My first brew

[CW28]

Good morning,

Firstly, thank you for anyone who has taken the time to click and read this post.

I’m brand new to brewing (and by brand new, I mean I’ve not done any yet) But I’ve started researching on forums and YouTube videos for some base knowledge, and I’ve now ordered some equipment and ingredients and I’m going to give it a crack.

I’m going to do the brew in bag method. And I’m aiming for a hazy session ipa, around 4.5%, but I’m not too fussed with accuracy as it’s a first attempt.
I’ve been on brewfather and borrowed a recipe, and bought similar sounding ingredients (but ones that were available)

All my hops and malts and chemicals I’ve ordered from malt miller.

So the reason I’ve joined you today is because I’ve written myself instructions to follow that I’d like to share with you, in the hope an experienced brewer could review my process and offer any advice/tips or most importantly point out any red flags.

So here we go:

1. Sterilise all equipment, Fermentation bucket, mixing spoons, hop sock, basically everything that will be used but will not be in the ‘boil stage’

1. Pour in 27.75Ltrs of Water (bottled water as I have access to bottled water for free)
   Bring water to 67 degrees Celsius and add:4.96g of calcium chloride,3.86g of Epsom Salt,5.04g Gypsum.

1. Place in brew bag and ‘mash’ for 60 minutes at 67 degrees Celsius, stir occasionally.1300g Crisp German Pilsen Malt,1300g Simpsons Malt Finest Pale Ale Golden Promise,
   900g Muntons Wheat Malt,500g TMM Oat Flakes 20 (Medium).

1. Remove brew bag and contents, hold over water to drain, don’t squeeze.

1. Sparge (is this correct?) into water1.34g of calcium chloride, 1.04g of Epsom Salt, 1.36g Gypsum

1. Boil for 10 minutes

1. Bring down to 80 degrees Celsius and make whirlpool (I’ll do this by hand stirring as don’t have equipment)
   Add hop sock containing:
   50g Hallertauer Magnum – BarthHaas pure hop pellets
   35g Pacific Sunrise – Hop Revolution – T90 pellets
   25g Citra – BarthHaas pure hop pellets
2. Remove hop sock

1. Chill as quickly as possible (I will have to do this with ice water in a sink/bath as I don’t have a wort chiller yet)

1. Once cooled to (18-20 degrees) Pour into Fermentation bucket and leave to settle.

1. Take a hydrometer reading.

1. Add Yeast 11g LalBrew Pomona Modern Hybrid IPA yeast, and mix.

1. Close lid (with Vaseline round seals), and pop in the airlock bubble thing on the top.

1. After 5 days, add hop sock (sterilised)
   15g Pacific Sunrise – Hop Revolution – T90 pellets
   25g Citra – BarthHaas pure hop pellets

1. Take samples from day 5 onwards, and when reading no longer changes, fermentation is complete. Planned bottling day will be day 8, but if not complete by day 8, I’ll remove the hop sock. And wait a bit longer.

1. Sterilise bottles and syphon hose.

1. Add carbonation drops to bottles, 2 drops per 500ml.

1. Syphon from fermentation tank to bottles.

1. Leave bottles at 18-20 degrees for 2 days, then transfer to cold for 14 days

1. Drink

Any advice is welcomed. Thank you
CW

 

[An Ankoù]

Welcome:
Congratulations on getting this far.
I'll give some comments and they'll all sound critical, but no intention to put you off. Here goes:

• You've chosen a difficult style to start with and it;s not typical of brewing processes in many respects
• Let;s see the recipe so we know what it is you're trying to achieve.
• What's the target volume? 28L of liquid the mash tun could be a full volume mash in which case there's no room for a sparge
• Have you thought about how you're going to raise a bag full of very soggy grain and hold it above the kettle until it has drained?
• When you talk about a sparge and adding more salts, I not sure you understand what and why you're proposing.
• What is this bottled water? Not all bottled water is suitable for all styes.
• I see there are no bittering hops (10 minute boil!) is this intended? Let's see the recipe.
• Why Pacific Sunrise? These are not usually used for last additions. i can't imagine they'd complement the citra.
• Don't waste your money on carbonation drips a level teaspoonful of table sugar per bottle is all you need.
• 2 days to carbonate isn't enough. I'd leave it 2 weeks to carbonate.

There. Hope that helps. We really do need to see your recipe.

