The Countdown

[Brewing_Brad]

Hey guys and gals,

This is it! I'm going to do my very first BIAB brew this week/weekend. I have everything I need...except an empty fermenter! Don't you hate that! My ginger beer is taking longer than I expected so I don't have a spare fermenter available, and it's a week before pay day so I can't go buy another one! Grrrr!

So, I'm off to the local investment center tonight (aka the TAB) with my spare change tin to see if I can raise some funds

Anyway, here's the recipe that I'll be trying:

4.5kg Joe White Pale Malt, Traditional Ale
15g Galaxy Hops (60mins)
25g Galaxy Hops (0 mins)
Safale S-04 English Ale Yeast

Mash In at 65c for 90 mins
Mash Out at 78c for 10 mins

Batch size: 20L
Boil size: 24L
Est O.G: 1.057
Est F.G: 1.015
Est ABV: 5.5
IBU: 21.4

The goal is to get a not too bitter ale with a passionfruity/citrusy taste and smell (inspired by Stone & Wood Pacific Ale) so any advice on doing it better would be appreciated.

Now, where's my form guide?

Cheers
Brad

Edit: Damn smileys!

 

[ekul]

i made something very similar to stone and wood

2.8kg ale malt
1.kg wheat malt (the wheat is essential)

5g galaxy flowers @ 30
45g galaxy flowers in the cube

came out tasting jsut like i remember the stone and wood

good luck with it mate, you're going to love ag

 

[manticle]

Hey guys and gals,

This is it! I'm going to do my very first BIAB brew this week/weekend. I have everything I need...except an empty fermenter! Don't you hate that! My ginger beer is taking longer than I expected so I don't have a spare fermenter available, and it's a week before pay day so I can't go buy another one! Grrrr!

So, I'm off to the local investment center tonight (aka the TAB) with my spare change tin to see if I can raise some funds

Anyway, here's the recipe that I'll be trying:

4.5kg Joe White Pale Malt, Traditional Ale
15g Galaxy Hops (60mins)
25g Galaxy Hops (0 mins)
Safale S-04 English Ale Yeast

Mash In at 65c for 90 mins
Mash Out at 78c for 10 mins

Batch size: 20L
Boil size: 24L
Est O.G: 1.057
Est F.G: 1.015
Est ABV: 5.5
IBU: 21.4

The goal is to get a not too bitter ale with a passionfruity/citrusy taste and smell (inspired by Stone & Wood Pacific Ale) so any advice on doing it better would be appreciated.

Now, where's my form guide?

Cheers
Brad

Edit: Damn smileys!

Are you chilling or no chilling? If no chilling, you can either keep the cube till the other fermenter is ready OR you can add the yeast to the cube. You will be fermenting on the cold break but my experience has shown me that you can still make delicious beer doing this. It's one less transfer and provided you clean up any mess (headspace is reduced) it has its advantages.

If you do, make sure you back the lid off or the cube will explode. Tighten to finger tight then back off half a turn or so. Spray away any spilled krausen with sanitiser.

As for the recipe - looks nice and simple and should give you a good idea of the hop profile.

Myself, I'd be inclined to add a small amount of crystal OR mash a bit hotter BUT seeing as it's your first I think you should run with it as is and see if you want to tweak it next time. A SMASH is a great way to start.

 

[sav]

Add a bit of wheat It will be good to ya.

sav

 

[humulus]

Hey guys and gals,

This is it! I'm going to do my very first BIAB brew this week/weekend. I have everything I need...except an empty fermenter! Don't you hate that! My ginger beer is taking longer than I expected so I don't have a spare fermenter available, and it's a week before pay day so I can't go buy another one! Grrrr!

So, I'm off to the local investment center tonight (aka the TAB) with my spare change tin to see if I can raise some funds

Anyway, here's the recipe that I'll be trying:

4.5kg Joe White Pale Malt, Traditional Ale
15g Galaxy Hops (60mins)
25g Galaxy Hops (0 mins)
Safale S-04 English Ale Yeast

Mash In at 65c for 90 mins
Mash Out at 78c for 10 mins

Batch size: 20L
Boil size: 24L
Est O.G: 1.057
Est F.G: 1.015
Est ABV: 5.5
IBU: 21.4

The goal is to get a not too bitter ale with a passionfruity/citrusy taste and smell (inspired by Stone & Wood Pacific Ale) so any advice on doing it better would be appreciated.

Now, where's my form guide?

Cheers
Brad

Edit: Damn smileys!

