usually see with extract), and I had to water down my wort. I think my OG was 1.034 or so, instead of the expected 1.039.

The mash dropped from 157* to 151* by the time I sparged, but I did an iodine starch test and conversion was complete, so I'm not really sure about the efficiency... I probably didn't use enough water when sparging. Oh well, lessons learned for next time.

 

[Yankeehillbrewer]

It will only get better. Missing by 5 points isn't too bad for your first AG.

Good Job

 

[Hegh]

It will only get better. Missing by 5 points isn't too bad for your first AG.

Good Job

Thanks.

I'll post pictures later, once I've transferred them onto my computer.

 

[nealf]

The mash dropped from 157* to 151* by the time I sparged, but I did an iodine starch test and conversion was complete, so I'm not really sure about the efficiency... I probably didn't use enough water when sparging. Oh well, lessons learned for next time.

That is a pretty big drop in temperature. Did you allow your cooler time to absorb heat? I usually leave it with just water for ~10 minutes.

 

[Hegh]

Yes, I poured 1.5ish gallons of boiling water in and let it sit for 5-10 minutes before dumping it and pouring in my strike water.

 

[Hegh]

Okay, here are the pictures. This first post is about how I built my mash tun, the next post is about actually brewing.

Here's the cooler that I made into a mash tun ($26 Igloo Ice Cube):

Most of the parts that went into it, about $40 from Lowes (some are not in this picture):
4x 1" solid
1x 2.5" solid
5x 3" notched
4x 6" notched
5x 90* bend
1x 45* bend
5x T junction
1x neoprene washer
1x fitted to male thread junction
1x brass ball valve
1x brass 1/2" barb to male thread fitting
silicone aquarium sealant

The inside junction (the fourth 1" piece along with the neoprene washer and the fitted-to-male fitting):

And finally, outside:

Exploded view of the manifold:

All assembled in the cooler (notches down):

 

[Hegh]

And now brewing pictures.

Polishing the manifold in vinegar (so I don't dissolve copper oxides in the mash):

The ingredients (1/4 lb roasted barley, 1/2 lb CaraMunich, 8 lbs Maris Otter):

The obligatory mash picture:

Draining the first runnings:

Iodine test for starch:

Comparison of the three runnings:

My overcrowded stove:

Straining and partial aeration (mostly aerated by dipping the immersion chiller up and down):

Finished result (with jug of Star-San in the background):

 

[Hegh]

Thanks for your help everyone! If the recipe turns out well, I'll post it in the recipes section. The wort tasted a little more bitter than I expected, but I think it'll mellow through fermentation and aging.

Also, there was one little hiccup -- I added boiled water to up my volume to 5 gallons, but the water was still nearly boiling, and I'd already chilled and didn't want to try to sanitize the chiller to cool it again. So I estimate that I pitched the yeast at about 95*. On the bright side, it didn't kill the yeast, since I had active fermentation within 6 hours, but I'd be surprised if there wasn't a noticeable diacetyl flavor.

 

[nealf]

Great pics!!! looks like everything went pretty well.