1st BIAB - all grain ( photo heavy )

[Tomcat]

Hi Guys,

Been doing kit beer and moved from 1 can kits to 2 can kits, decided I would like to try BIAB so spoke to Santa and on the day under the tree was this, a brew pot and a gas ring, my lady also made me a grain bag to fit!

It’s a 19lt pot as I only want to do 10lt brews as I develop recipes and get a better understanding of the how and why etc.


Anyway, I also paid for the Beersmith software and started to look at creating a recipe to try my new toys out on -

Lampwork Brewery Box o’ Frogs Dark Brown Ale

Type: All Grain Date: 13/10/2012
Batch Size (fermenter): 10.00L
Brewer: Mark
Boil Size: 15.41
Boil Time: 60 min
Equipment: Pot ( 5 Gal/19 L) - Mini-BIAB
End of Boil Volume 12.41
Brewhouse Efficiency: 65.00 %
Final Bottling Volume: 9.17
Est Mash Efficiency 77.5 %
Fermentation: Ale, Single Stage
Taste Rating(out of 50): 30.0


Ingredients
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
1.50 kg Marris Otter Organic (4.5 EBC) Grain 1 61.2 %
0.50 kg Caramel Malt - Crystal Warminster (25.0 EBC) Grain 2 20.4 %
0.25 kg Biscuit Malt (5.9 EBC) Grain 3 10.2 %
0.20 kg Chocolate Malt (1060.0 EBC) Grain 4 8.2 %
10.00 g Bullion [8.00 %] - Boil 30.0 min Hop 5 13.5 IBUs
5.00 g Bramling Cross [6.00 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 6 3.3 IBUs
1.0 pkg SafAle English Ale (DCL/Fermentis #S-04) [23.66 ml] Yeast 7 -

Measured Original Gravity: 1.050 SG
Bitterness: 16.8 IBUs
Est Color: 60.7 EBC


Today was the virgin brew –

All the ingredients together and things sterilised

The Grain and Hops weighed ready for the brew

The grain in the bag - clock started for the 90 mins mash, started out with 14lt of water in before adding the grain then topped up to 17lt once it was clear it would not go over the rim

Bagged it up around the pot first and then realised there was a big air gap under the pot on the gas ring so threw a couple of blankets over to sort that – I lost a couple of degrees but not unhappy for a first go at this.


Now the boil – 60 mins had to open a few windows for this as I did it in the kitchen, will do the brew in the garage from now on – loads of steam !

And chill ! not very effective so need to sort a chill coil out for next time

Overall hit or was very close to targets for volume and gravity etc, was 10l into ther FV near as dam and a SG of 1.050 so a bit up on software

Overall a good experience, spent a lot of time reading and thinking about it and planning the brew so it went smoothly, smelt fantastic – the aroma from the hops when you add them to to the boil is really nice

In the FV now with the safale s04 yeast so will have to be patient now and see if the recipe is any good and my brewing produces a beer worth drinking :)

seems one photo does not want to behave - apologies all were sized the same and look okay in photobucket

 

[PD]

well done to you.

Your first few brews seem to consist of making notes and taking measurements...

Now don't spoil the beer with impatience, give it time to ferment out and mature.....then enjoy.

 

[dennisking]

Well done. :thumb: Good photos.

 

[abeyptfc]

good luck with the brew, you are another one on the slippery slope to the dark side! did you taste it? looking at your recipe 200g of choc malt in a 10L brew might be a bit hefty. you can always boil as much as you can in your pot and then top up with water to 20L if you want more beer!

 

[Tomcat]

thanks guys, going to be patient - wont be easy though :) blast, I did not try it - knew I forgot something!
yep the chocolate was a bit heavy - should not have gone over the 5% of the grain bill but wanted it dark and strong flavoured - just hope its not so much that it ruins it but hey, decided this one was a try it and see - deffo not going back to kits - the whole BIAB process and smells etc is really fun - feels more like making beer than it did doing the kits, the beer from the kits is good, enjoying a Wheat & Raspberry pint now as I type but BIAB brewing and going All Grain ( as soon as I can afford the kit ) is so much more creative.

 

[Rwilts]

Tomcat - Well done. I am stuck waiting for my first AG experience.. Too much DIY to be done at the moment.. Looks like you will have a nice beer in the end... :

 

[PD]

its like preparing and cooking a meal as opposed to warming a take away in the microwave...

 

[RobWalker]

well done mate!
why not try chilling in the bath? i transfer to FV and just bung it in the bath with something protecting the hole on the top for the airlock until it's at pitching temp. takes a few hours, but no infection yet..

good luck with your brewing!

 

[Tomcat]

thought about the bath but with my luck I would have dropped the damn thing down the stairs ! cant imagine how I would clear that up :shock:

step one of the All Grain goal - sort out Chiller coil, it may take a few months but will assemble one piece at a time

agree with the cooking analogy - spot on sir !

 

[RokDok]

Well done TC.

Lets hear in a month or two how it tastes.

Cheers

RD

 

[calumscott]

Another BIABer! :thumb:

Well done! Great fun isn't it??

You know there's no going back from the dark side don't you? :lol:

 

[calumscott]

my lady also made me a grain bag to fit!

Oh, and that one's a keeper!

 

[jonnymorris]

you are another one on the slippery slope to the dark side!

Looks all grain to me. Congrats.

 

[TRXnMe]

Congratulations on the brew.

Be careful using the gas ring in the house, it will consume a huge amount of oxygen, the stuff you need to breathe. Brewing with the windows open was a good idea, even if you only did it for the steam.

People die every year through burning things in a poorly ventilated area, tents, caravan awnings (remember the barbecue incident this summer?) and houses.

Keep the windows open during the time the burner is running, make sure you have a good through draught as well.

 

[Tomcat]

Hi TRXnMe,

yep - know about that - I make lampwork beads as a hobby as well, so use a gas torch for the glasswork, always have forced ventilation for that so well aware of the need for oxy, appreciate the advice though, always worth restating for everyones benefit :)

 

[Tomcat]

pitched the yeast around 4:30 pm yesterday - came down this morning at 7am - going like a steam train - only two weeks to go till bottling then a few weeks to condition and then see if the recipe is any good

 

[Tomcat]

just tested the Box O' Frogs, its down to 1016, its dark and tastes like a Hobgoblin with a bitter hoppy undertone - needs longer to finish and clear down then be bottled and left well alone for a month or three - but so far not unhappy with it :)

 

[artyb]

nice one... it looks the part.... :