Need help understanding recipe
- Thread starter claytontlewis
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claytontlewis
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I don't honestly know yet. I got it down to about 65 and took a reading then pitched the yeast. I made mental note of my hydrometer reading but couldn't yet interpret it. I'll do some googling on that today and let you know once I can tell how to read it.
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claytontlewis
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Alright. It looks like I was aiming for an OG of 1.070 and in actuality I got a OG of 1.032. Its probably going to come out low on ABV, but since it was supposed to be 7.2% maybe I can still have a decent beer.
That's what I was afraid of. 1.032 is quite low, especially if you hopped it expecting 1.070 - it will be intensely bitter and thin. The only thing I can think of now is to chalk this one up to experience and try to figure out a way to manage your mash temp next time. Sorry.
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claytontlewis
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That's what I was afraid of. 1.032 is quite low, especially if you hopped it expecting 1.070 - it will be intensely bitter and thin. The only thing I can think of now is to chalk this one up to experience and try to figure out a way to manage your mash temp next time. Sorry.
Is this even worth bottling? Should I just pour this out and start again or wait and see what my final gravity is? It tasted really bitter when I tried the hydrometer sample.
Can you give me a link on how to do a cooler mash tun, or some details? I know the local homebrew store sells cooler mash tuns, but I'm not sure on that process.
TyTanium
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There's a few great builds on here. This one is probably the simplest:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/cheap-easy-10-gallon-rubbermaid-mlt-conversion-23008/
The 10 gallon cooler is ~42 at Home Depot, the rest of the stuff is maybe $20 more. I built a copper manifold on mine, so that added another $25 or so. Search around on the forums and you'll find a bunch of helpful builds with pictures.
As for this batch, just let it ferment out leave it...no need to dump it yet. See what it tastes like after a week or two, and I'd probably bottle it anyway, you may be surpised how it turns out.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/cheap-easy-10-gallon-rubbermaid-mlt-conversion-23008/
The 10 gallon cooler is ~42 at Home Depot, the rest of the stuff is maybe $20 more. I built a copper manifold on mine, so that added another $25 or so. Search around on the forums and you'll find a bunch of helpful builds with pictures.
As for this batch, just let it ferment out leave it...no need to dump it yet. See what it tastes like after a week or two, and I'd probably bottle it anyway, you may be surpised how it turns out.
I'd let it ferment out and see how it is. If nothing else, you'll get some experience with fermentation. Even if it doesn't seem great, i might still bottle at least some of it. Again, this would be a good experience - it is amazing how different beers can be after fully carbed and conditioned.
Plenty of folks do the brew in a bag technique so you don't have to go out and build a cooler mlt. I think there might be a good sticky on here somewhere about BIAB (by DeathBrewer if I recall correctly) - check it out and see if you can tweak your process for next time.
Plenty of folks do the brew in a bag technique so you don't have to go out and build a cooler mlt. I think there might be a good sticky on here somewhere about BIAB (by DeathBrewer if I recall correctly) - check it out and see if you can tweak your process for next time.
Buy some more grain and try this again. With BIAB you want to use the full volume of water and heat it to the proper temperature so when you add the grain it will all settle to the temperature that is proper for your mash. Make sure you stir in the grain well to keep from making doughballs and then put the lid on the kettle and wrap it in a blanket, a winter coat, or a sleeping bag and ignore it for an hour. With the full volume of water plus all the grain the temperature won't change very much over the course of an hour. If your grain is crushed or ground fine like it should be for brew in a bag, your conversion may be done in only 15 minutes so even if you lose 5 degrees over that hour, you will have all your conversion anyway.
MrManifesto
Well-Known Member
you made beer, so congrats!
i also think (since you're going off the deep end here) that you may want to consider building a mash tun. i watched a lot of youtube videos and there's some really informative stuff out there, it's actually pretty easy. don't beat yourself up too much, i still learn every time i brew, i think you're doing something wrong if you don't.
i also think (since you're going off the deep end here) that you may want to consider building a mash tun. i watched a lot of youtube videos and there's some really informative stuff out there, it's actually pretty easy. don't beat yourself up too much, i still learn every time i brew, i think you're doing something wrong if you don't.
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claytontlewis
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Just an update:
I racked this to secondary. It come out to about 3% ABV. It is still really bitter, but I've had plenty of the really hoppy beers that have a similar profile. It isn't something I care for a lot but it is beer. Going to let it try to mellow out a bit in the secondary and see what happens.
In the mean time I bought an MLT and brewed the SWMBO Slayer. This seemed to go much better, although I still missed the OG by a bit. It should have been 1.057 and I got 1.044. I'm unsure if this is because I swapped two of the grains with similar grains of if I steeped it a bit wrong.
Anyway, thanks for all the help with this one guys! I've learned a lot from this process and I think it will go far better from now on.
Happy Brewing!
I racked this to secondary. It come out to about 3% ABV. It is still really bitter, but I've had plenty of the really hoppy beers that have a similar profile. It isn't something I care for a lot but it is beer. Going to let it try to mellow out a bit in the secondary and see what happens.
In the mean time I bought an MLT and brewed the SWMBO Slayer. This seemed to go much better, although I still missed the OG by a bit. It should have been 1.057 and I got 1.044. I'm unsure if this is because I swapped two of the grains with similar grains of if I steeped it a bit wrong.
Anyway, thanks for all the help with this one guys! I've learned a lot from this process and I think it will go far better from now on.
Happy Brewing!
