Brew Day What Have Ya Got - 2023

[Shamus O'Sean]

Today's brew is a Vienna Lager

• 30 L batch (split into 2 x Fermenter King Juniors); I planned an 8 L top up in the fermenters (4 L in ea), but due to good efficiency, I had to add 2 x 5 L into each FV to get my intended OG of around 1.043.
• 4.6% ABV; 21 IBU; 24 EBC
• 4.4kg Vienna Malt
• 600g Coopers Ale Malt
• 250g Light Crystal
• 250g Medium Crystal
• 200g Acidulated Malt
• 120g Melanoidin Malt
• 80g Chocolate Malt
• 32g East Kent Goldings 50 minute boil
• 44g Saaz 5 minute boil
• White Labs WLP802 Czech Budejovice Lager

Transferring to the FV's

[Cheap Charlie]

As for numbers the grainfather calculator said 1.050, and I got 1.050. The efficiency was set at 75%, so I guess I got 75%. I will read up this week on how to calculate all of this stuff. The grainfather is working well and I am so glad I bought it, a lot smoother brew day. Also next time I will start at 5am, it took me over 6 hours to do this one including cleaning, but I was in no hurry.

A quick question for the brewzilla and grainfather guys, what is the best guage to set my mill at? 2mm or 1.5mm? Mine is currently set at 1mm for BIAB, but I am finding a lot of particles running through the pump, or is this normal?

[Classic Brewing Co]

9 hours ago, Shamus O'Sean said:

Today's brew is a Vienna Lager

It looks to be a very organised event Shamus, are those to fermenters being filled at the same time or is that even possible.

I notice there is only one line from the coil.

[Aussiekraut]

9 hours ago, Shamus O'Sean said:

Today's brew is a Vienna Lager

• 30 L batch (split into 2 x Fermenter King Juniors); I planned an 8 L top up in the fermenters (4 L in ea), but due to good efficiency, I had to add 2 x 5 L into each FV to get my intended OG of around 1.043.
• 4.6% ABV; 21 IBU; 24 EBC
• 4.4kg Vienna Malt
• 600g Coopers Ale Malt
• 250g Light Crystal
• 250g Medium Crystal
• 200g Acidulated Malt
• 120g Melanoidin Malt
• 80g Chocolate Malt
• 32g East Kent Goldings 50 minute boil
• 44g Saaz 5 minute boil
• White Labs WLP802 Czech Budejovice Lager

Transferring to the FV's

What was the OG for this? I'm working on something similar for the next brew day. I'm actually close to your IBU and EBC but my ABV is a fair bit higher at 5.3% and if I want to brew true to style, I am right at the bottom end with the estimated OG but if I bring up OG, ABV will go over the 5.4% max for the style and when I bring the ABV right down, I am way under the OG minimum of 1.048.

What's your mash temp? If I mash a little warmer, the ABV will go down. Currently, I'm thinking of mashing for 90 minutes at 64.4.C for a light-bodied beer. 

[Aussiekraut]

1 hour ago, Cheap Charlie said:

As for numbers the grainfather calculator said 1.050, and I got 1.050. The efficiency was set at 75%, so I guess I got 75%. I will read up this week on how to calculate all of this stuff. The grainfather is working well and I am so glad I bought it, a lot smoother brew day. Also next time I will start at 5am, it took me over 6 hours to do this one including cleaning, but I was in no hurry.

A quick question for the brewzilla and grainfather guys, what is the best guage to set my mill at? 2mm or 1.5mm? Mine is currently set at 1mm for BIAB, but I am finding a lot of particles running through the pump, or is this normal?

I don't have a GF or a BZ but get good results with my good old Guten when I mill with a 2mm gauge. You need a coarser mill for those systems compared to BIAB. 

[Shamus O'Sean]

14 hours ago, Cheap Charlie said:

As for numbers the grainfather calculator said 1.050, and I got 1.050. The efficiency was set at 75%, so I guess I got 75%. I will read up this week on how to calculate all of this stuff. The grainfather is working well and I am so glad I bought it, a lot smoother brew day. Also next time I will start at 5am, it took me over 6 hours to do this one including cleaning, but I was in no hurry.

A quick question for the brewzilla and grainfather guys, what is the best guage to set my mill at? 2mm or 1.5mm? Mine is currently set at 1mm for BIAB, but I am finding a lot of particles running through the pump, or is this normal?

