first AG brewday for midweek

[prodigal2]

Hi there one and all.
I have finally got hold of 10Kg of milled Pils pale malt from a local microbrewery(the only one within 400km). And I am going to attempt a varient of 100% Satisfaction. I have been let down by suppliers and I will not have a large SS boiler and a immersion chiller so this is going to be a 15l batch with some wort held over for starters and such.
I will be batch sparging with a grain bag in a fermenter with a tap.

I would appreciate it if you all could look over my recipe to check I have my calcs right.

100% Satisfactionish

Target volume 15l
OG 1,040
FG 1,010

3.2Kg Pils pale malt

32grms golding (5.6%) hops start of boil
10grms golding last 15mins of boil

IBU 24
Final volume15 ltr plus spare wort for yeast starters
Mash liquor 8 ltr
Water temp for mash 77 deg C
Mash temp 65 deg C

Sparge 1 10ltr @80 deg C
Sparge 2 10ltr @80 deg C

Mash time 90 min
Boil time 90 min

yeast, Safale 04 and 1 teaspoon yeast vit re-hydrated

I think that I will get about 24ltrs of wort pre boil.

What do people think, I am trying to Keep It Simple Stupid. I will mash in a cool box and then sparge in a grain bag(I've had no time to make a manifold or fit a tap) in a fermenter. I really need to break my AG virginity and this coming week is the only time I will have for a while to give over a whole day to brewing.

This brew will spend 10days or there abouts in the primary as I will be working away from home for a week, and then a 2-3 weeks in a secondary. and then bottled.

I am really excited about this and yet I will be making do on AG brew 1

[Frothy]

Assuming Pils Pale malt is the same as 2-row lager malt @ 309 P/kg/L HWE
@ 65% efficiency this will give you 643 Potential Gravity Points
15L at 1.043
16L at 1.040

Collect enough wort to allow for 10-20% boil reduction, losses in pipes etc. so for a 15L brew collect ~ 18.75L. Assuming 65% efficiency you wont have any left over for starters. I've never batch sparged so I'm afraid I'm not sure how much water the mash retains etc.

Mash Calc's are spot on.

As for the hopping IBU's assuming that the bittering hops are added at 60minutes? For 5.6% (are they nice foil hops or loose? Best to allow for 5% just encase they've lost a bit.)

32g x 5.0% = 160 (AAU)
10g x 5.0% = 50 (AAU)

160 x [0.252 x (10/15)] = 27 IBU
50 x [0.125 x (10/15)] = 4.2 IBU
Total: 31.2 IBU

Frothy

[AT]

Good luck you'll never look back!

[prodigal2]

As for the hopping IBU's assuming that the bittering hops are added at 60minutes? For 5.6% (are they nice foil hops or loose? Best to allow for 5% just encase they've lost a bit.)

32g x 5.0% = 160 (AAU)
10g x 5.0% = 50 (AAU)

160 x [0.252 x (10/15)] = 27 IBU
50 x [0.125 x (10/15)] = 4.2 IBU
Total: 31.2 IBU

Frothy

Cheers Frothy, the Hops are foil packed.

[prodigal2]

[quote="DaaB"

Don't get hung up on targets, just go with the flow Good Luck [/quote]

Thats the hope DaaB
As ever cheers for all the advice

[Garth]

Have a good one prod, you'll never look back, although it's a shame you can't get your hands on the stuff and equipment as easily over there, makes us feel spoilt, I feel guilty now that I twist when the local HBS is shut on a Sunday

[prodigal2]

Garth, the problems I have are 2 fold:
1, the decent HBS in Barcelona only does 1 mailrun a month.

2, I work all over the world and can be away for long periods of time, componding the above problem.
2a, being self employed dosn't always mean people feel the urge to pay me with any urgency.... which makes 1 a bit of a issue at times.

I could use UK HBS's and ship or Brouland(who seem at the mo to have issues with my plastic), but I feel as home brewing in Spain is such a niche hobby supporting any local vendors is very important.

Oh and on the few times I have been into a HBS in Blighty my wallet feels compelled to empty itself of all its contents.

[prodigal2]

OK so I'm getting to the end of mashing time.

everything is standing by and I recon I will be done by midnight ish

When I doughed in the smell rocked

No going back now

[mysterio]

Good stuff prodigal... any pictures?

[BarryNL]

We want piccys!

[prodigal2]

Hi there all the boil is now in the last 10 mins, the wife has been using my mac hence lack of posts and such. And she had anexed the camera for some Fleabay related stuff

I mashed at 66.5degC and the end of the mash the grain was at 65.5 after 90mins

I got 23l from the sparge down to 1,010. The only pain was getting the wort to sit at the right temp, but hayho, I think I have done OK

The major problem was the death of my scales just before I weighed out my hops. So it was guesstimate central on the hoping. I had to divide my goldings 100grm pack into 10 equal piles and then hoped for the best.

I had a SteveD tap moment when I transfered the mash to the grain bag in a FV, I did have a moment of noooooooooooooooo. I think I only lost about a litre or so.

I will be pitching S04 tommorrow morning as I currently have no IC.

It was a real basic brew set up I used and illistrates to other kit brewers, AG can be done with sod all. I used a 16.5l stock pot and 2x6l stockpots a kettle, a FV with a grain bag, a unmodified cool box as a mash tun, stirring impliment and a plastic 5l jug. Oh and some metal that once resembled a set of scales.

Flame is now off all is done, kitchen smells great. I cleaned as went so, I will not be annoying the SWIMBO in the morning as she reaches for her panic tea first thing in the morrow.

I now have a better understanding of things, and my god there is a huge amount of things I will change for next time. But hey the AG virginity is broken, and all I can do is make some different mistakes the next time.

And the next time will be in about 10 days, I will alter this recipe and add a late addition of fresh elderflowers. Well you chaps say change one thing at a time, mmmmm but I do have a small amount of crystal.

[prodigal2]

Sorry one and all about the lack of piccies

The next one I will post some, though I will post a pic of my yeast head within the next 36hrs. For all of you missing Andys UKTV Yeast cam

[Vossy1]

But hey the AG virginity is broken,

No turning back now...well done

[Ianb]

Congratulations.

I dithered and dithered about trying AG, finally settling on doing it with far more gear than I actually needed (I realise now).

Kudos to you for the real low cost approach.

If your results are anything like what I've just sampled, you'll be investing in and making (because it adds to the fun) lots more equipment very soon.

Ian

[prodigal2]

Whey hey

16l in the fermenter @ 1,048

All I can assume is that my scales were on the way out when I did the grain.

And now the all important Q, I wonder what my effeciency was?

A better result than expected, I did think of watering down to 1,041 but then again my Hop schedule went out the window due to the scales incident

I had plenty of break material at the bottom of my stock pots.

It being a Pils malt I have a similar colour wort to Hoppkins. But I am not worried. Its got 2 ways of playing out.

Cheers all