Help tweaking this beer

[Radecky]

This is a beer that I have been brewing for the last couple years and I am looking for some ideas for making this beer better. This is for a 15 gal batch and it is an extract with specialty grains, 60 min. boil. This is a good beer just I want to get an outside opinion.

Thanks

4lbs Vienna
2lbs CaraPils
10lbs of Pale 2 Row

4.5 Liters of Light LME

Hops
.9oz Crystal (1st Wort)
.9oz Crystal (60 min.)
.7oz Northern Brewer (60 min.)
1.8oz Crystal (30 min.)

Yeast is White Labs WLP001

 

[JonK331]

have you ever tried using Maris Otter instead of the Pale 2 row?

 

[Radecky]

No I haven't....come to think about it I don't think I ever used that grain. How would it compare to 2-Row?

 

[Yooper]

No I haven't....come to think about it I don't think I ever used that grain. How would it compare to 2-Row?

It's "breadier" if there is such a thing. MO is "warmer" tasting to me, too.

 

[Radecky]

It's "breadier" if there is such a thing. MO is "warmer" tasting to me, too.

That does make sense. That also does sound pretty good. I like the Idea of trying to make this brew a bit more hardier.

 

[JonK331]

MO is usually a little pricier but I think it's well worth it. I love the stuff. i use a blend of 60% MO and 40% 2-row in most of my ag brews. The blend keeps the price down but still adds some really nice flavor.

 

[Radecky]

I have been reading that some grains are not so good for steeping, too much starch. Would MO be OK for steeping? or would I have to mash the grains?

 

[JonK331]

Both MO and 2-row should be mashed. Do you steep the 10lbs of 2-row? If so, you might consider mashing that also. 10 lbs is a lot of grain to steep. Do you know what the OG of your recipe would be without the LME? You might be better off mashing, skipping the LME, and using aroung 16 lbs of base malt (including some Maris Otter if you wish). This will keep the price down and give you a better beer.

 

[Radecky]

Yup, I have steeped the 10lbs of 2 row....well maybe I have been doing a PM and I am getting confused between the 2. tonight when I get home I'll have to check my notes and I will have more of the particulars.

 

[Radecky]

Both MO and 2-row should be mashed. Do you steep the 10lbs of 2-row? If so, you might consider mashing that also. 10 lbs is a lot of grain to steep. Do you know what the OG of your recipe would be without the LME? You might be better off mashing, skipping the LME, and using aroung 16 lbs of base malt (including some Maris Otter if you wish). This will keep the price down and give you a better beer.

Ok I am looking over my notes and my current OG is 1.050 give or take. I shoot for a FG of 1.013. What I have been doing is putting the crushed grains (split between 2 nylon bags) in my keggle let them soak in 140 degree water for 10 minutes to make sure they are soaked through, then raise the temp to 153 degrees and let them steep for 30 minutes (4 lbs of Vienna, 2 lbs of Cara pils and 10 lbs of 2row) then I turn up the heat to reach a boil. once I reach the boil I cut off the heat and add the extracts and the 1st wort hops turn on the heat once everything is disolved and continue with the boil.

You have me thinking I might get better results if I add the grains and keep the temp at 153 degrees for 60 minutes and then go to a boil.

I have never done the calculations for the wort if I didn't add the LME. according to the software it would come out to be 1.027. I am wondering what would happen if I just mash the grains take a reading then adjuct the extract to make up the diffrence.

 

[shadowmage36]

That much grain (16 lbs!!) could get you to about 1.040 OG on its own if you mashed it. That's with 75% mash efficiency and a 12 gallon boil volume (down to 10 gallons over the course of the boil, or at least that's what TastyBrew's calculator told me). So you could definitely do a (BIG damn) mini-mash and then "top up" your OG with extract.

You could very easily remove the 2-row and just add more LME at the outset. Steeped, as you already said, that much grain gets you to about 1.027. So a partial-mash brew will-in theory-get you an extra 13 points on your OG. You could use that to cut your LME requirements, or just cut your specialty grains by that much.

That is, of course, assuming you have the gear to do a proper sparge. If not, and you're stuck doing steeping in your keggle then the steeping method you just described will work well enough. Just make sure to let the grains drain thoroughly to get maximum sugar extraction. But steeping long enough to allow for conversion will definitely get you more fermentables in your wort than you had before. Not sure offhand if there's any way to calculate that, but it will certainly be an interesting experiment!

 

[Radecky]

Yeah at this moment I am not equipted to sparge as of yet. I am hoping for a cooler for x-mas. I have been reading up also on "No Sparge" as I can do it with the equiptment I have. This might be the way to go with this next brew. Start the new year with a feet first jump into AG