No Longer A Ag Virgin...

[youngy]

Well I finally got there to do my first AG. I was lacking some equipment, but stuff it I have to just start brewing and get more gear as I go.

Only one pot (100L aluminium), so that was the HLT and the Kettle. The Mash tun got the false bottom connected to the standard tap with some flexible hose with a copper tube over it so it does not collapse under the heat.

Was a long day taking about 4 1/2 hours.

HLT- Boiled fine with my new Italian spiral burner in no time. LET THE BURNER BURN FOR A GOOD TIME BEFORE 1ST USE, OTHERWISE PAINT PARTICALES GO EVERY WHERE.

MASH - Has a stuck sparge, I Poured the mash out into a bucket, cleaned the tun bottom grains. Then has someone hold the false bottom to the bottom of the esky and I poured the mash back in. All good.. I need to fix it somehow needit and a bolt and wing nut ?

BOIL All fine here

CHILL- No chilled the cube, 20 hours later into fermenter and pitched yeast.

I made the LCPA recipe here for 23L. Got a OG of 1046 which is good for my first attempt I think.

Things to make things easier next time would be.
HLT
Proper bulkhead for mash tun
Plate chiller

Guess I have to save up some more money.

Already planning the next one.

Here are some pics...

 

[bindi]

Well done No going back from here.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

One trick to help your stuck sparge is to add a litre or 2 of BOILING water to the mash, this will help loosen it up, then when you sparge ( batch sparge only ) use boiling water...dont worry about the affect it will have on the grain, as it wont raise the tun temp to anything that will give problems like tannins.You will find that by your final sparge, the mash temp will only be around 80*c

I just use a normal old electric jug to sparge, some times I have a seperate vessel that I boil my sparge water in..

Also, dont be shy at using a large spoon to open up the mash and help drain the wort...


4 1/2 is pretty good going...about normal..

 

[milpod]

Nice one dude,your on the slippery slide to oblivion now .

Over the years have had quite a few stuck sparges,usually clear them pretty easy,blow back up,dig a channel,restir let settle.

Over the weekend,had a stuck sparge I couldn't budge.Had to remove grain from tun and re- acquire.

In the end Ducatiboy stu method was best and probably would have worked 1st up.I sometimes over complicate shit.

Reason: new grain,didn't alter crush

I knew I crushed to fine,when I hit 87%