Homebrew IPA Process Diagram

[Wade27]

After ~20 hours of brewing research, I slowly pieced this together to help understand the entire process. One picture helped answer fifty newbie questions I ended up having. I appreciate all the information out there, and here is what I can give back to hopefully help someone else.

Comment on it, copy, reuse it...

Google Drawing
https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/14DHI3XLXQFuYxYqucUThjTtVAvpb7cI1TBomubTX4gw/edit?usp=sharing

Thanks

 

[WBB]

In this day and age, while I appreciate you work, I cannot click on a link to something from a first time poster who did about 20 hours of brewing research but yet didn’t ask any questions here. Not trying to be a d***, but I hope you understand.

Maybe post a picture of it instead of a hyperlink?

 

[Wade27]

Here is an image of it.

 

[GPNewBrew]

Sorry, but I have to laugh; as there is someone else as “anal”ytical as myself! I actually have a bar chart schedule that I created to optimally schedule my beer production across my three fermenters, and I have a 7 page process SOP (standard operating procedure) that takes me step by step thru the brewing process. My excuse? I’m a retired engineer and project manager. I’m guessing you have the same type of occupation?

 

[Mer-man]

I think that's a great overview, good work. Now remember, the most important things to your output being satisfying are:
1. Cold side sanitation
2. Pitching adequate, healthy yeast
3. Fermentation temperature control of the beer, not ambient.

 

[Wade27]

Sorry, but I have to laugh; as there is someone else as “anal”ytical as myself! I actually have a bar chart schedule that I created to optimally schedule my beer production across my three fermenters, and I have a 7 page process SOP (standard operating procedure) that takes me step by step thru the brewing process. My excuse? I’m a retired engineer and project manager. I’m guessing you have the same type of occupation?

Haha, yes you guessed correctly. I am an engineer and I love diagrams and doing complicated things and not making mistakes.
The SOP is a good idea, there are a lot of steps and one mistake or variation could cause problems. Especially when you are running experiments only one variable can be different, so you can't make any mistakes in that case. I'm going to think of what I need to do there.

I think that's a great overview, good work. Now remember, the most important things to your output being satisfying are:
1. Cold side sanitation
2. Pitching adequate, healthy yeast
3. Fermentation temperature control of the beer, not ambient.

I agree the problems that could cause you to throw the beer away are most critical, which are possible consequences of the first two.
I don't know enough about fermentation temperature to say how critical it is. I see people going to great lengths to hold temp to one degree accuracy. Can one tell a significant difference between 62 degree fermentation and 65 degree? My last yeast packet has a wide range of allowable temperature, even the tighter 'ideal' range is over 5 degrees.

 

[jimfire85]

Neat idea, but the one size fits all approach to hop timing is where I would re-evaluate your flow chart. If this is for one particular recipe you have in mind sure, but not every recipe will have the same additions. Hop type, alpha/beta acid percentages are going to produce different bitterness/flavor/aromatics . Using that hop schedule with all ctz vs if you were to use fuggle would create two entirely different beers. I would also recommend looking into a water calculator or brewing software to be a bit more precise in your water volumes. Also dialing in your ferm temps will make a pretty significant difference with particular yeast strains. Some good, some bad. Give your equipment a wet run to establish your actual boil offs, mashtun and/or kettle dead spaces, potential losses to hosing and pumps, fermentation losses due to trub/dry hop additions, should help with a better calculation of water and grain needs. Keep at it.

 

[Iowa Brewer]

This is great. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Alex4mula]

That is a great diagram. Wish I had it 3 months ago to understand better overall. I’m a QA engineer and after my first brew I quickly created a process checklist that I print and follow every brew. Too many little steps that you can miss or execute out of order.