Mini-Mash #1 in the fermenter

[stanley1271]

Well first off I have to say thanks to everyone on this forum. The questions I wanted to ask, but was able to find that someone else asked already. The questions I did ask and were promptly answered. And to all who have posted their methods, errors and successes. Thanks for all of that.

So this Saturday evening I went ahead with my first mini-mash. It was a kit from my LHBS, a Sierra Neveda Pale Ale clone. So first lesson is to make sure I have all of my equipment and not use the regular kitchen equipment. Found that they really large spoon we had was about 3-5 inches to short to properly stir the post once it was at a boil and I was adding the Hops.

Second lesson is in having enough space and planning it out right. I have a very small kitchen and I kept finding myself without enough space to work. I think I am going to buy/build a small cart that will help me store my equipment and add to some space to hold things while I am brewing.

Lastly I need to remember to show more patience while waiting for the boil on the stove. It took about 40+ mins to bring the wort to a rolling boil and the pizza arrived so I thought I would go grab a piece and as I bit into the first slice I could hear the boil over start to happen. Thankfully I had a water bottle right next to the stove and was able to get it under control with little mess. However, even that little mess is a pain to clean up.

Just a note that I see on here about cats not liking the fermentation bubbling, I have found that one of my dogs does not like it as well. She sat there growling at it for a couple of hours last night.

Again thank you to all of you on this board. This is by far the best resource I have found. Even after reading Papizan and Palmer.

Btw I will be doing only extracts and mini-mash from now on, unless someone wants to buy me a house.



-Stanley

 

[Roscoe]

I have found it's good to clear everything out, including doing all the dishes (I have been bad with putting them away, which ends up getting in the way.) I had made a center island in my last apt., which was basically a free standing kitchen base cabinet that I finished off with luan on the back and sides. I put a piece of heavy plywood on the top, overhanging the back for stools and one side for the trash barrel. I nailed oak trim around the edges and tiled the top. Looked awesome, added a lot of counterspace and storage space, and was nice to sit at, nevermind giving us a place to hide the trash. I plan on making another one for my new place!

-Roscoe

 

[stanley1271]

Oh ya one more lesson I learned. Make sure the thermometer you get goes below 100 degrees Fahrenheit. I picked up a long thermometer this weekend, but did not pay attention to the low end temps. So when it came to cooling time I had to look around and was luck to find a shorter one we had at the house in a box that went to zero Fahrenheit. Problem with this one is that it was not long enough to get the temp at the lower parts of the pot so during cooling I had to guesstimate.

@Roscoe,
Thats a good idea. I had originally thought about using a base cabinet for a fermenting box, but the ones I could find would not be tall enough for the fermenter and the blow off. At least with just putting a top on it without a collar added height. Maybe I can put some wheels on a base cabinet and use that as my mobile equipment cart.

-Stanley