 

[Clint]

What he said...as for the salt additions..you really need go know what your water analysis is before you start..it might be written on the bottles.
No need for vaseline on anything.
Leave it 2 weeks before you test it.

 

[The Baron]

Welcome to the forum.
I would have either done a simple SMASH beer or buy a AG kit for a simple ale/pale not a Hazy IPA or believe it or not Lager which is one of the hardest styles to get right.
However Good luck in your first brew

 

[Rodcx500z]

I agree with Baron a smash (single malt and single hop ) would be a good first brew, i would advise you follow the the 2+2+2 rule 2 weeks fermentation 2 weeks carbonation 2 weeks conditioning, and a golden rule i always stick to is anything that touches the brew after the boil must be sanitised, i have thrown 1 brew down the drain in 4 years which was my fault, the thing i don't understand is the 10 minute boil so yeah post the full recipe

 

[Tanglefoot]

Not sure how well 4 ounces plus of hops will
work in one of those socks in the whirlpool, they might just stick together.
I prefer to use a hop spider in the boil/hopstand and chuck them in loose when dry hopping, it will all settle out.
You can use a grain bag to filter what's left when you empty kettle into fv.

 

[CW28]

Welcome:
Congratulations on getting this far.
I'll give some comments and they'll all sound critical, but no intention to put you off. Here goes:

• You've chosen a difficult style to start with and it;s not typical of brewing processes in many respects
• Let;s see the recipe so we know what it is you're trying to achieve.
• What's the target volume? 28L of liquid the mash tun could be a full volume mash in which case there's no room for a sparge
• Have you thought about how you're going to raise a bag full of very soggy grain and hold it above the kettle until it has drained?
• When you talk about a sparge and adding more salts, I not sure you understand what and why you're proposing.
• What is this bottled water? Not all bottled water is suitable for all styes.
• I see there are no bittering hops (10 minute boil!) is this intended? Let's see the recipe.
• Why Pacific Sunrise? These are not usually used for last additions. i can't imagine they'd complement the citra.
• Don't waste your money on carbonation drips a level teaspoonful of table sugar per bottle is all you need.
• 2 days to carbonate isn't enough. I'd leave it 2 weeks to carbonate.

There. Hope that helps. We really do need to see your recipe.

Hello thanks for your reply,

Happy to take the critical feedback as ultimately I don’t know what I’m doing haha!

• You've chosen a difficult style to start with and it;s not typical of brewing processes in many respects

Didn’t realise this would be a difficult one to start with, just picked it because hazy IpAs are my favourite to drink.

• Let’s see the recipe so we know what it is you're trying to achieve.

I’ve attached screenshots of the recipe I used, followed by screen shots of my amendments, as brewfather then auto adjusted certain parts such as my water additives etc. I picked what I thought would be similar malts/hops but I may have misjudged it.
I have already ordered this stuff, so would rather use most, if not all, but if there’s an extra ingredient to make it work, or a different combination, this is what I’ll do

• What's the target volume? 28L of liquid the mash tun could be a full volume mash in which case there's no room for a sparge

20 litres. The 28ltres was the calculation from brewfather if I read it right.

• Have you thought about how you're going to raise a bag full of very soggy grain and hold it above the kettle until it has drained?

Good shout, another bucket needed

• When you talk about a sparge and adding more salts, I not sure you understand what and why you're proposing.

You’re absolutely right. It said sparge on the recipe, but I’m not 100% sure what it meant

• What is this bottled water? Not all bottled water is suitable for all styes.

So it’s refilled filtered water, the type that go on top of water coolers, supplied by these guys https://www.officewatersupplies.co.uk/

• I see there are no bittering hops (10 minute boil!) is this intended? Let's see the recipe.

Probably my error when choosing hops. How long should the boil be?

• Why Pacific Sunrise? These are not usually used for last additions. i can't imagine they'd complement the citra.

As above? Poor choice from me? It said fruity hazy on the description.

• Don't waste your money on carbonation drips a level teaspoonful of table sugar per bottle is all you need.

Just basic granulated/ caster sugar?

• 2 days to carbonate isn't enough. I'd leave it 2 weeks to carbonate.

 

[Mash Monster]

I agree with @Rodcx500z and @The Baron This is a very difficult style to brew and would do as suggested and start with a simple recipe.
What else do you like to drink ?
I’m sure someone has a simple recipe with the ingredients that you have to get you started.
Whatever way you decide to go good luck and welcome to the forum