First AG and a bit of a yeast experiment

Having a free house today I decided to do my first BIAB with the boiler I bought recently. My plan with this is to stick to single malt and single hop with a view to using three separate yeasts to see what effect they have on flavours.

I used clibit's simple AG thread as a guide and went for a 15 litre brew to split into three five litre demijohns to use with each yeast.

Details as below:

3kg Maris Otter
9 litres for mash heated to 66°
60 minute mash with stir @ 30 mins
12 litres for sparge heated to 80°
Pour & dunk sparge
Boil started with 15g cascade @ 60 mins
30g cascade @ 5 mins
Transferred to bottling bucket & cooled in bath with ice
Decanted into 3 x demijohn (4.5l in each) with 3g of yeast in each
1 x Safale S04
1 x Safale S05
1 x Wilko Gervin

Fermenting in water bath @ 20° for two weeks

Some pictures from the day

Grain ready


Mashing


Temp checking halfway through the mash


Bringing to the boil


Hops ready. 60 mins on the left. 5 mins on the right


Today's yeasts


Getting ready for the chil


Chilling down took about two hours because I forgot to put more ice on


Pitched and ready to start fermenting, wine to be bottled in a couple of days


SG of 1050


Now relaxing with a Coopers stout.

Not much I'd change as it all went smoothly. I had originally intended to get some whirlfloc or Irish moss at the LHBS this morning but forgot so the Gervin demijohn has tons of sediment but so long as I can get a few bottles for sampling out of it I'll be happy.

Fingers crossed it turns out well! I had Greg Hughes' book delivered on Thursday so that will help with future recipes.

congrats on a successful brewday, the lack of kettle finnings is a bummer but tbh ive missed em a few times, the beers clarity will/may suffer but the best cure for a less than crystal clear pint is an opaque mug

Nice simple experiment, like it.

Tip for mashing, put the pot on the floor and put your duvet over it, it won't drop a degree.

Well after twelve hours the S04 and S05 had a lovely krausen and were bubbling away merrily with absolutely nothing from the Gervin. Thankfully after popping out when I got home it has caught up and all three are going strong. Must have just been a slow starter.

Due to a leaky lid on the 23l FV I use for kits I rarely get bubbles from air locks so to see three all bubbling away is really comforting, I could sit and watch them for hours :mrgreen:

It's going to be a long couple of weeks waiting for these to finish, can't wait to do the taste test!

the reassuring regular glug in the background is the thing i miss most after sealing up my FV in a brewfridge