My first all grain brew day

[crowcrow]

Yeah that sounds OK. I've used both those hops before and I think they'll work well together.

Huge thanks foxbat, this forum certainly is helpful and makes it simpler than it would be alone!

 

[crowcrow]

My wife bought this for the cat food (she's as bad as me for buying random stuff) but she's realised she doesn't really need it so I've inherited it. It is better then the kitchen scales but not as proper pocket scales I lost a while ago - so I'll order a new set.

I also want to get a luggage scale to weigh the gas bottle and the kegs so I can have a better idea of what is left in them. As ever... Waiting for pay day!

 

[crowcrow]

Ended up a slightly longer brew that planned - ran over by 10 mins due to in
-laws popping over - sure will be fine.

Just leaving it to cool with the hops in, will take them out soon and leave to cool some more before moving to fv when down to about 70c - and pitch tomorrow

 

[crowcrow]

So, this came out more liquid than I'd planned - I must have over sparged and lost less in the boil and transfer than before as ended up at 24 litres and 1038 - tempted to add a little sugar to dry out and give a more lager flavour, thoughts? Or might just leave as it.

Took over 24 hours to cool to 20c, so waited and pitched last night, no fermentation action this morning but that isn't unusual I guess. Can't wait to try it.

 

[Rodcx500z]

So, this came out more liquid than I'd planned - I must have over sparged and lost less in the boil and transfer than before as ended up at 24 litres and 1038 - tempted to add a little sugar to dry out and give a more lager flavour, thoughts? Or might just leave as it.

Took over 24 hours to cool to 20c, so waited and pitched last night, no fermentation action this morning but that isn't unusual I guess. Can't wait to try it.

Hi crowcrow, I managed to mine down to 35c ish yesterday then stuck it in the sink in the fv pitched at 11 last night, first bubbles about 8am today thinking of getting a fridge but then I will want cornys lol

 

[Birkin]

For chilling the wort, I bought a copper wort chiller of fleabay years ago, the same guy still makes them and sells them on eBay for £30 including post.

I just drop it in the boiler 15 mins before end of boil to sterilise it, then feed tap water through it - every time I use it i'm still amazed at how well it works. It'll cool the wort from boil to 35C in about 20 minutes with a fairly slow flow of cold water, it probably takes another 20 - 30 mins to drop it to 20C, but tap water is usually about 12C so it'll usually drop to 20 in less than an hour easy.

Before fermentation is the highest risk of infection, so you want to get it cooled and pitched as soon as possible, really this is to avoid your brew sitting for hours at warm temps where infections thrive.

Once fermentation begins the conditions for bacteria just get harsher as the yeast does it's thing. (PH drops and alcohol content increases, CO2 provides a protective blanket preventing exposure to oxygen)

Fridges are great for lagering and storing a keg at drinking temp but nowhere near as good as a copper coil when it comes to crash cooling!

 

[Rodcx500z]

For chilling the wort, I bought a copper wort chiller of fleabay years ago, the same guy still makes them and sells them on eBay for £30 including post.

I just drop it in the boiler 15 mins before end of boil to sterilise it, then feed tap water through it - every time I use it i'm still amazed at how well it works. It'll cool the wort from boil to 35C in about 20 minutes with a fairly slow flow of cold water, it probably takes another 20 - 30 mins to drop it to 20C, but tap water is usually about 12C so it'll usually drop to 20 in less than an hour easy.

Before fermentation is the highest risk of infection, so you want to get it cooled and pitched as soon as possible, really this is to avoid your brew sitting for hours at warm temps where infections thrive.

Once fermentation begins the conditions for bacteria just get harsher as the yeast does it's thing. (PH drops and alcohol content increases, CO2 provides a protective blanket preventing exposure to oxygen)

Fridges are great for lagering and storing a keg at drinking temp but nowhere near as good as a copper coil when it comes to crash cooling!

Hi crowcrow I have an ss chiller which I bought a couple of weeks ago, I forgot to turn the 900w element off doh which is why it took so long to get to pitching temp, lesson learned

 

[crowcrow]

For chilling the wort, I bought a copper wort chiller of fleabay years ago, the same guy still makes them and sells them on eBay for £30 including post.

I just drop it in the boiler 15 mins before end of boil to sterilise it, then feed tap water through it - every time I use it i'm still amazed at how well it works. It'll cool the wort from boil to 35C in about 20 minutes with a fairly slow flow of cold water, it probably takes another 20 - 30 mins to drop it to 20C, but tap water is usually about 12C so it'll usually drop to 20 in less than an hour easy.

