As soon as you start using fresh grains (and hops) in your beer you get a huge difference. Grain makes much better beer than extract. It's not hard, just takes longer. Soak some grains at a constant temperature, boil the wort that you get from that, add hops to the boil, cool it and add yeast. Fancy equipment makes it look complicated. It isn't. Half grains half extract might be a good step. Soak about 2kg grains, add about 2kg dry extract, boil with hops. Or just use grains and make about 10-12 litres. Lots of ways to make beer that uses grains, without fancy equipment, which is just as good as all grain beer made with fancy equipment. Sanitation and reasonable temperature management, and a good recipe, and you're in. Luxury beer, the pub will seem sh*t. Most pubs anyway. and the bottles you buy will seem like a complete waste of money. Most of them. My first taste of my first AG beer, a dry stout, I just said "Oh my god..." :thumb:
time to move on....to AG
- Thread starter beechwood
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oldjiver
Landlord.
I have made AG with just a bucket wrapped in bubblewrap and an old coat, a plastic mesh kitchen strainer and a 10 litre stockpot. Turned out great!
beechwood
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really excited, received my first order from the malt miller today. only ordered it sunday night and it came today Tuesday
well impressed, i got a selection of grains, hops, extract and safale s04 yeast.
where's the best place to store my hops??
well impressed, i got a selection of grains, hops, extract and safale s04 yeast.
where's the best place to store my hops??
BIGJIM72
Landlord.
You have read all about it,now it comes to the crunch. Enjoy your first AG day,but remember its not a race-there are no prizes for finishing fast. Hit your temps & sparge slowly. If you make a mistake its not the end of the world-its part of a learning curve. There will be mess,just accept it. I hope its a good day for you.
Best place for hops? Freezer,vac packed
Best place for hops? Freezer,vac packed
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beechwood
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Did my first AG brew yesterday, went well I think. I wanted to make something like hobgoblin or similar so based on a hobgoblin clone recipe I was given I came up with the following:
(It took me about seven hours from start to finish and even then I had to wait for it to cool down for a good pitching temp.)
(I didn't have any cara malt so I upped the crystal and marris otter instead)
For 9 litres or 2 gallons:
marris otter 2200g
crystal malt 150g
chocolate malt 60g
recipe said mash @ 66c for 90 mins, however I decided to close the lid at just over 68c and after 90 mins the temp was 67c, so pretty good going I thought.
Boiled for 90 mins and added hops at the following stages:
@ 90 mins 10g fuggles and 9g goldings
@ 30 mins 10g fuggles and 9g goldings
@ 10 mins 6g fuggles and 5g goldings and irish moss
I had to a just the quantity of hops as the alpha acidity was higher on the hops I got from the malt miller
fuggles was 5.5%
goldings was 6.9%
I used safeale s04 yeast
I did slightly over compensate on the sparging water so actually ended up with bang on 10 litres of wort.
had to leave it over night to cool down and pitched the yeast this morning at around 20c (hopefully will be ok).
Has started fermenting already.
OG came out at 1045 so not too bad was hoping for a bit higher but never mind.
will probably leave for two weeks to ferment and then rack it off.
next time I might have a go at mashing over night.
(It took me about seven hours from start to finish and even then I had to wait for it to cool down for a good pitching temp.)
(I didn't have any cara malt so I upped the crystal and marris otter instead)
For 9 litres or 2 gallons:
marris otter 2200g
crystal malt 150g
chocolate malt 60g
recipe said mash @ 66c for 90 mins, however I decided to close the lid at just over 68c and after 90 mins the temp was 67c, so pretty good going I thought.
Boiled for 90 mins and added hops at the following stages:
@ 90 mins 10g fuggles and 9g goldings
@ 30 mins 10g fuggles and 9g goldings
@ 10 mins 6g fuggles and 5g goldings and irish moss
I had to a just the quantity of hops as the alpha acidity was higher on the hops I got from the malt miller
fuggles was 5.5%
goldings was 6.9%
I used safeale s04 yeast
I did slightly over compensate on the sparging water so actually ended up with bang on 10 litres of wort.
had to leave it over night to cool down and pitched the yeast this morning at around 20c (hopefully will be ok).
Has started fermenting already.
OG came out at 1045 so not too bad was hoping for a bit higher but never mind.
will probably leave for two weeks to ferment and then rack it off.
next time I might have a go at mashing over night.
jonnymorris
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Sounds good. Welcome to the world of great beer.
beechwood
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racked this one off this afternoon, WOW!!! has a real nice flavour to it, far superior to any kit I've tried.
OG came out 1045 and FG came out at 1010 so makes it about 4.6% so fairly happy with that. real dark in colour with lovely toffee
and chocolate malty flavour. leave in demijohns to clear up a bit more and bottle up perhaps in 6 days. will leave to mature for 4 weeks before trying. hoping to do a 5 gallon partial mash on Thursday, maybe a courage directors clone!! :)
OG came out 1045 and FG came out at 1010 so makes it about 4.6% so fairly happy with that. real dark in colour with lovely toffee
and chocolate malty flavour. leave in demijohns to clear up a bit more and bottle up perhaps in 6 days. will leave to mature for 4 weeks before trying. hoping to do a 5 gallon partial mash on Thursday, maybe a courage directors clone!! :)
