AG#1 (A return to brewing after 16 years)

[Jon474]

My first brew day since just before my dad died in 1994.
My own recipe:
Pale malt 2270g
Crystal malt 120g
Chocolate malt 50g

Challenger: 8g first wort hops in at sparge
Challenger: 10g for 60 mins after the hot break
Fuggles: 5g for 10 mins

Suggested OG will be 1.046 and EBU 34. Colour 22 EBC ish

I wanted to start very simply and use this as a control for adding/subtracting body, mouth feel, bitterness, hop flavours etc.

It's in the mash tun now. I'll try and do some pictures later.

But here's a thing that I don't understand...

tested the alkalinity with a Salifert kit = 1.03meq/l - this is the third test I have done since Friday with each one giving the same reading. Northumbrian Water website suggests 87mg/l CACO3 so I am probably in the right range.
I multiply my reading by 50 = 51.5mg/l CACO3 - target = 20mg/l CACO3 so add 3.5ml of CRS for a 25 litre batch of water
Total additions of salts (as per GW's wonderful box of tricks) = 10g of gypsum and 1g of calcium chloride. I split the gypsum down to 3g+7g with 3g going in the mash tun and 7g in the boil. The 1g of calcium chloride went in the mash.

Mashed in at 75C, added grist and watched in pure delight as the mash temperature fell to 62C! I added more hot water and then boiling water but struggled to get mash temp to 66C - I think it was 64-65C at the time I said sod it and put the lid on.

All okay so far but I have just drawn some mash off for a pH test and...5.8.

How is that possible then? I thought adjusting your alkalinity to the target should ensure that you are in the pH5.3 area?

J

[OldSpeckledBadger]

All of the Gypsum should have gone into the mash but it probably won't make much difference in practice as you got the pH somewhere near the "ideal" of 5.3.

For calculating strike temperature, I use Andy's Strike Temperature Calculator http://www.jimsbeerkit.co.uk/calc.html and find it gives me good results.

[Jon474]

I feel I am making so many mistakes as I go along this morning but it smells good...and it is my first go at this for a long long time.

Got 19L out of the mash tun - was aiming for 20L - but the temperatures are all to cock. In fact, all my temperatures are wrong. Strike heat water didn't hold its temperature, sparge water was a little bit off. I forgot tpo measure the final mash tun final temperature after 90 mins but after 5 mins it was down to 55C!I am not happy withy this mash tun - could be going in the bin after today.

Good rolling boil but my evaporation rate is huge. I am aiming for 12L in the FV but have lost 5L already after an hour.

Right just off to sterilise the IC - using boiling water in a separate bin. I haven't got enough liquor to do a proper job in the kettle.

Onwards...

J

[garwatts]

What are you using for your mash tun? Are you preheating it prior to use? Also what are the dimensions of your boiler? 'Tall and thin' is good - 'short and fat' more surface area for evaporation?

[Jon474]

AG#1 was a total disaster. Right process but wrong outcome!

After a good boil I was left with just 5 useable litres out of the Hop & Grape 10 gallon boiler! Too much evaporation. Very, very poor flow out of the boiler. Copper matrix worse than useless. That's just gone over the fence. Next-door neighbour will be surprised. Over-cooled by the IC (because I was obssessed about flow and low volumes). So, that all went down the sink.

Looked at my two unopened bottles of Pride and thought...beer and FA Cup...or have another go.

So, AG#2 - same recipe, same process...except that as Old Speckled Badger has suggested I have put all 10g of the gysum in the mash to start with. This time I shall empty the boiler into my hop back and cool in there after removing the inner bin (the one with the holes in it).

Have weighed everything out...again and am just waiting for HLT to come up to strike.

I have used the strike temp calculator - grain temperature is 14C, strike temperature is 76C.

Just added grist, mash in at 76C and guess what...mash temperature after a good stir was 66C. Lid on, wrapped in hot water jackets, stood on thermal pad. Leave alone for 90 mins.

Job's a good'un.

[Jon474]

All's well with AG#2.

After 90 mins the mash temp was 66C.
Mashed out with 10L of water at 85C. Drew that off into the kettle.
Batch sparge with a further 10L and collected 20 litres at OG1.029

I have tamed the boiler or rather I understand how to use it a bit better now. Two elements to bring it a fast boil; left them both on for five minutes and then turned one off. Still got a good boil. After 20 minutes I have lost between 500ml and 1 litre - judging it by my dodgy eye.
J

[OldSpeckledBadger]

A litre every 20 minutes is about the loss I get from a single element. Don't worry if you come out a bit short. Just dilute it to the target brew length in the FV.

[Jon474]

Can I do this with just tap water? I have used up all my treated brewing water.
J

[Jon474]

Didn't need to top up in the end. Collected about 13 litres of OG 1.038 which is way off my target of 12 litres at 1.046 but, do you know, I don't care. It's a brew and it's in the FV with the yeast.

Result.

I'll do pictures later...even if it is just so that you can have a laugh at my "comedy IC".

Thanks for the help during the day.

J

[roger the dog]

Welcome back to the darkside Jon

[Jon474]

I have had a good day. Even though I tipped the entire output of my first batch - 5 litres (yes, really) - down the drain, had to make up another full batch and broke my thermometer as I was cleaning up after the day's activity...still a good day.

Pictures...

er...how do you load pictures?

D'oh.

J

[Jon474]

SG down to 1.032 after 16 hours...so something's happening.

Lovely yeasty top on the beer - using WLP005 - smells good. Tastes okay.

It can only go downhill from here.

[Horden Hillbilly]

how do you load pictures?

There is a "how to" here.

[Jon474]

As I feared, it was too good to be true.

SG stuck at 1.027 for 24 hours. Head all but disappeared. Looked like a flat pint. I tried to rouse the yeast by giving a gentle twist of the FV to get the WLP005 (which is a bottom feeder) but there was still no change after a further 12 hours.

As I was used to doing (in the old days), I dropped the beer into a new FV last night and whilst there is a layer of yeast forming at the bottom there is still no head to the new FV.

Just have to wait and see now...will it regenerate or will it be the death of AG#2?

I'm just a bit paranoid about my brewing technique, I think.

J

[Jon474]

Well, all may not be lost. Took SG tonight and the Brix has has dropped from 6.9 to 6.4 (SG 1.027 to 1.025) - a small change but it shows that something is still happening in that tub. It does taste good so it must still be okay? Nice level of bitterness albeit within a very green beer.

I don't mean for this to become the diary of a car-crash...sorry. Just (re-)Newbie paranoia. As someone on here has wisely said, yeast has been doing its thing for millions of years and people have successfully brewed beer for hundreds, probably thousands, of years before we knew about pH, oxidation, attentuation and all the rest of it. It will be fine and if it isn't...I'll just have to have another go.

J