1st All Grain Yesterday

[nardcooker]

After a lot of reading and gathering equipment I finally put down a batch of Dr Sumurto's famous Golden Ale.

I'm still crunching the numbers so I can dial in Beer Smith and sort the equipment a bit better for next time. I was aiming for 20ltrs of 1.047, but I ended up with 23ltrs of 1.040 so I'm pretty happy with the outcome (for a first batch). I'll be doing single batches batches until I get my eye in.
HLT = 40Ltr crown urn, Mash tun = 60ltr drink cooler, Boiler = 70ltr stock pot. No-chilling in the cube.

 

[going down a hill]

Sure looks like beer in a cube, well done. Welcome to flavour country!

 

[argon]

Awesome setup for a first AG well done :beerbang: ... sounds like you just need to boil a bit harder or longer to get rid of that extra 3L and pickup a few more OG points.
:icon_cheers:

 

[asis]

Awesome setup for a first AG well done :beerbang: ... sounds like you just need to boil a bit harder or longer to get rid of that extra 3L and pickup a few more OG points.
:icon_cheers:

Or do exactly the same as this time with litres less sparge water. Evaporation rates and losses really are a lot of estimation on a new system.

 

[nardcooker]

Thanks for the input. I wasn't boiling as hard as I could have. The Rambo has plenty of go in it that's for sure. I turned it down about 15mins after it started boiling, probably should have just left it.
I knew it wouldn't be perfect the first time. I had been putting it off, farting around with equipment, hops, deadspace in Beer Smith, then decided f*#k it, just give it a crack, I will learn quicker by doing rather than thinking about it.
The refractometer came in handy. Clean up was fairly painless. I think I'll make myself a measuring stick for the boiler so I can tell quickly the volume. Will probably make one for the urn as well.
Can't wait to taste. Will most likely do another before this first one is in the keg.

 

[pk.sax]

Thanks for the input. I wasn't boiling as hard as I could have. The Rambo has plenty of go in it that's for sure. I turned it down about 15mins after it started boiling, probably should have just left it.
I knew it wouldn't be perfect the first time. I had been putting it off, farting around with equipment, hops, deadspace in Beer Smith, then decided f*#k it, just give it a crack, I will learn quicker by doing rather than thinking about it.
The refractometer came in handy. Clean up was fairly painless. I think I'll make myself a measuring stick for the boiler so I can tell quickly the volume. Will probably make one for the urn as well.
Can't wait to taste. Will most likely do another before this first one is in the keg.

:beerbang:

yeah baby!

 

[mikk]

Nice work. I'm sure you'll have quantities sorted within the next few brews, & i'm sure you'll be happy with your move well before then. Nice work!

 

[yum beer]

23 litres 1040 woo hoo, well done mate

 

[raven19]

Nice work indeed. No chilling in a cube with a tap - never done this always used a bung in the tap hole.

I hope it will be ok - I have had dripping issues with taps in cubes before, I'd hate there to be a leak.

 

[Uncle Fester]

Regardless of any process variations/hiccups, this will still be the best beer you have ever made.

Welcome to the slippery slope of AG brewing.

Fester Out.

 

[nardcooker]

thanks guys, I wasn't planning on using the "jerry can cube" with the tap, but I realised at the end of the boil that I didn't have a normal cube big enough. I had a 20ltr and a heap of 15ltr (fresh wort) ones, but the jerry can one was the only one that would fit it. Brew just went into the fermenter and straight into the fermentation fridge set at 18degs.
Looking through the reciepeDB now looking for the next one.

 

[Blackapple]

Nice work

Welcome to the awesome beer

 

[dr K]

Nice setup..but, please, why go to the expense and not "chill".
OK yes, lots of people say "no-chill-way to go" and of course you will produce a drinkable beer as you would with a can of kit a kilo of sugar, and, no-chill.
No chill will not give you botulism, or so much DMS the beer is undrinkable but, by its nature, will introduce flavours and consequences that will diminish the beer.
Do yourself and your beer, a favour and at least investigate chilling, an immersion chiller is adequate, a CFC better, a Jamil style whirlpool immersion better again and the Gordon strong CFC whirlpool yet another step..do you get the feeling that the most awarded Home-Brewers are constantly looking for ways to both fast chill and trub-reduce their wort?
K

 

[nardcooker]

