Brew Day!! Whatcha' got?

[Nick]

Brew day went according to plan except for some reason I got way more evap/boil-off than usual and had to top up. [pinched]

 

 

Why do you think that is Phil?

I find provided I am using the same pot (36L) on the same gas setting(flat out) on the kitchen cooktop that I get a consistent 4L per hour boil off. Wonder if it could be the outdoor brewing and different weather that accounts for the variation.

 

Must not miss an opportunity to give this calculator a plug. I find it a great help on brewday.

Hi John and Phil, when i go camping, i always boil up my crayfish in a pot on an old gas ring. If there's even a slight breeze, it takes bloody ages and the steam is never rising intensely. On a still day, its the opposite. It sounds like AG boiling is similar.

Maybe put some barracades around the gas ring to keep the breeze away

[guest1525228310]

Hi John and Phil, when i go camping, i always boil up my crayfish in a pot on an old gas ring. If there's even a slight breeze, it takes bloody ages and the steam is never rising intensely. On a still day, its the opposite. It sounds like AG boiling is similar.

Maybe put some barracades around the gas ring to keep the breeze away

 

You couldn't miss getting that one in about the crayfish[love] could you Nick?

I think you have explained the variation and this is another reason I will stay indoors with my brewing given it is on a small scale. It is so much easier if you can program everything and just hit the targets without having to start adjusting for variables.

[PhilboBaggins]

I have a theory. I have just started cutting my boil time back from 90 mins to 60 mins.

 

Could the smaller amount pre boil account for a more vigorous boil to start with, causing more boil off?

[guest1525228310]

I have a theory. I have just started cutting my boil time back from 90 mins to 60 mins.

 

Could the smaller amount pre boil account for a more vigorous boil to start with, causing more boil off?

 

I generally only do 90 min boils for pilsener malt.

Surprisingly with my small volumes (around 17 - 19L preboil)I find that the boil off is linear - 2L per half hour. Once it gets to the rolling boil I want just backing off a touch on the gas pedal and it keeps the same rolling boil for the duration.

My kitchen cooktop wok burner would not maintain a rolling boil on more than about 23L preboil volume.

 

[PhilboBaggins]

Reckon the difference may be outdoor brewing then. On a breezy day I sit pretty close by and kick the third ring on the burner in if the boil drops below rolling. It's no wonder I get different results.

 

I think I need an adjustable regulator and wind block. Being able to set it to the same setting each time would certainly help with consistency.

 

ED: I never use pilsner malt. Hence the drop in boil time.

[ExpatSthAussie]

Nice Topic Chad..Not so much a Brew day for me, 'Bottling Day Today'..[happy] 20L of Best Extra Stout & 23L Of a Fat Yak clone usint TC IPA as a base. I've given up on sugar drops $$, priming with good ol Bundaberg White Sugar. Been checking out heaps of past threads, might grab a cube & give bulk priming a go. I have plenty of cold space to cold crash as well. Bottle washing & Bottling was accompanied today by some U2, Choirboys ( off their original self titled album ) , Bush & Soundgarden.[cool]

[PhilboBaggins]

Choirboys ( off their original self titled album )

 

Forgot all about that while growing up. Might have to crank it for old times sake. [cool]

[PhilboBaggins]

Just a quick update, and a plug for pitching your starter at high krausen.

 

Pitched my ESB just after 10:00am and it is now rocking a 3 inch krausen.

 

[cool] [cool] [cool]

[Canadian Eh!L]

Reckon the difference may be outdoor brewing then. On a breezy day I sit pretty close by and kick the third ring on the burner in if the boil drops below rolling. It's no wonder I get different results.

 

I think I need an adjustable regulator and wind block. Being able to set it to the same setting each time would certainly help with consistency.

 

ED: I never use pilsner malt. Hence the drop in boil time.

