my first dunkelwizen

[400d]

last night, after all day brewing and drinking lol, I finished my first dunkelweizen.

so, I think it was a disaster

first of all, I used BIAB method for first runnigs, which means that I got sweet wort from a grainbag, in a kettle. mashed at 156 F.

after this I transfered this grainbag to a bucket with a valve, and sparge normally. I did two equal sparges with 173 F water and got it through the valve directly into the kettle.

I had airlock activity and big krausen in couple of hours.

I have to say that in spite of instructions from the kit, I didn't do temperature rests. I just mashed all the grains at 156 F. I really hope that this is not going to be a problem????

also, in the fermentor I have really huge sediment on the bottom. previous beer had probably 60% less sediment, and this one is really big....

don't know the reasons, but probably because of different grains and stuff...

my biggest problem was that at the end of the boil, I think I lost too much water, and now I think in the fermentor I don't have 20 liters (cca 5,3 gallons) as I should, but couple of liters less.

don't have a hydrometer and I don't know OG.

this is how it looks now:

 

[beretta]

Wow.. I wish I had "disasters" like yours... Everything seems fine! I'm sure you beer will be fine. I'm not good with what different beer styles should taste like but everything you said sounds perfectly resonable.

156 F is a fine temperature. A bit on the sweet side, but not bad at all.
Nice fast active fermentation.
don't worry about the extra crap at the bottom.. sometimes you get loads, and sometimes you a just a little trub.
So you were a bit off on the batch length! I again woundn't worry about a couple liters.

I would work on getting a hydrometer... next to a thermometer, it's the brewer's best friend!

 

[400d]

Wow.. I wish I had "disasters" like yours... Everything seems fine! I'm sure you beer will be fine. I'm not good with what different beer styles should taste like but everything you said sounds perfectly resonable.

156 F is a fine temperature. A bit on the sweet side, but not bad at all.
Nice fast active fermentation.
don't worry about the extra crap at the bottom.. sometimes you get loads, and sometimes you a just a little trub.
So you were a bit off on the batch length! I again woundn't worry about a couple liters.

I would work on getting a hydrometer... next to a thermometer, it's the brewer's best friend!

today I bought something I think it could be used as a hydrometer. it's called "alcoholmeter". I don't know how to use it actually. it has two different scales. one scale is for "vol" and the other is for "G"... I don't know how to use this thing. these scales are quite different than ones I have seen on the pictures of hydrometer...

it looks like this:

 

[cackalacky]

That's a cool looking carboy.

Your beer might be a little stronger than planned for due to less water, but I wouldn't worry about.

Just wrap a towel around that carboy to keep the UV out!

 

[400d]

That's a cool looking carboy.

Your beer might be a little stronger than planned for due to less water, but I wouldn't worry about.

Just wrap a towel around that carboy to keep the UV out!

what do you mean UV? anyway this place is very dark even during the day... so... I don't think it's a problem.

 

[cackalacky]

You want to keep light (or UV) off of your beer. It will skunk your hops.

 

[400d]

I don't know what is going on with picture posting.


anyway, can you explain to me can I use this thing as a hydrometer.

it is actually an "alcoholmeter" but since I never used it.... I am not sure if it is the same thing..

it looks like this:

first scale
http://img190.imageshack.us/i/img5590e.jpg
second scale
http://img101.imageshack.us/i/img5592.jpg