DNW
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- Joined
- Nov 9, 2008
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So I've been doing heavy PMs (my last one had 7# grain and 2.5# DME) using DeathBrewer's BIAB method. Gathering some ideas I've seen or read about here and there led me to realize I already have everything I need to do a full AG run.
So yesterday I ran through my first batch and it went great. In fact my efficiency far exceeded my expectations. I set out to brew a Scottish 60 and ended up with a heavy 70. Here's what I used:
I have a 5 gallon Igloo that we use for iced tea throughout the summer. Since I had some 5 gal pain strainer bags that I've been using for my PMs I realized that they might work in the cooler too. It fit great! Could have been a bit taller, and slightly larger in diameter so I could fold the top over the edge of the cooler, but I just had my brew-favorable spouse help me hold the edge while stirring. I had put the water in 2 deg above calculated and let it stabilize and cool to my desired strike temp. Hit 154 in my mash exactly and it held it perfectly for an hour.
I have a 20qt stock pot that I've been doing my PMs in, and also a 20qt pressure cooker that I've been using to heat my sparge water in. It seemed like I had what I needed to do a double-pot boil but I really wanted to try and keep the gravity similar in the two pots - not just dump the whole first runnings in one and sparge water in the other. Since my second pot was going to have my sparge water in it when I did my first runnings I figured I would just have to settle for transferring some back and forth and go with it. Then I realized that even at the 2qt/pound mash I was doing I would only be getting 3 gallons of first runnings off this session beer and therefore I only needed a pot that would hold 1-1/2 gallons in the interim. So I pulled out our 8qt spaghetti pot.
Got 1-1/2 gallons first runnings in each of the 20qt stock pot and 8qt pot, and dumped in my sparge water (turning on the burner as soon as I had some wort in each pot to get it started). My sparge was a whisker over temp - 170 instead of 168 for some reason.
I was a bit worried that the stock spigot on the cooler might not hold up to the temps, but it worked fine, at least on this run. I may get together the stuff I need to put in a ball valve for when I'm doing beer with it just to be safe.
I had to add a half gallon of water to my boil Pot(s) to reach my starting volume, because I had deliberately shot on the low side rather than have to sit there and boil an extra half hour. However, since I have a colander that perfectly fits inside the top of the igloo, I lifted out the grain bag when I was "done" sparging, and ended up with another quart after about 15 minutes, so I dumped that in too.
I didn't take a pre-boil gravity reading, but really wish I did now. After boiling for about 45 minutes I decided I would take one because the levels didn't seem to be dropping as fast as they should. I was surpised how quickly I was able to cool the sample by putting it in a small measuring cup and swirling it in a container with cold water. Probably 2-3 minutes and I was at 100 and felt safe dropping my hydrometer in it. Boy was I surprised! Even before adding for the temperature correction I was already at 1.048 on this 1.030 puppy!!
Completed boil for one hour, then a double water bath in the bath tub (ice the second time) and I was down to 70 in a half hour. Shoulda changed out the water sooner as there was still ice floating when I got to temp...
I was a bit over cautious racking the wort from the first container, as I was sure I had way more gravity than I needed, and wanted to leave as much junk behind as possible. But, I wasn't paying attention and left the pot flat so when I started sucking up break material there ended up still being 48oz of stuff left. Another lesson...
Anyways, I must have also miscalculated when I made my measuring sticks, as I ended up with only 5 gallons of wort (I was planning on a 6 gallon batch). However, when I checked the gravity, I found it was HIGH - I don't remember now what it was, but I used Beersmith to figure out if I could add a gallon of topoff water and it said I would still end up with 1.040. So I added actually about a gallon and a half, and still ended up at 1.039/1.040.
Even leaving probably almost a quart of usable wort in the one pot, Beersmith tells me that I got 75% Brewhouse Efficiency! I'm thrilled, as I've been getting around 60% in my PMs. One possible factor is the crush, as the LHBS where I got this grain just got a new mill - in fact, I was the very first customer to use it!
So I haven't calculated it all out yet, but I figure I should be able to do a 1.050+ brew with my setup. Probably 1.5 qt/pound mash and then a double batch sparge.