I hear you dr K, no doubt I will be getting some chilling equipment in the future. I'd rather get it in the fermenting fridge at the end of brew session that's for sure. I've been collecting the equip for quite some time and I had put off doing the first batch for whay too long. I finally came to the conclusion, "I've got all the stuff, may as well hit Ross up for the the grain and get mashing". My setup will be getting upgrades for a while to come. There's a whole bunch of stuff I have lying around and even more stuff on the "to get" list. Priority at the moment is to keep the momentum and get another brew down. I wince at the thought of having to go to the bottle shop and buy a bunch of expensive beer because I have been too lazy to brew.
Thanks for the concern and the input though it's all appreciated. :beer:

 

[Spork]

Thanks for the input. I wasn't boiling as hard as I could have. The Rambo has plenty of go in it that's for sure. I turned it down about 15mins after it started boiling, probably should have just left it.
I knew it wouldn't be perfect the first time. I had been putting it off, farting around with equipment, hops, deadspace in Beer Smith, then decided f*#k it, just give it a crack, I will learn quicker by doing rather than thinking about it.
The refractometer came in handy. Clean up was fairly painless. I think I'll make myself a measuring stick for the boiler so I can tell quickly the volume. Will probably make one for the urn as well.
Can't wait to taste. Will most likely do another before this first one is in the keg.

Top stuff.

PS - All my NC cubes / jerry's have taps. Hasn't been an issue as yet, except for one cube that I can't squeeze too much or it deforms around the tap thread and leaks. Not sure if it would not do the same with a bung. Generally don't store the cooled wort anyway - yeast gets pitched the morning after brew day, so a bit of headspace doesn't worry me.

 

[bignath]

No chilling in a cube with a tap - never done this always used a bung in the tap hole

Well i suppose a bung in the tap hole is better than a tap in the bung hole.... :lol:


Lots of pishab for my lucky taste beers and comfortable times...

 

[Droughtmaster]

its wicked when the numbers come together hey i just bought a bruemeister 20 ltr was my introduction to all grain first brew was close the other 3 brews were just over dont know what happened different but clapping hands as u are well done

drought :icon_chickcheers:

 

[banora brewer]

Hi there, it's great to see my old setup being used, well done, I hope it was easy to use as it was for me.

 

[nardcooker]

Hi there, it's great to see my old setup being used, well done, I hope it was easy to use as it was for me.

Thanks "Banora Brewer" trust your Braumeister is treating you good. My 1st all grain brewday was easier that I thought it would be. The equipment all worked a treat. It's going to get a workout that's for sure. I'm doing single batches till I get the system dialed in a bit more and the confidence level rises. I've got the 60ltr fermentor on standby waiting for it's turn in the fridge.

Brewday #2 is set for tomorrow..... going to try my hand at the Nelson Sauvin Summer Ale (from Ross). The DrSmurto's Golden Ale I did is going into secondary and a pre-bought hefeweizen liquid wort into the primary. Going to put another shelf in the fermenting fridge to hold the 2nd fermentor. I get an RDO every 2nd monday which has now become RBD (rostered brew day).

 

[nardcooker]

Well let me say that the beer I'm drinking now is tasting really good, way better that what I have made in the past. Quick comment with regards to the no chill though.... I am finding the brews more bitter than I expected. I'm going to run the next few through Brewmate to see if I can smooth that out a bit. I also think they lack some aroma but a little hop tea straight into the keg is getting around that issue nicely.

The one I sorted for Australia day was a Nelson Sauvin Summer ale (thanks Ross!!!) which came out to around 6.1% (I upped the boil considerably from the first batch). I thought about watering it down before the ferment but only for a second. The next one I did was a Columbus Summer Ale which was identical to the Nelson Sauvin, but using columbus hops instead (Ross mentioned somewhere that the one he did turned out great). That one went into the fermentor tonight.

Three batches in and I'm finding it quite easy to hit my targets for mash temp and volume into the boiler. I regret not going all grain sooner, but am happy as a pig in **** with the current results so that's all that matters. The sparge got a bit stuck on the last one but I used a bit of silicone hose and blew up the outlet and it was smooth sailing after that.

Looking forward to the first double batch this coming Monday got a Doc's Bavarian Weizen planned. I want to keep it simple on the first double batch so I can concentrate on hitting my targets. Will be doing the no chill into 2 cubes and brewing them when I need to. If I can get these double batches working for me I may have some beer left in the keg when mates drop in. :beer: