Brew day disasters.

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Runwell-Steve

Landlord.
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Oct 16, 2010
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Wickford, Essex
I have made a few minor updates to the brewery over the last couple of weeks. It all started with the addition of a plate chiller, and while at it I picked up a pile of Cam Lock fittings to make all the hose connections easier to move about. I also got a Y filter to put on the boiler to stop any crud going in the chiller, I put one on the Mash Tun as well.

The recipe for the day was a simple Weisse,
45 Litre

5kg Wheat Malt
4kg Crisp Maris Otter
0.5kg Dark Crystal.

100g Hallertau Hersbrucker 90 mins

WLP 300


It started as any other brew day, HLT on and heated up, Mash Tun pre heated using the boiling water I had run through the plate chiller. Grains weighed out.

On with the Mash, grains in then underlet approx 25 Litres of liquor in, a quick stir and temp check, aarrgghhh 61 degrees, what happened there. After a couple of kettles of boiling water it was up to 65 so that would have to do.

Mash done, time to recirculate the wort a bit. Problem number 2. I couldn't get much wort out, it couldn't be a stuck mash could it, I've never had that happen before, no it wasn't, the filter had clogged up with escaping grains. Filter removed.

On with the sparging and onto the boil everything was going fine, during the boil the mash tun and pump were cleaned and prepped full of Sodium Percarbonate solution ready to clean the plate chiller once done.

Boil over and chilling under way, I like my new plate chiller, 45 litres chilled and tucked away to ferment in 20 minutes.
A word of caution, DO NOT STAND ON THE WATER OUT HOSE FROM THE PLATE CHILLER, this causes a build up of pressure and the Hozelock fitting can then jump off the plate chiller spraying a fountain of warm water everywhere, including in your fermenter.

Disaster averted, but somehow I only got an OG of 1041, where I was targeting 1050, I assume this could be due to the chilly mash.
 

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