ersheff
Well-Known Member
Howdy.
So, my brew partner and I are still new to all-grain. We're still doing stovetop and have a small kettle, so we've been limited to 2.5 gallons for all grain up to this point.
We brewed half of this:
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/imperial-stout-all-grain-kit.html
last week.
I brewed the other half last night and want to have a little fun with it.
I've got come cocoa nibs and a couple of leftover dried ancho chiles from a chili I made a few weeks ago.
When all was said and done, I probably ended up with closer to 2 gallons in my 3 gallon carboy.
I'm thinking of adding 2 oz of nibs and 1 whole dried ancho (stem and seeds removed).
I'm planning to put this all in just enough water to cover and simmer it for a bit to sterilize.
What to you think? Quantities look OK? Is the simmering going to ruin the cocoa nibs? This is the first time I've tried adding additional ingredients (other than oak cubes).
I want a decent amount of cocoa flavor (hopefully not adding too much bitterness, though) with just a hint of heat and fruitiness from the ancho.
By the way, I've just got to say: I haven't been doing this for terribly long, but I've definitely hit the RDWHAHB stage.
Last night, I was taking mash temps with a meat thermometer (forgot the digital one at brew partner's house), could barely sparge because the full grain bag (8.5 lbs of grain) was too big to fit in anything but my brewpot, stirred in cold filtered NON-BOILED water to help zero in on the desired OG (it was a bit higher than I expected, oops), used half of a Safale yeast packet that was opened last week and has been in the fridge...
And sure enough, my sweet wort tasted great (good body on this one!), I got my OG to 1.086, the yeast was cranking away handily this morning, and the krausen is looking good. I love beer. :rockin:
So, my brew partner and I are still new to all-grain. We're still doing stovetop and have a small kettle, so we've been limited to 2.5 gallons for all grain up to this point.
We brewed half of this:
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/imperial-stout-all-grain-kit.html
last week.
I brewed the other half last night and want to have a little fun with it.
I've got come cocoa nibs and a couple of leftover dried ancho chiles from a chili I made a few weeks ago.
When all was said and done, I probably ended up with closer to 2 gallons in my 3 gallon carboy.
I'm thinking of adding 2 oz of nibs and 1 whole dried ancho (stem and seeds removed).
I'm planning to put this all in just enough water to cover and simmer it for a bit to sterilize.
What to you think? Quantities look OK? Is the simmering going to ruin the cocoa nibs? This is the first time I've tried adding additional ingredients (other than oak cubes).
I want a decent amount of cocoa flavor (hopefully not adding too much bitterness, though) with just a hint of heat and fruitiness from the ancho.
By the way, I've just got to say: I haven't been doing this for terribly long, but I've definitely hit the RDWHAHB stage.
Last night, I was taking mash temps with a meat thermometer (forgot the digital one at brew partner's house), could barely sparge because the full grain bag (8.5 lbs of grain) was too big to fit in anything but my brewpot, stirred in cold filtered NON-BOILED water to help zero in on the desired OG (it was a bit higher than I expected, oops), used half of a Safale yeast packet that was opened last week and has been in the fridge...
And sure enough, my sweet wort tasted great (good body on this one!), I got my OG to 1.086, the yeast was cranking away handily this morning, and the krausen is looking good. I love beer. :rockin:
