My First Ag (biab) And Also My First Ever Brew!

[kyleg]

thanks for all the feedback people!

this afternoon i did a test boil. 25L so by the sounds of things i'll need more when i brew. but 25L took 31 minutes to get from 20 degrees to 70 degrees, and then a further 24 minutes to reach boiling temperature. Do these times sound ok? I think i will look at getting a 4 ring burner in the future.

one thing i noticed, was how heavy the pot was with 25L of just water. so i think as thirstyboy said, this could be quite dangerous, so i will look into a no chill. one other method of chilling i saw somewhere i think was to clean, sanitize and fill a few 2L soda/milk bottles with boiled water, then put them in the freezer and drop them into the wort. not sure how effective this will be though.

i am located in perth, and have updated my profile now. i will get a eazy siphon and some tubing from gryphon homebrew. does anyone know if there is an actual store i can go to or is it only an online store? i want to buy my last few bits and pieces and my grain, hops and yeast, and aim to brew either monday or tuesday. so im not sure if i order it tonight(thursday) it will come in time. if not i will just have to put it off until the following week.

with regards to the mashmaster, i have already installed it, so i guess i'll have to look for something to plug the 1/2inch hole.

i'll also look at putting a cake tray or something on the bottom to support the bag, but will the metal legs of the tray scratch the base of my pot leaving space for bacteria?

i will look into getting brewmate, sounds very handy.

haven't had time to read through everything properly, but will do asap. thanks again! will definately post an update post-brew day.

 

[ekul]

Only thing I can add is make sure the bag does not rest on the bottom of the kettle. I use a round thing made to cool cookies or cakes. Pull it out just before the boil.

My bag rests on the bottom of my pot. The other day i even undershot my mash temp so i fired up the 32 jet mongolian. I stirred like buggery and the bag didn't split, i was very relieved. The bottom of my pot is VERY thin too.

Kyle G- What recipe are you going to make first up?
Also, Chilling with plastic bottles doesn't work very well. I tried a few different chilling methods. the imemrsion chiller used to take me about 45-60mins to get close to pitching temps. The long cooling time meant i got a few infections, even though the wort was covered, you're making a good choice going nochill, so much easier. Plus you can brew at a mates places and take your brew home.


Good luck with the brew!

 

[Bada Bing Brewery]

thanks for all the feedback people!

this afternoon i did a test boil. 25L so by the sounds of things i'll need more when i brew. but 25L took 31 minutes to get from 20 degrees to 70 degrees, and then a further 24 minutes to reach boiling temperature. Do these times sound ok? I think i will look at getting a 4 ring burner in the future.

one thing i noticed, was how heavy the pot was with 25L of just water. so i think as thirstyboy said, this could be quite dangerous, so i will look into a no chill. one other method of chilling i saw somewhere i think was to clean, sanitize and fill a few 2L soda/milk bottles with boiled water, then put them in the freezer and drop them into the wort. not sure how effective this will be though.

i am located in perth, and have updated my profile now. i will get a eazy siphon and some tubing from gryphon homebrew. does anyone know if there is an actual store i can go to or is it only an online store? i want to buy my last few bits and pieces and my grain, hops and yeast, and aim to brew either monday or tuesday. so im not sure if i order it tonight(thursday) it will come in time. if not i will just have to put it off until the following week.

with regards to the mashmaster, i have already installed it, so i guess i'll have to look for something to plug the 1/2inch hole.

i'll also look at putting a cake tray or something on the bottom to support the bag, but will the metal legs of the tray scratch the base of my pot leaving space for bacteria?

i will look into getting brewmate, sounds very handy.

haven't had time to read through everything properly, but will do asap. thanks again! will definately post an update post-brew day.

Mate get down to Grypgon brewing in Bassenden (email him for his address), he can smash your grain for you if you want. He has pretty much everything you need. Yes the Ezisphon gets the hot wort into the willow 20L no chill cube. No worries there.
I have a BIAB bag that has been hand made. When I get the water to mash temp (usually 68C before chucking in the grain) I put the bag in and then using bulldog clips I set the bag up so it cannot touch the bottom of the pot. Then chuck in the grain and mash. I then add the heat (gas three ring burner works fine) to 78C for mashout and I know the bottom of the bag cannot touch the bottom of the pot. Problem solved ......
Cheers
BBB

 

[keifer33]

Order from Gryphon and he will email you pretty soon after and you can organise to pick it all up. The ezisphon works a treat and will get the boiling hot stuff to your cube with ease and using the hd silicone hose is the best.