Since I moved outdoors it's all been +++. As for weather conditions... I've brew with a stiff breeze which made it difficult to light the burner but not too bad. The lowest temperature I've boiled has been -14C![biggrin] These were early times for my setup and I was(am) still working the bugs out. My boil volumes were all over the place but I figure it was more of a problem with my setting on Brewmate. These days the temp. outdoors is averaging 15C. My boil volumes are a lot closer to the mark(within a litre or so)[cool]

[Canadian Eh!L]

Brew day, April 28.

 

Dortmunder Export Lager AG BIAB

 

1.7 Kg Pilsner Malt

500g Pale ale malt

60g Crystal 40L

40g Carapils

1 1/2 tsp. 5.2pH brewing salts

8g Hallertau 7.3% (FWH)

8g Perle 8.6% (60mins)

4g Hallertau (5mins)

10.5L

W34/70 Pitched @ 23C Brewing @ 14C

 

Step-mash: 30mins @ 50C, 30mins @ 66C, 20mins @ 68C(ish) & mash out (5mins)

 

So, right after my last post about how I was hitting my volumes I really dropped the ball on this one. Man, Karma is a b%t$h sometimes, eh? [annoyed] I was expecting 10.5L and I ended up with maybe six?[sad] I just poured the tap water to it and topped it up.

 

The OG was 1.054 after top-up... Not bad.

 

Note: the weather was 15C partly cloudy with a good breeze.

 

I pitched @ 23C. sprinkling dry and chucked into the fridge to bring the temp down.

 

We'll see how this one goes.[unsure] I haven't done Lagers much before. This is my first AG Lager and the first step-mash that went right without much misshap.

 

[guest1525228310]

So, right after my last post about how I was hitting my volumes I really dropped the ball on this one. Man, Karma is a b%t$h sometimes, eh? [annoyed] I was expecting 10.5L and I ended up with maybe six?[sad] I just poured the tap water to it and topped it up.

 

The OG was 1.054 after top-up... Not bad.

 

Note: the weather was 15C partly cloudy with a good breeze.

 

I pitched @ 23C. sprinkling dry and chucked into the fridge to bring the temp down.

 

We'll see how this one goes.[unsure] I haven't done Lagers much before. This is my first AG Lager and the first step-mash that went right without much misshap.

 

Score one for BIAB in the kitchen - especially with 10.5L

 

This looks like a nice one for me to do next week.

How long was the boil?

What is you plan for this one - things like time and temp in primary, time in secondary, D-rest etc, lagering etc

 

Have scored a 23L carboy and think this might be a good one to christen it with. I would ferment it at 9\xb0C and pitch say 54Bn cells per Litre to compensate. Any thoughts as lagers are not my game.

[Hairy]

Have scored a 23L carboy and think this might be a good one to christen it with. I would ferment it at 9\xb0C and pitch say 54Bn cells per Litre to compensate. Any thoughts as lagers are not my game.

Lagers aren't really my game also and I have only made a few. But I have done both the warm pitch and the cold pitching of yeast.

 

My preference is to pitch the greater (and correct) quantity of yeast at or around your fermenting temp. I didn't have the best experience with a warm pitch and then bringing the temp down. I found the cooler pitch to give a cleaner profile.

 

This is all based on my limited experiment though [rightful]

 

I also do a D-rest, even if I don't detect any diacetyl.

 

With the brew size you are doing, you could rack to a small vessel and lager in your kitchen fridge rather than monopolise your brew fridge.

[guest1525228310]

 

My preference is to pitch the greater (and correct) quantity of yeast at or around your fermenting temp. I didn't have the best experience with a warm pitch and then bringing the temp down. I found the cooler pitch to give a cleaner profile.

 

...

With the brew size you are doing, you could rack to a small vessel and lager in your kitchen fridge rather than monopolise your brew fridge.

 

Thanks Hairy

What is the lowest temp you have fermented W34/70 at?

I was thinking I would go for 9\xb0C and wonder how pitching at that temp would go?

