Brewday - Hobgoblin

[Yowster]

Well today was the first full extract that I've done. To date its just been tinkering around with what extra hops and minor specialty grains to add to a kit of goop and see what comes out.

I must admit, this has been one of the most fun brews to put down, and the smells comming out of the kitchen, particularly after the 2nd hops addition had me craving to try the brew then and there (except it was boiling at the time)

The brew as completed was
3kg pale liquid malt

170 gms carapils
150 gms cracked crystal grain
90 gms chocolate malt
grains steeped in approx 4 litres hot water for 30 minutes
rinsed with another 4 litres of hot water





commenced 60 minute boil
25 gms goldings / 25 gms fuggles @ start
25 gms goldings / 25 gms fuggles @ 30
12 gms golding / 12 gms fuggles @ flameout

top fermenter up to 21 litres and now waiting for wort to cool to pitch yeast.

This appears to have been the only problem on the day, as I could not get the yeast I was after and as such was sold Saflager S23 and I'm struggling to get the temp down to a reasonable level to pitch. Iced water in the laundry sink is getting there but not quick enough for my liking :angry:


Oh and perhaps the most important ingredient on the day. A chocolate stout to enjoy while brewing the next beer

 

[bowie in space]

Congrats Yowie,

Extracts can produce excellent beers. My last couple were great.

Wrap a wet towel around the fermenter and if you've got a pedestal fan, put it on the brew. Keep changing the towel so it's always wet, as the fan will dry it out.

Good luck

Bowie

 

[Yowster]

Congrats Yowie,

Extracts can produce excellent beers. My last couple were great.

Wrap a wet towel around the fermenter and if you've got a pedestal fan, put it on the brew. Keep changing the towel so it's always wet, as the fan will dry it out.

Good luck

Bowie

I've got this brew sitting in an ice bath at the moment with a wet towel wrapped around the fermenter. This morning the temp had only dropped to around 22 degrees, so I am going to give yp on trying to get it down to under 15.

I'll pick up a couple of safale us-04's on the way home from work and pitch one of those, and just hope that leaving the wort sit for 24+ hours without the yeast pitched won't have compromised the brew.

Put that one up to a learning exercise. Mind you if that is the only thing that goes wrong on brew day, I'm happy with that!

 

[chillihilli]

Let me preface this with the fact that I'm a newbie and don't know much about much..

I couldn't see an easy way to get my wort temp down without going to get some ice - which I didn't want to do as I have always found myself brewing at night after the kids have been laid down (making sure they are well brewed for the morning.. I digress...). Judging by the timing of your posts, you're brewing at roughly the same time...

Anyways, what I did was grab a couple of 10L water containers from the supermarket for about $4 or $5 each. I stick one in the fridge for the day, and keep one at room temp. I always put the cold one in first, and top up to the 21 L mark with the room temp cube. They have a crappy tap on them, which you just undo and it galoshes into the fermenter. If you have about 4 Litres of hot wort, this brings it down to about 25, then I leave it outside on the cold concrete at night for about an hour, and this dropped it to about 22 which I was happy with. You could wrap a wet towel around it outside, which would cool even quicker.

I like to use filtered water, so I recycle the 10L containers (rinse with bleach solution, rinse with hot water and drain) and fill them up from my water filter and put them in the fridge the day before brewing.. Next time around I will keep two 10L in the fridge, and start the brew even cooler.

I have my hoeagaarden clone sitting in a 60L esky with a couple of fish tank heaters to keep the temp at 22. Don't think I'll bother with the heaters next time as I have a Coopers Pale Ale sitting on a shelf with no temp control at all and it is ranging from 18 to 22, which I'm okay with (for now).

Hope that helps!

 

[brettprevans]

dude. just eyeballing your grains. you've on;y listed that the crystal was cracked. pls tell me that all the grain was cracked? cause it needs to be.
editL: bloody brewcraft buggering up people again.

 

[Yowster]

Yes, all the grains were cracked, I was pretty sure of it yesterday when I put the brew down, but just had another look see just to confirm

I've pitched a brew cellar premium ale yeast and we'll see how this goes. Temp is sitting on 22 at the moment and has a wet towel wrapped around it. Hopefully the days won't get too hot and push the temps up too high.