Weyermann Floor Malted Pilsner - No Conversion

[Bribie G]

What did the wort taste like? What was the hydrometer / refractometer reading?

 

[kevin_smevin]

What did the wort taste like? What was the hydrometer / refractometer reading?

Didn't bother taking a gravity reading. I was trying to brew a pilsner and with the wort in the condition it was in (very very cloudy and still containing starches) I didn't think it was worth going to all the effort of fermenting a beer that i probably wouldn't want to drink. Do starches contribute to specific gravity. Once they are gelatinized they are soluble. If they do contribute (which i assume they would in some way) the gravity reading wouldn't have told me much. I might be wrong about that though.

It did end up tasting sweet but like i said before, the wort was the worst looking muddy wort i have ever seen. This is with 5 hours of recirc through the grain bed too.

I'm going to do a 1kg mash tomorrow side by side with the base malt i used in my last brew (last succesful brew) and see if it is a problem with the malt.

 

[Thirsty Boy]

i suspect wrong bag of malt or wrong malt in bag - perhaps a whole bagful of carapils or something.

I'd do (as you are planning to) some tabletop mashes - even just a 1/4 cup of grain in some coffee cups. See if things will convert at 67c and how it does vs a malt you are sure works. take a taste and gravity check at the very start too. If its something like carapils, it will instantly have gravity. Test the gravity every now and again and watch it rise (or not) as it converts. Compare it to the base malt you know is working.

sounds like you have a pretty strong case for returning and getting a full replacement bag and maybe a bit of extra shop credit for other ingredients you have wasted - give them a bit of extra data to show that you're not the one at fault and I cant see why you would have any issue with getting your money back.

 

[argon]

Definitly look into getting your self a refund. At least take a sample with you, or the whole bag and compare it to what they have in store (although you got it through a keg king BB) should be a visual difference, if it's not the right stuff.

 

[pk.sax]

Being the devil's advocate here.

Are you sure you didn't mix up your bins of malt? I.e., if you threw the bags away... Mixed up the lids or forgot to label the bins?

 

[dr K]

I expect they could find out for you the date of the product - does it have a batch no. on the sack?



True. I'll have to see if i still have the sack. I may have thrown it away

Your supplier will have the grain lot on their documents.

Given that there are hundreds of bags packed from one bin, all batch numbered, all QA'd and samples from that batch are analysed if your bag is buggered then all the others will be! Conversion will vary of course, especially in a home brewery, but conversion even stupidly low will happen
I wager that if I poured 2kg of cracked malt into 5 litres of 90C water , doughed in and mashed I would get reasonable if lowish conversion, in fact even at 100C I would not denature all the enzymes..try it, you may be suprised, of course the wort would be crap (not that seems to be a problem to some) but I would have some not no conversion.

K

 

[the_new_darren]

I agree with k,

Was there NO conversion or "bugger all" (just a little bit)

Even if the OP subbed pils for carapils the original gravity would have been "normal" but just low. If there was very little conversion it would suggest either slack malt (old) or possibly extreme chanelling in the mash tun (no I didnt look back to see whether it was BIAB).

I suspect that there is quite a bit of old Euro malt going around.

cheers

the_new_darren