Please critic my first all grain attempt

[Coach_Hogleg]

My first all grain batch today.

5 gallon batch, I guess you would call it an IPA, maybe not you guys tell me.

Grains
9 pounds of two row
8 oz of marris otter
8 oz of medium crystal

Sparge
Batch sparged with 3 gallons at 155 degrees let sit for 60 min. Second sparge 3.5 gallons of water at 160, let sit for 40 minutes. Initial gravity for the first sparge was 1.065 and the second sparge was 1.035. I did a third sparge with about 1.5 gallons of water for the hell of it and boiled that in a separate kettle, will see what it becomes.

Hop schedule
60 min .5 oz of millennium
50 min .5 oz of millennium
40 min .5 oz of cascade
30 min .5 oz of cascade
15 min .5 oz of cascade
5 min .5 oz of cascade

Plan on pitching safale US-05 for yeast.

So what did I do right, if anything? Suggestions on improvement, especially on grain and hop usage. Any help for this newbie is appreciated.

I also want to say this board it awesome, you guys have taught me a ton.

 

[afr0byte]

Well, while I'm sure it'll taste fine, your grain bill seems quite light for an IPA. Normally an IPA is in the 1060s. Also, if you only used 155 degree water your mash temperature would have been in the 140s. So, you'll probably end up with a dry beer, assuming full conversion.

 

[homebeerbrewer]

It all looks ok to me. I probably wouldn't have used the Maris Otter, I would have increased the 2-row by .5 pound instead. But that's just me.

What did you get for the overall SG? I fly sparge, so I'm not gonna be any help there. But, I don't believe that letting the second sparge sit for 40 minutes will do anything, all the starch should be pretty much converted within the first hour.

 

[Yooper]

You've got a ton of bittering hops (the ones added from 60 minutes to 30 minutes) but not much flavor (15 minutes) hops and aroma (5 minutes) hops. It'll be very bitter with not a lot of hop flavor.

You mashed with 3 gallons at 155, it looks like. That's a pretty high mash temp, so you may have a full bodied beer and end with a fairly high FG in the end.

Then it looks like you did one batch sparge for the second runnings, and then did a second later but didn't add the runnings to it. That's fine, if you got enough wort out of the first runnings from the mash and the second runnings for the first round of batch sparging. You left some sugars behind if the runnings were 1.035, but that's ok if you reached your boil volume. For next time, we can help you get more out of the mash and sparge if you need some advice.

Your grain bill is pretty light for the amount of bittering hops you used. I didn't run it through my brewing software, but you may have a very bitter beer on your hands. I don't think you have enough flavor and aroma hops (or enough grain) to call it an IPA, though.

 

[homebeerbrewer]

I just punched it into my brew software, it says it'll be 1.059 OG, and 73 IBU's, ABV of 5.9%. (if it ferments like it's supposed to.)

 

[afr0byte]

I just punched it into my brew software, it says it'll be 1.059 OG, and 73 IBU's, ABV of 5.9%. (if it ferments like it's supposed to.)

That's assuming that he boiled down to 5 gallons, and he got at least 80% efficiency. That's certainly possible for his first all grain, though I'd be mildly surprised, especially considering the gravity of the second runnings.

EDIT: With the roughly 5.5 gallons we probably got in to the kettle (educated guess), he got about a 1045 preboil. It's not likely he got higher than about 1053-54 post boil.

 

[Mightyscoop]

Next time, I'd do hop additions closer to something like:

0.50 oz Millennium [15.00 %] (60 min) Hops 34.3 IBU
0.50 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (30 min) Hops 9.7 IBU
0.25 oz Millennium [15.00 %] (30 min) Hops 13.2 IBU
0.50 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (15 min) Hops 6.2 IBU
0.50 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (5 min) Hops 2.5 IBU
0.50 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (0 min) Hops -

Bitterness: 65.9 IBU

That'll bring your IBU's down a smidge due to the lower OG. Also, late hop additions don't add much bitterness, but LOTS of hop aroma and flavor.

Keep at it, man. Let us know how it turns out.

 

[Yooper]

Next time, I'd do hop additions closer to something like:

0.50 oz Millennium [15.00 %] (60 min) Hops 34.3 IBU
0.50 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (30 min) Hops 9.7 IBU
0.25 oz Millennium [15.00 %] (30 min) Hops 13.2 IBU
0.50 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (15 min) Hops 6.2 IBU
0.50 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (5 min) Hops 2.5 IBU
0.50 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (0 min) Hops -

Bitterness: 65.9 IBU

That'll bring your IBU's down a smidge due to the lower OG. Also, late hop additions don't add much bitterness, but LOTS of hop aroma and flavor.

Keep at it, man. Let us know how it turns out.

I'd ditch the 30 minute hops additions- they don't provide much bitternexx and you won't get flavor either. I'd do the bittering at 60 minutes, and then add an ounce of hops at 15, 5, and 0 for an IPA.

We're all curious- what was your final OG?

 

[Coach_Hogleg]

Well the beer is bitter for sure, which I don't mind, tasted before I put in primary. The OG was 1056 this morning, I currently have no way of cooling, minus the Iowa winter, so that was my technique. As a newbie if correct this will get me around a 5 or 6% beer, is that correct?