If I run with this one I think a 20L batch would be the go as it will tie up the fridge for weeks and I worry a little about head-space in a 23L carboy if I only have 13L ( I do not have CO2 to purge it). I have been reminded of my brewing empire and informed there is no way the kitchen fridge will also be used for lagering.

I am currently watching a couple of bar fridges on eBay which with a door mod would make a nice second fermentation/lagering chamber.

With respect to pitching calculators like MrMalty, they do not make any allowance for fermentation temperatures which can impact on the amount of yeast needed to avoid under-pitching issues. They use the one size fits all in the catergory approach.

[Hairy]

I have only used W34/70 once and it was in my least successful batch. From memory I fermented it around 12 degrees. I pitched two packets and pitched it warm which may have caused some of my issues. I wasn't intending to pitch it warm but it was early on in my brewing caper and I didn't use chilled water to bring the temp down.

 

I think MrMalty calculates its lager yeast pitching rates on a cool pitch. If you pitch enough then I am not sure if it makes much difference whether it is 9 or 12 degrees. Might be something to look into and brew up an Oktoberfest style lager in the winter.

[DaveH21]

I have been reminded of my brewing empire and informed there is no way the kitchen fridge will also be used for lagering.

 

LMAO [lol]

[Hairy]

I have been reminded of my brewing empire and informed there is no way the kitchen fridge will also be used for lagering.

It's time to reclaim the fridge:

 

[guest1525228310]

I have been reminded of my brewing empire and informed there is no way the kitchen fridge will also be used for lagering.

It's time to reclaim the fridge:

 

 

I think you are right Hairy but I just watched Oblivion and I can't work out who is 49 and who is 52.

 

[Canadian Eh!L]

So, right after my last post about how I was hitting my volumes I really dropped the ball on this one. Man, Karma is a b%t$h sometimes, eh? [annoyed] I was expecting 10.5L and I ended up with maybe six?[sad] I just poured the tap water to it and topped it up.

 

The OG was 1.054 after top-up... Not bad.

 

Note: the weather was 15C partly cloudy with a good breeze.

 

I pitched @ 23C. sprinkling dry and chucked into the fridge to bring the temp down.

 

We'll see how this one goes.[unsure] I haven't done Lagers much before. This is my first AG Lager and the first step-mash that went right without much misshap.

 

Score one for BIAB in the kitchen - especially with 10.5L

 

This looks like a nice one for me to do next week.

How long was the boil?

What is you plan for this one - things like time and temp in primary, time in secondary, D-rest etc, lagering etc

 

Have scored a 23L carboy and think this might be a good one to christen it with. I would ferment it at 9\xb0C and pitch say 54Bn cells per Litre to compensate. Any thoughts as lagers are not my game.

So, after a night in the fridge the temperature has come down to 14C There is already a 2cm krausen and things look like all is normal.

 

To answer your questions... I must say I'm not to sure. The plan is to ferment it @ 14C or so for 2weeks in the primary then when activity has ceased, rack to a secondary and bring the temper down to lagering temps (2C) for a couple of months. After that who know?

 

Boil time was 90mins.

 

As for that new 23L carboy... This is what I use. you can easily fit 21L in it without too much worry. If you do have concerns about a blow over you can (I do) fix a blow-off tube for the first couple of days until the big krausen dies back.

[Otto Von Blotto]

What I did with mine was to ferment it at 12C, until it reached a gravity of about 1020 (which is a bit of guesswork as to when this will happen), then up it to 16C until finished (D-rest). After FG was achieved I dropped it down to 1C where it will sit until I get a chance to bottle it in a week and a half or whenever. It will sit at 15C for two weeks in order to carbonate, and then it will be at the mercy of the elements unfortunately because I will need the brew fridge to ferment my next batch by then. At least the weather is cooling down though.

[guest1525228310]

The Tsar will turn in his grave.

I did a Russian Imperial Stout today and the result was a failure.

Was expecting to get near 1.106 and ended up with only 1.091 on a slightly smaller volume. Only 60% efficiency and I put it down to to mashing 4.75KG in 13L of water.

