The TBR Homebrewing thread

[goodoleboy]

fun. I haven't counted but I've probably done 50 or so batches, including five festival beers. I'm slowly working my way toward full boils (keggle) and all-grain (using the vertical cooler/stainless braid style). Next week I'm brewing a Belgian IPA from mash provided by Natty Greene's to be entered into competition to be brewed at the brewery.

My 3rd batch was close to a full boil. Its a bit tight in the pot at 7.5 gallons for a 5 gallon batch.

Below was my process.

Grain Bill
8 lbs. 2-Row Pale Malt
2 lbs. Vienna Malt
0.5 lb. Crystal 10L Malt

I am using a 7.5 gallon turkey fryer.

1. I measured 5 gallons of water into the pot and brought it up to around 160 with my paint strainer lined seafood strainer in it.

2. I then slowly stirred in my grain with the flame on low. The temp dropped to right around 150F

3. I ran the gas flame on low for about 5 minutes until it hit 152F, then turned it off and covered the pot for an hour.

4. I stirred the grain 3 times and had to run the flame for a couple of minutes about halfway through. It only had a 2-3 degree swing the entire mash period. With the strainer basket in I only had about 1.5 inches from the top. With that much volume covered it held temp very well

5. I then lifted the strainer basket out and let it drain into the boil kettle for about 5 minutes propped up on the lip of the pot. I also pushed down on the bag with my spoon a couple of times

6. I pre heated 1.5 gallons of water on my stove in a canning pot my wife had to 180F during the Mash and sat the grain bag in that for 10 minutes while I heated the wort to 170F.

7. I then poured the smaller kettle into my big one. That gave me about 6.5 gallons for my boil.

8. When the temp of the wort hit 170 I tea bagged the grain bag out of the strainer a few times, twisted it a few times, let it drain and started the boil. I sat the bag in my other pot and poured any liquid that collected into the pot

9. I took a gravity reading before the boil and it was dead on 1.050 at 80F after cooling off a little

10. I cooled the wort by placing my covered brew pot in a square igloo cooler with the garden hose stuck in the cooler turned on so it overflows onto my deck. It cooled my wort down to 65 in about 45 minutes. I dumped it into my bucket, stirred it with a slotted spoon hard enough to raise up a bunch of bubbles and pitched dry Safale O4

I wound up with 4.75 Gallons of wort at SG 1.060. Thats about 76% efficiency. 13 days in primary and it at was at 1.020 when I bottled.

 

[vivian]

Ability is what you're capable of doing, Motivation determines what you do, and Attitude determines how well you do it

 

[magnus]

My 3rd batch was close to a full boil. Its a bit tight in the pot at 7.5 gallons for a 5 gallon batch.

Below was my process.

Grain Bill
8 lbs. 2-Row Pale Malt
2 lbs. Vienna Malt
0.5 lb. Crystal 10L Malt

I am using a 7.5 gallon turkey fryer.

1. I measured 5 gallons of water into the pot and brought it up to around 160 with my paint strainer lined seafood strainer in it.

2. I then slowly stirred in my grain with the flame on low. The temp dropped to right around 150F

3. I ran the gas flame on low for about 5 minutes until it hit 152F, then turned it off and covered the pot for an hour.

4. I stirred the grain 3 times and had to run the flame for a couple of minutes about halfway through. It only had a 2-3 degree swing the entire mash period. With the strainer basket in I only had about 1.5 inches from the top. With that much volume covered it held temp very well

5. I then lifted the strainer basket out and let it drain into the boil kettle for about 5 minutes propped up on the lip of the pot. I also pushed down on the bag with my spoon a couple of times

6. I pre heated 1.5 gallons of water on my stove in a canning pot my wife had to 180F during the Mash and sat the grain bag in that for 10 minutes while I heated the wort to 170F.

7. I then poured the smaller kettle into my big one. That gave me about 6.5 gallons for my boil.

8. When the temp of the wort hit 170 I tea bagged the grain bag out of the strainer a few times, twisted it a few times, let it drain and started the boil. I sat the bag in my other pot and poured any liquid that collected into the pot

9. I took a gravity reading before the boil and it was dead on 1.050 at 80F after cooling off a little

10. I cooled the wort by placing my covered brew pot in a square igloo cooler with the garden hose stuck in the cooler turned on so it overflows onto my deck. It cooled my wort down to 65 in about 45 minutes. I dumped it into my bucket, stirred it with a slotted spoon hard enough to raise up a bunch of bubbles and pitched dry Safale O4

I wound up with 4.75 Gallons of wort at SG 1.060. Thats about 76% efficiency. 13 days in primary and it at was at 1.020 when I bottled.

cool. For what you're doing you can cool with an immersion chiller in about 15 mins.

 

[goodoleboy]

cool. For what you're doing you can cool with an immersion chiller in about 15 mins.

Yeah I probably should get one of those. I am up to about batch 6. Beer is getting better.

I started putting the fermentation bucket in the igloo cooler and using plastic ice packs to keep fermentation temps in the low 60's during the heaviest period.

I may just upgrade my kettle to 15 gallons, do 10 gallon batches and no chill in 5 gallon plastic cubes. I would probably be doing that now if my brew pot had a valve on the bottom. Supposedly wort can be stored for weeks if it goes in the cube at boiling temps. Makes it easier to use yeast cakes for multiple batches.

 

[magnus]

great time with lots of success at summertime brews festival

 

[Playa]

great time with lots of success at summertime brews festival

where was this?

 

[magnus]

gso

I think there's a Winston fest but haven't been to it.

 

[magnus]

gso

I think there's a Winston fest but haven't been to it.