Hermoor Posted July 11, 2018 Share Posted July 11, 2018 4 hours ago, The Captain1525230099 said: Clearly going fishing. No other reason to go there! ? The two things I like about Whyalla, the Sundowner Hotel and the road out of town Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
therealthing691 Posted July 13, 2018 Author Share Posted July 13, 2018 On 7/9/2018 at 5:06 PM, therealthing691 said: Well did my first all grain 5 kg maris otter and Citra 20g fwh and 20g hot cubed smelt and tasted nice when I took the og when putting it in the fermenter .Did a few things I could improve but all in all very pleased Well the brew smells wicked is day 6 checked gravity is 1010 and was 1050 OG I think 3more days then CC smells great and tastes wicked I don't know why I waited so long to do all grain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted July 13, 2018 Share Posted July 13, 2018 I said the same thing when I tasted my first batch, but the only reason I waited was lack of funds. I did my first AG batch about 9 or 10 months after I started brewing again, and about 2 months prior I got my current job which allowed me to actually buy the equipment. I would have switched sooner if funds were available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Ruddager Posted July 13, 2018 Share Posted July 13, 2018 I know why I waited - because I was living in a small unit and simply didn't have space to store the equipment required. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Captain!! Posted July 13, 2018 Share Posted July 13, 2018 I switched pretty quick, about half a dozen extract brews. But that progression was still “organic”. I just bought the things required over a few months so I didn’t break the budget too much. I actually find all grain easier to understand if that makes sense. Where the flavours are coming from and why. Captain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted July 13, 2018 Share Posted July 13, 2018 Makes perfect sense. You know exactly what grains are in it and what amounts. You don't get that as much with extract cos you don't really know exactly what's in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted July 13, 2018 Share Posted July 13, 2018 I did the full progression; kits to kits & bits to full extract to partial mash to all grain. I love making all grain beers but something is worth remembering: A good extract beer is better than a bad AG beer You still need good pratices to make good AG beer. It isn't just about having the equipment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted July 13, 2018 Share Posted July 13, 2018 Hairy is correct. That's why I'm always advising new AG brewers about boiling for an hour or more, leaving the kettle trub behind, pitching the right amount of yeast etc. I know it sounds like a broken record at times but it's good brewing practice and it will consistently give you great beer, provided the recipes are also well constructed. Cutting corners is only going to lead to inconsistent results and frustration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Worthog Posted July 13, 2018 Share Posted July 13, 2018 Got my first AG down today. Very pleased with the steep, boil, and rapid cooling. All with minimal equipment. A D-G-B-P and BIAB, and a 250 litre sheep trough for cooling bath. My recipe above had to change as my LHBS ran out of Maris, so changed to Pale Malt and additional Vienna. All went well. My 20 litre steep ended up as 12 litres of wort, sieved out the shit and topped to a 22 litre batch at OG 1.048. The hop boils and teas went well, and I pitched yeast at 24c into 18c wort. Looking forward to the first taste at FG test. Brew went into my insulated heat controlled rubbish bin at 18c. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris! Posted July 13, 2018 Share Posted July 13, 2018 That sounds like a smooth brew day, way to go Worty! Great use of existing equipment also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Captain!! Posted July 13, 2018 Share Posted July 13, 2018 Good stuff worthog, no looking back now. Yeah ive made a couple of bad batches of AG beer. I learnt quickly from them because I knew exactly which grain and amount caused the issues. Then most recently an over bittered batch but hey, again learnt from that. And knew exactly what the issue was. The First was BAD! The second very drinkable even enjoyable, just too bitter. good extract is definitely better than bad AG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris! Posted July 13, 2018 Share Posted July 13, 2018 I think it is a natural progression for some, me included. I really like making extract because it is quick and I know what I am doing and why, but the lack of control over some ingredients can be annoying, but easily worked around, but sometimes the substitutions can be a wee bit off. I prefer to build upon what I know and leverage the knowledge of others to try to mitigate mistakes and off batches. I like partial mashes for their freshness and seemingly endless combinations of ingredients and I can see myself going AG soon, but still working out if I should just go biab, with an urn or robobrew, and the different costs and up and downsides. This forum has given me more knowledge than all of my 30+ brews...well a lot, practical experience always beats book learning, image me playing a banjo when you read the "book learning" part. Cheers, Norris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted July 13, 2018 Share Posted July 13, 2018 Nice one. Look forward to hearing how it turns out. Is the reason for the small amount of wort then topping up with water due to the burner not being able to boil a larger volume? