20l Stovetop All Grain Aussie Lager

[jazzad1]

I pushed the system a bit today, using 5kg of grain instead of 4, I made a Willamette SMASH using Joe White Traditional Ale malt, it all seemed to go well

this is my 4th brew with the 2 19L pots, the first one followed the aussie lager recipe in this thread, and the other 2 have been SMASH's one using Cascade hops, and the other using Northern Brewer

I still don't know how to calculate my efficiency, I may have read it somewhere, but I can't find it again

can anyone help me out? I can find how to calculate efficiency for a regular full volume BIAB but not for this higher gravity variety of brewing

thanks in advance!

 

[Nick JD]

How much grain you use and how many (X) liters of 1.0XX beer you have in your fermenter is "efficiency".

There are different types of efficiency - but this is the real one.

 

[zwagerman9]

Ok. My first biab, but, 8 dollars bunnings bin. 19 litre big w stock pot. Super easy to sparge. Cheers. Rae

 

[zwagerman9]

Ok. My first biab, but, 8 dollars bunnings bin. 19 litre big w stock pot. Super easy to sparge. Cheers. Rae

Holes drilled in the bottle ** sorry

 

[paulmclaren11]

Yes I use a bucket in a bucket BIAB press with holes in the bottom to 'squeeze' the bag for me. Saves burning my hands!!

 

[Nick JD]

Using non-food-grade utensils and vessels gives your beer a signature flavour all its own. That's why I insist on green buckets, as they are hoppy. The blue ones taste fruity and the red ones taste like salsa.

Nah - but seriously, I use a 15L SS pot for that sorta thing. If ya balls start to shrink or you start to ejaculate dust - eliminate the plastics.

 

[beerdrinkingbob]

If ya balls start to shrink or you start to ejaculate dust - eliminate the plastics.

Gold!!!!

 

[zwagerman9]

Using non-food-grade utensils and vessels gives your beer a signature flavour all its own. That's why I insist on green buckets, as they are hoppy. The blue ones taste fruity and the red ones taste like salsa.

Nah - but seriously, I use a 15L SS pot for that sorta thing. If ya balls start to shrink or you start to ejaculate dust - eliminate the plastics.

And if it was already a pre existing condition.... haha

 

[zwagerman9]

Taking some advice, NickJD. By eliminating non food grade plastic at a relatively cheap cost I thought.
I will buy another 19litre stainless steel pot, and drill holes in the bottom to make it more food safe. Use it the same as the bucket idea to sparge the grain.
But wont kill me in the long run.

Anyone done this?

Cheers

Rae

 

[Nick JD]

Taking some advice, NickJD. By eliminating non food grade plastic at a relatively cheap cost I thought.
I will buy another 19litre stainless steel pot, and drill holes in the bottom to make it more food safe. Use it the same as the bucket idea to sparge the grain.
But wont kill me in the long run.

Anyone done this?

Cheers

Rae

Or, get a 15L pot, take the handles off, cut some of the bottom out and line it with a screen, and use it as a "malt pipe" - watch a youtube video of how a braumeister works.

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...st&p=954340

 

[Blitzer]

Stupid question around the Swiss Voille, why do I need some lady to sew it into a bag?

When it the pot I just drape the edges of the side & when I need to pick it up just bunch it at the top and can put an elastic band on or something if needed?

If there is a specific reason to get a bag made I can, but will avoid if unnecessary.

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

You're right, carry on.

Never sewed it up when I BIABed.

Goomba

 

[Nick JD]

 

[indorat]

I have no sewing on my bag and just drape it. I also use pegs to hold it when mashing, then remove them once the lid is on. Lost a peg in the mash once, it was a pain in the bum to retrieve lol.

 

[mrTbeer]

The method works and it's dead easy, thanks Nick. (I altered the recipe a bit more American than Australian adding some wheat, crystal grain and Galena) BUT it cost me a small fortune. Why? I used the blender to grind grain and the glass jug smashed.Why do I start brewing after drinking??

I used unsewn voile and was able to hang 'bag' from an overhead cupboard handle. As an engineer I know it wasn't rated but it worked.

 

[super_simian]

I used unsewn voile and was able to hang 'bag' from an overhead cupboard handle.

I love hangin' bag....