I use a Grainfather G30 and my mill is set at 0.045 inches = 1.14mm.  That seems to work for me.  Much less it becomes too powdery.  Much more and my efficiency drops.

Initially I get some particles through the pump and the liquid is very hazy.  However, once the grain forms a bit of a filter bed in the malt tube, the wort becomes very clear.

[Shamus O'Sean]

13 hours ago, Classic Brewing Co said:

It looks to be a very organised event Shamus, are those to fermenters being filled at the same time or is that even possible.

I notice there is only one line from the coil.

Thanks for the kind words, Phil.  It is pretty organised, but I have had a lot of practice.  Nevertheless, I still forgot to aerate the wort before pitching the yeast and putting the FV's in the temperature controlled freezer at 12°C.

I cannot fill the FV's at the same time.  You are right, there is only one tube out.  I guess I could fit a T piece and fill them at the same time.  But I can only do one thing at a time.  To make sure each FV has roughly equivalent wort in it, I alternate filling each FV.  For example, I put 4 L into one FV, move the tube to the second FV and put 6 L into it, move back to FV 1 and put another 2 L into it, then back to FV 2 and put more litres into it, and so on and so forth.

[Classic Brewing Co]

1 minute ago, Shamus O'Sean said:

Thanks for the kind words, Phil.  It is pretty organised, but I have had a lot of practice.  Nevertheless, I still forgot to aerate the wort before pitching the yeast and putting the FV's in the temperature controlled freezer at 12°C.

I cannot fill the FV's at the same time.  You are right, there is only one tube out.  I guess I could fit a T piece and fill them at the same time.  But I can only do one thing at a time.  To make sure each FV has roughly equivalent wort in it, I alternate filling each FV.  For example, I put 4 L into one FV, move the tube to the second FV and put 6 L into it, move back to FV 1 and put another 2 L into it, then back to FV 2 and put more litres into it, and so on and so forth.

OK, Cheers I understand.

[Kegory]

13 hours ago, Aussiekraut said:

What was the OG for this? I'm working on something similar for the next brew day. I'm actually close to your IBU and EBC but my ABV is a fair bit higher at 5.3% and if I want to brew true to style, I am right at the bottom end with the estimated OG but if I bring up OG, ABV will go over the 5.4% max for the style and when I bring the ABV right down, I am way under the OG minimum of 1.048.

What's your mash temp? If I mash a little warmer, the ABV will go down. Currently, I'm thinking of mashing for 90 minutes at 64.4.C for a light-bodied beer. 

This hobby seems to start at a paper planes level then moves right up to rocket science.

[Shamus O'Sean]

16 minutes ago, Kegory said:

This hobby seems to start at a paper planes level then moves right up to rocket science.

And that's one of the great things about this hobby: You can make great beer no matter what level you are at.  You can expand your brewing experience as much as you want.  Or you can find a level that you are happy with and comfortably stay at that level.

[Popo the Reprobate]

22 hours ago, Cheap Charlie said:

I am finding a lot of particles running through the pump, or is this normal?

Running the recirculation a bit slower initially can help with this until the grain bed settles (as Shamus said).

I sometimes use half a stainless tea ball as a cap over the overflow pipe to stop any grain returning down through the pump. 

[Cheap Charlie]

Today I am doing a Coopers Lager.. The recipe says BB pale malt, but it is actually Coopers Pale Malt as they don't have it in the GF database. Keeping it simple (stupid), a basic SMASH.

 

[Cheap Charlie]

I have found the way to add a custom malt into the GF recipe creator, however it asks for EBC and PPG values.

Two questions, first is any opinions on what to put as the EBC of Coopers Pale Malt is, the data sheet says 3.0-4.5, I was thinking 3.6?

Second question is how do I derive the PPG from this data sheet?

TIA for any response.

 

[Aussiekraut]

4 hours ago, Cheap Charlie said:

I have found the way to add a custom malt into the GF recipe creator, however it asks for EBC and PPG values.

Two questions, first is any opinions on what to put as the EBC of Coopers Pale Malt is, the data sheet says 3.0-4.5, I was thinking 3.6?

Second question is how do I derive the PPG from this data sheet?

TIA for any response.

