#ag1

[LarryF]

#AG1
First AG, here goes:
23L – 28/11/15
Grain
4.5kg MO
500g Crystal 150
35g Perle hops - 60m
15g Summer hops - 20m
15g Perle + 15g Summer – 10m
20g Perle - 0m
Additons 5g Irish Moss - 15m
Safale 05
OG:1042
Not over the moon with my efficiency, but what a learning curve. Had a bit of a panic when I had my strike water at 68c with the grain in the pot and tried to cool it when I should have just wrapped it up and left it (rookie error). This did mean that I had a temp drop of about 5 degrees over the hour. Also, I had no idea the hops would take that much liquid out of the equation even with squeezing everything out of them I could. I have the makings of another 23L brew, same grain bill but I have other hops I’m going to try. A big thanks to everyone on here for the advice you gave me, you all called it exactly right and if I’d done what I was advised to do and didn’t let my own brilliant ideas get in the way I’d have had a better result but I have something in the FV that’s fermenting so I can’t complain. I have to say that it really reminded me of my first kit brew that long, long time ago back in……January this year. Where you just want another crack at it and you can’t wait for this one to ferment, although next time I’ll bottle my brew beforehand clean everything and then have a crack at this on a fresh day. Cleaning bottles and then bottling a full brew and doing this in the one day is hard work at the moment until I get my head around it and utilise my time more efficiently. A few things that helped on the day were, adding the grain gently and using a whisk to break it up as it went into the pot. Buy clips to hold your bag and straining mesh. Also I used one of the kids old sleeping bags folded back on itself again and again until I have four layers of sleeping bag which I then added strips of bubble wrap into (thanks to the Tesco Sale) and then safety pinned the whole thing together so it’s like a giant tea cosy, I’ve attached a picture. I’m not sure I’ll get to do another one this side of Xmas as I really want to give the next one my full attention and doing it on a day when the wife’s at work and the kids are at school is how I’m going to play it. I do have a few kits to work through in the meantime. Greg Hughes and Graham Wheelers books are on my Xmas list and it will be 25kg sacks of MO come the New Year, roll on the next one.

 

[Wardy]

Well done. That's one giant leap. I can't wait to get started.

 

[ManseMasher]

Every day is a school day mate. Well done and the next one is looming!!

 

[GHW]

Nice work, it'll turn out great. With each brew you figure out some other bit of the puzzle, though there's always something else you can improve on. Keep us posted on how it turns out.

 

[Godfather50]

Takes me back. There's no turning back now! You're hooked.

 

[clibit]

Yep, a giant leap for Larrykind. :thumb:

Keep us updated.

 

[TartanSpecial]

and after a couple of brews you'll get used to your set-up. My mash efficiency is never as good as it should be so I always add an extra half kilo of pale malt in order to hit the gravity (or get close) . Once you taste the finished product, there will be (as Godfather50 says) no turning back. :thumb:

 

[baggybill]

Nice one! It gets easier and you get faster/smoother each time, picking up more and more tips along the way. I use small bulldog/binder clips from Asda for my bag - and stick my whisk in a cordless drill :thumb:

 

[MyQul]

Well done and welcome to the dark side. I remember my first AG, it took about 8 hours. As others have said it gets easier as you get used to your kit and methodology

 

[jeg3]

I've done 9 AG brews now and only really paid attention to efficiency and mash temp in the last few brews. However my first AG was and is still the best, probably because of the style and the grain bill.

Saying that, the HPA clone I put on this week tastes flipping gorgeous after 4 days!

Sounds like you did well for a first brew. The biggest threat to beer is poor sanitation, it is actually fairly difficult to make beer which tastes truly awful IMO.

Looking forward to hearing how you get on