First Batch Mashed In

[ebaker]

Using DeathBrewer's Easy Partial Brewing Technique:

5 lb Pale Malt (2 Row)
1 lb Crystal Malt (40)
Mash in 2.5 Gallons Strike Temp 160F, settled in on 152F and now sitting about 45 minutes
Sparge in 1.5 Gallons 160F for 10 to 15 min for additional conversion

3 lb Light DME
0.25 lb Cane Sugar

60 minute Boil
1 oz Cascade 8.6% @ 60 min
1 oz Cascade 8.6% @ 10 min
1 oz Cascade 8.6% @ Whirlpool
1 oz Citra 13% @ Whirlpool

Will be topped up to 4.5-4.75 gallons for Estimated OG Between 1.062 and 1.065

Dry Hop:
1 oz Citra and/or 1 oz Cascade 7 days.

Thoughts?

 

[IslandLizard]

A sparge means a rinse. So after draining off the liquid (wort) from the mash, you add "sparge" water, stir well and drain again. It's to rinse out the remaining sugars adsorbed to the grain.

 

[ebaker]

A sparge means a rinse. So after draining off the liquid (wort) from the mash, you add "sparge" water, stir well and drain again. It's to rinse out the remaining sugars adsorbed to the grain.

Thanks. Indeed, that's why DeathBrewer's technique of getting as much wort from the grains and then submerging in 2 gallons "sparge" water functionally acts as a rinse. At 160F, this step was found to have some additional conversion if left in there for 10 minutes or so. This gets added to the boil, of course.
I suppose one could also colander rinse to try and get the last bit out.

After about 45 minutes, the mash didn't seem particularly sweet, or sticky, so I very carefully (without burning the bag) stepped it back up to 153F, now it seems to have come to life. Will wait a bit longer, then time to do the sparge step I'm guessing...

 

[IslandLizard]

You can mash as low as 147 for a very fermentable wort, but it may need more than 45 minutes, since alpha amylase activity is lowish at that temp. Raising it a little (to 150-154), as you did, will get you more activity.

 

[beermanpete]

Measure the specific gravity of the first runnings. It should be near 1.100 if the conversion went well.

 

[ebaker]

Measure the specific gravity of the first runnings. It should be near 1.100 if the conversion went well.

Good idea! Too bad I didn't think of it. Have about 4 gallons of wort around 1.045 but have yet to add the extract..

 

[ebaker]

1.060 with everything in but the sugar. Seems to be close to estimated. The plan was to top off, but not by much.

If the wort is a bit warm, will the reading be off?

 

[ebaker]

You can mash as low as 147 for a very fermentable wort, but it may need more than 45 minutes, since alpha amylase activity is lowish at that temp. Raising it a little (to 150-154), as you did, will get you more activity.

Great stuff. I had the Palmer book and read through it, but of course it makes much more sense in the context of actually trying things!

The mash did lose some temperature, down to 140 before I put the temp back up, gave it 15 minutes in the sparge bath, then colander. Perhaps overkill, but the unhopped wort tastes fantastic!

 

[IslandLizard]

Oh yeah, it all makes a lot more sense when you do it in real life.

140 is too low to get adequate conversion, as you can see on that graph. But some mashes start low around 131 for 15-20 minutes, then get ramped up slowly to 148 and held there for 45 minutes, then slowly raised again to around 158 and rested there. I do Double IPAs that way.

Next time, boil the collected wort, but consider adding your DME and sugars at the end, right after flameout.

You brewed beer from grain!

 

[ebaker]

Oh yeah, it all makes a lot more sense when you do it in real life.

140 is too low to get adequate conversion, as you can see on that graph. But some mashes start low around 131 for 15-20 minutes, then get ramped up slowly to 148 and held there for 45 minutes, then slowly raised again to around 158 and rested there. I do Double IPAs that way.

Next time, boil the collected wort, but consider adding your DME and sugars at the end, right after flameout.

You brewed beer from grain!

Sure did! Thanks again for the assistance.

That ramp up mash to get very attenuable wort sounds great.

I have also read about adding the extracts and sugars right near the end, no need to boil, only pasteurize.
This was the plan!!!

But I got freaked out a bit by forgetting to take a reading of the mash! So I opted to put it all in early so I could see where things were at. Next time.

If it's a bit darker or caramelized this time, that's fine, though the plan was to be on the pale side color wise, and also a bit dry with prominent but not killer hops. I ended up slightly increasing the sugar in hopes to counter the early DME addition in these respects, and also a bit more late hops (Extra oz of Cascade), because why not?

But I have to say, with a bit of planning, the stove top is much more capable than I thought was possible. I did find a challenge tweaking things to fit the equipment, but it smells good and I'll end up with close to 5 gallons for the fermentation.

Going with US-05, it's 65 degrees ambient in the basement..

 

[ebaker]

OG 1.064 at 4.6 Gallons.
Not bad.

 

[seabrew8]

I need to get more citra! Looks like a winner. Good luck.