Session Bitter

[Davy6Mac]

Did my first ever AG brew yesterday in the new kit, got a bit confused with control panel at one point but managed to sort it. Checked out a lot of info from this site which helped.
I may have mashed it too long the recipe said the OG should have been 1.043 the hydrometer reading said 1.049. Will this effect the flavour etc
Also it took a long time for the fermentation to start, checked at 6.00am it seems ok.
Can,t wait to taste the end product but patience is the name of the game. Already planning my next brew a nice hoppy pale ale.
A great way to spend a Sunday

 

[The Baron]

as a general rule you can not mash too long unless you go hours and let the mash temp drop too low then you get I am doing this from memory lactobillus? which will give off a cheesy smell but I think that is at sub 50c so I would not worry. Some people mash for 30 mins, 45, 60 and 90 which seem to be with the older recipes or lagers. It will probably up your efficiency hence the higher gravity and this will not affect your flavour it will just be a little stronger on the ABV. I have mashed overnight but as I said earlier do not let the mash temp drop too low or you will get the cheesy smell (not pleasant)

 

[foxy]

Did my first ever AG brew yesterday in the new kit, got a bit confused with control panel at one point but managed to sort it. Checked out a lot of info from this site which helped.
I may have mashed it too long the recipe said the OG should have been 1.043 the hydrometer reading said 1.049. Will this effect the flavour etc
Also it took a long time for the fermentation to start, checked at 6.00am it seems ok.
Can,t wait to taste the end product but patience is the name of the game. Already planning my next brew a nice hoppy pale ale.
A great way to spend a Sunday

Depends where you took the hydrometer reading from. Some take it from the kettle which is not advisable, take it from the fermenter as soon as you have transfered. Your not a football field away from the predicted OG, as baron suggests a slight adjustment on your efficiency would be called for but wait until you are a few brews in to see if it is consistent.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

I may have mashed it too long the recipe said the OG should have been 1.043 the hydrometer reading said 1.049. Will this effect the flavour etc

If true, it means you will have more sugar, which means more alcohol. You can always dilute it...

Don't worry about mashing too long, some people leave mashes overnight as a way to reduce "contact" time, and you do get a bit of extra efficiency that way (although there's some debate about the other effects).

But two things to consider are 1) whether the hydrometer is accurate - the easiest check to do is whether it reads 1.000 in plain water, or you can Google how to calibrate it properly with different strength sugar solutions, it's pretty common for hydrometers to be a bit out. And 2) were you using it at the correct temperature? All hydrometers are calibrated for a certain temperature (typically 20C for modern ones), testing wort at a different temperature will give the wrong result. Use a tool like https://www.brewersfriend.com/hydrometer-temp/ to adjust for temperature.

 

[Davy6Mac]

Thanks for the info Baron/Foxy/Northern Brewer much appreciated. Took the sample from the kettle, but waited till it was at 20C as my hydrometer is calibrated at that. Will take sample from FV next time.