First AG brew, first questions

[Bashley]

I just completed my first ever all grain brew (on Grainfather) and have a few questions:

1. What is first wort and is it different to a 60min boil addition?
2. Hopstands - how many of you do them? As I wasn't sure what to do for the hopstand I added the hops in when the temp was 90deg for 15 mins?
3. When should one add yeast nutrient? I have Youngs' (diammonium phospate) I added it to boil for last 10min
4. If your SG is slightly off and you're not hitting your target in terms of litres, do you simply add more water? Does it have to be precise?
5. Because I forgot to add the whirlfloc and yeast nutrient I boiled for an extra 10-15min. Is that ok?
6. The taste of the wort before adding yeast was unbelievably bitter and rather dark looking for an IPA clone. More like an English bitter.This has not been my experience of liquid malt extract kits. Is this normal or have I done something wrong?

Sorry for all the questions, just a noobie looking for help! :)

 

[MmmBeer]

1 First Wort Hops are added immediately after the sparge, before bringing to the boil, allowing the hops to steep before boiling.
2 Hopstands give more aroma than late / flameout additions, not bothered often myself. Best to allow to cool to 80°C before adding.
3 A well made wort should have all the nutrients the yeast needs, I do sometimes add half a teaspoon of nutrient late in the boil, with the thought 'What harm can it do?'
4 You can 'liquor back' if the SG is higher than target, but be sure to use sterile water to do so (boiled then cooled, or bottled), or just accept a stronger beer.
5 Increasing the boil time will add to the bitterness from the hops, (play with the bitterness calculators on this forum to judge) it will also reduce the volume and increase the concentration of your wort.
6 Answer 5 may partially explain this.
What was your recipe? Was it a published one or did you make it up yourself, if so did you put it through any brewing software?

 

[-Bezza-]

I'll leave others to answer the questions but interested in how you got on with the Grainfather in the end? Was it as "automated" as you feared? :smile6:

 

[Bashley]

I'll leave others to answer the questions but interested in how you got on with the Grainfather in the end? Was it as "automated" as you feared? :smile6:

Not at all really, obviously it reminds you of when stuff should be happening, but you have to do the hard work. I imagine the biggest benefit is temperature control. As it was my first AG experience as well, it's hard to judge. I made a few mistakes along the way for sure. However, I can see it being a smooth experience in the future.

 

[Bashley]

1 First Wort Hops are added immediately after the sparge, before bringing to the boil, allowing the hops to steep before boiling.
2 Hopstands give more aroma than late / flameout additions, not bothered often myself. Best to allow to cool to 80°C before adding.
3 A well made wort should have all the nutrients the yeast needs, I do sometimes add half a teaspoon of nutrient late in the boil, with the thought 'What harm can it do?'
4 You can 'liquor back' if the SG is higher than target, but be sure to use sterile water to do so (boiled then cooled, or bottled), or just accept a stronger beer.
5 Increasing the boil time will add to the bitterness from the hops, (play with the bitterness calculators on this forum to judge) it will also reduce the volume and increase the concentration of your wort.
6 Answer 5 may partially explain this.
What was your recipe? Was it a published one or did you make it up yourself, if so did you put it through any brewing software?

Here's the recipe:

 

[Fil]

YOU have your answrs above.. just my 2ps worth ..
No1.. pop out and buy an opaque quaffing mug, as without the kettle finnings your unlikely to get a crystal clear pint from this batch.. its just a visual thing and if in an opaque mug - who knows

First brews are a rite of passage and a learning experience and im sure you will relish every drop of the brew.
but brew 2 will be a lot better - less panic on the day and you wont forget the kettle finings again..

 

[chewie]

Boiling for a bit longer will affect the SG as you are concentrating the wort more, if you added hop additions at 15 mins and then boiled for an extra 15 further mins then they will increase the bitterness. The wort will tend to look a bit darker as it will still have some crud in it, fermentation will help settle it out and it should lighten up a bit.

Don't be overly worried about hitting targets or quantities for your first couple of brews with the GF, it's all a learning curve and making the elementary mistakes is all part of it.

 

[Bashley]

YOU have your answrs above.. just my 2ps worth ..
No1.. pop out and buy an opaque quaffing mug, as without the kettle finnings your unlikely to get a crystal clear pint from this batch.. its just a visual thing and if in an opaque mug - who knows

First brews are a rite of passage and a learning experience and im sure you will relish every drop of the brew.
but brew 2 will be a lot better - less panic on the day and you wont forget the kettle finings again..

Even though the Whirfloc tablets were on the Grainfather recipe, I didn't receive a reminder like I did with the hop additions. So you see, it's not really THAT automated is it! :) Seems that I will have to be on my toes in future!

 

[Fil]

if you have a 15min hop addition sit the protoflock atop it.. otherwise create a dummy 15min hop addition in the app for your reminder..
my g/f is a mk1 so i use an kitchen alarm for my timings but dont you recirculate the boil thru your cfc @ the 15min from end milestone to sanitise??

 

[Bashley]

if you have a 15min hop addition sit the protoflock atop it.. otherwise create a dummy 15min hop addition in the app for your reminder..
my g/f is a mk1 so i use an kitchen alarm for my timings but dont you recirculate the boil thru your cfc @ the 15min from end milestone to sanitise??

From what I've seen and read you re-circulate after the boil.

 

[MmmBeer]

if you have a 15min hop addition sit the protoflock atop it.. otherwise create a dummy 15min hop addition in the app for your reminder..
my g/f is a mk1 so i use an kitchen alarm for my timings but dont you recirculate the boil thru your cfc @ the 15min from end milestone to sanitise??

I agree with Bashley, you wouldn't want to use the CFC during the boil, as that would mean putting the lid on.

 

[Bashley]

I agree with Bashley, you wouldn't want to use the CFC during the boil, as that would mean putting the lid on.

Precisely, and when I did leave the lid on this is what happened!

 

[Fil]

ahh 1st mod i made was to extend the cfc feed hose as to not be restricted to sitting it atop the kettle, simply assumed everyone did similar its not an ideal spot especially if adding late hops And want to sanitise your cfc..