newbie. understanding recipes

[Neil1454]

Hi,

Will be my first non can brew.

When following a recipe and adding hops to the boil... say it states an addition 60 min boil.
The boil time is 60 mins so I'd add that right in and any other additions say where it says 45 min boil I'd add that in 45 mins into the boil and all additions are left in the boil to the very end?

Also 0 min steep. Can anyone please explain how a steep is done... the recipe I'm looking at as my first attempt ive attached.

Also would I add a protofloc tablet 15 mins at end of boil for clearing?

Any help appreciated.
Thanks

 

[Metacomet]

Hop additions are always show as time remaining in the boil.
So the "Boil 60 min" goes in as soon as you reach boiling point, as you said.
The "Boil 45min" addition goes in 15 mins later, when you have 45 mins of boil time remaining.
The 15 min addition goes in 30 mins after this when there are 15 mins remaining of boil time. This is when you can add the protofloc tablet.


The steep addition goes in at the end of the boil. It's sometimes called a Flameout addition. Turn the heat off and add these hops.
Some recipes state a steep time, and some people like to get the temp down to below 80c before adding them, this would be refered to as a whirlpool addition and usually involves leaving them in for 20 minutes before you continue to cool the wort.

For ease of it being your first all grain, I would throw them at as soon as the heat is turned off, leave them for 10-15mins and then cool....or don't use them at all and dry hop with them after fermentation as finished and 3-4 days before you bottle.

 

[Neil1454]

Brilliant thanks allot that's helped confirm what I thought and answered the steep question nicely.

Protofloc... last 15 mins and 1 tablet for upto 23 litres or am I better off going half a tablet ?

Thanks

 

[An Ankoù]

Depends how big they are. Mine come from Brew UK, they weigh 2.5 grams with instructions to use a quarter of a tablet for 20 litres. I always stick half a tablet in 24-27 litres.
I had some a while ago from somewhere else which were smaller and also something similar called Whirlfloc and they said a tablet in 5 gallons.
Hope that helps. If you can't weigh one then weigh ten and divide by ten. But you knew that anyway.

 

[Metacomet]

My whirlflocks say 1/2 per 5 galloons (19 litres) but I always chuck a whole one in as I can't be bothered to cut it in half.

 

[Neil1454]

On the recipe example I attached above it mentions nothing about a mashing time or temperature.

Am I right on thinking that most people mash to 60 mins and between 65-67c?

Thanks

 

[An Ankoù]

On the recipe example I attached above it mentions nothing about a mashing time or temperature.

Am I right on thinking that most people mash to 60 mins and between 65-67c?

Thanks

I see a lot of the newer recipes and books suggest a 60 minute mash for a single step infusion. I had always used a 90 minute mash, and I mash at 64 C because I like my beers dry, but the target was always 66 unless there are other reasons for changing that. Occasionally, an iodine test shows that conversion is incomplete even after 90 mins. If you're using a lot of adjuncts or your malt is getting a bit old, I'd certainly test for complete conversion.

Go for a 90 minute mash between 65-67 and you'll be fine.

 

[Neil1454]

I see a lot of the newer recipes and books suggest a 60 minute mash for a single step infusion. I had always used a 90 minute mash, and I mash at 64 C because I like my beers dry, but the target was always 66 unless there are other reasons for changing that. Occasionally, an iodine test shows that conversion is incomplete even after 90 mins. If you're using a lot of adjuncts or your malt is getting a bit old, I'd certainly test for complete conversion.

Go for a 90 minute mash between 65-67 and you'll be fine.

Out of curiosity how is an iodine test done?

I assume if the conversion is not complete that you would just boil for longer ?

Thanks

 

[An Ankoù]

Out of curiosity how is an iodine test done?

I assume if the conversion is not complete that you would just boil for longer ?

Thanks

The mash allows the enzymes present in the malt to convert the unfermentable starches to fermentable sugars. If there are still starches present, this will be detected by an aqueous solution of iodine in potassium iodide. you put a small sample of your wort in, say an egg cup and then add a drop of iodine. If starch is present it will turn an inky colour.
If starch is present, no amount of boiling will reduce it to sugar and your final beer will be hazy.
Don't put the iodine in the beer, it's poisonous.

 

[Neil1454]

Ok... makes good sense :)

Again with the example recipe I included above. How do I know how much mashing water to start with?
My end litres is 19L. Assume I'd need to sparge to 22L for boil evaporation loss?

But I understand the grain will absorb quite a bit of the liquid as well.

Not really sure on water amounts and the recipes dont say.

Thanks

 

[An Ankoù]

Ok... makes good sense :)

Again with the example recipe I included above. How do I know how much mashing water to start with?
My end litres is 19L. Assume I'd need to sparge to 22L for boil evaporation loss?

But I understand the grain will absorb quite a bit of the liquid as well.

Not really sure on water amounts and the recipes dont say.

Thanks

Just heat up an excess of water to your sparging temperature, say 80C or a tad less, and then sparge until you've got 22 litres in your boiler/kettle/copper. If your boiler isn't calibrated then measure 22 litres of cold water and mark where it comes to on the inside of the kettle. Or mark a wooden stick or piece of plastic pipe if you don't want to scratch the inside of the vessel. Next time, you'll know how much water to heat up. For me, for a 5 gallon (uk) batch, I use 3 gallons for the mash and another 4 gallons for the sparge. (You can do the conversions). If you final volume comes out a bit short, you can always add, clean, cold tapwater to bring it to the proper volume (referred to as length). This is referred to in some books as "liquoring back".
I'm going to have a look through my book collection to see if I can find a basic primer on home brewing which will explain all these things. Palmers book, for example, is too detailed to begin with. You need to have a few brews behind you, first.

