Ok, so I've been extract brewing for about a year... maybe 20 batches under my belt...some good, some not, but I've gotten okay results so far.
I used my Christmas allocation to build an AG set up (minimal requirements), and just brewed my first batch, a noble trappist ale. Here's the set up and my questions. Thank you in advance...I've searched most of these items but could not find answers:
Set up: 48 quart cooler conversion MLT, with stainless mesh 12" screen. 7.5 gallon BK w/brass valve fittings, 25' immersion chiller, 70,000 BTU propane burner. Beersmith.
Ok, so my questions are as follow:
Question 1: I decided to batch sparge and used Beersmith to calculate the strike water temp and sparge temps. The water temps got me to my mash temp 152F and sparge temp of 170F perfectly. However, the water volumes suggested by beersmith didn't get me anywhere near the boil volume I needed. Using the appropriate equipment settings, Beersmith suggested 12.5 quarts of strike water for 10lbs of grain, and 7 quarts of sparge water. After my initial lauter and then collecting the second runnings, I had MAYBE 3.5 gallons in my brew kettle. Obviously there was water absorbed by the grain, but how do I get beersmith to account for that?
Question 2: I didn't have any more hot water in my HLT, so I ended up using 12 additional quarts of hot tap water at 130F. Will this third collection at 130 affect my flavor? The initial mash hit 152 perfectly and only lost about a degree over an hour. The sparge hit 170F perfectly as well.
Question 3: After the second sparge, I ended up with just less than 6.5 gallons. After a 60 minute boil, I finished with just less than 5 gallons. Does that seem high for evaporation losses?
Question 4: My immersion chiller worked well, but I found that I had to stir the wort to get accelerate cooling. This unsettled the hop and cold break. The pellet hop residue and cold break all ended up in my fermenter. What is this going to do to my beer, and how can I avoid this in the future? Add a fine mesh screen to the BK? Seems like it would plug up with break material.
Question 5: Starting Gravity in the fermenter was 1.063. How do I calculate my mash efficiency given the volume issues I discussed above? The grain bill was 9 lbs domestic 2 row, .5 lb of carapils, .5 of crystal 40, and 1.5 lbs of Belgian candi sugar. Any suggestions on my efficiency?
I know that is a lot, and I really appreciate the help. I loved the process of AG compared to extract, and I'm seeing a very healthy active fermentation 24 hours after pitching, so I'm really excited to see if the taste improves over my extract batches.
I used my Christmas allocation to build an AG set up (minimal requirements), and just brewed my first batch, a noble trappist ale. Here's the set up and my questions. Thank you in advance...I've searched most of these items but could not find answers:
Set up: 48 quart cooler conversion MLT, with stainless mesh 12" screen. 7.5 gallon BK w/brass valve fittings, 25' immersion chiller, 70,000 BTU propane burner. Beersmith.
Ok, so my questions are as follow:
Question 1: I decided to batch sparge and used Beersmith to calculate the strike water temp and sparge temps. The water temps got me to my mash temp 152F and sparge temp of 170F perfectly. However, the water volumes suggested by beersmith didn't get me anywhere near the boil volume I needed. Using the appropriate equipment settings, Beersmith suggested 12.5 quarts of strike water for 10lbs of grain, and 7 quarts of sparge water. After my initial lauter and then collecting the second runnings, I had MAYBE 3.5 gallons in my brew kettle. Obviously there was water absorbed by the grain, but how do I get beersmith to account for that?
Question 2: I didn't have any more hot water in my HLT, so I ended up using 12 additional quarts of hot tap water at 130F. Will this third collection at 130 affect my flavor? The initial mash hit 152 perfectly and only lost about a degree over an hour. The sparge hit 170F perfectly as well.
Question 3: After the second sparge, I ended up with just less than 6.5 gallons. After a 60 minute boil, I finished with just less than 5 gallons. Does that seem high for evaporation losses?
Question 4: My immersion chiller worked well, but I found that I had to stir the wort to get accelerate cooling. This unsettled the hop and cold break. The pellet hop residue and cold break all ended up in my fermenter. What is this going to do to my beer, and how can I avoid this in the future? Add a fine mesh screen to the BK? Seems like it would plug up with break material.
Question 5: Starting Gravity in the fermenter was 1.063. How do I calculate my mash efficiency given the volume issues I discussed above? The grain bill was 9 lbs domestic 2 row, .5 lb of carapils, .5 of crystal 40, and 1.5 lbs of Belgian candi sugar. Any suggestions on my efficiency?
I know that is a lot, and I really appreciate the help. I loved the process of AG compared to extract, and I'm seeing a very healthy active fermentation 24 hours after pitching, so I'm really excited to see if the taste improves over my extract batches.