First time brewing all-grain, observations and questions

[DarrellQ]

I brewed a Sierra Nevada knock-off from a kit which contained 10.75 lbs of grain. The OG was supposed to be 1.052. I used my Anvil Foundry for the first time also. When the strike temperature reached 159F on the Foundry, I turned the power % to off and mashed-in the grains. I reduced the set temperature to 152 degrees. After 10 minutes, I started the circulation pump. With no power applied to the burners, and the circulation pump running, it took over 20 minutes for the mash temperature to drop to 152F. By the time it hit 152, there were only 38 minutes left in the 60 minute mash. Is this a problem? If so, what should I do differently?

The recipe called for a 10 minute mash-out at 170 degrees after the 60 minutes mash. After 60 minutes, I increased the temperature to 170. It took 9 minutes to reach 170. So, it was only at 170 for about 1 minute before sparge. Once it reached 170, is that when the 10 minute mash-out period should have started or did I do it correctly?

After the boil, hop additions, and cool down, my OG was only 1.045. What could have caused me to miss the mark?

One final question. Because it took longer than I anticipated to cool the wort, my US-05 yeast rehydrated for about 45 minutes. Will it be OK?

I really appreciate your comments and expertise, thanks!

 

[rburrelli]

You did not need to turn the power totally off after adding grains. Just reset the temp to desired mash temp and recirculate.
Mashout is not a big deal. You were ok but should have done 10 minutes. Since you are going to boil from there anyway it was ok what you did.
Your lower gravity is not so great that it is an issue. Lots of possible reasons could have caused that.
I don’t think the yeast issue is an issue either.

 

[FromZwolle]

The all in one systems are generally lower in mash efficiency, at least without really dialing in the sparge process. You can account for this in planning ny adding a bit of extra grain or dme in the boil.

 

[DarrellQ]

You did not need to turn the power totally off after adding grains. Just reset the temp to desired mash temp and recirculate.
Mashout is not a big deal. You were ok but should have done 10 minutes. Since you are going to boil from there anyway it was ok what you did.
Your lower gravity is not so great that it is an issue. Lots of possible reasons could have caused that.
I don’t think the yeast issue is an issue either.

I followed the instructions and recipe down to the letter. The system performed exactly as expected. What are some of the possible reasons?

 

[FromZwolle]

I followed the instructions and recipe down to the letter. The system performed exactly as expected. What are some of the possible reasons?

the recipe was likely created with a mash effeciency of ~75%. if your particular system will yield lower than that, as many all in one systems do (they're essentially biab), then you need to adjust for that by using more grain to reach your expected gravity.

 

[DarrellQ]

the recipe was likely created with a mash effeciency of ~75%. if your particular system will yield lower than that, as many all in one systems do (they're essentially biab), then you need to adjust for that by using more grain to reach your expected gravity.

So, does lower than expected OG affect just ABV, flavor, or both?

 

[FromZwolle]

So, does lower than expected OG affect just ABV, flavor, or both?

in your case, just alcohol. it can affect flavor with greater discrepancy, but you really weren't far off enough to be a big issue.

 

[FromZwolle]

sparging is a little wonky with these things as well, at least in comparison to a dedicated mash tun. this thread goes over it quite well:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/anvil-foundry-mash-eff.672843/

 

[shoengine]

So, does lower than expected OG affect just ABV, flavor, or both?

Flavor is affected by a lot of variables. Grain variety, roast, kilning, mash profile, hops additions (age, quantity), fermentation profile (temperature, yeast type or age), handling (grain storage, cleanliness, oxygen ingress), and probably others. Most home brewers will not achieve the same flavor profile on subsequent brews of the same recipe, just due to the various factors involved. So in other words, your beer may be a bit sweeter than planned, but I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[FromZwolle]

Flavor is affected by a lot of variables. Grain variety, roast, kilning, mash profile, hops additions (age, quantity), fermentation profile (temperature, yeast type or age), handling (grain storage, cleanliness, oxygen ingress), and probably others. Most home brewers will not achieve the same flavor profile on subsequent brews of the same recipe, just due to the various factors involved. So in other words, your beer may be a bit sweeter than planned, but I wouldn't worry about it.

he undershot the gravity, the beer will end up slightly drier and thinner.