Back to Basics, OMG I did it!

[TRXnMe]

My first ever go at all grain, roughly to the back to basics rules :)

My grain bill, 1kg of crystal malt, some hops and somme yeast.

Water on to heat up

Grain chucked into the water

Getting the grains out after the mash

Hops weighed out into two batches ready to add

The boil, hops added at startof boil and then at end of boil

Sat in the sink to cool, had to add some water to bring it back to my 5 litres target, still no idea what the OG is.

 

[BigYin]

excellent! :mrgreen:

 

[Muddydisco]

Great, Are you addicted yet

 

[Cononthebarber]

Well done : hope it turns out tasty :thumb:

 

[TRXnMe]

@ MuddyDisco, I've been hooked on home brewing since my first one can kit, it just keeps getting worse :) I'm going to have to develop a drinking problem to keep up with my brewing addiction

@ ConanTheBarber, the wort tasted quite interesting, so hoping it brews up nice :)

I had expected a very pale wort from crystal malt, but it's really quite dark, I'll be watching the ferment with interest.

I'm off to Tesco for a couple, or four (spares) value kettles tomorrow to convert one of my large plastic pots into a HLT and have added an electim heated mash tun to my christmas list, One of the other forum members is giving me a wort cooler (it needs a new pump) which I'm picking up tomorrow, so the kit is coming together.

All I need now is a cheap source of grains, I think the sponsors might be seeing my credit card number before long!

 

[TRXnMe]

Hmm, I just did what I ought to have done before heading for the LHBS, read about pale malt and crystal malt, why is there no slap head smiley ??

Looks like I'm for a dark, caramel flacvoured beer, should be good if it does come out like that.

Next time I'll make sure I ppick up pale malt

 

[Good Ed]

You'll be sure to end up with something very drinkable, well done :thumb:

 

[ScottM]

Looks like good work! Well done :)

From reading around I think its best to leave the lid off for boiling though? Gets rid of some nasties that cause off flavours (I don't actually remember the exact cause/effect) :)

 

[kev]

Am I missing something, or did you only mash with crystal grains?

K

 

[Northern Brewer]

Am I missing something, or did you only mash with crystal grains?

K

my thoughts exactly - no or little enzymes in crystal. What was the OG?

 

[pittsy]

i was just gonna post the same thing , crystal should be no more than 20% of the grain bill , what you wanted (i know its too late but for others thinking of doing this too ) is a base malt such as pale ale then maybe a little of other malts , here is a link to grains http://www.brupaks.com/BRUPAKS%20GRAIN% ... %20WEB.htm hope this helps :thumb:

 

[TRXnMe]

Yup, all crystal

I got myself mixed up wit pale and crystal, after all crystal is clear isn't it.....

I think it's going to be tasty, but piss weak if I've understood wat I've read. Fermentation has started, but is a bit pathetic compared to what I'm used to, I might chuck a couple of grammes of sugar in to give the yeasties summat to work with, dunno yet.

 

[kev]

Don't muck about with sugar. If you feel the need, put in dry malt extract as that's basically pale malt mashed and dried.

Put it down to experience. Pick a recipe and follow it for your first few brews.

K

 

[Cononthebarber]

You could always boil up some water and dissolve some malt extract in it then wait for it to cool and chuck that in...or just not bother? As you say I think it will taste ok but just won't have much alcohol...

 

[The Goatreich]

Nice one TRX! Where abouts in Newport do you live? It would be good to have another all grainer so close.

 

[TRXnMe]

@ Goatreich, Lliswerry area, near the new bridge and bypass.

I've got hold of some brewing sugar, I'm going to add 400 grammes of that to the FV.

From what I've read the mouth feel and flavour will have come out of the grain during the mash, but due to my **** up very little in the way of sugars, so, not wantingg my first ever go at AG to be a 1% er the brewing sugar had to go in.

I picked up two Asda smart price kettles while out today and dropped lucky while noseying around The Range, they had 35 litre cool boxes on offer, so I've now got a mash tun as well :)

 

[The Goatreich]

Good work, it's not a bad shop that new Range is it? I'm also Lliswerry area, just off Cromwell Road.

 

[TRXnMe]

Good work, it's not a bad shop that new Range is it? I'm also Lliswerry area, just off Cromwell Road.

Cromwell road runs just behind my place, I'm near the Orb Club :)

 

[The Goatreich]

Small world! I walk my dog by there every day.

 

[TRXnMe]

Small world! I walk my dog by there every day.

What sort of dog?

We have two boxers, one ginger and homicidal, one white and cowardly :)