Just started my first mash. It looked a bit watery (I was expecting a porridge consistency - don't ask me why). I also found it difficult to hit 66C (I stirred to try and distribute heat) - measuring with a glass thermometer is a pain as it takes so long to stabilise - I'll have to get a digital thermometer.
Having fun though! And having a homebrew...
What's Brewing this weekend?
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Andy
- Virtually comatose but still standing
- Posts: 8716
- Joined: Fri Nov 18, 2005 1:00 pm
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My boiler is a 27L burco and I fill it to within an inch of the top, after a 90 minute boil a fair bit has evaporated. So I now sparge until I've got enough wort to fill the boiler and also collect an extra 3-5 litres which I top the boiler up with over the last 30 mins of the boil. I add the extra in stages so the boil temp. doesn't drop below the boil. I check the SG of the extra wort I collect to ensure it doesn't go below 1008.
With this approach I collected bang-on 23L in the fermenting bin.
The POU filter hooked up to the end of my hosepipe worked a treat, I can recommend the setup.
The brew is now fermenting like a goodun, had to skim twice today to stop the foam from escaping the bucket.
With this approach I collected bang-on 23L in the fermenting bin.
The POU filter hooked up to the end of my hosepipe worked a treat, I can recommend the setup.
The brew is now fermenting like a goodun, had to skim twice today to stop the foam from escaping the bucket.
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Road Runner
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Road Runner
QUOTE (BlightyBrewer @ Mar 19 2006, 10:53 AM) I'm currently filtering the water using a Brita filter, and it is taking ages! I'm going to have to invest in one of those POU water filters!!
I still use a water filter jug. It is a real pain & takes a lot of time. But I try & filter all the water the day before I brew. That also allows me to pre boil & cool the water too.
That then frees up my day from the tedium of filtering and allows me to brew.
I still use a water filter jug. It is a real pain & takes a lot of time. But I try & filter all the water the day before I brew. That also allows me to pre boil & cool the water too.
That then frees up my day from the tedium of filtering and allows me to brew.
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Road Runner
QUOTE (Daft as a Brush @ Mar 19 2006, 10:30 PM) I've just had a handfull of friends drop by and had nothing else to offer appart from a 'Scottish 80/ heavy' and my SL which I wasnt too sure about.
Well I dont even like the 80/ (even though its turned out well) so I knew they wont like that.
I hope that's just personal taste DaaB
I have a Belhaven 80/- recipe planned as my next brew...
I like the look of Summer Lightening though, may try that soon too.
Well I dont even like the 80/ (even though its turned out well) so I knew they wont like that.
I hope that's just personal taste DaaB
I have a Belhaven 80/- recipe planned as my next brew...
I like the look of Summer Lightening though, may try that soon too.
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BlightyBrewer
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Andy
- Virtually comatose but still standing
- Posts: 8716
- Joined: Fri Nov 18, 2005 1:00 pm
- Location: Ash, Surrey
- Contact:
DaaB, definitely get yersen down to the Hogs Back brewery. Hair of the Hog, Spring Call and Hop Garden Gold are right up your street!
Just measured the gravity of my brew from Saturday and it's down to 1009 already - that's only 2.5 days into fermentation! Can such a fast fermentation indicate problems with the wort quality ? The sparge was a bit of a cockup and the sparge water didn't get near 78 degC, hope I haven't just collected a lots of fermentables and have no beer body! 
(That's what happened with the last brew but I put that down to a poor mash temp, waaay too low, this time I was bang on the money).
Just measured the gravity of my brew from Saturday and it's down to 1009 already - that's only 2.5 days into fermentation!
Can such a fast fermentation indicate problems with the wort quality ? The sparge was a bit of a cockup and the sparge water didn't get near 78 degC, hope I haven't just collected a lots of fermentables and have no beer body! (That's what happened with the last brew but I put that down to a poor mash temp, waaay too low, this time I was bang on the money).-
Road Runner
Andy, my last brew using Woodfordes live yeast had fermented out to 1.010 (exactly as per recipe) when I first checked it at 3 days. So I guess it's ok.
