My turn at "Did I ruin my batch "

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blackntan

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I read all the "Did I ruin my batch" threads and didn't really come across one that dealt with an all grain batch.

I brewed my first all grain batch on 3/8, it's a Newcastle type. Here's the receipe I followed and the procedure.

ingredents:
9lbs - English two rows
1lbs - Crystal 55L
2oz - Chocolate
1oz - Black Patent

Started out with 2 1/2 gallons of filtered bottled water, brought it to 155 degrees and slowly add my grain, and boiled for 90 minutes

Added:
3/4oz - Kent Golding @ 60 min
1/2oz - Kent Golding @ 30 min
1tsp - Irish moss @ 15 min
3/4 - Dark Brown Sugar @ 15 min
1/4oz - Kent Golding @ 10 min

Sparged with 2 1/2 gallon of 180 degree water.

Cooled wort to 90 degrees, pour wort into carboy airiated and pitched yeast.

I got an OG of 1.060.... Have no Idea what the efficency was, I'm not really sure how to figure that part out.

Here's where my problems come in....

1. When I added the wort to the carboy, I went from using 5 gallons of water to about 2 1/2 gallons of wort, so I added more bottled water
2. The first day of firmenting, just hours after the brew, the airlock was bubbling like crazy, then next day it slowed down quite a bit and now there is no activity, and there doesn't seem to be much Krausen developed.

Questions:

1. Is it normal to loose that much liquid during the brew and sparge process?
2. Will adding water after the fact dilute the brew and lower the OG?
3. And why did the fermintation seem to stop after 3 days?
4. Should I just let sit and ride it out for a week or 2, then check the grvity?

any help ?
 
Yes...You used five gallons total (which is the problem) I believe you lost a gallon and quarter to both grain absorption and boil off or some combination thereof; thats two and a half total. five minus 2 and a half equals two and a half.

in the future try mashing with 3 and a half gallons and sparging with 3 and a half gallons ....this should leave you with roughly 6 and a quarter gallons of pre-boiled wort. then boil off a gallon and a quarter to end with five gallons.
 
You said that it was not producing much krausen... is it possible you just missed your fermentation and it fell from the top already? Only real way to check is whip out that hydrometer.

Also yes adding additional water will dilute your brew and make the og lower... how much water did you have to add to get to 5 gallons?

Was your wort at 90 degrees when you checked your og? That could be throwing you off some also
 
is that OG before or after you doubled the volume?

You said that it was not producing much krausen... is it possible you just missed your fermentation and it fell from the top already? Only real way to check is whip out that hydrometer.

Also yes adding additional water will dilute your brew and make the og lower... how much water did you have to add to get to 5 gallons?

Was your wort at 90 degrees when you checked your og? That could be throwing you off some also

The og was before I added the water.

I added 8 to 10 pints, if my covertion is correct then i think it was like 1 gallon and 1 pint at the most, and i didn't get to a full 5 gallons... i ran out of bottled water. My wort was at or around the 90 degree mark, give or take, probably more on the low side.

So am I at a loss here, is it worth waiting for?

It was my first time and i think I may have ejaculated a bit early.
 
I'm kind of confused...

Did you heat your water to 155* and then add the grain? If so, then your mash was way lower than 155 degrees.

Then your OG of the 2.5 gallons was 1.06? You added the yeast to that and it was 90*? Then you added another 2.5 gallons of water and that would make the OG 1.03.

So, It is probably done fermenting after a couple of days and my guess is that you will have some nasty tasting beer colored water.
 
Well if your wort was 90 degrees when you measured it then it was probably more around 1.064 and if you had 3 gallons of wort and added a gallon and a bit I would think it would put you in the 1.040's which isn't the worst thing in the world. I wouldn't worry about the fast ferment. I've had plenty of beers finish with the furious fermenting in the first 48 hours and then looked like they were doing nothing for the other 3 weeks I let them sit.

I'm sure the yeasties are still hard at work.

But my only question is you said you kept the mash at 155 for 60 minutes and then you boiled, you boiled with the grains or you boiled just the wort alone?
 
I highly sugges some brewing software. I'm familiar with and like Beersmith. It's got a free trial - check it out. This will help you overcome (almost) every problem you had. The only ones it can't help with are chilling and process. You really need to chill to at least 75º before pitching your yeast. And make sure you mash, sparge, then boil (no grains). It's hard to tell from your description.

Here's some of the things brewing programs can help you with.

1) It takes into account water you lose through grain absorbtion, dead space, boil-off, etc.

2) It has calculations for hitting you mash temps. Takes into account grain bill, strike volume, target temp (and MLT temp, grain temp if you want)

3) It has many built-in calculators, including efficiency. Just tell it your final volume and OG, and there you have it. This will help you dial in your recipes in the future. It's also got other useful calculators when you're building a recipe, e.g., color, ABV, IBUs.

I'm sure your fermentation is complete. Check w/ hydrometer. You'll have a lighter brew than you were shooting for since I'm sure your efficiency was in the tank this go-round. But the beer will probably still taste fine, even though it's not what you were shooting for. Chalk it up as experience. I'm sure your next AG brew day will be much better.
 
It might also check around to see if another local brewer would be willing to come over and walk you through things next time. Their experience could really help a lot, and you make a new buddy in the process. Most brewers who are close would be more than willing if I had to guess.
 

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