Crossing Over to the Darkside wish me luck

Well The day has finally arrived I will be crossing over to the Dark side .

I am doing Alemans Effin Oatmeal stout Mk2, but I have upped the grain bill to hopefully give me an OG of 1.053 but failing that gives me room to manoeuvre if I have a love efficiency with it being my first AG

Anyway the recipe is

Pale Malt 5 EBC 18 lbs. 6.8 oz 8360 grams 68.1%
Oat Flakes 2.5 EBC 2 lbs. 3.7 oz 1010 grams 8.3%
Roasted Barley 1350 EBC 1 lbs. 3.0 oz 540 grams 4.4%
Flaked Barley 0 EBC 2 lbs. 3.7 oz 1010 grams 8.3%
Crystal Malt 130 EBC 1 lbs. 7.7 oz 670 grams 5.5%
Brown Malt 150 EBC 1 lbs. 7.7 oz 670 grams 5.5%


Hop Variety Type Alpha Time lb: oz grams Ratio
Bramling Cross Whole 6.3 % 90 mins 0 lbs. 3.9 oz 110 grams 100%


Final Volume: 50 Litres
Original Gravity: 1.053
Final Gravity: 1.014
Alcohol Content: 5.1% ABV
Total Liquor: 70.3 Litres
Mash Liquor: 30.7 Litres
Mash Efficiency: 75 %
Bitterness: 33.7 EBU
Colour: 144 EBC

Credit to Aleman and cussword who pointed out the updated recipe different to the one published in recipes.

I am going to do a glucan rest as sugested by Aleman. I will be putting the flaked barley and oat flakes with 400g of Pale malt (from the grain bill total) and steep for 15- 20 mins at 40 c.

Anyway some phots to get started


The grain bill bad photo


My pseudo shiney mash tun. I am having to use gravity and bucket the runnings into the kettle, however hopefully getting some pumps soon so it will be able to go on one level.

The HLT is on hoping to start at 10.15 when the hired help arrives (he has toasted the Oat flakes so I can't even start on the Glucan Reast).

More updates soon

:

Alistair

Good luck Gray and happy brewing dont foget to keep us posted :thumb: you wont look back

Good Luck on the "DARK SIDE". :thumb:
Say bye-bye to the tin opener that you've used for brewing, it's now redundant cos you'll never go back...

Thanks for that guys :thumb: :thumb: . Glucan rest is on for 15 mins just heating up the mash tun ready for the mash.

Cheers

AG

Good luck with the brewday :thumb:
Thats a big beer to begin with :clap:

It gets better I am going to take 2 gallons increase the og to 1065 with demerara sugar. and then add juice from 400g of elderberries pulped boiled and strained. This will make my Elizium dead but dreaming elderberry stout.

:

AG

HAd great fun sparging (not) . Took about 2 hrs to sparge 60l. Had a bit of dificulty maintaining the sparge water at 85c and maintaining the mash at 76c. Also had plenty of stuck sparges which blowing didn't seem to clear hence why it took so long. Anyway boil on lights out at 3.30pm hope to be cleaned up for 5pm. Just hope I get the og and volume want.

:

AG

Keep it up :thumb:
These things are sent to try us but is sounds as though your perseverance is paying off :clap:

graysalchemy said:

Just hope I get the og and volume want.

Click to expand...

Remember, if you get beer at the end of the process it's a success :drink:

All part of the fun on the DARK SIDE :lol: You seem to be doing really well..especially as it's your first :clap:

graysalchemy said:

HAd great fun sparging (not) . Took about 2 hrs to sparge 60l. Had a bit of dificulty maintaining the sparge water at 85c and maintaining the mash at 76c. Also had plenty of stuck sparges which blowing didn't seem to clear hence why it took so long. Anyway boil on lights out at 3.30pm hope to be cleaned up for 5pm. Just hope I get the og and volume want.

:

AG

Click to expand...

Sparge at 85c??? I sparge at 75. :hmm:

Well done AG :clap:

More slots in the strainer for the mash tun is it or are you using a false bottom....always tinkering with my equipment, wouldn't have it any other way

BarnsleyBrewer said:

graysalchemy said:

HAd great fun sparging (not) . Took about 2 hrs to sparge 60l. Had a bit of dificulty maintaining the sparge water at 85c and maintaining the mash at 76c. Also had plenty of stuck sparges which blowing didn't seem to clear hence why it took so long. Anyway boil on lights out at 3.30pm hope to be cleaned up for 5pm. Just hope I get the og and volume want.

:

AG

Click to expand...

Sparge at 85c??? I sparge at 75. :hmm:

Click to expand...

My Sparge temp was 76 in the tun.

Turned out with less volume (no measurements as no graduation fv) however come out with a temp corrected fg of 1063. I think i will have to liquor back tomorrow down to 1053.

The Elderberry stout ended up at 1073 :party: :party: :party: :drunk: :drunk:.

I think I need a bigger hop strainer or a false bottom.

Anyway a rather intense day especially since I was working (picture framing) and I had 4 pictures to frame, but all done ready for home.

Cheers for all the help from site members, I certainly wouldn't have been able to do it without you guys.

:thumb: :thumb:

Alistair

You've done it ..You're over to the Dark Side:clap: :clap: :clap:

Quick update. I have managed to work out that I have 40L of stout at 1063 and took a further 9L to make the elderberry stout so after worry all night that I had messed up big time I have hit my target of 50L ish but gained 10 extra points. Going to liquor back to 1053 by adding 7.5L.

So all in all a great day, now back to work

Cheers
AG