My First Ag Brew

[NRB]

Well, I finally hit my first AG brew today and as expected things never go as planned first attempt, right? :blink:

Here's the recipe I wanted:

Boarders' Brew #5 - American Pale Ale

A ProMash Recipe Report

BJCP Style and Style Guidelines
-------------------------------

10-A American Ale, American Pale Ale

Min OG: 1.045 Max OG: 1.060
Min IBU: 30 Max IBU: 54
Min Clr: 12 Max Clr: 36 Color in EBC

Recipe Specifics
----------------

Batch Size (L): 23.00 Wort Size (L): 23.00
Total Grain (kg): 6.20
Anticipated OG: 1.062 Plato: 15.15
Anticipated EBC: 32.1
Anticipated IBU: 34.3
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75 %
Wort Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Pre-Boil Amounts
----------------

Evaporation Rate: 15.00 Percent Per Hour
Pre-Boil Wort Size: 29.68 L
Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.048 SG 11.88 Plato

Formulas Used
-------------

Brewhouse Efficiency and Predicted Gravity based on Method #1, Potential Used.
Final Gravity Calculation Based on Points.
Hard Value of Sucrose applied. Value for recipe: 46.2100 ppppg
Yield Type used in Gravity Prediction: Fine Grind Dry Basis.

Color Formula Used: Morey
Hop IBU Formula Used: Rager

Additional Utilization Used For Plug Hops: 2 %
Additional Utilization Used For Pellet Hops: 10 %


Grain/Extract/Sugar

% Amount Name Origin Potential EBC
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
87.1 5.40 kg. Pale Ale Malt (2-row) Australia 1.037 5
12.9 0.80 kg. Crystal 60L America 1.034 158

Potential represented as SG per pound per gallon.


Hops

Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
25.00 g. Cascade Pellet 6.10 20.6 60 min.
25.00 g. Cascade Pellet 6.10 10.5 30 min.
25.00 g. Cascade Pellet 4.75 3.2 10 min.
25.00 g. Cascade Pellet 4.75 0.0 0 min.


Extras

Amount Name Type Time
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
1tsp Irish Moss Fining 15 Min.(boil)


Yeast
-----

DCL Yeast S-56 SafAle American Ale


Mash Schedule
-------------

Mash Type: Single Step

Grain kg: 6.20
Water Qts: 16.44 - Before Additional Infusions
Water L: 15.56 - Before Additional Infusions

L Water Per kg Grain: 2.51 - Before Additional Infusions

Saccharification Rest Temp : 67 Time: 60
Mash-out Rest Temp : 76 Time: 15
Sparge Temp : 77 Time: 0


Total Mash Volume L: 19.70 - Dough-In Infusion Only

All temperature measurements are degrees Celsius.



Notes
-----

First attempt at AG



Nice to have a plan, pity it didn't work out so well. Not knowing thermal mass coefficients, efficiencies, evaporation rates etc, I was flying in the dark. Here's how it went:

Mashed in with 15.5L water, temp was a little low, so I drained off about 3L and heated. When I returned it to the tun the temp was good at 67C.

I heated 21L sparge water to 82C, but when I checked the temp in the tun it was 72C, sparged anyway.

Boiled for a total of 90 mins, but perhaps it was a little too vigourous - my final volume in the fermenter was 17L! OG 1063 so was very near the target 1062. I guess I could've left a lit too much in the boil kettle...

I don't know whether I should add tap water to bring up the volume, or just pitch as is.

Oh, and it's definitely not a pale ale - it too dark for that.

Thanks for listening.

Nick

[edit] Corrected target OG

 

[pint of lager]

Congratulations NRB on your first AG brew.

Considering the high IBU of your recipe, I would be inclined to water it back to your original volume. And get that yeast going as soon as possible.

The first mash is a learning experience. Brewers should aim for a mid IBU, mid OG type brew, so if things go a bit astray, the resultant brew is still a very nice drop.

As your skills and techniques improve, you go for more challenging brews. For instance, a delicate lager, such as a Bohemian lager will show up any brewhouse problem quicker than a cascade laden APA.

 

[NRB]

Thanks for the encouragement to go AG.

I didn't think the mid 30's IBU's was considered high... ahh well the thing we learn.

I'm letting it sit in it's fermenting box with a couple of bottles of frozen water to cool to pitching temp... it was well over 34C today and it's sitting on 24C in the fermenter. I'll pitch when I get home from an evening out tonight.

You said to go for volume... isn't OG more important than volume? Just checking before I potentially make it a worse beer than it could be :beer:

I'm looking forward to tasting this one - first go at AG and first go with SafAle S-56.

Congratulations NRB on your first AG brew.

Considering the high IBU of your recipe, I would be inclined to water it back to your original volume. And get that yeast going as soon as possible.

 

[pint of lager]

Beer is a balance between hop bitterness, malt sweetness, fermentation by products and alcohol.

Your og and volume are obviously going to be out, no matter what you do, so go for 20 litres final volume.

 

[Jazman]

also iwth the 23 litre batch did u allow for the losses in the kettle i always have a batch size of around 25 litres allowing for 3 litres of trub ect so then u know you are hitting your targets but as pol said nothing wrong with diluting the beer a bit and promash has a tool for that

 

[jgriffin]

I wouldn't worry about it being too dark, it's easy to scorch wort but who cares if it tastes good? Also, it can be suprising how dark a beer can look in large volume, but lighter once fermented and in the glass.

Strangely my first ever AG went without a hitch, the next 2 or 3 were disasters though.

 

[Stagger Inn]

Congratulations on your first AG I have been brewing pretty hard lately trying to get some beer in kegs for some party coming up, I to had a brewing disaster on the weekend trying to do to many things at one time. Between running the kids around mowing the lawn and brewing, I added hops at the wrong time, forgot Irish moss running around like a chook with its had cut off.
Am pretty excited through could be the beat beer I have ever made time will tell. Some times you need to sit and just have a home brew.

 

[NRB]

I decided to take my first gravity reading... 1009 Damn, this is going to be a frightfully strong beer. Taste is a little bitter and very malty. Might need to age it a while, but it's only been fermenting for 10 days. I'll rack to secondary this weekend.

I wasn't expecting such high attenuation.

Hopefully it'll be drinkable.