Home Brew Forum

A day off work specifically to brew and I'm doing a pared down version of PoP's Stout:

Brew length: 23 ltrs
Target OG @75%: 5.11%

In the mash tun:
Pale: 3500gr
Crystal: 750gr
Choc Malt: 210gr
Black Malt: 180gr
Rst Barley: 350gr
Fl Barley: 350gr
Carapils: 350gr

Mash 90 mins

Hops:
80gr Bramling X (90 mins

Yeast:
WhiteLabs Irish Ale

Mash has been on for 90 mins now and sparging liquor has just come to temperature. Fly sparging today.

Have a good one

It was going reasonably well; sparging was complete, I'd collected 32 litres of wort and it was still running at 1.009. Put it on to come up to the boil and went for some scran. Regular checks and still it wasn't at boil point.
Then I heard the click of the element cutting out and, sure enough, it was cutting out well below boiling. Fortunately, I had a spare element which I had tried to fit this morning before start to create a double boiler but I didn't have a drill bit wide enough so I left it.
To remedy the situation I've had to transfer the wort to my fermenting vessel (which was sitting with cleansing solution), replace the old element with the new and transfer the wort back. Now it is just about at boil - at last.

I had an element keep cutting out on me today too. I had been lazy, I thought that I had successfully stopped the cut out hence not bothered making the element shiney for each and every brew. Obviously I was wrong. I rolled my second boiler into action but had to resort to the use the fermenter temporarily as a storgae bin so I could get my hop strainer out.

Hope the rest of your brew goes well

BarrowBoy wrote: Then I heard the click of the element cutting out and, sure enough, it was cutting out well below boiling.

Same thing happened to me....POP...element gone....d'you think that's why its called "Pops stout"

The original element is covered in gunk - is that why it's cutting out then? How can I clean it up?

Tell you what, it'd better be good this brew - it's taking an age to reduce to the right volume and I'm way behind. Mrs BB has just come home expecting tea to be prep'd and a gin & tonic ready and I'm still up to my eyes in sh!te.

It happens to us all BB , good luck with it though, I'm really getting into my stouts + porters at the moment.

I'll be sorry when I've kegged my Pop's stout...nothing has ever smelled this good during fermentation I hope it lives up to expectations

Oggy' Bar wrote:I'll be sorry when I've kegged my Pop's stout...nothing has ever smelled this good during fermentation I hope it lives up to expectations

Aye, but you're nearer to tasting it than me. Some lovely bubble action going on in there at the moment.

Well done for keeping going BB...the fruits of your labour will be worthwhile...I'm sure

Well done, sure it will turn out fine

Thanks folks. Looking good now - a thick yeast cap hides the dark, unctious liquid below.