All in all a great brew day. I'm hooked on AG!
Thanks to all who contribute to this great site!
So yesterday I ran through my first batch and it went great. In fact my efficiency far exceeded my expectations. I set out to brew a Scottish 60 and ended up with a heavy 70. Here's what I used:
I have a 5 gallon Igloo that we use for iced tea throughout the summer. Since I had some 5 gal pain strainer bags that I've been using for my PMs I realized that they might work in the cooler too. It fit great! Could have been a bit taller, and slightly larger in diameter so I could fold the top over the edge of the cooler, but I just had my brew-favorable spouse help me hold the edge while stirring. I had put the water in 2 deg above calculated and let it stabilize and cool to my desired strike temp. Hit 154 in my mash exactly and it held it perfectly for an hour.
I have a 20qt stock pot that I've been doing my PMs in, and also a 20qt pressure cooker that I've been using to heat my sparge water in. It seemed like I had what I needed to do a double-pot boil but I really wanted to try and keep the gravity similar in the two pots - not just dump the whole first runnings in one and sparge water in the other. Since my second pot was going to have my sparge water in it when I did my first runnings I figured I would just have to settle for transferring some back and forth and go with it. Then I realized that even at the 2qt/pound mash I was doing I would only be getting 3 gallons of first runnings off this session beer and therefore I only needed a pot that would hold 1-1/2 gallons in the interim. So I pulled out our 8qt spaghetti pot.
Got 1-1/2 gallons first runnings in each of the 20qt stock pot and 8qt pot, and dumped in my sparge water (turning on the burner as soon as I had some wort in each pot to get it started). My sparge was a whisker over temp - 170 instead of 168 for some reason.
I was a bit worried that the stock spigot on the cooler might not hold up to the temps, but it worked fine, at least on this run. I may get together the stuff I need to put in a ball valve for when I'm doing beer with it just to be safe.
I had to add a half gallon of water to my boil Pot(s) to reach my starting volume, because I had deliberately shot on the low side rather than have to sit there and boil an extra half hour. However, since I have a colander that perfectly fits inside the top of the igloo, I lifted out the grain bag when I was "done" sparging, and ended up with another quart after about 15 minutes, so I dumped that in too.
I didn't take a pre-boil gravity reading, but really wish I did now. After boiling for about 45 minutes I decided I would take one because the levels didn't seem to be dropping as fast as they should. I was surpised how quickly I was able to cool the sample by putting it in a small measuring cup and swirling it in a container with cold water. Probably 2-3 minutes and I was at 100 and felt safe dropping my hydrometer in it. Boy was I surprised! Even before adding for the temperature correction I was already at 1.048 on this 1.030 puppy!!
Completed boil for one hour, then a double water bath in the bath tub (ice the second time) and I was down to 70 in a half hour. Shoulda changed out the water sooner as there was still ice floating when I got to temp...
I was a bit over cautious racking the wort from the first container, as I was sure I had way more gravity than I needed, and wanted to leave as much junk behind as possible. But, I wasn't paying attention and left the pot flat so when I started sucking up break material there ended up still being 48oz of stuff left. Another lesson...
Anyways, I must have also miscalculated when I made my measuring sticks, as I ended up with only 5 gallons of wort (I was planning on a 6 gallon batch). However, when I checked the gravity, I found it was HIGH - I don't remember now what it was, but I used Beersmith to figure out if I could add a gallon of topoff water and it said I would still end up with 1.040. So I added actually about a gallon and a half, and still ended up at 1.039/1.040.
Even leaving probably almost a quart of usable wort in the one pot, Beersmith tells me that I got 75% Brewhouse Efficiency! I'm thrilled, as I've been getting around 60% in my PMs. One possible factor is the crush, as the LHBS where I got this grain just got a new mill - in fact, I was the very first customer to use it!
So I haven't calculated it all out yet, but I figure I should be able to do a 1.050+ brew with my setup. Probably 1.5 qt/pound mash and then a double batch sparge.
All in all a great brew day. I'm hooked on AG!
Thanks to all who contribute to this great site!