Books I've read sudgest fermentation should be at the Quarter Gravity mark at about 3-4 days.
Although if you are fermenting too warm, above about 21'c, this could speed up fermentation I think. Mine was fermenting at about 22'c. So possibly a tiny bit warm.
Dave Line's books seem to sudgest an optimum temp around 16'c.
Books I've read sudgest fermentation should be at the Quarter Gravity mark at about 3-4 days.
Although if you are fermenting too warm, above about 21'c, this could speed up fermentation I think. Mine was fermenting at about 22'c. So possibly a tiny bit warm.
Dave Line's books seem to sudgest an optimum temp around 16'c.
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BlightyBrewer
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Road Runner
No idea, just read it in DL's BBofB.
He states "From the start to the finnish of fermentation, the temperature should ideally be within the range 55-70'F (13-21'c). But try and maintain a temp as near as possible to 60'F (16'c)"
I agree though, it will depend on the yeast strain also. I have a packet of Safale S-04 here that sudgests fermentation range of 15-24'c.
He states "From the start to the finnish of fermentation, the temperature should ideally be within the range 55-70'F (13-21'c). But try and maintain a temp as near as possible to 60'F (16'c)"
I agree though, it will depend on the yeast strain also. I have a packet of Safale S-04 here that sudgests fermentation range of 15-24'c.
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BlightyBrewer
My latest extract ale didn't want to start fermenting at 16C, but when I moved it to a warmer room at 20C it kicked into life. The yeast used was Safale S-04.
I don't like long lag times. My paranoia makes me think of all those nasties moving in to kick butt when the yeasties are sleeping after the reproduction orgy!
I don't like long lag times. My paranoia makes me think of all those nasties moving in to kick butt when the yeasties are sleeping after the reproduction orgy!
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Road Runner
QUOTE (Daft as a Brush @ Mar 20 2006, 09:55 PM) I've recently bought some of those stick-on thermometers which indicate at 18 deg c the temp in the fermenter is about 20 deg c and at that temp fermentation usualy takes 4-5 days and i'm happy with the results.
I use those stick on thermometers on my fermenting bins also. Mine too I've noticed read about 2'c high.
I just have to remember to deduct 2'c from the reading and they work fine.
I use those stick on thermometers on my fermenting bins also. Mine too I've noticed read about 2'c high.
I just have to remember to deduct 2'c from the reading and they work fine.
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Road Runner
I finnaly got around to getting my Belhaven 80/- clone under way yesterday. Andy wanted lotsa pics, so here goes. Sorry Dial Up users, took me ages to upload too as I'm also on Dial Up.
I used a couple of bits of new equipment too. I used my newly constructed Coolbox Mash Tun with 22mm copper manifold. And also my new Phils Spiny Sparge Arm. Both worked amazingly well.
Previously I had been mashing in my boiler, mashing in a grain bag & sparging by pooring the sparge water over the grain bed from a watering can with a fine rose.
I didn't get a fantastic mash eficiency using this method. Using a recipe for 23 litres calculated at 70% mash eficiency, I used to get around 21-22, or if I'm lucky 23 litres to get to the required Original Gravity.
Using the new equipment, as below:
I mannaged to get a fantastic eficiency. Still using a calculated 70% eficiency recipe, I had to add water up to 27 litres to bring the OG down to the required level in the recipe. It'll be a tight squeeze fitting it all into a 19 litre Corny.
Here's the Spiny Sparger in action. I kept about 1-2 cm of water above the grain bed to keep the grain floating. The pegs are to reduce the flow rate to the Spiny Sparger, as it was almost going into Auto Rotation & taking off without them, because the tap on my boiler is either on or off, no in between:
The recipe was for a 90 min mash, but I didn't get my sparge water up to temp in time, so it ended up being a 2 hour mash.
The wort collected in the plastic bucket in the top pic, went back into the boiler for the boil (obviously).
Something strange happened in the boiler as the wort neared the boil point, as you see in the above pic. I think those damn smileys are creeping up on me!!!