 

[beerdrinkingbob]

name='mrTbeer' date='Sep 19 2012, 10:45 PM' post='955473'BUT it cost me a small fortune. Why?

Becuase your HB store is over priced. shop at the G&G or craftbrewer and order to few beers worth at a time. Once your committed to AG, jump in the car and buy two or bags of grain from CB, then you will see the prices drop significantly!!

Good to hear it went well, happy brewing!!

 

[mrTbeer]

No the grain was cheap. Replacing the blender cost me another $35 bucks.

Hanging bag since 2011.

 

[Nick JD]

A glass blender? Whoa! That's some seriously thick glass.

I've had stones in grain before, but somewhere in the grain production line the stuff must be sieved because the stones are never much bigger than the biggest barleez seed.

My Sunbeam eats stones for breakfast.

Glad to hear you're making beer!

 

[wbosher]

Thanks Nick, awesome tutorial! Just spent the best part of my workday reading all 27 pages. Along the way I've made up a little spreadsheet with some calculations like a mash/strike temperature calculator, dilution calc etc...

I don't know how useful this will really be, but seemed like a good idea at the time.

One question...somewhere in the last 27 pages the was a guide to convert SG readings at different temperatures. For example a reading of 10xx at 63C is converted to 10xx at 20C. I really don't want to go back through 27 pages to find it, so if someone could point me in the right direction that would be appreciated.

I know I could Google it, but after rerading 27 pages, my eyeballs are about to fall out.

 

[Nossil]

Download Brewmate.
It has a calculator (along with a few others) that tells you what your OG is based on the current temperature and reading.

It is free and very easy to use.

 

[Nick JD]

Download Brewmate.
It has a calculator (along with a few others) that tells you what your OG is based on the current temperature and reading.

It is free and very easy to use.

http://www.brewmate.net/downloads

 

[wbosher]

Just downloaded it, guess I can ditch my spreadsheet. :lol:

Awesome, thanks Nick.

 

[DJ_L3ThAL]

I brewed this recently with JW Trade ale malt the same POR hops and added 400g Dextrose, I don't have my recorded gravities and numbers (can get these when at home), but my efficiency according to brewmate was 77%, it produced 19L (I thought it was 20L but it only filled the keg no leftovers (is this probably losses to trub/break etc?)). The final gravity thought I remember was 1.008. I also used US-05 yeast and brewed in a fridge at 16-18C and had it in there for 3 weeks.

EDIT: Was stovetop (19L pot) BIAB, lotsa squeezing of the bag and a "dunk sparge" as per this tutorial.

Anyway it was naturally carbed in the keg and I've started drinking it since last week, it is quite strong (6%) and has an alcoholic almost vodka taste to it, this is attributed to the Dextrose from what i've read is this true? It is almost like a sweet toffee apple candy flavour through the brew as well, although I'm not sure what this component would be I was expecting a much "drier" and bitter beer being similar to a carlton, or because I used an ale yeast is that why I have a completely different flavour profile?

 

[jotaigna]

Something doesn't sound quite right about the beer you describe. I would be investigating an infection, or oxydation.

 

[DJ_L3ThAL]

Yea I didn't think it was how it should have tasted, everything looks fine. I "chilled" by sealing the pot with glad wrap and putting lid on then into laundry tub of water, once it was at 22C I poured entire pot contents into sterile/sanitized fermenter so oxidation couldn't be it (thought that was cardboard flavour anyway?), do you have any thoughts on what kind of infection it could be?

it's definitely not undrinkable though, in fact my Dad and brother in law both loved the beer... I think I just had an expectation in my mind which is has not met so yea hoping some of the experienced on here can put it into perspective for me!

 

[Tahoose]

Just read the whole thread and while my head is ready to explode from information overload I have picked up so much from this.

The only problem I'm having is that I can't see any photos in the original post?

 

[slcmorro]

You won't either. The user has been banned, and therefore removed his photos from it's original hosted account.

What do you need to know? Plenty of people on here can help ya!

 

[Tahoose]

Thanks slcmorrow, I think I have a grasp of most of it, it's just that a picture speaks a thousand words ya know...

won't be having a crack at this just yet for a couple of reasons.... but it has got me thinking

 

[einnebcj]

Dare I ask why he was banned....or don't we talk about it. Without the back story......seems a shame. It was this thread that got me into AG and I'm sure I'm one of many....