Brad you might have to put that fermenter aside and use it for your ginger beer ONLY,i learnt the hard way, done a ginger beer cleaned and sanitized the fermenter then put another brew down,a stout i think it was,when it had finished fermenting checked F.G and tasted a sample........Well Ginger Stout tastes like crap!!!!!!!down the sink it went!!!!!!!! hope this helps :icon_vomit:

Cheers humulus

 

[beerbrewer76543]

The main thing to get right is your strike water temp

You can calc your temp using the calculator here: http://www.brewheads.com/strike.php

Best bet is to heat up your volume of strike water, then scoop out a litre or two, add the grains and check the mash temp. If too high, add cold water, too low add boiling water, ect

My last batch was too cool as I was using 6kg of grain instead of 4kg, mash settled 5*C lower than desired so I had to adjust by applying heat (vessel was almost full)

Cheers and happy brewing!

 

[Nick JD]

I'd sawp the S04 for US05, not for taste, but for fermentation reliability.

 

[Brewing_Brad]

The doggies came in for me, so I'm off to buy a new fermenter tomorrow )

Thanks for the tips. I might pick up a kg of wheat and US05 yeast while I'm at the shop tomorrow and see how she goes.

I'll keep you all posted.

Cheers
Brad

 

[Brewing_Brad]

[snip]
45g galaxy flowers in the cube
[/snip]

How long did you leave it in the cube for? Until you pitched the yeast the next day or longer?

I'd sawp the S04 for US05, not for taste, but for fermentation reliability.

Bugger! I forgot the US05 while I was at the brewshop! Can you give me a bit more info on what you mean by reliability? I'm gonna run with the S04 anyway just because I can't be arsed heading back to the shop, but I'd like to know what kind of difference I can expect.

Cheers
Brad

 

[Florian]

If no chilling, you (...) can add the yeast to the cube.

I do this quite regularly and recommend to get some oxygen in there for the yeast, at least a bit, as most of it has been boiled off previously. Easiest way is, once you have opened the cube and the head space has filled with air, to close it again and shake the cube as hard as you can, or throw it from side to side . This might not give you the ideal amount of oxygen, but it should be better than nothing.

Later you can play around with air pumps and oxygen bottles if you feel like, but keep it simple for your first one.

 

[Effect]

1.057 and only 21 Ibus...I would be bring the OG down a bit or raise the IBUs. I reckon you could get away with about 45 IBUs with the current OG...Or lower your OG down to about 1.050ish and raise you IBU up to 33-35...

Just my thoughts though.

 

[Brewing_Brad]

I'm excited! I'm now mashing my very first All grain!

I had to modify the recipe slightly, because muggins here was focusing on the fact he needed 24L of water....not realising he only had a 25L urn! I've scaled the recipe down to a 15L batch (upped the IBUs ever so slightly)

2.75 kg Pale Malt, Traditional Ale
.5 kg White Wheat Malt
20g Galaxy @60 min
45g Galaxy @0 min
Total IBU: 37.7

Mash In at 65c for 90 mins
Mash Out at 78c for 10 mins

Batch size: 15L
Boil size: 18L
Est O.G: 1.056
Est F.G: 1.014
Est ABV: 5.4%

Wish me luck!

 

[Brewing_Brad]

I have to say, I'm surprised at how well the old urn is keeping it's heat. All the reading I've done tells me I should have insulated it, but I'm 5 minutes to go on the mashing and I've only had to reapply the heat once to bring it back to 65C from 62C. Even with the constant stirring of the grain (and I'm like an old woman now, not taking my eye off it and checking the temp every 5 minutes).

Which reminds me....have to check it again

 

[felon]

Hope it all goes well for you. :super:

 

[felon]

Don't be suprised if the FG goes a bit lower and you end up with more alcohol. If your mash temp has been dropping it will end up more fermentable.

 

[Brewing_Brad]

Don't be suprised if the FG goes a bit lower and you end up with more alcohol. If your mash temp has been dropping it will end up more fermentable.

I don't see that as a bad thing

Just a question for those in the know. I'm now at the 60 minute mark in the mash and my I took a reading with my new fangled refractometer and it tells me it's 1.033. I've decided I'm going to leave it for 90 minutes (another 30 minutes), but does this reading seem right to you, considering I'm aiming for an O.G of 1.056?

Cheers
Brad

 

[gone_fishing]

Looks very low to me.

gone fishing

 

[Bribie G]

I'd sawp the S04 for US05, not for taste, but for fermentation reliability.

If you can maintain the urn temp without scorching the bag, then applying heat is perfectly acceptable. Re the yeast, I personally don't like SO4 - the US-05 would give a cleaner more neutral character considering that you are going for a fair amount of hop character here. Sounds good.

 

[Eater]

Wouldnt it reduce in water content and gain in SG during the boil?

(out my arse, just a theory after checking beersmith outputs on brewsheets)

Still sounds a little low

 

[felon]

The conversion should be well finished. I'm not a BIAB'er, I use 3V. I would be hoping that you have a lot of goodness trapped in that bag and when you lift it out it drains in to your kettle. You might need to give it a good squeeze to get it all out (ouch hot). Hopefully someone who uses this method can give you some more advice.