Full Wort Boil - Extract!?

[Hop Me]

I'm planning to make an Irish Red style extract brew tonight and figured since I have Rambo and a 40L Alum brewpot I might try going with a full boil. I've read a few things here and there, but nothing cements my resolve better than running by my fellow brewers on AHB. Any thoughts??? I believe I'll need to go with a 22 litre total, and from that a few litres to steep the grain seperately. Beyond that I have no clue. Thanks in advance! Cheers, Dave...

 

[chappo1970]

I'm planning to make an Irish Red style extract brew tonight and figured since I have Rambo and a 40L Alum brewpot I might try going with a full boil. I've read a few things here and there, but nothing cements my resolve better than running by my fellow brewers on AHB. Any thoughts??? I believe I'll need to go with a 22 litre total, and from that a few litres to steep the grain seperately. Beyond that I have no clue. Thanks in advance! Cheers, Dave...

Definitely go the full boil and I would boil for 90mins as you will steeping specialities with out the benefit of filtering thru the grain bed. 40lts and Rambo will do the trick. I get about 14% loss over a 90min boil. So unless you have worked out your boil loss previously you could prolly work on between 10% and 15% loss to work up your pre-boil volume (the volume before starting the boil). I guess that you are looking for a final volume of 21lts so 25-26lts will do. Add you cans of extract to the kettle and add water to final volume less the amount added for the spciality grains runnings.

Ok first I would steep your specialities as usual. Add your runnings to the overall volume. Then start your boil. Once on a rolling boil start timing the boil.

You will now need to decide how you are going to get your wort to pitching temp. Immersion chiller, plate chiller or No-Chill. If you are going to no chill then I would rethink your hopping schedule, although considering you are doing a Irish Red I imagine there is only 2 hoppings, so move the final hopping 10 to 15 mins. Or if chilling add hops as per your original hopping schedule.

Easy

Chappo

 

[Hop Me]

Definitely go the full boil and I would boil for 90mins as you will steeping specialities with out the benefit of filtering thru the grain bed. 40lts and Rambo will do the trick. I get about 14% loss over a 90min boil. So unless you have worked out your boil loss previously you could prolly work on between 10% and 15% loss to work up your pre-boil volume (the volume before starting the boil). I guess that you are looking for a final volume of 21lts so 25-26lts will do. Add you cans of extract to the kettle and add water to final volume less the amount added for the spciality grains runnings.

Ok first I would steep your specialities as usual. Add your runnings to the overall volume. Then start your boil. Once on a rolling boil start timing the boil.

You will now need to decide how you are going to get your wort to pitching temp. Immersion chiller, plate chiller or No-Chill. If you are going to no chill then I would rethink your hopping schedule, although considering you are doing a Irish Red I imagine there is only 2 hoppings, so move the final hopping 10 to 15 mins. Or if chilling add hops as per your original hopping schedule.

Easy

Chappo

Tah Chappo! Great info. Sounds like this is the ticket for the on-the-verge-of-committing-to-all-grain-brewing extract brewer. I'll do it as you mentioned and report back. I intend to drop about 5 2L frozen (and sanitized) water bottles into the wort for a chill. I'll get a real chiller eventually. Thanks again, mate. I'll let you know how it goes..

Cheers!!!
Dave

 

[Hop Me]

Tah Chappo! Great info. Sounds like this is the ticket for the on-the-verge-of-committing-to-all-grain-brewing extract brewer. I'll do it as you mentioned and report back. I intend to drop about 5 2L frozen (and sanitized) water bottles into the wort for a chill. I'll get a real chiller eventually. Thanks again, mate. I'll let you know how it goes..

Cheers!!!
Dave

Hey Chappo,

Let me know the next time your brewing up an AG batch and I'll bring some crappy extract brews along and learn something.

Dave

 

[chappo1970]

Yep let me know mate! And yes your one very small step from AG brewing.

Ice blocks bottles will work fine just make sure you have a spare one on the ready. If your a little high in temp say 22 to 28 deg still pitch ASAP and work your temp down as fast as possible in the fermenter. Also don't sweat the numbers too much it's your first go at it, just take your time. Just try to get the process and technique right first, yeah?

Good luck, I'm sure it will be a cracker mate.


Chappo

 

[Hop Me]

Yep let me know mate! And yes your one very small step from AG brewing.

Ice blocks bottles will work fine just make sure you have a spare one on the ready. If your a little high in temp say 22 to 28 deg still pitch ASAP and work your temp down as fast as possible in the fermenter. Also don't sweat the numbers too much it's your first go at it, just take your time. Just try to get the process and technique right first, yeah?

Good luck, I'm sure it will be a cracker mate.


Chappo

Going Great Chappo. I'll try to stick a picture in..

 

[Hop Me]

Chappo, Mate, your awesome I finally got done, and ended up with EXACTLY 19L!!!! Spot friggin on. I used your 25L estimate. Boil went great, everything went great but the chill was a bit hairy. I think I got it down to pitching in about 40 mins. I'd be willing to chill that way a couple more times, but I am a bit worried about contamination. Anyway, all perfect. I got a nice colour, and an OG of 1.060. Talk to ya later, mate

 

[chappo1970]

Excellent stuff Dave! Forgot to tell ya to allow loss for trub and dead space but all turned out in the end. Congrats your now an extract brewer there's no looking back now.


Chappo

 

[Hop Me]

Excellent stuff Dave! Forgot to tell ya to allow loss for trub and dead space but all turned out in the end. Congrats your now an extract brewer there's no looking back now.


Chappo

Yeah, Might go an extra litre or two next one.