So here are some questions I have at this point and answering some questions/suggestions people provided. I thank everyone for the input, any additional comments are appreciated..

Afr0byte suggested my grain bill was light for IPA, what should I add for the next batch? To be honest I was thinking more of a pale ale for this batch using only cascade. Originally I was thinking 1 oz at 60 and 1 oz in the last five minutes of the boil. But being a hop head I just couldn't contain myself with hop excitement. I'm sure some have had the same problem as I. I guess I now understand its not so much the kind of hops in terms of bitterness but the timing of the addition. Now I do understand different hops have different amounts of bitterness, etc. but timing is important. Add at the end for flavoring.

Homebeerbrewer added this comment: I don't believe that letting the second sparge sit for 40 minutes will do anything. OK there really wasn't a reason for the 40 minutes other than I had to take my daughter to the grandparents house and I didn't want my wife to think I'm a total beer freak, which I am.

So my question to Yooper and Homebeerbrewer on the sparging, what are the correct temps and lengths of time? Any help here is appreciated.

 

[afr0byte]

Well the beer is bitter for sure, which I don't mind, tasted before I put in primary. The OG was 1056 this morning, I currently have no way of cooling, minus the Iowa winter, so that was my technique. As a newbie if correct this will get me around a 5 or 6% beer, is that correct?

So here are some questions I have at this point and answering some questions/suggestions people provided. I thank everyone for the input, any additional comments are appreciated..

Afr0byte suggested my grain bill was light for IPA, what should I add for the next batch? To be honest I was thinking more of a pale ale for this batch using only cascade. Originally I was thinking 1 oz at 60 and 1 oz in the last five minutes of the boil. But being a hop head I just couldn't contain myself with hop excitement. I'm sure some have had the same problem as I. I guess I now understand its not so much the kind of hops in terms of bitterness but the timing of the addition. Now I do understand different hops have different amounts of bitterness, etc. but timing is important. Add at the end for flavoring.

Homebeerbrewer added this comment: I don't believe that letting the second sparge sit for 40 minutes will do anything. OK there really wasn't a reason for the 40 minutes other than I had to take my daughter to the grandparents house and I didn't want my wife to think I'm a total beer freak, which I am.

So my question to Yooper and Homebeerbrewer on the sparging, what are the correct temps and lengths of time? Any help here is appreciated.

Usually I think of an IPA starting around 1060. Though, I just looked and apparently you're right at the lower edge of the IPA style guidelines. However, you're close to the high end of the IBU range for an IPA (40-70). You might add a pound (or two) of grain (2-row...base malt) next time. Also, in American IPAs, there's normally no Maris Otter. You're in a good gravity range for an APA, but your bittering is a bit high for the style. Certainly there's nothing wrong with having it more bitter for the style, as long as you're not concerned with hitting the ranges for the style exactly. As for alcohol range, yes I'd say you could get in the 5-6% range.

 

[homebeerbrewer]

Homebeerbrewer added this comment: I don't believe that letting the second sparge sit for 40 minutes will do anything. OK there really wasn't a reason for the 40 minutes other than I had to take my daughter to the grandparents house and I didn't want my wife to think I'm a total beer freak, which I am.

So my question to Yooper and Homebeerbrewer on the sparging, what are the correct temps and lengths of time? Any help here is appreciated.

Ok, the time spent taking your daughter to the grandparents house makes sense, but trying to make your wife not think you're not a "beer freak" was a waste of time...

And to answer your question about temps and time, I'd shoot for a little lower on your mash temp. Higher temps will give you more unfermentable sugars. Shoot for about 150, give or take a couple degrees. It should be pretty much converted at less than an hour. Longer times don't add anything but time to the brew day.

Also, I use the rule of thumb measurement. I take the last two digits of the OG, and figure that will be my ABV. Of course, it doesn't always work that way, but this isn't rocket science either. As long as my beer tastes good, I'm happy.

 

[Coach_Hogleg]

homebeerbrewer thank you for the information, that makes sense. A follow up question for you. How about length of time on the second sparge? And then the next question do most people do a third sparge?

Would you be willing to share Cascade IPA recipe with me?

 

[homebeerbrewer]

I don't batch sparge, so I can't answer your question about second and third sparges. I fly sparge, and it usually takes me about 45 minutes. Maybe someone who batch sparges can chime in for you.

My Homegrown Cascade IPA uses my homegrown cascade hops. I'm sure that store bought cascade will work, but I have no way of knowing what the IBU for my hops are, so your mileage may vary. Also, I do 10 gallon batches, so you'll have to adjust accordingly to your batch size.

24# of US 2-row
1# of US special roast
2 oz cascade for 60 minutes
2 oz cascade for 45 minutes
2 oz cascade for 30 minutes
2 oz cascade for 15 minutes
2 oz cascade at flame out.

I usually get 80-83% efficiency, so I shoot for 1.065 OG. Like I said, I have no way of knowing what the IBU is, but I'm guessing it's around 45.

Enjoy.