Wonderwoman
Well-Known Member
Hi all
I felt the need to share with you my first AG brew. I don't think I can really offer any profound advice, but just maybe I can inspire some newbies who dream of doing AG but think they don't have (or can't get) the necessary equipment.
I used the BIAB method. I was lucky that my mum lent me her fowlers vacola sterilizer - basically a 30 L urn, so all I needed was a grain bag which I made myself for < $5. I wanted to do my first AG without spending too much just in case I decided it wasn't for me, so I was very lucky to get the urn for nothing. An urn or large pot can cost a bit, so if you can see if a friend will lend you one for you first brew so you don't have to outlay the cash.
The photos below tell the story...
the urn with BIAB bag fitted
grain added
mashing with the lid partially on and thermometer in the top
start of the boil. I don't have any photos of me removing the bag and rinsing the grain - I made quite a mess of this and certainly would have benefited from an extra pair of hands!
the boil with a hop bag suspended from a piece of wire (old clothes hanger)
I no chilled it (cube cost $15). This shows the transfer to fermenter ~24 hours after transferring the wort to the cube.
the wort was nicely aerated. The yeast was pitched and 24 hours later it's fermenting nicely.
I used Dr Smurto's golden ale recipe as is on recipeDB. OG 1040 - a bit low but I think not too bad for my first AG.
I will definitely do more AG brews. It's not any more difficult just time consuming.
Thanks heaps to everyone who posts on this site for giving me the information and inspiration I needed to do this!
I felt the need to share with you my first AG brew. I don't think I can really offer any profound advice, but just maybe I can inspire some newbies who dream of doing AG but think they don't have (or can't get) the necessary equipment.
I used the BIAB method. I was lucky that my mum lent me her fowlers vacola sterilizer - basically a 30 L urn, so all I needed was a grain bag which I made myself for < $5. I wanted to do my first AG without spending too much just in case I decided it wasn't for me, so I was very lucky to get the urn for nothing. An urn or large pot can cost a bit, so if you can see if a friend will lend you one for you first brew so you don't have to outlay the cash.
The photos below tell the story...
the urn with BIAB bag fitted
grain added
mashing with the lid partially on and thermometer in the top
start of the boil. I don't have any photos of me removing the bag and rinsing the grain - I made quite a mess of this and certainly would have benefited from an extra pair of hands!
the boil with a hop bag suspended from a piece of wire (old clothes hanger)
I no chilled it (cube cost $15). This shows the transfer to fermenter ~24 hours after transferring the wort to the cube.
the wort was nicely aerated. The yeast was pitched and 24 hours later it's fermenting nicely.
I used Dr Smurto's golden ale recipe as is on recipeDB. OG 1040 - a bit low but I think not too bad for my first AG.
I will definitely do more AG brews. It's not any more difficult just time consuming.
Thanks heaps to everyone who posts on this site for giving me the information and inspiration I needed to do this!