First all grain!!!!

[Auspice]

Just wanted to share how easily my first all grain has been so far. I'm brewing on stovetop so I'm boiling with two kettles but the sparge didn't get stuck and everything is going great so far. I overshot my temp on the mash at first but I lost heat surprisingly quickly and kept it at a steady 158F by adding small amounts of hot water every 20 minutes.

I just hope my CFC cools the wort down quickly enough that I can toss it in my kegerator overnight and pitch the yeast in the morning. It's also my first lager!

Quick question amongst my cheering and back patting; if my kegerator is dialed in at 48F and the yeast is rated to work from 46-58 will everything be alright? The temp does seem to drop to low 40s overnight, is that going to stall out my fermentation or will the beer stay a relatively steady temp throughout the fermentation?

Thanks for all the help you guys have given me throughout my months of brewing! :rockin:

 

[rsmith179]

Glad to hear that your first AG batch went successfully! Setting the kegerator to 48F should work perfectly for you. Remember, the lower the temps, the slower the fermentation will go. Just be patient with it. I wouldn't worry too much about temperature fluctuations as long as they are not too steep one way or another. Do you have a temperature controller on the freezer? I would highly recommend getting one if not as it will really help keep your temps very steady.

 

[Auspice]

I don't have a temp controller; I didn't figure I needed one since it's a commercial kegerator. When I dial in the temp to the top it stays around 48F but overnight my basement gets chilly and it apparently overworks itself. The temp seems to level out by around noon each day.

 

[Auspice]

My yeast starter finally settled so I decanted and pitched the cake tonight. My OG reading only measured 1.044 and my estimated on Beersmith was 1.065. I took the reading from the top of the wort after it's been sitting for a few days. Could that mess up the reading? I certainly hope my efficiency wasn't in the mid 40s :/