Evan!
Well-Known Member
Now, don't take the thread title the wrong way. Both batches are safely bubbling away as we speak. However, it came at a cost. I think my head finally hit the pillow around 4:45am.
My question is: why do I do this to myself? I could have just done one batch and been perfectly happy. But no, I had to brew two. I had to have two mashes, 2 boils...too much.
I worked my ass of yesterday hauling mulch, then we bought a smoker at Lowes and smoked a chicken. Yum! After dinner, I "took care" of SWMBO
, then called my buddy who doesn't brew, but came and hung out with me and helped out because his woman just started her first year of med residency. The old trooper hung with me through the entire ordeal!
Mashed in on the first batch (Stone VE 06.06.06) a little after 9pm (used my "new" mash cooler for the first time!). Single infusion @ 148. Staggered the Double IPA back about 30-45 minutes behind so I'd have time to sparge and get the boil going on the first one before the 2nd mash was done.
The VE mash went okay, but my iodine test at 60 minutes came up black, so I added some hot water to help complete the conversion, and it ended up working out finally. A big sparge (shooting for 1.084 OG) meant two separate pots going at the same time until they evap'd enough to combine. Sparged the DIPA, added the FW hops, and got ready to go. The VE had evap'd enough to combine into one kettle, thus freeing up the second burner stand. So I did that, put the DIPA on, and just about the time when I got it up to rolling, the propane tank on the VE's burner died. About this time, it's 1:30am or so. Maybe 2. And All my extra tanks are empty, because I'd forgotten to get them filled. So I had to finish the 90 (turned out to be 120 because of evap) before I could get the DIPA back on there.
All went well, considering, and I had my VE in the carboy (racked it onto an existing Wyeast Abbey II cake from my rochefort 10 clone) and aerating. Finished the DIPA boil (hit it with a bunch of summit during the last 15 mins, we'll see how that works out, as I've never used that hop before), and had it cooling (one of my immersion chillers screwed up, so I was forced outside with my other one). About the time when it dipped below 100f, I remembered that I never put in the 5 lbs of DME (it's a PM batch). So I had to take some of the chilling wort, put it back into the kettle, add the DME, bring it to a boil and stir it for a few mins, then add it back. Added probably 30 minutes to my night. It was still at 80f when I said "f*ck it" and pitched the yeast so I could go to sleep.
Head hit the pillow around 4:45, got maybe 5 hours of sleep, and here I am, at work again.
Both of the batches are bubbling away this morning. But I do believe that's the last time I'll try that. You know, it gets late, you drink a little too much homebrew, your propane dies, and you forget to put in the DME. Not good. But, like I said, all's well that ends well, and I'm sure these batches will be that much better because of the trials and tribulations. I just don't recommend this nonsense to anyone else.
Oh, and I hot my expected OG on the VE exactly on the nose. Very cool.
My question is: why do I do this to myself? I could have just done one batch and been perfectly happy. But no, I had to brew two. I had to have two mashes, 2 boils...too much.
I worked my ass of yesterday hauling mulch, then we bought a smoker at Lowes and smoked a chicken. Yum! After dinner, I "took care" of SWMBO
, then called my buddy who doesn't brew, but came and hung out with me and helped out because his woman just started her first year of med residency. The old trooper hung with me through the entire ordeal! Mashed in on the first batch (Stone VE 06.06.06) a little after 9pm (used my "new" mash cooler for the first time!). Single infusion @ 148. Staggered the Double IPA back about 30-45 minutes behind so I'd have time to sparge and get the boil going on the first one before the 2nd mash was done.
The VE mash went okay, but my iodine test at 60 minutes came up black, so I added some hot water to help complete the conversion, and it ended up working out finally. A big sparge (shooting for 1.084 OG) meant two separate pots going at the same time until they evap'd enough to combine. Sparged the DIPA, added the FW hops, and got ready to go. The VE had evap'd enough to combine into one kettle, thus freeing up the second burner stand. So I did that, put the DIPA on, and just about the time when I got it up to rolling, the propane tank on the VE's burner died. About this time, it's 1:30am or so. Maybe 2. And All my extra tanks are empty, because I'd forgotten to get them filled. So I had to finish the 90 (turned out to be 120 because of evap) before I could get the DIPA back on there.
All went well, considering, and I had my VE in the carboy (racked it onto an existing Wyeast Abbey II cake from my rochefort 10 clone) and aerating. Finished the DIPA boil (hit it with a bunch of summit during the last 15 mins, we'll see how that works out, as I've never used that hop before), and had it cooling (one of my immersion chillers screwed up, so I was forced outside with my other one). About the time when it dipped below 100f, I remembered that I never put in the 5 lbs of DME (it's a PM batch). So I had to take some of the chilling wort, put it back into the kettle, add the DME, bring it to a boil and stir it for a few mins, then add it back. Added probably 30 minutes to my night. It was still at 80f when I said "f*ck it" and pitched the yeast so I could go to sleep.
Head hit the pillow around 4:45, got maybe 5 hours of sleep, and here I am, at work again.
Both of the batches are bubbling away this morning. But I do believe that's the last time I'll try that. You know, it gets late, you drink a little too much homebrew, your propane dies, and you forget to put in the DME. Not good. But, like I said, all's well that ends well, and I'm sure these batches will be that much better because of the trials and tribulations. I just don't recommend this nonsense to anyone else.
Oh, and I hot my expected OG on the VE exactly on the nose. Very cool.
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