Heavy day

A very long day today, did my first BIAB AG, also bottled 23L of Coopers Stout, I’ll post details when the AG's in the FV and I can get an OG reading and the Coopers Stout I’ll add to the review thread. I’m overnight cooling the wort so to speak, it’s sitting at 37.9 currently, just waiting for it to get to pitching temp. I have 18L sitting in my big pot and six litres of boiled sparge in a 6L pot. Anyway, let me get to the point. As I don’t know my water levels I ended up with 2L of sparge water left over and after what I went through I’m certainly not chucking it away. I took the two litres bumped it up to four litres, added 23g of honey (weighing honey should be in the Olympics) and 15g of Hallertau hops and boiled it all for 20mins. I’ve left the hop bag in the wort and will do until it’s cooled to pitching temp, I’ve added a ¼ tsp of yeast nutrient and I’ve kept some of the Wilko Gervin trub off my Coopers Stout to pitch into it. I’ll be fermenting it into a 5l demi but as I only have temp control on my 23L FV this one will be left beside the rad for two weeks and I’ll hope for the best. I know I should take an OG reading but I’m tempted not to and just let it get on with it and see how it turns out. As I can hear God laughing as I type this I’m guessing it’ll be better than my first AG attempt, such is life.

Why are you no chilling it in the pots? Why not combine it and no chill in the FV, thats how I no-chill.
Also leaving the hop bag in the wort (the hallertu flavour addition?) will lead to a more bitter brew than you want as the hops will continue to isomerise

I know what you mean MQ but as soon as the pot came off the boil and it'd cooled it enough to cling film it I had to wash and sterilize 38 600ml bottles for my Coopers Stout, then bottle it and then clean out the FV that I'm using for this AG brew. I'm going to give it all half an hour and then put it all in the FV and I'm thinking that it should be at the point where I can pitch the yeast, I'm holding back as I want my high pouring of the six liters of sparge water to oxygenate my wort for me. My side project I boiled a lot later so it'll have to wait until the morning. Having my first beer at 2pm probably didn't help.

Ah, I see. You needed to free up the FV to put the AG brew into it. Time to get another FV methinks?

LarryF said:

I know what you mean MQ but as soon as the pot came off the boil and it'd cooled it enough to cling film it I had to wash and sterilize 38 600ml bottles for my Coopers Stout, then bottle it and then clean out the FV that I'm using for this AG brew. I'm going to give it all half an hour and then put it all in the FV and I'm thinking that it should be at the point where I can pitch the yeast, I'm holding back as I want my high pouring of the six liters of sparge water to oxygenate my wort for me. My side project I boiled a lot later so it'll have to wait until the morning. Having my first beer at 2pm probably didn't help.

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From reading posts on here and watching HB videos, I get the impression that a lot of HB''ers drink and brew at the same time. I tend not to, maybe because I know I have to deal with very hot, very sweet liquid and carry maybe 15L upstairs in a plastic bucket. "Maximum regret" from a mistake on the stairs is so high that I have very rarely had more than a hyrometer jar to drink before brewing day is done.

Have also had panics, early on in my return to HB'ing, at bottling time, which suggest to me that bottling is best done fairly sober, too.

So, to return to the thread (sorry for the diversion, LarryF!) I am definitely thinking about "No Chill" for full length AG brews using the PECO boiler. I have had issues with using my wort chiller (due to my own deficiencies, I might add) and if I am making a dark beer, then no chill looks like a good option, right up to the moment I imagine trying to shift circa 25 kilos upstairs the next morning.

My brewing space is the airing cupboard (usually 21C or thereabouts) and this is upstairs.

I too would have been very reluctant to part with 2L of sparge wort and would have invented a use for it, probably bunging it in a short brewed kit?

Hope it turns out well Larry. Glad to read you've made the move over to the dark side! Don't envy you doing a combined brew/bottling day though, I avoid it now because my lethargic pace causes it to take up a whole day.

Slid said:

From reading posts on here and watching HB videos, I get the impression that a lot of HB''ers drink and brew at the same time. I tend not to, maybe because I know I have to deal with very hot, very sweet liquid and carry maybe 15L upstairs in a plastic bucket. "Maximum regret" from a mistake on the stairs is so high that I have very rarely had more than a hyrometer jar to drink before brewing day is done.

Have also had panics, early on in my return to HB'ing, at bottling time, which suggest to me that bottling is best done fairly sober, too.

So, to return to the thread (sorry for the diversion, LarryF!) I am definitely thinking about "No Chill" for full length AG brews using the PECO boiler. I have had issues with using my wort chiller (due to my own deficiencies, I might add) and if I am making a dark beer, then no chill looks like a good option, right up to the moment I imagine trying to shift circa 25 kilos upstairs the next morning.

My brewing space is the airing cupboard (usually 21C or thereabouts) and this is upstairs.

I too would have been very reluctant to part with 2L of sparge wort and would have invented a use for it, probably bunging it in a short brewed kit?

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I agree Slid, I woudn't drink in while brewing, I'd only end up forgetting stuff. I do usually have beer once everything is set up ready to go on bottling day though

MyQul said:

Ah, I see. You needed to free up the FV to put the AG brew into it. Time to get another FV methinks?

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Don't tempt me MQ, SWMBO's a Peckham girl, you know she'll find you if she hears you recommending a second FV. She's regretted last years "Christmas present" on many an occasion.

