Fergis 1st All Grain Happening Now

[fergi]

WELL ITS BLOODY FANTASTICCCCCCCCCCCC. cant believe how good it tastes, you know that first mouthful of any beer you make always seems to taste good until the after taste kicks in,well this is beyond my expectations,i am so happy with this beer, not very good at describing flavours so i wont really try, but it has nice fine bubbles after 6 days in the keg, color is like a coopers pale ale with that hazy look at the moment, i gather that will clear as a few more days pass, flavor well i can taste the distinct amarillo hops which is a very pleasant subdued taste on the pallet, what i am noticing is the freshness of this beer, there are no unwanted after tastes, second glass drinking now and its like drinking a tasty meal,cant stop drinking it, have to say thanks for the recipe dr smurto this ones a winner.i have always said my kits that i make are nice beers, well they dont hold a candle to the freshness and smooth after taste of this first AG. i am so glad i have now started the journey.this is a really great beer to get started on, if all my ag beers are this good i will be more than pleased, thanks for all the advice to the guys on this thread too that gave me advice along the way.
cheers fergi

 

[np1962]

Well done Fergi, onwards and upwards mate, no going back! :icon_chickcheers:
The first one or two out of the keg will likely have some yeast in them, will clear up as you go.
Nige

 

[Crusty]

WELL ITS BLOODY FANTASTICCCCCCCCCCCC. cant believe how good it tastes, you know that first mouthful of any beer you make always seems to taste good until the after taste kicks in,well this is beyond my expectations,i am so happy with this beer, not very good at describing flavours so i wont really try, but it has nice fine bubbles after 6 days in the keg, color is like a coopers pale ale with that hazy look at the moment, i gather that will clear as a few more days pass, flavor well i can taste the distinct amarillo hops which is a very pleasant subdued taste on the pallet, what i am noticing is the freshness of this beer, there are no unwanted after tastes, second glass drinking now and its like drinking a tasty meal,cant stop drinking it, have to say thanks for the recipe dr smurto this ones a winner.i have always said my kits that i make are nice beers, well they dont hold a candle to the freshness and smooth after taste of this first AG. i am so glad i have now started the journey.this is a really great beer to get started on, if all my ag beers are this good i will be more than pleased, thanks for all the advice to the guys on this thread too that gave me advice along the way.
cheers fergi

By your description of your process fergi, I knew this was going to be a cracker & you would be really pleased. I still firmly believe that after 2 full weeks in the keg, you will have a better beer than you have now. Please update us with the sample from week 2 & your honest thoughts compared to what you are drinking now.
I assume the K&K days are a thing of the past, there really is no comparison against an AG & you certainly described the freshness taste, it's almost Organic like.
Week 2 will see your beer bright, mellowed & dangerously quaffable. You better make plans for your second one mate as you will be surprised just how quick you can empty a keg. Be extra careful of your mates that enjoyed your K&K cause if they get wind of this brew fella they'll never leave you alone. On my brewdays, I started off with 1 neighbour helping me brew ( drink my beer whilst I brewed ) & that's grown to 3 neighbours now. They're like bloody flies onto a bit of meat.

Cheers fella. :beerbang:

 

[jyo]

Nice work, mate. No turning back now :icon_chickcheers:

 

[Nick JD]

Make another Kit beer now.

Go on. I dare ya. :icon_cheers:

 

[Nevalicious]

Make another Kit beer now.

Go on. I dare ya. :icon_cheers:

Somewhat :icon_offtopic: and apologies Fergi but...

Its funny... About a week or so ago, I did just that... I only brew AG now but threw a ******* toucan down the other day with two FARMLAND :unsure: draught cans (which I recently bought at the Coles Super Sellout of Homebrew (which I originally bought as cheap starter goop)) and a small boil with 2g/L of Centennial (bulk buy hops... so cheap as!) at 5 mins, dry hopped after a week with another 2g/L centennial... Onto US05 yeast slurry (god I'm looking like a right tigharse now). Have to say, its no AG, but its bloody nice... Currently CC'ing before bottling for a lads weekend. At $4.50 a slab, who's complaining right?? :beerbang:

So yeah, its gonna be a rare occasion from here on in (k&k etc) but, proof is in the pudding... Have enough hops to mask the *****-ness of kits (especially poo ones!!) and you end up with something decent

Nev

 

[fergi]

Make another Kit beer now.