Before fermentation is the highest risk of infection, so you want to get it cooled and pitched as soon as possible, really this is to avoid your brew sitting for hours at warm temps where infections thrive.

Once fermentation begins the conditions for bacteria just get harsher as the yeast does it's thing. (PH drops and alcohol content increases, CO2 provides a protective blanket preventing exposure to oxygen)

Fridges are great for lagering and storing a keg at drinking temp but nowhere near as good as a copper coil when it comes to crash cooling!

I have a chiller that came with the klarstein - I just hadn't used it, but maybe I'll give it a go. I'd assumed it was profligate with the water, but if it isn't that bad then I'll buy some piping to connect it up. I had thought about a pump to recirculate from a chilled sink, but all purchases are currently awaiting pay day

 

[Rodcx500z]

Mine came with 2 pipes all I did was stick a hozelock on one the in feed and connected it to the outside tap the other just goes in the drain, I will take a pic in the morning

 

[foxbat]

I have a chiller that came with the klarstein - I just hadn't used it, but maybe I'll give it a go. I'd assumed it was profligate with the water, but if it isn't that bad then I'll buy some piping to connect it up. I had thought about a pump to recirculate from a chilled sink, but all purchases are currently awaiting pay day

They do use tens of litres of water but if you have any old 25 litre FVs around you can collect the water and use it for your washing up. The first bucket to come out will be nice and hot.

 

[Rodcx500z]

Hi mate my simple setup

 

[crowcrow]

I like your huge blue fermentation vessel! No wonder you brew so much!

 

[Rodcx500z]

I like your huge blue fermentation vessel! No wonder you brew so much!

Whis I had one that big 1 brew per year

 

[bobukbrewer]

is bluie plastic dust bin safe for food use ?

 

[Rodcx500z]

is bluie plastic dust bin safe for food use ?

Hi bob I don't use the bin, I was taking a pic of chiller

 

[crowcrow]

As posted elsewhere just moved to cold crash. Got down to fg of 1010 from 1038 - so just below 3.7% - not what I was aiming for, but not a million miles away and a given considering how long this came out. The Klarstein seems to be pretty high efficiency.

Looking forward to seeing how this turns out, then will make something similar to my first brew again, and then looking to make a true lager, and then something dark. But plans change a lot, so who knows!

 

[crowcrow]

So come back to check in - my 2nd brew day failed.

Failure came for a few reasons but ended up with a beer not worth drinking:

I didn't pay attention to volume of water needed, meaning I ended up with a 25 litre watery beer.
I was lax putting in the hops at the right times - meaning that I lost a whack of flavour, even though I put in twice the hops
My hops was old and previously opened which added to the above
It wasn't the 'right' hops too.

Biggest issue came with cleaning. I cleaned the keg really well, but I didn't use a no rinse cleaner like before (even though I do rinse anyway) and I didn't take apart the keg fittings - I can only think the dip tube kept hold of some chemicals - as the beer has a chemical tang that I've never had before. But had some impartial tasters around who confirmed that while my first beer was awesome my second should go down tbe drain.

Gutted, but I'd thought as much and was hoping it was just me being over sensitive to the flavour, ah well - I live and learn and will brew again next week!

 

[Rodcx500z]

So come back to check in - my 2nd brew day failed.

Failure came for a few reasons but ended up with a beer not worth drinking:

I didn't pay attention to volume of water needed, meaning I ended up with a 25 litre watery beer.
I was lax putting in the hops at the right times - meaning that I lost a whack of flavour, even though I put in twice the hops
My hops was old and previously opened which added to the above
It wasn't the 'right' hops too.

Biggest issue came with cleaning. I cleaned the keg really well, but I didn't use a no rinse cleaner like before (even though I do rinse anyway) gland I didn't take apart the keg fittings - I can only think the dip tube kept hold of some chemicals - as the beer has a chemical tang that I've never had before. But had some impartial tasters around who confirmed that while my first beer was awesome my second should go down tbe drain.

Gutted, but I'd thought as much and was hoping it was just me being over sensitive to the flavour, ah well - I live and pear and will brew again next week!

Gutted for you crowcrow, but that's your learning curve out of the way so it's onwards and upwards from now on

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Make or buy a wort chiller they are essential to prevent spoilage.

 

[The Baron]

Sorry a wort chiller is not essential to prevent spoilage, good sanitation/sterilization and a strong process is, there are many people who no chill and never have a problem me being one I went away from wort chillers as they waste too much water and no chill is so simple.