First AG (BIAB)

[stubrewworx]

Hi, I did my 1st AG (BIAB) yesterday. Here are the details:

EKG SMaSH (Specialty Beer) – 11 litres

Original Gravity (OG): 1.050 (°P): 12.4
Final Gravity (FG): 1.013 (°P): 3.3
Alcohol (ABV): 4.91 %
Colour (SRM): 4.7 (EBC): 9.2
Bitterness (IBU): 65.2 (Average)

100% Maris Otter Malt

2.3 g/L East Kent Golding (6.92% Alpha) @ 60 Minutes (Boil)
1.4 g/L East Kent Golding (6.92% Alpha) @ 30 Minutes (Boil)
1.4 g/L East Kent Golding (6.92% Alpha) @ 15 Minutes (Boil)
4.1 g/L East Kent Golding (6.92% Alpha) @ 0 Minutes (Aroma)

0.1 g/L Irish Moss @ 15 Minutes (Boil)

Single step Infusion at 66°C for 60 Minutes. Boil for 60 Minutes

Fermented at 20°C with Danstar Nottingham


Recipe Generated with BrewMate

I originally created the recipe with the Hop Alpha @ 4.6%. After reading the pack during the boil I realised they’re 6.92%. So it’s going to be bitterer than I planned .

BrewMate called for 14.23l total water. I started with 15l (using the sight glass). After the mash I was left with around 13l, which I think was about expected.

My mash temperature was 71.7c, ending with 69.5c. I know this was too high. I panicked a little when the temp dropped whilst doughing in, so I added a little heat . What are the effects of a high mash temperature?

Before the boil the reading was 1.034 @ 53c. Using the calculator the SG is 1.045. So not bad I think?

The boil went smooth, in respect the boiler held up for the full hour. Apart from the %AA difference the hop additions were fine. My wort cooler worked a treat. It’s quite small but cooled in less than 20 minutes. I worked the cold water flow bottom up as it seems more logical. Does anyone work the other way?

At the end of the boil I was left with less than 10l (according to sight glass) and readings of 1.060!
I transferred to the FV and topped up to 11l (added around 4l) and the readings were 1.048. Better.

I pitched the yeast and now, 18 hours later the airlock is bubbling fast, very fast.

I think I’ll leave for a week, transfer to 2nd for a few days (or not) and bottle.

Lessons Learnt:

Double check the hop AA.
Don’t add heat when doughing in.
Purchase better scales, especially for weighing out hops.

Questions:
There’s around 2-3 litres of deadspace (under the tap) in the boiler. How do I account for this in BrewMate. Would it be ‘losses to trub/cooler’?
I don’t trust the sight glass too much. How do I make a measuring stick? Well, I know how but what’s best to use?
For those that use hop bags. What do you do transferring to the FV? I clipped them to the side of the boiler to drain.

I'm sure I'll think of more Qs...

Cheers, Stu.

My Set-up:

Mash:

Sparge:

FV:

 

[balli1990]

Hi stuworx

Congrats on your first BIAB.

Don't threat about those high mash temps, yes they are too high but your going to still have beer at the end although it may not be quite what you were expecting. The general rule is higher the mash temp the more non fermentable sugars are converted. So you will end up with more Body and sweetness due to the higher finishing gravity.
Mashing any higher than you have will result in denaturing the enzymes causing bad efficiency but you seem to have avoided this.

I use a hop sock in the boil and squeeze it with two big sanitised spoons to get as much wort out as possible.

Since this is your first brew I wouldn't bother with a secondary, this will just create more opportunity to get an infection. I never bother with a secondary the only real gain you get is a bit of a clearer beer into the bottle that will settle out with time anyway.

Make sure you have reached your FG before bottling or you may end up with some bottle bombs!

Hope this helps.

 

[calumscott]

Hi, I did my 1st AG (BIAB) yesterday.

Nice one! Welcome to the dark side of the dark side!

quote="stuworx"]I originally created the recipe with the Hop Alpha @ 4.6%. After reading the pack during the boil I realised they’re 6.92%. So it’s going to be bitterer than I planned .

...

My mash temperature was 71.7c, ending with 69.5c. I know this was too high. I panicked a little when the temp dropped whilst doughing in, so I added a little heat . What are the effects of a high mash temperature?[/quote]

Well, your extra bitterness from the hops and the effect of the hot mash should conspire to give you a cracker of a beer! As balli1990 points out you higher mash temp gives you more dextrins, long chain, unfermentible, sugars which contribute to body and sweetness of the beer. The additional AA from the hops should balance that out nicely.

Lessons Learnt:

Double check the hop AA.
Don’t add heat when doughing in.
Purchase better scales, especially for weighing out hops.

Can't argue with them! I made the same dough in mistake with my first. Great pint in the end... Don't stress about it.

Questions:
There’s around 2-3 litres of deadspace (under the tap) in the boiler. How do I account for this in BrewMate. Would it be ‘losses to trub/cooler’?
I don’t trust the sight glass too much. How do I make a measuring stick? Well, I know how but what’s best to use?
For those that use hop bags. What do you do transferring to the FV? I clipped them to the side of the boiler to drain.

Can't help with Brewmate I'm afraid, I'm a Beersmith user. Losses to trub/cooler could be right, or you might have a boiler deadspace option maybe?
Measuring stick. Mine is a bit of copper tube with 5l rings marked on with on of those rotating pipe cutter things. Simple!
I don't use hop bags. I prefer to leave them free, you should get better extraction that way. Also if you fit a hop stopper to your boiler then they form part of the filtering process trapping the hot (and cold because you chill in the boiler) break material which should help you achieve clearer beer.

I'm sure I'll think of more Qs...

Cheers, Stu.

PS, I'll try get some pics added.

To both of those: Good! :) The only dumb question is the one you wish you'd asked. And we like pictures here!

I disagree with balli1990 on one point though. I'm going to assume that your sanitisation regime is "enterprise grade" so there is nearly zero risk of using a secondary to drop out the last of the suspended crud. It's your first AG yes but I'm assuming not your first beer so everything after you create your wort is "as you were". :thumb:

 

[Diggerg]

Nice one stuworx. How do you find your boiler? I've been looking at them on ebay.

 

[stubrewworx]

Nice one stuworx. How do you find your boiler? I've been looking at them on ebay.

Boiler is good. Made 3 'modifications' to get a constant boil. Although i think only 1 was required. The 3rd one I did! I can advise which one. I recommend getting one. After a few more brews I think I'll look at fitting a ball valve tap and hop strainer.

Thank for the advise guys. Can't wait to taste the brew.

Stuart.

 

[Diggerg]

Great. If I end up getting one I'll pm you for the mods if that's ok

 

[Diggerg]

Sorry quick question. How is the tap fixed in your boiler. Is there a nut on the inside? Also is the sight glass teed into the top of the tap?

 

[stubrewworx]

Sorry quick question. How is the tap fixed in your boiler. Is there a nut on the inside? Also is the sight glass teed into the top of the tap?

Yes and yes

 

[CaptainMallard]

Hi, I did my 1st AG (BIAB) yesterday

Well done :clap: I want to do biab too - just too busy right now, although your pictures make it look really easy.

Purchase better scales, especially for weighing out hops.

I got some digital scales as a present - so easy to use and so much more accurate. The only slight problem is that the bowl can overhang the lcd display making it hard to read. I'll get a bigger one for brewing.

 

[clibit]

Looks great,well done. You do need to jiggle your water volumes, 15 litres for an 11 litre brew seemed short to me, and you say you were about 4 litres short, so up it to 19 litres next time I guess. I'll have a look at Brewmate later when I get chance, I use it in a kind of relaxed way. I get my total water and mash water from it, then sparge til I run out of water or I decide to stop sparging. With BIAB you just need total water, so treat this brew as a test and adjust accordingly. And remember to factor the amount of grain each time you brew, which prob won't vary that much.

 

[stubrewworx]

I've just taking gravity reading, its 1016. It was 1016 4 days ago.

Is that the best I'm going to get?

 

[clibit]

Probably yes. That's the high mash temp, you will have more unfermentable sugars than normal, raising the FG. The extra hop bitterness should balance out that extra sweetness. The same thing happened to me once, I over-hopped and only got down to 1020. the beer turned out great.

 

[Diggerg]

Have you tried using biabacus? Takes a little while to get your head around but very handy.

 

[clibit]

I think in Brewmate you would need to use the 'Losses to Trub and Chiller' to account for your dead space, as you said. So work out what you lose to dead space and also add the amount you lose at the bottom of the FV when you bottle/keg. That way you should get to drink 11 litres. I suspect you will need to start with more like 18 to 20 litres.