The Boil under way:
I used an imersion Wort Chiller, but I think it's only a small one, not the 25m one DaaB has been mentioning elsewhere. But I timed it and it cooled the wort from just off the boil after standing 20 mins after the boil, to 20'c in exactly 20 mins. So I'm happy with that.
As I mentioned in another post, my Woodfordes live yeast, is now decorating my kitchen walls and there wasn't enough left to get a starter going. I think I was only left with the dead yeast cells in the pot after the explosion. So I resorted to a packet of Safale SO-4, but it is working very well this morning:
Sorry Dial Up users, took me ages to upload too as I'm also on Dial Up.I used a couple of bits of new equipment too. I used my newly constructed Coolbox Mash Tun with 22mm copper manifold. And also my new Phils Spiny Sparge Arm. Both worked amazingly well.
Previously I had been mashing in my boiler, mashing in a grain bag & sparging by pooring the sparge water over the grain bed from a watering can with a fine rose.
I didn't get a fantastic mash eficiency using this method. Using a recipe for 23 litres calculated at 70% mash eficiency, I used to get around 21-22, or if I'm lucky 23 litres to get to the required Original Gravity.
Using the new equipment, as below:
I mannaged to get a fantastic eficiency. Still using a calculated 70% eficiency recipe, I had to add water up to 27 litres to bring the OG down to the required level in the recipe. It'll be a tight squeeze fitting it all into a 19 litre Corny.
Here's the Spiny Sparger in action. I kept about 1-2 cm of water above the grain bed to keep the grain floating. The pegs are to reduce the flow rate to the Spiny Sparger, as it was almost going into Auto Rotation & taking off without them, because the tap on my boiler is either on or off, no in between:
The recipe was for a 90 min mash, but I didn't get my sparge water up to temp in time, so it ended up being a 2 hour mash.
The wort collected in the plastic bucket in the top pic, went back into the boiler for the boil (obviously).
Something strange happened in the boiler as the wort neared the boil point, as you see in the above pic. I think those damn smileys are creeping up on me!!!
The Boil under way:
I used an imersion Wort Chiller, but I think it's only a small one, not the 25m one DaaB has been mentioning elsewhere. But I timed it and it cooled the wort from just off the boil after standing 20 mins after the boil, to 20'c in exactly 20 mins. So I'm happy with that.
As I mentioned in another post, my Woodfordes live yeast, is now decorating my kitchen walls and there wasn't enough left to get a starter going. I think I was only left with the dead yeast cells in the pot after the explosion. So I resorted to a packet of Safale SO-4, but it is working very well this morning:
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Road Runner
QUOTE (Daft as a Brush @ Apr 2 2006, 10:54 AM)Do you live on any lay-lines or have you seen any UFO's? Could it be the same forces that create Hot Break Smileys create Crop Circles...the answer could lie in your kitchen. You should call http://www.darkstar1.co.uk/Reg.html 
Well, I live in a very rural location, there's no overhead power lines around that I've seen. So it can't be an influence from them.
I do however back onto open farmland, so the possibility of mystical forces leaching from the field, in the absence of any crops at presant to form crop circles, is of some concern maybe.
The villiage dates back many hundreds of years. My local pub even, has a plaque on the walls listing all the Landlords dating back to 1579. I'm glad to see it was a happy Smiley, so it could be a sign sent down from above from past Publicans, aproving the tradition of Real Ales being brewed in the villiage (I don't know if any really were though).
Well, I live in a very rural location, there's no overhead power lines around that I've seen. So it can't be an influence from them.
I do however back onto open farmland, so the possibility of mystical forces leaching from the field, in the absence of any crops at presant to form crop circles, is of some concern maybe.
The villiage dates back many hundreds of years. My local pub even, has a plaque on the walls listing all the Landlords dating back to 1579. I'm glad to see it was a happy Smiley, so it could be a sign sent down from above from past Publicans, aproving the tradition of Real Ales being brewed in the villiage (I don't know if any really were though).