Go on. I dare ya. :icon_cheers:

made one a couple of nites ago nick :icon_drool2: had a coopers pale ale can left so threw in 500 ldme,250 dextrose,boiled the ldme and dextrose in 3 litres water with 10 grms POR, and 30 grms amarillo,10 minutes, coopers recultured yeast,keg filler for golf club mates that drop by.
fergi

 

[fergi]

its me again, on 3rd AG beer, usually only have 2 or 3 schooners at most after work but i am drinking pints,great stuff this AG beer ,you guys should try it,anyway a question, i have uploaded a webcam photo of my first ag and i am wondering will it go really clear after a while or is it caused by my process, i dont care if it doesnt really clear because its just great anyway but i assume its supposed to be clear and bright,the photo is a bit glary due to crappy web cam .
fergi

 

[np1962]

Given enough time most beers will clear.
I don't think there was much wrong with your process from what I've read of it.
Does the beer clear as it warms? Chill haze? Yeast or protein haze? These will all improve with time in the keg.
There are ways to help it along, longer CC time, Polyclar and Gelatine can be used before kegging as well as filtering if you really want a crystal clear beer.
But as you said, it's a drinking beer not a comp beer and it tastes great, who cares about a little clarity issue.
Cheers
Nige

 

[fergi]

well the unbelievable has happened to my first fantastic tasting ag beer, its"INFECTED", i cant believe it has happened, this is my first infection in probably 4 years. dont know where it has happened i have been thinking about my process and the only thing i have done different from my kits is the no chill, i presume that anything that happens before the boil is probably not an issue,that is the mash process and running through the sparge water, i would think once it boils for hop additions thats where we start the sanitiser problems,i had a slight problem with my mash when the manifold came apart during the second batch sparge so i doubt that would cause a problem,the wort went into the pot ,started heating it and after about 15 mins it started to boil, in went the hops and then at 15 mins another hop addition,5 mins and whirlflok went in,i then stirred to create a whirlpool effect and after 5 mins i ran the wort into a sterilised cube,only a few bubbles left in the cube and i turned it over and around to sanitise it again,left it outside over nite then in the morning i put it into my fermenter fridge @18 deg fermented for 8 days then put 15 grms hops into a sanitise bowl, poured about 2 cups boiling water in and covered with gladwrap for 10 mins, then put wort from fermenter into another cube and poured in the hop brew,put lid on and left for 3 days,then poured into a keg. cant really see any glaring problems but i am stumped and dissapointed this has happened,i guess i will be asked what the off flavor is but i am not good at describing different flavors, maybe slight bitter flavor with a light tingling on the tongue and lip after about 5 10 mins from drinking,also all those great flavors that it originally had have been masked by the new taste taking over.
i have my second ag now fermenting in the fermenting fridge, 3 days in to ferment, all the same moves as the first one, just have to sit and see what happens to this one, i have ingredients to do another smurtos GA ,same as the infected one but i will have to wait and see,maybe it was the hop additions into secondry,.
fergi

 

[jakub76]

then put wort from fermenter into another cube and poured in the hop brew,put lid on and left for 3 days,then poured into a keg. cant really see any glaring problems
fergi

The transfer to secondary is opening yourself up to possible infection and aeration, it is unecessary. When I dry hop I just throw pellets straight into the fermenter and put the lild/cling-wrap back on - spraying iodophore around a fair bit as I go. I usually leave the dry hops on for 3-4 days. If you're looking to harvest your yeast then use a sanitized hop bag or piece or voile to wrap your hops in so it's easy to remove later.

