Brew day 23/5/7 'Total Eclipse'

[Gurgeh]

Inspired by PieohPah's Vanilla stout...

Brew length 25L

5.0Kg Maris Otter
1.0Kg Flaked Barley
0.5Kg Roasted Barley
0.2Kg Crystal 60
0.2Kg Chocolate wheat malt
0.05Kg Black Patent

mash @ 67 for 75 mins

1 hr boil
50g brewers gold x 45 mins
50g brewers gold x 15 mins
10g Irish Moss x 15 mins

George Wells yeast, which I've been propagating for a few brews now.

whisky sterilised vanilla pod to be added to secondary.


I've only got a Bruheat boiler, but if my efficiency is better than has been previously, I shall continue to collect runnings until 1.008 so that I can keep topping up the boiler.
I know that strictly speaking I shouldn't put any hops in (edit) for the last 15 mins, but I did a dark beer recently which had a similar hopping and very much liked that.

I'll be getting in from work at about 6.30 tonight and am expecting to find my HLT waiting for me at 75C. (I finished my temperature control system on the weekend. Computer controlled! I'll post some pics later on.) so all i've got to do is get the mash going before I go in the house, put the kids to bed, get the sparge going, eat dinner, get the boil going... should be done be done by 10pm!

I'd welcome any views - but can't change the grain bill as it's already in the tun...

[oblivious]

Looks like a nice recipe, going to be big roasty one, enjoy

[Andy]

I'll be getting in from work at about 6.30 tonight and am expecting to find my HLT waiting for me at 75C. (I finished my temperature control system on the weekend. Computer controlled!

Or a smouldering pile of ash where your house used to be

I'm sure it will be fine, pics appreciated when you've got a moment....

[awalker]

I'll be getting in from work at about 6.30 tonight and am expecting to find my HLT waiting for me at 75C. (I finished my temperature control system on the weekend. Computer controlled! I'll post some pics later on.)

Hope it all goes well

I would be interested in seeing this system, as I want to attempt something similar

[Gurgeh]

I actually bought some torrefied wheat from H&G - I forgot what I bought it for and obviously their website says it gives a good solid head. Do you think it's worth me putting it in still or shall i save it for another time? with my nye on 7Kg bill, how much should i put in? I have 500g in th shed...

[Gurgeh]

oh bum - left the software on 'simulate' so i was lucky that i got home early and noticed.
nearing the end of my sparge now...

I have some photos for you - to follow

This is good. My sparge water is running out and i have run offexactly 6 gallons!
It's taken me 45 mins though!
Looks very black

[Andy]

Looks very black

the house ?

[Gurgeh]

Ok.

I have 6 gallons at 60C and at that temperature I my hydrometer says 1.030

I have used promash to adjust for temp - 1.045

Promash suggests that that will be 1.054 if i end up with 5 gallons... and I reckon on that being 63% efficiency
so, some photos:

My PC interface


the flowol software showing fermentation control program - 'motor a fd' means 'turn on the fridge', whilst 'motor b fd' means turn on the heating belt inside the fridge


The control box, containing interface et al



mains rated relay:



Sparging



Right - got some yeast to wake up and some hops to boil...

[Andy]

Lego brewing

[Gurgeh]

everything went well - really well - right up until i dumped the immesrion chiller into the boiler and knocked the tube for my hop strainer out. didn't notice until i came to run off my cooled wort and only a trickle came out...

Resorted to using a jug to get the first half into the FV and then it got worse...

Had the bright idea of blowing back up the tap. cleared the blockage for a while so i repeated a few times.
Then when i was down to my last gallon I resorted to even more stupid measures - I used my fingers to keep the hops out of the back of the tap. My hop filter wasn't in the least bit interested in helping me out so I will have to make some refinements there. It's a false bottom type made out of a perforated pizza tray with a modified S30 pressure barrel gas fitting bolted into the middle. I'll have to make the tubing out of copper I think. Gutted!

So I may have 5 gallons of stout with an SG of 1.052, but there is a HUGE chance that it's spoilt.

So what is the best thing to do when you've got 5 gallons of wort and a hop blocked tap?

Still, it's in the temp controlled fridge and is fermenting nicely at 19C...

someones signature on here is "experience is something you get just after you needed it". How true, How true... (sob sob)

[BarryNL]

So what is the best thing to do when you've got 5 gallons of wort and a hop blocked tap?

I had the same problem (read the topic about my brewday on the 12th). I resorted to grabbing the siphon and getting the wort out of the boiler that way.

Still, it's in the temp controlled fridge and is fermenting nicely at 19C...

someones signature on here is "experience is something you get just after you needed it". How true, How true... (sob sob)

That would be me

Well, we'll keep our finger crossed and hope any bugs in there can't survive alcohol.

[Gurgeh]

I had the same problem (read the topic about my brewday on the 12th). I resorted to grabbing the siphon and getting the wort out of the boiler that way.

So you got away with it then...

I'm just going to have to find a way to make it nye on impossible to knock the hop filter out aren't I.

The embarrassing thing is that I bought some hop bags from H&G and forgot to use them. I was a little unsure about them when i bought them as I wondered what would happen to the break material if the hops weren't at the bottom to act as a filter bed. Does anyone use hop bags in the boil? presumably you keep them tied out of the way of the elements but do they get enough of a jostle about when in the bag?

[BarryNL]

The embarrassing thing is that I bought some hop bags from H&G and forgot to use them. I was a little unsure about them when i bought them as I wondered what would happen to the break material if the hops weren't at the bottom to act as a filter bed. Does anyone use hop bags in the boil? presumably you keep them tied out of the way of the elements but do they get enough of a jostle about when in the bag?

I can never get them to sink, so keeping them off the elements is not a problem.

I've heard others here say you need to use about 10% more hops with the bags as they're not quite as efficient.

[Gurgeh]

Think I may have overpitched? The fridge is keeping the fermentation at 18C and there's a good few inches of krausen there. The top of the airlock did blow out, but I put it back in while i got my camera.

[Frothy]

Job's a good un