Brew Day, With Pics

[Tim F]

So today I'm home sick with a cold so I figured why not have a brew day. I've had the grain to make an oatmeal stout sitting around for a few weeks and its about time I brew it to get it conditioned and kegged by Xmas!

The recipe for 20l is

3kg maris otter
.35 roast barley
.35 choc malt
.35 amber malt
.35 quick oats


I'm brewing with rainwater so added 3g gypsum in 29l water. Need to get some proper chemicals for adjusting the rainwater more precisely but that should help a bit.

35g cascade FWH aiming for ~40IBU
I was going to mash at 62 to get a dryish stout but after googling nottingham yeast today I decided to up that a little bit as it seems like it can finish pretty low.

Here's my ghetto hopper and mill. Don't laugh, it works



I decided to use my heat exchanger hooked up to my esky as I just upgraded from braid in the esky to a slotted copper manifold and wanted to try it. Here's the manifold and my wort return preheating with the strike water. Because I'm feeling lazy I'm not sparging, just mashing with all the water.



Here's the heat exchanger in action.



Doughing in - mmm chocolatey.



mmm hops. I'm first wort hopping so straight in the kettle.





Jury rigged a way to hold the wort return level with the mash as with such a loose mash it was just sinking!



I just finished a massive shed cleanup so now I have a decent brew area and collection of fridges and freezers set up, check it out! I need to get a third fridgemate or STC though.





And that's where I'm up to, better go check on it now - be ready to start draining to the kettle soon I reckon.

Comments welcome, feel free to tell me I'm doing it wrong

 

[Gar]

That heat exchanger always brings a smile to my face

I've never tasted an oatmeal stout, have to give it a go someday

 

[Tim F]

I've made one before but it wasn't that great so looking forwards to mkII

Ghetto, it's how I roll h34r:

 

[Spork]

Love oatmeal stout.
I mash my oatmeal stouts for 90 mins @ 67c. The higher temp is to get a "bigger beer". The longer mash is to get all the oaty goodness out.

Love your heat exchanger.
It deserves to be in this thread.

 

[Tim F]

Interesting, how much crystal do you use? I figured having 16% total in this one with the choc and amber would be enough body but have to see how it turns out now I guess. I held 64 but my heads stuffed up and I lost track of time, mashed somewhere between 60 and 90 I'd say plus a beta glucan rest at 41 for 15 mins.

I think I ended up getting pretty clear wort out even with such a loose mash.



Had the bright idea of pumping out via the hex set to 90 so it was pretty near boiling by the time it hit the kettle, should get the boil going a bit faster.

 

[aussiechucka]

Awesome ghetto heat exchanger there. DO you have to top it up much?

 

[Tim F]

Nah it works a treat, only got 2m of copper in there so it does need to run hot, the water in the kettle can run up to 90 when it's ramping but it doesn't get to a boil.

 

[Spork]

I use 225g, or 4.9% Crystal malt.

 

[aussiechucka]

That is a good one then. 2m is a lot of copper. Have you got a pic of the inside? Maybe when you finish up.

 

[Tim F]

I reckon I've got some here, lets see...

 

[Barley Belly]

Comments welcome, feel free to tell me I'm doing it wrong

Interesting kettle braid pick up.

Does it drain easily?

Any probs with it clogging?

 

[bignath]

Kettle heat exchanger - i've never seen anything like that before. Love "outside the box" thinking....

Awesome work!

 

[Tim F]

Interesting kettle braid pick up.

Does it drain easily?

Any probs with it clogging?

It works fairly well, still need to whirlpool to keep all the crap off it but it stops stray hop flowers etc clogging up the ball valve.

Cheers Nath, I figured why pull the element out of a perfectly good waterproof vessel just to put it in another one

 

[raven19]

I need to see that kettle in action. Gold!