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben 10 Posted July 13, 2018 Share Posted July 13, 2018 Winner winner beer for dinner. All the best, welcome and sucker..... Endless beers of your own to make now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Worthog Posted July 13, 2018 Share Posted July 13, 2018 47 minutes ago, Otto Von Blotto said: Nice one. Look forward to hearing how it turns out. Is the reason for the small amount of wort then topping up with water due to the burner not being able to boil a larger volume? Maybe so, Kelsey. The pics above actually show the 19l BigW pot doing the steep (that was my last partial steep), but I have since picked up a the 30 litre Aluminium pot, shown boiling. I previously had trouble maintaining a rolling boil with my 2 ring burner, and it would take 45 mins to boil from 65c. I went and got a Bunnings 3 ring burner, 26mj, which halves the boiling time and will easily keep a rolling boil of 20 litres of wort. Maybe the 20 minutes or so to get from 65c to boil used up some water, but it seemed that most of the water disappeared during the 60m big rolling boil, which also had times of almost boil-over foam mass after the first 30m. Bit weird, some kinda chemical thing going on there? Anyway, when I added the 12 litres to the FV at 39c it had a SG of 1.090. The additional water and hop tea brought it down to 1.048 at 22 litres. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted July 13, 2018 Share Posted July 13, 2018 Are you using a low pressure regulator? I found a huge difference when I switched to a medium pressure regulator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Worthog Posted July 13, 2018 Share Posted July 13, 2018 1 minute ago, Hairy said: Are you using a low pressure regulator? I found a huge difference when I switched to a medium pressure regulator. Will investigate. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted July 13, 2018 Share Posted July 13, 2018 Sounds like you need a bigger pot at least then you can boil like 30 odd litres to get the full volume of wort into the fermenter without having to top up with water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
therealthing691 Posted July 13, 2018 Author Share Posted July 13, 2018 6 hours ago, Hairy said: I did the full progression; kits to kits & bits to full extract to partial mash to all grain. I love making all grain beers but something is worth remembering: A good extract beer is better than a bad AG beer You still need good pratices to make good AG beer. It isn't just about having the equipment. I agree totally this is the key to great beer and keeping records also is a great way to improve .Also having a open mind . You learn heaps research etc etc .Also help from mentors in here cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Worthog Posted July 13, 2018 Share Posted July 13, 2018 11 hours ago, Otto Von Blotto said: Sounds like you need a bigger pot at least then you can boil like 30 odd litres to get the full volume of wort into the fermenter without having to top up with water. Yeah, I'm already thinking of Crown Urn and immersion chiller. Possibly are cheaper and more flexible option than shelling out for robobrew. By the way, my brew is percolating nicely this morning at the 16hr mark. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted July 13, 2018 Share Posted July 13, 2018 The urn and bag is probably cheaper, but I suppose both have their pros and cons. I've used an urn for 6 years in October, and it's been fantastic. Simple one vessel no sparge (unless you want to) and makes great beer. Probably has a bit of limitations with step mashing but I never need that so it's not a problem. I'd be a bit worried if your brew is percolating, you will end up losing it all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Captain!! Posted July 14, 2018 Share Posted July 14, 2018 Crown urn definitely has its limitations but still makes great beer. I recommend BIAB to anyone taking up the AG route as a “first step” progression. Then later on when you understand recipe design on your system then progress to 3v system if you so wish as there is no restriction/limitations from there. Im well and truely happy where I am at the moment. Captain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joolbag Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 On 7/13/2018 at 7:08 PM, Worthog said: have since picked up a the 30 litre Aluminium pot, shown boiling. Hey mate, my pot is only slightly bigger than this. It is 33L. My set up is very similar to yours with a Bunnings 3 burner ring stove. I've found that I can mash in with about 24-25L and it will be almost completely full and overflowing. Nice thin mash though. Then I yank the bag out, heat for mash out and dunk the bag back in. Then I yank it out again and sit in in a sieve and sparge with about 6L of 76C water. I then top wort to the 30L mark (1.5cm from boiling over) and then start my boil. I am getting about 22.5 to 22.9L into the cube using this set up. Efficiency has been good and consistent since I started double-milling my grain and doing the sparge. I think the double-milling has more to do with it, but with the size pot that I have I cannot do a full-volume mash. It works for me and you may find you don't need to buy an urn or a bigger pot again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Worthog Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 10 hours ago, joolbag said: ....I've found that I can mash in with about 24-25L and it will be almost completely full and overflowing. Nice thin mash though. Then I yank the bag out, heat for mash out and dunk the bag back in. Then I yank it out again and sit in in a sieve and sparge with about 6L of 76C water..... Hi Jools, thanks for the info. If I can save myself the cost of a Crown Urn by doing something along the lines of your process, that would be great. I don't really understand the bit I've highlighted. Can you run that by me again? Thanks. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 Mash out is a step where you heat the mash up to about 78 degrees after the sacch rest is finished and hold it there for 10 minutes. It denatures the enzymes and may make the wort easier to drain out of the grains. You can do it by lifting the bag to apply heat without burning it like Jools does, or like I do use a false bottom to keep the bag off the direct heat so you don't have to lift it to apply heat. It's not a necessary step, because the boil will denature the enzymes anyway, but I still do it mainly out of habit but also because the wort does appear to drain more easily when it's heated above standard mash temperature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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