Making The (ultimate) Move To Ag

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Cristal

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Hello people of the beer, one and all.

Just wanted to quickly introduce myself to the forum since for the last couple of weeks I've been a bit of a stalker presence. I'm Cristal and I've been brewing with malt extracts for just over a year...so I thought it timely to make the move to all grain. I'm still getting my head around everything, namely the entire new language you people speak (and use of acronyms! Holy shit balls, I feel like it's a document from the Department of Education!), so bear with me as I find my feet. Thus far AHB (acronym! See, I'm learning) has been an awesome learning curve.

Two quick questions:

1) I'm about to bottle my last batch of extract wort (augmented with some Cara)- pretty sure it'll be a flop because the extract was past its use by date BUT...I'm wondering on the protocol for bulk priming? It's 21L...do I just make up some dextrose solution into 1L or so and transfer the wort to another vessel minus trub? Or is there a more rigorous way of doing this? Concentration? Boil? Etc.?

2) I've been reading the forum surrounding Dr Smurto's Golden Ale (recommended by a mate) and feel a sense of obligation to give that puppy a crack! It is a no-brainer; looks amazing! But my first all grain, so I'm feeling a tad nervous. Dr Smurto's recipe says to keg at 10.8 PSI. Is it an issue that I'll be bottling and not kegging? Does that change anything?

Thanks for your help!
Cristal
 
http://hbd.org/brewery/library/YPrimerMH.html
http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...;showarticle=79
http://hbd.org/cgi-bin/recipator/recipator/carbonation.html

If you are not kegging, don't worry about kegging recommendations. Work out the level of carb you want and use the calculator provided (or another - there are many) to calculate the amount of dissolved sugar you will need.

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...;showarticle=17
http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...;showarticle=15
 
http://hbd.org/brewery/library/YPrimerMH.html
http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...;showarticle=79
http://hbd.org/cgi-bin/recipator/recipator/carbonation.html

If you are not kegging, don't worry about kegging recommendations. Work out the level of carb you want and use the calculator provided (or another - there are many) to calculate the amount of dissolved sugar you will need.

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...;showarticle=17
http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...;showarticle=15

When I first went the bulk prime route I did a google search and used the first calculator I found. No bottle bombs yet. Any of the links in manticle's post will lead you in the right direction.

As far as the move to AG goes, just get stuck in. My first AG was drsmurto's land lord (still a house favourite) and I buggered up almost every step. Still, it turned out to be one of the best beers I've made. As a mate once said to me "the worst thing you're going to do is make beer".

JD
 
It's 21L...do I just make up some dextrose solution into 1L or so and transfer the wort to another vessel minus trub? Or is there a more rigorous way of doing this? Concentration? Boil? Etc.?

For 21L you'll be using around 170g of so of dextrose. When I was bottling I always used much less water, say 200-500ml of boiling water to dissolve the dextrose, then just run the beer into it and give a very gentle stir to make sure the volume is uniform
 
I use closer to 90 - 120, depending on beer style. 170 is way too high for me, but that is the joy of bulk priming - tailoring to personal taste.
 
I use closer to 90 - 120, depending on beer style. 170 is way too high for me, but that is the joy of bulk priming - tailoring to personal taste.
:icon_offtopic:

Manticle I have had a Saison bottled for about 3 weeks so I cooled and cracked one last night and to me it tasted dextrose sweet. I put enough dex in for 22L to carb to 3.2 cO2's (its a high alc saison). I just don't know if it's me not knowing if it tastes like it shouldn't or it's ok. The same wort I fermented with Farmhouse and keg'd tastes fanfuckntastick! The one bottled was fermented with belgian saison. Any clue as to what I can do to figure out what my taste buds are feeling? Oh and I bottled with a champagne yeast only because it had been a couple of months sitting on the yeast.
Gav
 
When I first went the bulk prime route I did a google search and used the first calculator I found. No bottle bombs yet. Any of the links in manticle's post will lead you in the right direction.

As far as the move to AG goes, just get stuck in. My first AG was drsmurto's land lord (still a house favourite) and I buggered up almost every step. Still, it turned out to be one of the best beers I've made. As a mate once said to me "the worst thing you're going to do is make beer".

JD


Yeah, I've just gotta jump in the deep end- I've figured as much. I've purchased this amazing brewing rig, which looks so damned hot that I don't know what to do with it! But yes; this weekend! I'm doing it!


Cheers everybody for your input! Those bulk priming calculators are very handy indeed! Takes the guess work out, that's for sure.
 
:icon_offtopic:

Manticle I have had a Saison bottled for about 3 weeks so I cooled and cracked one last night and to me it tasted dextrose sweet. I put enough dex in for 22L to carb to 3.2 cO2's (its a high alc saison). I just don't know if it's me not knowing if it tastes like it shouldn't or it's ok. The same wort I fermented with Farmhouse and keg'd tastes fanfuckntastick! The one bottled was fermented with belgian saison. Any clue as to what I can do to figure out what my taste buds are feeling? Oh and I bottled with a champagne yeast only because it had been a couple of months sitting on the yeast.
Gav

My guess is that if it tastes dex sweet, you are tasting dex-eg the yeast hasn't finished carbonating the beer.

Give it a bit longer.

Sorry for the thread hijack, cristal.
 
Yeah, I've just gotta jump in the deep end- I've figured as much. I've purchased this amazing brewing rig, which looks so damned hot that I don't know what to do with it! But yes; this weekend! I'm doing it!


Cheers everybody for your input! Those bulk priming calculators are very handy indeed! Takes the guess work out, that's for sure.

Do you care to share a photo of the rig with us?

I am going to make the jump soon, even though I am only a couple of brews in I want a challenge.

Are you using 3V or BIAB?
 
My guess is that if it tastes dex sweet, you are tasting dex-eg the yeast hasn't finished carbonating the beer.

Give it a bit longer.

Sorry for the thread hijack, cristal.

No Manticle, I'm stoked to have you hijack away- I appreciate any help before I pop my all grain cherry! I put on a brew with Muscovy a couple of weeks back, and it's the best damned this I've ever tasted, albeit slightly lacking in carbonation- hence my bulk priming questions. It doesn't taste dex sweet at all, and if anything I think carbonation has reduced over the couple of weeks since bottling. I'm pretty sure the brew I tried 1 week after bottling was perfect!


Do you care to share a photo of the rig with us?

I am going to make the jump soon, even though I am only a couple of brews in I want a challenge.

Are you using 3V or BIAB?

Edak, my pleasure. It's a 3 vessel. Check out this little puppy!
 
Sorry- I'm all over the shop. There's something to be said about covertly posting images of your rig on beer forums whilst at work!

beer_rig.jpg
 

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