1st ever brew, standard bitter from David Line BBB Pg 34

[bandit]

I started my brew at 8 o'clock this morning. Its the recipe for 5 gallons of bitter from David Lines Big Book of Brewing. It has been in the insulated mash tun, picnic cool box for 1.5 hours and I am still getting a starch reading with the iodine test. The temp is 150DegF and the acidity is around 5.4

Is this OK?

[bandit]

I thought I would try and add some pictures while I am waiting for the starch end point

Hot water waiting for sparging

The mash that wont reach its starch end point yet

The boiler waiting for its wort

My chiller waiting patiently

[Andy]

Bandit - how are you performing the starch test ?

[bandit]

I take a spoonful of the liquor from the mash and put it on a plate. I then add some iodine from a bottle. I starts brown/orange and as i mix it it slowly turns a greeny black 15 seconds later

[bandit]

What would happen if I added a teaspoon full of Gypsum to the mash. Will it lower the PH and speed things up? Any advise would be good. I've been watching this mash for over 3 hours now.

[Kev.]

Try to get as clear a sample of mash liquor as possible i.e no grain husks or bits.

Your mash temp and PH is spot on, so I wouldn't be tempted to add anything to your mash.

[Jim]

I take a spoonful of the liquor from the mash and put it on a plate. I then add some iodine from a bottle. I starts brown/orange and as i mix it it slowly turns a greeny black 15 seconds later

From the temperature and pH my guess would be that you're misinterpreting the starch test result. The colour of a positive test is blue/black, like fountain pen ink - it's possible to mistake the darkening of the wort caused by the colour of the iodine itself for a positive.

It's probably too late now, but take a few grains out and have a taste- if they're sickly sweet, you've got lots of sugar, which is a good indicator that you're OK.

[bandit]

Ok, without the grains in it it seems as though it is now NOT ink black. I have started to drain the liquid from the mash tun. How bright should the wort be. Is slightly cloudy acceptable?

[bitter_dave]

Is slightly cloudy acceptable?

Should be fine. I've never managed to it get it completely clear, and I've heard other brewers much better than me say the same thing

[eskimobob]

How did it go in the end Bandit?

[Frothy]

Ace setup bandit. What is that boiler/hlt?
Don't worry too much esp' on the first brew (I'm not sure if anyone else uses a starch test here?) - those mash enzymes are pretty reliable and an hour and 1/2 is more than enough time for a single infusion.

hows it fermenting?
Matt

[bandit]

What a day. I know it says in the books to book yourself 12 hours for your first experience but waht a twelve hours. Next time i will be faster. I suppose its like sex the more you do the faster you get. Anyway, the results. I now have 18 litres of beer. It came out at 1040. It smells good and seems to have a nice colour. I am slightly concerned that a head had formed once it had come through my chiller. The head is still there now with the yeast added. I only hope that there wasnt a small trace of washing up liquid in the pipes from when I constructed my chiller in world record time. Anyway, time to tidy up now and sample a pint of the Woodfordes Nelson Revenge (kit mix)I made a few weeks ago. Thanks for all of your help today guys. See you next time when I start the Timmy Taylors Landlord.




Frothy, that boiler is a 30 litre bucket from a company in Devon with two tesco kettle elements screwed into it and a copper baffle fitted as a strainer, exactly the same as the ones used in the bottom of the picnic box mash tuns. I spent most of last week making all the bits from advice from this forum. You cant buy knowledge like that. Thanks

[bitter_dave]

Well done mate - the next one'll be a sinch

Next time i will be faster. I suppose its like sex the more you do the faster you get.

[Kev.]

I must have been a natural, my first time I was like lightning

Does that mean it came as a shock and made your hair stand on end!

[eskimobob]

I am slightly concerned that a head had formed once it had come through my chiller. The head is still there now with the yeast added. I only hope that there wasnt a small trace of washing up liquid in the pipes from when I constructed my chiller in world record time.

Well done Bandit
I would not worry about the froth. I always get about 4 inches of froth on top from the splashing action as it falls from my CFC into the FV. I guess if it froths up, you know you are getting some air into it.