 

PPG is an American thing. Points per pound per gallon. Maybe this will help you:

https://www.brewersfriend.com/brewhouse-efficiency/

[Cheap Charlie]

OK, will get my head around this @Aussiekraut will research further

[Shamus O'Sean]

1 hour ago, Cheap Charlie said:

OK, will get my head around this @Aussiekraut will research further

In Brewfather, Coopers Premium Pale Malt has a PPG stated as 1.035.  Based on my higher conversion when using CPPM, I increased the PPG in Brewfather to 1.038.  The Grainfather app converted this to 38.032 when I import the Brewfather recipe into the Grainfather app.  Therefore, I would make the PPG of CPPM 38 in the Grainfather app.

Colour-wise, I just use the midpoint of the range.  In this case 3.75

[Cheap Charlie]

Cool @Shamus O'Sean, I will run with those numbers. Thanks mate, much appreciated.

[Aussiekraut]

The mash for the Vienna Lager is under way in what will be my brewery, once it is all finished. I might have a little issue on my hands because the bottom screen refuses to sit flush but I hope the weight of the grain keeps it down. It really is time for a new system. Let's see how it turns out.

[Classic Brewing Co]

1 hour ago, Aussiekraut said:

my brewery, once it is all finished. I

Exciting news AK, a dedicated brewery would be nice, I would love that, but I am lucky I have a big house where different rooms form part of the whole process, which is not so bad, so good luck with it.

[RDT2]

Another hoppy red on Friday all went well just a couple of points down on the OG but no worries. I have changed the hops and upped the IBUs for a bigger hop presence! I pitched it into my new second hand ss brewtech fermenter no airlock activity which I suspect maybe the airlock lid seal. The fridge is kicking in to keep the temperature down so I know fermentation is happening and I have a rapt pill in there as well which is indicating everything is happening. Will pop into the homebrew store tomorrow to grab a stopper for the airlock!

[Aussiekraut]

4 hours ago, Classic Brewing Co said:

Exciting news AK, a dedicated brewery would be nice, I would love that, but I am lucky I have a big house where different rooms form part of the whole process, which is not so bad, so good luck with it.

But you have the whole house as a brewery

I’m converting the carport into the brewery. The slab is down and the front wall as well. Just waiting for the roller doors and I can move my gear in. Then I finally have room in the garage to put a car in I need the roller doors because it is a carport and can’t be enclosed due to council regulations but I am allowed to put roller doors in

[Classic Brewing Co]

1 minute ago, Aussiekraut said:

But you have the whole house as a brewery

I’m converting the carport into the brewery. The slab is down and the front wall as well. Just waiting for the roller doors and I can move my gear in. Then I finally have room in the garage to put a car in I need the roller doors because it is a carport and can’t be enclosed due to council regulations but I am allowed to put roller doors in

I sort of do I guess as there is no-one here to tell me I can't. 

Yeah, the councils are fun to deal with aren't they, not. 

That doesn't really make sense as you are the only one that would have access to it anyway, they defy all logic IMO.

At least you will have a dedicated room.

[Aussiekraut]

1 hour ago, Classic Brewing Co said:

I sort of do I guess as there is no-one here to tell me I can't. 

Yeah, the councils are fun to deal with aren't they, not. 

That doesn't really make sense as you are the only one that would have access to it anyway, they defy all logic IMO.

At least you will have a dedicated room.

Yeah especially because it is entirely on my own land, behind a 7ft fence for Pete's sake. it shouldn't be any of their business.

Yeah, I will have water right out there, my 15A power socket, a bit of a workspace on the slab outside of the gates and all gear like grain, mill, fridges, storage, spare kegs, keezers and all the other gear will all be there in one spot. Besides what goes into the Kegerator in the house, I won't have to run a marathon on brew days and lug things around. It'll all be in one place. I'm so looking forward to that. At some point, I might even install a pulley to make life easier.

[Kegory]

9 hours ago, Aussiekraut said:

The mash for the Vienna Lager is under way in what will be my brewery, once it is all finished. I might have a little issue on my hands because the bottom screen refuses to sit flush but I hope the weight of the grain keeps it down. It really is time for a new system. Let's see how it turns out.

How long have you had that one? How many brews do you reckon you've done?

[Kegory]

2 hours ago, Aussiekraut said:

But you have the whole house as a brewery

Brewery, tap room, and a bird filled beer garden judging by the photos.