As far as the thermo goes you could probably still use it for now just try and leave some slack around that side of the pot or keep it off that wall. With an 80lt pot for 25lt im sure you wont miss the space. Just remain mindful there is something there that can tear your bag.

 

[kymba]

awesome work on your first brew!

i couldn't see if you use fire or electricity to heat your pot, but if it is by fire you can add heat and not bother raising the bag. I add heat to my 98L pot with a spiral burner fed with a medium pressure regulator and haven't seen any hint of meltage, although I do stir the grains madly though whilst this heat is applied

also, if you don't want to deal with hot wort you can leave it in the pot until it has cooled (a triple batch in my pot take 2 days to cool to ambient). I just pop the lid on at flameout (giving it a whirlpool if if i remember) and wrap a couple of layers of gladwrap around the pot/lid joint

i've had success leaving it in the pot for 4-5 days then siphoning into the FV's

 

[pimpsqueak]

i'll also look at putting a cake tray or something on the bottom to support the bag, but will the metal legs of the tray scratch the base of my pot leaving space for bacteria?

Any bacteria will be killed in the boil.

 

[felten]

could i use the above mentioned 'ezysiphon' for this?

I've never used an ezysiphon, not sure what its made of, but if it's one of those plastic ones they might not work too well if you're going to siphon boiling hot wort.

[edit] just read the other replies, looks like its fine then.

 

[chunckious]

Can anyone explain the concept behind no-chill?

I understand the process but not the science of it. If chilling down and you don't do it quick enough you can bacteria growth. How can you then no-chill over a longer time and the beer is good.
The guys at the LHBS scoffed when I mentioned no-chill.

P.S. Awesome community to this site.......well done lads. Bottoms up!!!

 

[Ross]

I've never used an ezysiphon, not sure what its made of, but if it's one of those plastic ones they might not work too well if you're going to siphon boiling hot wort.

[edit] just read the other replies, looks like its fine then.

Felten,

I'm not sure if the previous posters have used an Easy Siphon or not, but my experience says they will warp & fail in hot liquid, so you were right to question it. I would never recommend one for this purpose.
Get yourself a stainless siphon or instal a tap.

cheers Ross

 

[ekul]

chunkious- when nochilling the wort is drained to a 20L cube and selaed up. The hot wort (90C+) pastuerises the insides of the container, allowing it to be stored for a lng periopd of time. Its like that long life milk, except it tastes better.

I was getting infections when chilling because the wort is not sealed up when it cools, so any bugs that float by can hop on in. Note that heaps of people chill without dramas, i even think it makes a slightly better beer, but the pros of nochill outweight the cons for me so thats what i do.

 

[bignath]

If chilling down and you don't do it quick enough you can bacteria growth. How can you then no-chill over a longer time and the beer is good.
The guys at the LHBS scoffed when I mentioned no-chill.

Let me guess, LHBS guy is a black and yellow shop?

ekul is spot on with his info on no chill. The longer time your finished wort stays around boiling to 90deg or thereabouts, the harder it is for anything to grow in it, therefore keeping it nice and free from bacteria.
The only couple of things about no chilling is you really need to have sound cleaning and sanitising processes down pat as you dont want to tip 5 hours of wort production into a vessel that has bacteria in it already.
The second thing is hop addition times are different when no chilling.
I have seen the error of my ways some time back when i was going halfway between chilling and no chilling and it was quickly explained that as brewers we should be doing either one of them. I was no chilling but then throwing it in the bathtub, pool whatever. This effectively lessened the time that the temp could keep my beer free from contaminants, so now i no chill properly and just let it cool down all by itself. Works well when you have a free cube, some spare time on the weekend, but no available fermenter space.

 

[keifer33]

I do apoligise it appears I did quote the wrong name of the syphon I use. This is what I use.
http://www.gryphonbrewing.com.au/store/pro...products_id=348

Must have been reading the post above while typing. Cannot comment if the easisiphon can handle it.

 

[stux]

I do apoligise it appears I did quote the wrong name of the syphon I use. This is what I use.
http://www.gryphonbrewing.com.au/store/pro...products_id=348

Must have been reading the post above while typing. Cannot comment if the easisiphon can handle it.