Should have mashed in the larger pot and not worried with a sparge and just done a mash out.

Anyway it is only a small batch and it is going to bulk aging for 6 months so will see what happens. I will not go below 4L /KG again for mashing.

[Hairy]

The Tsar will turn in his grave.

I did a Russian Imperial Stout today and the result was a failure.

Was expecting to get near 1.106 and ended up with only 1.091 on a slightly smaller volume. Only 60% efficiency and I put it down to to mashing 4.75KG in 13L of water.

Should have mashed in the larger pot and not worried with a sparge and just done a mash out.

Anyway it is only a small batch and it is going to bulk aging for 6 months so will see what happens. I will not go below 4L /KG again for mashing.

Did you pull out the big mash tun for this one? Don't you usually use a 15 litre pot for mashing?

 

You generally get lower efficiency for higher gravity beers. What efficiency were you expecting (I could probably work it out based on your expected OG but I'm lazy)?

[guest1525228310]

Did you pull out the big mash tun for this one? Don't you usually use a 15 litre pot for mashing?

 

You generally get lower efficiency for higher gravity beers. What efficiency were you expecting (I could probably work it out based on your expected OG but I'm lazy)?

 

I mashed in my 15L (16.2L actual)pot as usual but it was full to brim. Have not done a AG BIAB with such high expected OG and foolishly dreamed of around 73% efficiency.

Never mind it will still be beer and strong enough for me.

I was a little low on the mash temperature so added boiling water until the pot was full but was still down 2.5\xb0C. I could only add boiling water to my styrene box. Took half an hour to get it up to within 1\xb0C of target. I added too much sparge water in the big pot(forgot about the water I added to mash) and resulted in 2L too much preboil volume. The calculator I use and like does not allow for squeezing the bag and I did the bejeezus out of it.

Boiled it off for half an hour then added first hops. Thought I would be fine volume wise but was down .75L postboil volume.

A screw up from go to whoa.

 

[Canadian Eh!L]

Sounds like a typical brew day to me, John.

 

I usually startout with a 2.5L/kg mash ratio. I seem to get around 70-75%. I hit 80% with Dortmunder the other day. I elevate the grain bag over the kettle at the end of mashout in a larger strainer then sparge with the remaining sparge water. But having said that I seem to come up with a new method with every brew.[pinched]

[guest1525228310]

Sounds like a typical brew day to me, John.

 

I usually startout with a 2.5L/kg mash ratio. I seem to get around 70-75%. I hit 80% with Dortmunder the other day. I elevate the grain bag over the kettle at the end of mashout in a larger strainer then sparge with the remaining sparge water. But having said that I seem to come up with a new method with every brew.[pinched]

 

Interesting Chad but mashout then sparge at mash temperature sounds like the cart before the horse.

I always aim to get the highest ratio of water to grain that my 16.2L capacity pot can handle. Then dunk sparge the bag in the larger pot in mashout temperature water (75\xb0C) the volume of which will bring me up to preboil volume.

 

Another plug for this calculator.

 

My mistakes I believe were:

(1)using too small a pot and hence forced into too low a water to grain ratio,

(2)expecting unrealistic efficiency for 1.106 beer,

(3) not upping the grain quantity by 15 -20% to compensate for the low efficiency that I was likely to get with such a big beer.

 

I shall start building my new expanded foam insulated container for my 36L pot and maybe consider mashing in that in future and doing no sparge BIAB with just a mashout.

 

 

[Canadian Eh!L]

John,

You might be right about mashout pre-sparge. This was what I thought was the recommended method. I'll have to re-read my bible on the subject. I understood that the mashout accomplished the ceasing of enzymatic activity. Then the sparge flushed out all the goodness out of the grains.[unsure] Unless I miss calculated this too my effiency was 80% with this method.[surprised .

 

This truly is the reason I started this thread. So that we can chat about methods and practises and learn from each other through our mistake and our triumphs.[cool]