First AG...I'm going in!

[ibbones]

Getting ready for my first All Grain in a little bit. I want to thany all of ya'll for making it seem so easy and encourging all the people to try it. I have watched the videos from here and on youtube and now have the equipment to try.
I'm starting off making a Steam Beer. I have watched the "Easy All Grain" You tube video a dozen times and he was making a Steam beer so I thought it should be my first as well.
Here's my recipe:

11# Two Row
1/2 # Dark Crystal
1/2 # Med Crystal
1 1/2 oz Northern Brewer hops @ 60
1/2 oz Northers Brewer hops @ 15
1/2 oz Cascade Hops @ 0

I can't do a Lager so I'm going to use White Labs California Ale Yeast WLP001

Of course I will do the "No Chill" and make a starter from my own wort and pitch tomorrow.

Thanks again to all of ya'll!

 

[weirdboy]

One of the main points of a steam beer is to ferment using a lager yeast at ale temperatures, so there's no need to use wlp001.

Good luck! Remember, mistakes might happen but don't worry about them.

 

[wildwest450]

You could chuck the cascade get some san fran lager yeast and ferment in the low 60's, bam a California Common.

 

[ibbones]

OK. at 9:00ish I put the water on to heat and pulled my stuff out. Got to mash at 9:38 to 10:38 and collected 3 gallons, Put my strick water in for the sparge and pulled out 3.5 gallons. Perfect. I was looking to get 6.5 to boil and end up with 5.5ish for the fermentor.
Got the hops put in on time and boiled for the one hour while I cleaned my mash tun out.
At flame out, I measured and had right at 5.5 gallons. Woohoo, can you hear me now. Too bad I forgot about the last gallon that stays in the bottom of the boil kettle. Drats! Added a little cold water to the winpak and now I am letting my wort cool so I can pitch tomorrow. Have a sample to check OG also cooling.

I was finished in 4 1/2 hours so what did I forget? It is a "no chill" so I didn't have to do that.

 

[annasdadhockey]

Take any pictures?

 

[jpc]

OK. at 9:00ish I put the water on to heat and pulled my stuff out.

Take any pictures?

You sick little monkey!!!

 

[The Pol]

Jbbones... glad you did it. Sounds excellent. I will take credit for that

Really, excellent!

 

[ibbones]

You sick little monkey!!!

You have no idea!

Sorry, no pix and I am getting ready to pitch my little yeasties today. They are bubbling away but I might give them more time. When I open the Winpak, I will pull a sample and take a gravity reading.

 

[ibbones]

My original gravity ended up at 1.044 I can live with that. The airlock is dancing away and it'll burn your nose hairs off to sniff it.

 

[Palefire]

Congrats! Although, reppin' SF here, I'd say it's not a true steam beer unless you use a lager yeast (like WLP810). Though it looks like you've got a pretty bitchin' amber going.

Let us know how it turns out!

 

[ibbones]

Congrats! Although, reppin' SF here, I'd say it's not a true steam beer unless you use a lager yeast (like WLP810). Though it looks like you've got a pretty bitchin' amber going.

Let us know how it turns out!

Yeah, I know about the ale yeast but as of yet, I have no way to lager. Still working on that part.

 

[Palefire]

Yeah, I know about the ale yeast but as of yet, I have no way to lager. Still working on that part.

That's what's cool about Steam Beers - they use lager yeast but ferment at ale temps. I just did one that fermented at 62 (in the swamp cooler, no less), but lots of people do them higher, in the mid-60's. Give it a try! This is definitely not to knock your beer, though - it looks fantastic as is.