I use this with a few meters of hd 1/2" silicon hose to do my no chill siphoning. Works brilliantly

 

[Bada Bing Brewery]

I have used the easy siphon for nearly 20 brews now with no problems. I admit I don't submerge the entire thing in hot wort - that would be silly. No warping or problems noted.
Cheers
BBB

 

[Jazzafish]

Well done on the investment into AG brewing. It will change your life... you have been warned! A few things to look into, in a constructive point of view. Just a few things I personally didn't give enough thought on my first batches. I got away without incident, but others have copped the ugly stick!

The weight of the hot wort has been identified as a hazard in the pot, and an ice bath is an unlikely way to chill anything above 10 Litres efficiently. The SS syphon/Installing a tap to get wort into a no chill cube is a great solution here BUT... Invest in some heat & water proof gloves. They come in handy, pardon the pun.

Another hazard is the grain. It will almost double in weight, so obviously it gets heavy. It will be quite hot and needs to removed from your pot... so factor this into your batch size, you need to be able to lift the bag out, so consider any obstacles above/around your stove. A second pot/bucket is handy to transfer the bag of grain to and stop it getting messy.

I suggest a smaller batch size... until you get used to your rig and handling the hot wort/grain and figure out your limits. You can still do this in your 80L pot and will be easier to get to a boil.

Now I'm not sure of your living arrangements, but I join a long list of brewers that find it wise to brew outside in the interest of marital bliss... Just putting it out there that the 4 ring burner may have other benefits to heating the water/wort. For reasons I cannot understand my wife doesn't get excited about the smell of boiling wort or fresh hops filling the house? There are only so many places I can hide the knives after a boil over on the kitchen stove too!

Enjoy your brew day, it is important to have fun with it! Hard not to.

 

[kyleg]

wow, pleasently suprised with the helpful and positive feedback. this is quite different from other forums on the internet.

looks like the SS siphon tip and a few meters of the silicone tubing is the way to go. and no chill. would i be able to get one of the no chill cubes at bunnings?

and i think that a 4 ring burner will be the way to go, as i have a rangehood sitting probably 300mm above the top of my pot when on the stove, so not alot of room to get the bag out. any suggestions on a place to get a burner and a rough price?

 

[kelbygreen]

camping store. I think it was only like $40 for the 3 ring so 4 ring prob around $50-60. You will prob have to build a shield around it to stop wind and stuff getting in plus it will help with the boil.

 

[kyleg]

My bag rests on the bottom of my pot. The other day i even undershot my mash temp so i fired up the 32 jet mongolian. I stirred like buggery and the bag didn't split, i was very relieved. The bottom of my pot is VERY thin too.

Kyle G- What recipe are you going to make first up?
Also, Chilling with plastic bottles doesn't work very well. I tried a few different chilling methods. the imemrsion chiller used to take me about 45-60mins to get close to pitching temps. The long cooling time meant i got a few infections, even though the wort was covered, you're making a good choice going nochill, so much easier. Plus you can brew at a mates places and take your brew home.


Good luck with the brew!

the recipe im going for first up is an american style amber ale from john palmers book,


Big Basin Amber Ale

Malts
3.6kg british pale ale malt
.45kg crystal 60L
.45kg crystal 90L
227g flaked wheat.

(can anyone suggest a brand of malt if i'm going to buy from gryphon)

Hop
14g Centennial (10%) 60 min
28g Mt. Hood (7%) 30 min
29g Willamette (5%) 15 min

Yeast
Wyeast 1332
Northwest Ale

 

[felten]

(can anyone suggest a brand of malt if i'm going to buy from gryphon)

If you're after a british base malt it looks like Bairds golden promise or maris otter is the one to get.

 

[ekul]

any suggestions on a place to get a burner and a rough price?

There's a few options. If you've got an 80L pot you may as well buy a heating option that will allow you to do doubles.

I bought a 32jet mongolian from keefer bros, was one of my best purchases, although its a bit big for an 80L pot. I have heard that the italian spiral burners from beerbelly are quite good too.

Or BCF sells a turkey burner with stand (and high pressure reg?) for $169.

If you buy a good burner straight away you won't need to upgrade. I bought a 3ring burner, a 4ring burner and some other shittiy burner before i went and bought bthe biggest burner i could get my hands on.