First AG/BIAB malt bill

The Homebrew Forum

Help Support The Homebrew Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

robjmills

New Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2016
Messages
18
Reaction score
0
Location
NULL
Hi all,

I'm finally getting round to doing my first AG recipe, which i'm doing as a BIAB using an ACE boiler.

I've only done extract brews before so the malt bill is a bit of a new challenge. I'm planning to do an APA with Centennial, Citra and Mosaic. So far i've got some Simpsons Best Pale Ale malt, but from reading around this needs a few more things adding. I've also picked up some Carapils, and have been recommended to also add some Vienna malt. The rough ratio i'm planning for so far is 83% Pale Ale Malt, 12% Vienna and 5% Carapils.

Does this sound reasonable? Second question, is the ordering and timing of things. Should I add all 3 for the full mash time? (149 for 1hr)

Lastly, i've not used the ACE boiler before and i'm eager to learn as much as I can about the correct processes to follow. Are there any decent step by step guides out there?

Thanks!
 
1.I've never made an APA but from what the different malts will bring your percentages look fine :thumb:

2.Yes you'll need to mash them all (not sure what the 149 figure is?)

3. Not sure as I don't own an ACE boiler
 
i would aim for a 66.7c mash temp, probably achieved with a 71c strike temp but have a jug of cold water and an off the boil kettle at hand to fine tune if needed after a good thorough mix/mash in ;)

If you can maintain the mash temp within 3-4c over 90 minutes with simply insulating the pot ;) that will save a LOT of hassle.. its best to avoid cooking your mash with active heat from an element if you dont have the capacity to move and recirculate the heated liquor through the mash, as the grain will denature (cook the enzymes that do the mash) @ 85C and higher.. So cooking the bottom of your mash is very easy to do before any heat migrates into the grain mass beyond the bottom few inches.
 
i would aim for a 66.7c mash temp, probably achieved with a 71c strike temp but have a jug of cold water and an off the boil kettle at hand to fine tune if needed after a good thorough mix/mash in ;)

If you can maintain the mash temp within 3-4c over 90 minutes with simply insulating the pot ;) that will save a LOT of hassle.. its best to avoid cooking your mash with active heat from an element if you dont have the capacity to move and recirculate the heated liquor through the mash, as the grain will denature (cook the enzymes that do the mash) @ 85C and higher.. So cooking the bottom of your mash is very easy to do before any heat migrates into the grain mass beyond the bottom few inches.

thanks - some really good advice there. I've heard other ACE boiler users saying that adding some insulation to the urn has allowed them to keep their mash to within a degree or so over a 60 minute mash. A few recipes i've read all suggest 60 mins mash, is there a reason you'd suggest a longer one?
 
the debate over 60 or 90 minute mash n boils can get heated lets just say im in the 90/90 camp.

\to be sure you can test your mash conversion with an iodine test ( a few drops of iodine on a few grains from the mash on a white tile/plate, if the iodine remains red brown -a-ok, if it turns black there is still starch available for conversion, so mash a bit longer.. with a 90 minute mash your giving it long enough to complete and the test is redundant..

best
 
Back
Top