Edit: spllling

 

[Nick JD]

well the unbelievable has happened to my first fantastic tasting ag beer, its"INFECTED", i cant believe it has happened, this is my first infection in probably 4 years. dont know where it has happened i have been thinking about my process and the only thing i have done different from my kits is the no chill, i presume that anything that happens before the boil is probably not an issue,that is the mash process and running through the sparge water, i would think once it boils for hop additions thats where we start the sanitiser problems,i had a slight problem with my mash when the manifold came apart during the second batch sparge so i doubt that would cause a problem,the wort went into the pot ,started heating it and after about 15 mins it started to boil, in went the hops and then at 15 mins another hop addition,5 mins and whirlflok went in,i then stirred to create a whirlpool effect and after 5 mins i ran the wort into a sterilised cube,only a few bubbles left in the cube and i turned it over and around to sanitise it again,left it outside over nite then in the morning i put it into my fermenter fridge @18 deg fermented for 8 days then put 15 grms hops into a sanitise bowl, poured about 2 cups boiling water in and covered with gladwrap for 10 mins, then put wort from fermenter into another cube and poured in the hop brew,put lid on and left for 3 days,then poured into a keg. cant really see any glaring problems but i am stumped and dissapointed this has happened,i guess i will be asked what the off flavor is but i am not good at describing different flavors, maybe slight bitter flavor with a light tingling on the tongue and lip after about 5 10 mins from drinking,also all those great flavors that it originally had have been masked by the new taste taking over.
i have my second ag now fermenting in the fermenting fridge, 3 days in to ferment, all the same moves as the first one, just have to sit and see what happens to this one, i have ingredients to do another smurtos GA ,same as the infected one but i will have to wait and see,maybe it was the hop additions into secondry,.
fergi

Paragraphs, Fergi. I stopped reading.

 

[Crusty]

fergi,
That really sucks mate. I kinda agree with jakub about secondary being a possible point for an infection to occur but I usually transfer to secondary, toss in my loose hops & have never ever had an infection. You could possibly omit the secondary step & maybe leave it all alone for 2 weeks & toss in your loose hops after that & leave them for another week. 3 weeks total should be more than enough time for fermentation to have ceased & the brew should be as clear as a bell.
I have never no chilled & there's quite a lot of more experienced brewers on here than me that swear by it but I just don't like the concept of it. We go to great lengths to use stainless, brass or aluminum in our brewing equipment & it kinda puzzles me why you would siphon almost boiling wort into a plastic cube, I realize it's food grade but avoiding plastic for me in the brewery is paramount. I do use a plastic fermenter but no wort goes in there over 20deg or so. I read a lot of posts recommending it & the convenience of it all but either your hot steep hop addition or your no chill cube would be the culprit I reckon. I'm only guessing of course but from everything else you described on brewday, I can't see anything else that would have caused it.
Ditch this one & go again. Hope you avoid any such dramas with the second one. :beerbang:

 

[Hatchy]

Has anyone else tried it? Most of my beers taste different to me after a while in the keg or bottle. Is it a terrible make you never want to drink beer again taste or a taste that's slightly different to yesterday?

 

[fergi]

Has anyone else tried it? Most of my beers taste different to me after a while in the keg or bottle. Is it a terrible make you never want to drink beer again taste or a taste that's slightly different to yesterday?

no it hasnt reached the cant stand to drink it stage,but it is lacking that explosion of fresh flavours the first couple of days i tried it.
i am still drinking it but dissapointed with the result now compared to what it was a week ago.
sort of can twang like a kit brew. it also tends to make me burp a little bit.
fergi.

 

[Ben Crossman]

overcarbed now?

 

[fergi]

ok its back, my smurtos golden ale that i thought was infected is ok, thought it was infected a couple weeks ago but didnt toss it, tried it again today to see what has happened to the infection,well it tastes great again,dont know what was going on in those two weeks but its back, its got a slightly different taste now ,more like a james squire ga but its a great drop once again, i am so happy.
fergi

 

[np1962]

:icon_offtopic: How's AG 2 fergi, the Blonde Ale?

ok its back, my smurtos golden ale that i thought was infected is ok, thought it was infected a couple weeks ago but didnt toss it, tried it again today to see what has happened to the infection,well it tastes great again,dont know what was going on in those two weeks but its back, its got a slightly different taste now ,more like a james squire ga but its a great drop once again, i am so happy.
fergi