Balls Up Or All Grain All Good

[Yeastie Beastie]

I have done a number of AG's but there are a number of things I still need help with.
I have spent some time building a new mash tun and she had her maiden voyage the other day with a batch of DrSmurto's Golden Ale from the DB.
I am in the process of building a frame and organising some permanent plumbing. At the moment it is just metres of tangled silicon hose etc.

Anywho. The night turned into a shambles due to improper planning and things did not go to plan and now I am wondering what my mistakes have caused.


The recipe DB mash in says 66 degs - my mash in was 72 degs. (I initially checked temp with my Mash Master thermo and on checking it on mashing with a candy thermo I found out my MM wasn't calibrated...oopps)
I slowly added some cool water and after 15 minutes it dropped to 65 degs. I then left it to mash for the remainder of the hour.
During the last 10 minutes of the mash I lit the burner and slowly raised the temp to a 78 degs mash out.
After the hour was up i took the lid off my HLT and to cut a long story short, it needed 20mins attention.
My mash had now mashed for 90 minutes - What has this caused? I vaguely remember reading somewhere a longer mash causes a lower alc vol, is this correct?

My boil went fine and all to plan with an OG of 1025.
Day 5 in fermentor - 1010
Day 6 in fermentor - 1010
Day 7 in fermentor - 1010

I am bottling later today with a FG or 1010.

Also I have noticed of late my bottles have been overly fizzy (questioned infection), pouring a big head but tasting fine, the same as previous brews. Will only using 1 carb drop reduce the fizz like I think or will i end up with a fizzless beer?

Till next time
YB

 

[raven19]

The recipe DB mash in says 66 degs - my mash in was 72 degs. (I initially checked temp with my Mash Master thermo and on checking it on mashing with a candy thermo I found out my MM wasn't calibrated...oopps)
Would have killed off some of the enzymes however the longer mash could well have made up for it giving the remaining enzymes time to convert the grains sugars into fermentables.

My mash had now mashed for 90 minutes - What has this caused? I vaguely remember reading somewhere a longer mash causes a lower alc vol, is this correct?
60 or 90 minute, I have found negligable difference personally thus far.
It may increase the alc vol as the enzymes have more time to break down the sugar chains into fermentables.

My boil went fine and all to plan with an OG of 1025.
Seems low to me?

Also I have noticed of late my bottles have been overly fizzy (questioned infection), pouring a big head but tasting fine, the same as previous brews. Will only using 1 carb drop reduce the fizz like I think or will i end up with a fizzless beer?
If in the bottle for a longish time, the yeasts may start to eat some of the unfermentables resulting in more gushers out of the bottle.
Any priming sugar added will help in carbonation. I would ditch the carb drop personally and bulk prime.
Hlaf the number of carb rops will still carb the beer up, just not as much as if more drops were used (unsure on your bottling/priming method).

 

[Yeastie Beastie]

1025 did seem a bit low but was unsure of the cause of that.

I am definately looking at bulk priming in the very very near future but all seems a bit confusing at the moment due to lack of research. Will have to read a bit more I think.