First run on my new system and it was almost a disaster

BigPoppa502 · Mar 16, 2019

So it's been a year since I have brewed. I'm on my new three tier AG system and was way rushed today because my buddy was coming over to help. I was still plumbing the thing when he got here. Timing was all off, missed my temps like a boss and had a boil over. All in all I've got almost 6 hours in this one session and still haven't pitched this 10 gallon Hoegaarden Clone. Disater having been averted wort is cooling and I am still breathing. Gotta love it... this brew will be good I'm sure even if it doesn't taste just like the commercial cousin. Having a brew... cheers!

BigPoppa502 · Mar 16, 2019

BigPoppa502 said:
So it's been a year since I have brewed. I'm on my new three tier AG system and was way rushed today because my buddy was coming over to help. I was still plumbing the thing when he got here. Timing was all off, missed my temps like a boss and had a boil over. All in all I've got almost 6 hours in this one session and still haven't pitched this 10 gallon Hoegaarden Clone. Disater having been averted wort is cooling and I am still breathing. Gotta love it... this brew will be good I'm sure even if it doesn't taste just like the commercial cousin. Having a brew... cheers!

Note the grains on the shelf below! Ha it was a day!

BigPoppa502 · Mar 16, 2019

BigPoppa502 said:
Note the grains on the shelf below! Ha it was a day!

...

day_trippr · Mar 16, 2019

It gets better. Cheers for knocking the rust off :mug:

And if by "three tier" you actually meant "three vessel" I'm with you

Hopalong · Mar 17, 2019

Nice brewing system. As long as there is glucose in Hoegaarden Clone there shall be alcohol!! Alpha isn't too concerned that you missed temps, strikes and targets. Alpha release glucose from simple starch throughout a wide temperature range. Depending on how high the temperature was kept during mashing more highly fermentable glucose than sweet tasting, nonfermenting types of sugar are released during saccharification. A rest temperature at 150F causes Alpha to release more glucose than sweet tasting types of sugar. The wort contains more fermentable, glucose and the more glucose the higher the ABV. The higher the rest temperature the less fermentable the wort is and the beer will be on the sweeter side.
Skim off the hot break as it comes to the top and continue to remove the stuff until it stops forming or drastically reduces before adding hops. The wort will be cleaner and less hops are needed. Skim off the second break, too.
To lessen hot break; when the bottom of the wort boiler is covered with extract stop adding extract and fire the boiler. When the extract begins to boil add a small amount of hops or a handful of crushed black malt and very slowly add more extract without stopping the extract in the boiler from boiling. Skim off hot break as the boiler fills. Less worry about boil over and the boiler can be filled higher. Hops and black malt reduces surface tension. It's a trick from way back.