Aboo
Well-Known Member
October 27th, 2012
I began the day around 11:30am. My wife and children out of town, a late night of gathering, organizing (and yes consuming) behind me. Two friends were coming over, both interested in getting into home-brewing and I asked them to swing by around noon.
Noon came and went, no buddies! So I began the cleaning. Buckets were filled, Idophore was poured, and then leaked all over counters.... More cleaning ensued.
One of my buddies appeared and we began deliberating on how the coils of copper could be used to cool boiling wort with expediency. Over many smokes and rubbing of chins a trip to the hardware store was decided upon. Two hardware stores and a Wal-Mart later, we had the IC connected to the sink and working like a champ!
Second buddy appears now and it's roughly 3pm. We begin heating, and then frantically scrambling to find a good description of steeping... of which we knew nothing, but for it the recipe called.
The bag of grain was dropped into the water when it hit 160 degrees and the heat was left up... until upon further reading we found that 155 was the target. Well, crap. By then it was 168 and climbing, so removed from heat and let cool a bit and re-started our steeping at a slightly cooler temperature. Never again did it climb past 165 as by this time we'd all had a couple brews, alas BMC.
Second pot was heated and after initial draining, poured through the bag-o-cream-of-wheat. My house smelled delicious and we three took turns holding the bag suspended while the others squeezed with bamboo spoons. Damn thing was to hot to squeeze it bare-handed.
Next comes the mixing of DME and we worried that the pot was to small, but for no reason as it was all contained easily. And so we wait for the boil... and wait... and wait...
Large ceramic pot, on a glass top electric stove... much worrying was done. To HBT I went and tales of towels and insulators I read. So with rope and a towel I insulated said pot and not 10 minutes later a roiling boil!!! To be honest, I was on my way out the door to the hardware store for a propane burner and a stock pot when the buddy watching the pot shouted "Boiling!" to my everlasting relief.
The recipe called for two hop additions, one at 45 minutes, and one at 15. We argued for 10 minutes on this. I felt the boil should be let boil for 15 minutes, then the first hops added. They ganged up on me and swore that the hops should be added immediately and then the second with 15 minutes left. And since the total boil time was "supposed" to be 60 minutes, but their math just didn't add up. I argued, they argued, and finally I gave up and we threw the hops in and reset the boil timer to 45 minutes. Then another hop addition and another 15 minutes on the timer.... and it was over.
Quick to the sink, IC dropped in (it was soaked in idophore and rinsed prior) and from boiling to 68 degrees in roughly 15 minutes.
One of my buddys bet me a 12 pack of Boulevard Amber that it would take 5 minutes or less, but I knew and I win.
We actually ran the cooling water from the IC over the outside of the pot as well and piled a layer or two of ice from the freezer around it too, which helped. This is where the ceramic pot hurt us I think.
We poured the wort back and forth repeatedly from bucket to pot, adding half a quart at a time to bring it up to 5.5 gallons in the fermenting bucket filling and aerating prior to pulling the sample for the OG test. We found the OG to be low, by quite a bit, but again to HBT to find that this is common in partial boils so lid on the bucket, air-lock attached and deep into the basement closet she goes. Fermenting at 66-69 degrees until the 9th of November. When I will pop the bucket and take the first gravity reading to celebrate my sons first freshman year grade-card with a wee sample!
Thus ends my first adventure in brewing. Hopefully, soon to be followed with an attempt at a Chocolate Oatmeal Stout, since I Just picked up another 6.5 gallon carboy which I can't wait to fill and watch it's hypnotizing swirl!
I began the day around 11:30am. My wife and children out of town, a late night of gathering, organizing (and yes consuming) behind me. Two friends were coming over, both interested in getting into home-brewing and I asked them to swing by around noon.
Noon came and went, no buddies! So I began the cleaning. Buckets were filled, Idophore was poured, and then leaked all over counters.... More cleaning ensued.
One of my buddies appeared and we began deliberating on how the coils of copper could be used to cool boiling wort with expediency. Over many smokes and rubbing of chins a trip to the hardware store was decided upon. Two hardware stores and a Wal-Mart later, we had the IC connected to the sink and working like a champ!
Second buddy appears now and it's roughly 3pm. We begin heating, and then frantically scrambling to find a good description of steeping... of which we knew nothing, but for it the recipe called.
The bag of grain was dropped into the water when it hit 160 degrees and the heat was left up... until upon further reading we found that 155 was the target. Well, crap. By then it was 168 and climbing, so removed from heat and let cool a bit and re-started our steeping at a slightly cooler temperature. Never again did it climb past 165 as by this time we'd all had a couple brews, alas BMC.
Second pot was heated and after initial draining, poured through the bag-o-cream-of-wheat. My house smelled delicious and we three took turns holding the bag suspended while the others squeezed with bamboo spoons. Damn thing was to hot to squeeze it bare-handed.
Next comes the mixing of DME and we worried that the pot was to small, but for no reason as it was all contained easily. And so we wait for the boil... and wait... and wait...
Large ceramic pot, on a glass top electric stove... much worrying was done. To HBT I went and tales of towels and insulators I read. So with rope and a towel I insulated said pot and not 10 minutes later a roiling boil!!! To be honest, I was on my way out the door to the hardware store for a propane burner and a stock pot when the buddy watching the pot shouted "Boiling!" to my everlasting relief.
The recipe called for two hop additions, one at 45 minutes, and one at 15. We argued for 10 minutes on this. I felt the boil should be let boil for 15 minutes, then the first hops added. They ganged up on me and swore that the hops should be added immediately and then the second with 15 minutes left. And since the total boil time was "supposed" to be 60 minutes, but their math just didn't add up. I argued, they argued, and finally I gave up and we threw the hops in and reset the boil timer to 45 minutes. Then another hop addition and another 15 minutes on the timer.... and it was over.
Quick to the sink, IC dropped in (it was soaked in idophore and rinsed prior) and from boiling to 68 degrees in roughly 15 minutes.
One of my buddys bet me a 12 pack of Boulevard Amber that it would take 5 minutes or less, but I knew and I win. We actually ran the cooling water from the IC over the outside of the pot as well and piled a layer or two of ice from the freezer around it too, which helped. This is where the ceramic pot hurt us I think.
We poured the wort back and forth repeatedly from bucket to pot, adding half a quart at a time to bring it up to 5.5 gallons in the fermenting bucket filling and aerating prior to pulling the sample for the OG test. We found the OG to be low, by quite a bit, but again to HBT to find that this is common in partial boils so lid on the bucket, air-lock attached and deep into the basement closet she goes. Fermenting at 66-69 degrees until the 9th of November. When I will pop the bucket and take the first gravity reading to celebrate my sons first freshman year grade-card with a wee sample!
Thus ends my first adventure in brewing. Hopefully, soon to be followed with an attempt at a Chocolate Oatmeal Stout, since I Just picked up another 6.5 gallon carboy which I can't wait to fill and watch it's hypnotizing swirl!
