Growling Dog Brewery - First Brew - piccies

[GARYSMIFF]

Great stuff Sir,

I know you have only just set this up but have you thought about turning your setup into RIMS ? you have most of the parts required and I can see you like to build/ spend money..lol

Only problem I can see with your system is Half as many brew days 2wice as much beer , If you need a hand tasting I'm just down the A130

[Dennis King]

Have to say Steve you have come a long way since you came to my "brewery" to buy those kegs last year, well done, impresive build

[GrowlingDogBeer]

I know you have only just set this up but have you thought about turning your setup into RIMS ?

I think I'll stick with it like it is for now. The next bit of tinkering will be the kegerator when my wife has managed to source me a Chest Freezer on freecycle.

I've ordered the temp control bits, just a few more cornies and taps needed, and a gas cylinder which I plan to go and get next week when I am off work.

Have to say Steve you have come a long way since you came to my "brewery" to buy those kegs last year

I may be selling them on again soon, depends how quick these cornies breed

Perhaps we need a South Essex Jims meet up, theres quite a few of us around, although I'm not sure how many bottle so it may have to be a brewery to brewery crawl.

[Dennis King]

Perhaps we need a South Essex Jims meet up, theres quite a few of us around, although I'm not sure how many bottle so it may have to be a brewery to brewery crawl.[/quote]

Think I would be great to have a meet, as well as yourself I`ve also met Fisfur when I bought a handpump off him, but again it was brief and had only a quick chat. Guess transport would be the main problem.

[GARYSMIFF]

Sounds like a plan, but scary, A Chelmsford beer fest on the 23rd Ill be there anyone else?


The Woolpack Beer Festival
Thu 21st April – Sun 24th April 2011, The Woolpack, Mildmay Road, Chelmsford

[GARYSMIFF]

Steve where are you getting your gas CO2 that is lol

[lancsSteve]

Awesome build and first brew - had I not just done something similar I'd be VERY jealous!

I didn't over plan this brew, it was a trial run on the brewery.

t what a good idea - I went to the absolute utter opposite extreme!!!

Mashing in was a challenge, my long plastic spoon can't quite cope with mixing 10Kg of grain, I think I need one of them stainless paddles

Considered underletting? I found it MUCH easier - needed some stirring but a LOT less than 'normal'

It was at this point I made a very bad decision

WOuld that involve recirculating the wort - I came unstuck there too!

Sparging took ages, I think that is down to my Sparging Arm, which was built for a smaller brewery, some larger holes are in order.

I ended up ditching my arm and using 2 collanders with tap pouring straight in from HLT for similar reasons...

Boil done, Immersion Chiller turned on and lots of stirring, ideally I think I need to upgrade the chiller as it took a long time to cool this much wort, however I did collect the water back in the HLT to use for washing up.

Can that pump take 90c+ liquids? Have you considered recirculating the wort in the boiler so it's always moving over the coils? Needs a manifold or adaptation - see http://www.mrmalty.com/chiller.php for details. (I would have done if I hadn't got all stressed about burning my pump out on first brew with it)

Find a mechanism to recirculate the mash without disturbing the grain bed.

Use an underback? Worked well for me - till the pump went a bit wrong...

Well done on a great brew - looks like it went really well!

[Gricey]

Underletting? Is that as simple as connecting your HLT 'out' to your MT 'in' with your pump? I have a muddydisco FB on my new unfinished brewery, my current brewery is a 40L coolbox with 15mm copper rather than a camlock, though!

[Frisfur]

Perhaps we need a South Essex Jims meet up, theres quite a few of us around, although I'm not sure how many bottle so it may have to be a brewery to brewery crawl.

Think I would be great to have a meet, as well as yourself I`ve also met Fisfur when I bought a handpump off him, but again it was brief and had only a quick chat. Guess transport would be the main problem.[/quote]

I am happy to meet up.
Chelmsford is a pain because of public transport (or lack off)

I have seen that we live in Wickford, Basildon, Canvey and Rayleigh. name a decentish pub in that radius thats easy for everyone to get to....not easy.

[GrowlingDogBeer]

Steve where are you getting your gas CO2 that is lol

I'm planning on giving the guy a call in Barking that you mentioned to me, I haven't found anywhere else, although there is a BOC in Basildon, I know they are more expensive, but they are right on my doorstep.

Considered underletting? I found it MUCH easier - needed some stirring but a LOT less than 'normal'

I may give that a try, why didn't I make the pipe out of the HLT 3 inches longer, then it would have reached to tap on the Mash Tun.

I have seen that we live in Wickford, Basildon, Canvey and Rayleigh. name a decentish pub in that radius thats easy for everyone to get to....not easy

You are quite correct, it will not be easy finding any decent pub in that area. which is quite depressing really

[Frisfur]

Steve where are you getting your gas CO2 that is lol

I'm planning on giving the guy a call in Barking that you mentioned to me, I haven't found anywhere else, although there is a BOC in Basildon, I know they are more expensive, but they are right on my doorstep.

Steve, I a bought a co2 bottle and from Norm, Thameside fire protection in basildon tops it up foo a fiver if you go round the back and see the guy in the workshop

[lancsSteve]

Underletting? Is that as simple as connecting your HLT 'out' to your MT 'in' with your pump? I have a muddydisco FB on my new unfinished brewery, my current brewery is a 40L coolbox with 15mm copper rather than a camlock, though!

Pretty much - needs a stir but a LOT easier as it floats the whole grain bed up and soaks it from the bottom - I was really impressed at lack of dry spots with a 12kg mash in nearly full mash tun through underletting and a bit of stirring...

[GrowlingDogBeer]

Steve where are you getting your gas CO2 that is lol

I'm planning on giving the guy a call in Barking that you mentioned to me, I haven't found anywhere else, although there is a BOC in Basildon, I know they are more expensive, but they are right on my doorstep.

Steve, I a bought a co2 bottle and from Norm, Thameside fire protection in basildon tops it up foo a fiver if you go round the back and see the guy in the workshop

Thanks Frisfur, I thought about getting one from Norm, but it was getting it filled I was concerned about.

That sounds like an ideal solution. I shall send Norm an email.

[Dennis King]

+1 for underletting, makes life a lot easier

[GrowlingDogBeer]

If I do underletting, obviously it is going to be critical to get my Strike Water temperature correct.

If I don't reheat my Mash Tun I lose about 10C when adding the Strike Water, so if I include the loss in temp to grain I would need to be adding my Strike Water at about 81 degrees to end at a 66C Mash Temperature. This seems a bit hot to me to be hitting the grain first off.

I suppose the answer is to thoroughly pre heat the Mash Tun, then drain it, add the grain, then add the strike water at about 73C underletting.

Does that sound about right?