 

[Neil1454]

Just heat up an excess of water to your sparging temperature, say 80C or a tad less, and then sparge until you've got 22 litres in your boiler/kettle/copper. If your boiler isn't calibrated then measure 22 litres of cold water and mark where it comes to on the inside of the kettle. Or mark a wooden stick or piece of plastic pipe if you don't want to scratch the inside of the vessel. Next time, you'll know how much water to heat up. For me, for a 5 gallon (uk) batch, I use 3 gallons for the mash and another 4 gallons for the sparge. (You can do the conversions). If you final volume comes out a bit short, you can always add, clean, cold tapwater to bring it to the proper volume (referred to as length). This is referred to in some books as "liquoring back".
I'm going to have a look through my book collection to see if I can find a basic primer on home brewing which will explain all these things. Palmers book, for example, is too detailed to begin with. You need to have a few brews behind you, first.

If I understand correct the above is for sparge water only to get to the required volume.
How do I know how much water to initially add to the grain that I need to allow the grain to sit in to mash prior to the sparge ?

Sorry if I've misunderstood somewhere.

Thanks

 

[An Ankoù]

That's right. I was dealing with sparge water. It's true that the "thickness" of the mash has an effect on the protein content, but I wouldn't worry about that. The key is to be able to MASH your mash, that is to be able to give it a good seeing to with a wooden spoon or paddle to ensure all the malt is soaked and all the mash is at an even temperature. The trade off is that the thinner the mash, the less water there is to sparge with.
That said. Some brewers don't sparge! the use the entire amount of water in the mash.
For starters: boil some water and pour it you mash tun to pre-heat it. Bring 3 gallons of water to 72C, throw the pre-heating water away and put the mash water in your mash tun. Add the grains and stir all the time. Really mash it up. Put the lid on and put a kettle of water on to boil. After 15 minutes, take the lid off the mash tun and give it an almighty stirring and take the temperature. Use the boiling water in the kettle to bring the temperature to 65-66C. Mash it again, check the temperature, put the lid on and leave it until 90 minutes have passed since the beginning of the process.
You could read Wheeler and Protz "Make your own Real Ale at home" It's not brilliant but a fair starter. The most recent edition is less good than the earlier ones. I see that my old "beginners" books are now so out of date that they make rather funny reading. Dave Line's "Big Book of Brewing" was a classic, and his theory is pretty much spot on, but his calculations and many of his assumptions about yield are more than a bit suspect.
A lot of American writers are a great read, they can be a bit geeky, but none the worse for that. Mosher and Papazian are good. They work in US gallons (19 litres) and measure temperature in Fahrenheit, though.

 

[Zephyr259]

If I understand correct the above is for sparge water only to get to the required volume.
How do I know how much water to initially add to the grain that I need to allow the grain to sit in to mash prior to the sparge ?

Sorry if I've misunderstood somewhere.

Thanks

What is your set up? Do you have a separate mash tun or are you doing brew in a bag?

 

[Neil1454]

What is your set up? Do you have a separate mash tun or are you doing brew in a bag?

Hi,

I will be using a whole in one system.
Robobrew there was a few reasons I decided on that rather than everything separate.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I will be using a whole in one system.

Wouldn't that leak?

Sorry couldn't resist.

 

[Neil1454]

That's right. I was dealing with sparge water. It's true that the "thickness" of the mash has an effect on the protein content, but I wouldn't worry about that. The key is to be able to MASH your mash, that is to be able to give it a good seeing to with a wooden spoon or paddle to ensure all the malt is soaked and all the mash is at an even temperature. The trade off is that the thinner the mash, the less water there is to sparge with.
That said. Some brewers don't sparge! the use the entire amount of water in the mash.
For starters: boil some water and pour it you mash tun to pre-heat it. Bring 3 gallons of water to 72C, throw the pre-heating water away and put the mash water in your mash tun. Add the grains and stir all the time. Really mash it up. Put the lid on and put a kettle of water on to boil. After 15 minutes, take the lid off the mash tun and give it an almighty stirring and take the temperature. Use the boiling water in the kettle to bring the temperature to 65-66C. Mash it again, check the temperature, put the lid on and leave it until 90 minutes have passed since the beginning of the process.
You could read Wheeler and Protz "Make your own Real Ale at home" It's not brilliant but a fair starter. The most recent edition is less good than the earlier ones. I see that my old "beginners" books are now so out of date that they make rather funny reading. Dave Line's "Big Book of Brewing" was a classic, and his theory is pretty much spot on, but his calculations and many of his assumptions about yield are more than a bit suspect.
A lot of American writers are a great read, they can be a bit geeky, but none the worse for that. Mosher and Papazian are good. They work in US gallons (19 litres) and measure temperature in Fahrenheit, though.

For starters: boil some water and pour it you mash tun to pre-heat it. Bring 3 gallons of water to 72C, throw the pre-heating water away and put the mash water in your mash tun.

The above part. What do you mean by throw the pre heated water away? Dont I need that?

 

[An Ankoù]

For starters: boil some water and pour it you mash tun to pre-heat it. Bring 3 gallons of water to 72C, throw the pre-heating water away and put the mash water in your mash tun.

The above part. What do you mean by throw the pre heated water away? Dont I need that?

The water you've used to warm up the mash tun with.

 

[Neil1454]

The water you've used to warm up the mash tun with.

Ah right.. this will help limit the temp drop when also adding the grain?

 

[An Ankoù]

Ah right.. this will help limit the temp drop when also adding the grain?

Neil. Warm up the mash tun. Then through away the water you've used to warm up the mash tun as you don't know what temperature it is and you don't need it. Then pour in the measured 3 gallons raised to 72C etc...
Come to France. Book a holiday in our cottage and I'll show you over several brews.