What are you doing with homebrew today?
- Thread starter BOB357
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Seems like it could be a bit finer for BIAB, but it doesn't really matter so long as it's consistent and your numbers are repeatable.
Will be looking for some Stout brew-day updates!
Underneath what you see in the photo, the crush was much finer. It was a good mix of solids and flour. There are 6 ounces of flaked oats in there too, adding to the “solids” appearance. I was targeting 160F for my dough in, which I caught, then after stirring to break up clumps, the mash temp was right at 154F, as planned. If my mash goes as usual, it should be around 150F after an hour. It smells good in here.
Smell like Chocolate cookies?
After draining and squeezing the grain bag, I collected this much wort to add back to the kettle.
The temperature corrected pre-boil gravity came in at 1.042, 1 point above projection.
I’m not sure I smell chocolate cookies, but it smells good nonetheless.
Wow that is an intense hot break!
OK, so I have a minor problem that I hope someone here can talk me off the ledge. I guesstimated my preboil volume at 3.65 gallons at 150F, which calculated to 3.6 gallons (.05 gallon short) - no big deal, with SG 1 point higher than projected. So I boiled for an hour, collected a sample and put the kettle in an ice bath. Wort is now at 70F, gravity is much lower than expected (6 points low), but my boiloff was weak. Postboil volume looks to be about a quart and a half greater than target. This means I should have kept boiling, and likely achieved projected gravity and volume. But I don’t have any more ice, and I hate wasting water.
Now I’m pretty easy going, so I know I could just call it a day and accept my first stout for what it is. What say you fine folks out there in the beer universe?
Now I’m pretty easy going, so I know I could just call it a day and accept my first stout for what it is. What say you fine folks out there in the beer universe?
I know, it looks like a brownie from the oven.
6 points? Leave it be and let the yeast rip. What was projected OG/FG? I guess you could add DME/sugar to the fermenter to make it up but if it were me I'd leave it be and learn from it next time
Projected OG 1.056, actual 1.050. Projected FG 1.015 using WLP051.
This is what I get for fooling around with my equipment profile.
Does your predicted FG change a lot at 1.050 vs 1.056? You could easily add more fermentable sugar but I don't think you need to
I never gave it any thought that the OG would affect the FG. It’s probably best just to get this in the fermenter and let the yeast get to work. Thanks for the feedback.
After looking at all grain OG/FG calculator, it brings FG down a point to 1.014. For me, abv of 4.7% is quite sessionable. Next time, longer boil, and probably another equipment profile adjustment. My kettle does not boil off a gallon per hour.
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God speed little yeasties
It is done - yeast pitched, fermenter is in the closet for at least 3 weeks. I think it will turn out fine.
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I have been cleaning my brew area and set up a baby batch of primitive cider using some debris from my "not really a tripel". Just added a bit of apple juice to it. If it starts going I'll add the remainder of the juice. It's sort of a primitive starter
While doing that, I noticed that my syphon pipe looked like it had some rubbish inside, so went to clean that. It's rock solid and looks like the start of a hornets nest. Nasty things.
Managed to unblock with the help of a kebab skewer. Grabbed a cloth to clean out the outside as well and got stung by a wasp
Now sitting feeling sorry for myself
While doing that, I noticed that my syphon pipe looked like it had some rubbish inside, so went to clean that. It's rock solid and looks like the start of a hornets nest. Nasty things.
Managed to unblock with the help of a kebab skewer. Grabbed a cloth to clean out the outside as well and got stung by a wasp
Now sitting feeling sorry for myself
OMG little buggers give em a dunk in some water to think about itI have been cleaning my brew area and set up a baby batch of primitive cider using some debris from my "not really a tripel". Just added a bit of apple juice to it. If it starts going I'll add the remainder of the juice. It's sort of a primitive starter
While doing that, I noticed that my syphon pipe looked like it had some rubbish inside, so went to clean that. It's rock solid and looks like the start of a hornets nest. Nasty things.
Managed to unblock with the help of a kebab skewer. Grabbed a cloth to clean out the outside as well and got stung by a wasp
Now sitting feeling sorry for myself
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Like Sunfire said, let it buck as is. Next time boil for gravity, not volume or even time. Boil rates change in the homebrewing world because our control isn't super tight. When I boil I check gravity with a refractometer several times during the boil. I extend the boil when the gravity is low and add water when the gravity is too high. Most bittering hops are 60 minutes additions, so if the boil goes longer it's not a big deal because extending the 60 minute addition doesn't create much in the way of bittering because the AA's are already in solution.
I also keep some DME around in case this happens, I can simply add some DME to bring up the gravity. It works better than adding sugar because it raises OG without making the FG too low.
BTW. Nice looking boil.