Slid said:

From reading posts on here and watching HB videos, I get the impression that a lot of HB''ers drink and brew at the same time. I tend not to, maybe because I know I have to deal with very hot, very sweet liquid and carry maybe 15L upstairs in a plastic bucket. "Maximum regret" from a mistake on the stairs is so high that I have very rarely had more than a hyrometer jar to drink before brewing day is done.

Have also had panics, early on in my return to HB'ing, at bottling time, which suggest to me that bottling is best done fairly sober, too.

So, to return to the thread (sorry for the diversion, LarryF!) I am definitely thinking about "No Chill" for full length AG brews using the PECO boiler. I have had issues with using my wort chiller (due to my own deficiencies, I might add) and if I am making a dark beer, then no chill looks like a good option, right up to the moment I imagine trying to shift circa 25 kilos upstairs the next morning.

My brewing space is the airing cupboard (usually 21C or thereabouts) and this is upstairs.

I too would have been very reluctant to part with 2L of sparge wort and would have invented a use for it, probably bunging it in a short brewed kit?

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Good call Slid, moving 18L of boiling sweet liquid was a major consideration and although I had the one during the process I didn't have another until I'd dealt with sealing and moving the boiling wort to where I wanted it to cool. I was looking at dunking the pot into a big tub of iced water and the such like but decided not to solely due to the fact of I didn't want to be moving the hot wort around the house. When it had boiled it I left it on the cooker for about four hours and then moved it probably 9 or 10 feet and there it stayed. As for the sparge, I posted this before I'd put the all the wort into the FV and a litre of that got used to make up the wort to 23L but the OG I've given (1042) is of the original wort. I did still have a liter left over and couldn't waste it, topped it up to four with water added some more honey and pitched my Coopers Stout trub and it's bubbling away happily beside the radiator. Back to your situation, 25kg of boiling liquid being moved upstairs doesn't sound good. Could you not cool it get it in the FV and then move it?

LarryF said:

Don't tempt me MQ, SWMBO's a Peckham girl, you know she'll find you if she hears you recommending a second FV. She's regretted last years "Christmas present" on many an occasion.

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Just tell her its a money saving necessity*

(*You ain't seen me, right? )

LarryF said:

Good call Slid, moving 18L of boiling sweet liquid was a major consideration and although I had the one during the process I didn't have another until I'd dealt with sealing and moving the boiling wort to where I wanted it to cool. I was looking at dunking the pot into a big tub of iced water and the such like but decided not to solely due to the fact of I didn't want to be moving the hot wort around the house. When it had boiled it I left it on the cooker for about four hours and then moved it probably 9 or 10 feet and there it stayed. As for the sparge, I posted this before I'd put the all the wort into the FV and a litre of that got used to make up the wort to 23L but the OG I've given (1042) is of the original wort. I did still have a liter left over and couldn't waste it, topped it up to four with water added some more honey and pitched my Coopers Stout trub and it's bubbling away happily beside the radiator. Back to your situation, 25kg of boiling liquid being moved upstairs doesn't sound good. Could you not cool it get it in the FV and then move it?

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Hi LarryF

Yes, If I were going to do another full AG BIAB, I would be avoiding this issue of transporting too much upstairs at a time. Half a batch is OK.

So I have the thread of an idea - splitting the wort in some way such that half goes into a 15L fermenter as an AG batch and the other half is used to do a partial mash in a 30L fermenter as per usual.

Could be an approach?

Slid said:

Hi LarryF

Yes, If I were going to do another full AG BIAB, I would be avoiding this issue of transporting too much upstairs at a time. Half a batch is OK.

So I have the thread of an idea - splitting the wort in some way such that half goes into a 15L fermenter as an AG batch and the other half is used to do a partial mash in a 30L fermenter as per usual.

Could be an approach?

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45L brewing in one go! Slid, you the man!

LarryF said:

45L brewing in one go! Slid, you the man!

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Sounds like a line from a song the daughters introduced me to - "In da Club - 50 Cents".

Would be more like 37 or 38L in reality, but it's only a "kit can opening" added to an AG brew day, I suggest.

Slid said:

Sounds like a line from a song the daughters introduced me to - "In da Club - 50 Cents".

Would be more like 37 or 38L in reality, but it's only a "kit can opening" added to an AG brew day, I suggest.

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Must admit I've done kits and now I've done one AG (so obviously I'm an expert) but I've never done a partial mash but at some point I'll have some spare grain and a kit that needs attention and I'll certainly give it a go. I have to say that the difference in the the work for an all grain brew and bottle compared to a kit brew and bottle on the same day is quite significant even with tweaking the kit. I'm still really enjoying my kit beers especially the ones I can pick up cheap and tweak to make a nice beer, that's partly on principle and I do know that brewing AG is cheaper but when you can take a Coopers English Bitter in the Tesco sale and add a hop tea some BE and some honey and a dry hop and end up with a beer for 40p a pint that blows the socks off anything my local is charging me ���£4 for I do have a wry smile.on me for the work I've done. So it's a touhgie, I've really enjoyed kits and I think I'm going to bounce between the two, you can make a really nice beer from a Youngs Harvest Pilsner kit (Tesco Sale)with a bit of added imagination and I don't want to take away from that.

Yes indeed, a tough call on how far to lean to the dark side.

Totally agree with your points, here, a good beer can be made from a kit and a few hops these days. The "premium" kits are just that - 3kg of bittered LME and two or three quids worth of dry hops in a little bag.

And a step down the road, adding some grain to hot water is not very difficult. "Any mug can do it". Anyone remember who said that? :lol: