First brew day - AG - something simple and hoppy

[olriley]

Hello and thanks for the warm welcome to the forum already. As I mentioned in my intro post I have recently acquired the rudiments of a 5 gallon, 3 vessel rig and wish to try my hand at AG brewing.

As of yet I don't know my efficiency from my IBU but I've read widely on the basics (including some excellent how tos here :thumb: ) and do beleive I can brew some beer. I know how to sterilise, use a thermometer and hydrometer. I am a have a go guy.

Tonight I'm building a mash tun out of a 24L Asda cool box (a bit small I know so it will be a lowish OG beer and fly sparge) and tomorrow off to my LHBS, Linbrew in Lincoln (don't think there's one in Grantham) to get grain bill and hops... then brewday is SUNDAY

So what to brew? I like drinking most beer to be honest : but I'm a fan of many IPAs. Given that we might be getting a summer soon :rofl: , something pale, and hoppy would be good. Summer lighting springs to mind but I'm not saying that's my fav beer ever. I also like a decent session bitter and I'm from W.Yorkshire so Sam Smiths, Black Sheep and Timmy Taylor have places in my heart.

So suggestions please! Something simple that may tolerate a few newbie blunders. The only pre-requisite being that I must be able to get the grain and hops from the LHBS, but I can always call them to check.

By the way, I haven't decided whether to bottle or keg. I beleive I've got a couple of weeks to sort that while the beer is in the FV.

Cheers, and I'll keep this thread updated with pics.
Olly

 

[Kevin Wood]

I recently made the first steps into AG brewing and I found this guide extremely useful:

http://ww.w.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=493

The Rauchbier recipe probably won't fit your desire for something pale and hoppy, but you'll still find the guide very good to follow, I think.

Maybe replace the recipe for something like this:

http://ww.w.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=27169&start=0

Nice and simple, only a single malt and hop to find.

If you fancy something a bit different this little experiment of mine has turned into a rather nice pint to drink by the barbecue:

http://ww.w.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=25491

Whatever you brew, good luck and have fun. It'll be a busy day but very rewarding when you get to taste the end product. You won't look back. :thumb:

 

[olriley]

Thanks Kevin - that smash recipe does look good. "Can't go wrong" apparently - suits me then! ;-)
I like the look of your elderflower.... can see why homebrewing is so interesting, so many things to try.

Need to go out in the rain :x later and pick up my plumbing fittings for the MT :party:

 

[olriley]

Yo ho ho, mash tun is done. Crude but cheap. I know I've been lazy with the "manifold" but its only push on and I can always knock up a better one later. I'm gonna rearrange to get that kink out of it. 3V set up is ready to roll.

Now having a pizza and a beer

Still pondering brew choices...
Quite like the look of graysalchemy's Pride of Manchester
And the Batemans XXXB that Baz Chaz brewed
Or even a Timothy Taylor Landlord clone...

Thinking something darker might be more forgiving. And I like brown beer :-)

 

[shearclass]

I have never brewed AG, but i believe higher gravity, higher hopped beers are more forgiving

 

[puravida]

The hardest part of your first brew will be waiting for it to condition so you can get stuck in!!

For that reason I'd suggest your first few brews are lower gravity, highly hopped session beers that will taste amazing and be ready to drink in 4-5 weeks. Something 4% ish would be my target with lots of hops thrown in right at the end of the boil. Stronger beers generally take longer to condition.

 

[rich27500]

Not suggesting you buy from here just being lazy with recipe advice - Landlord recipe ( made it and it's a good pint) http://www.brewuk.co.uk/store/timothy-taylor

 

[Cononthebarber]

Ace setup, looking forward to hearing how you get on tomorrow! Welcome to the dark side from another recent crossover! :thumb:

 

[puravida]

Try this recipe only swap all the different hops for cascade the whole way through.
You can use Maris otter instead of the lager malt if you prefer.

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 29.11 l
Post Boil Volume: 23.73 l
Batch Size (fermenter): 19.00 l
Bottling Volume: 17.30 l
Estimated OG: 1.040 SG
Estimated Color: 12.5 EBC
Estimated IBU: 41.1 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 90.1 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
3.00 kg Lager Malt (3.9 EBC) Grain 1 92.3 %
0.25 kg Caramel/Crystal Malt - 30L (130.0 EBC) Grain 2 7.7 %
10.00 g Apollo [19.80 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 3 23.5 IBUs
10.00 g Apollo [19.80 %] - Boil 20.0 min Hop 4 14.2 IBUs
0.25 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 mins) Fining 5 -
10.00 g Simcoe [14.20 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 6 3.4 IBUs
20.00 g Amarillo Gold [8.50 %] - Aroma Steep 0.0 Hop 7 0.0 IBUs
5.00 g Simcoe [13.00 %] - Aroma Steep 60.0 min Hop 8 0.0 IBUs
1.0 pkg SafAle English Ale (DCL/Fermentis #S-04) Yeast 9 -

_________________

 

[olriley]

Looks good puravida, thanks! Off to the LHBS now - no doubt further discussion will ensue there! :geek:

 

[olriley]

Okay folks, I'm back with all the goodies and here's what I'm planning:

3500g Maris Otter Pale Malt
200g Crystal Malt

50g Goldings / 60 mins
25g Goldings / 20 mins
25g Goldings / 0 mins

90 minute boil.

Sound okay? Perhaps too much hop.

The hops will be in muslin bags as I haven't sorted a hop strainer for the Burco yet.

 

[olriley]

Nothing to do for the rest of the day so boil's on! 30 litres.

 

[olriley]

Just mashed at a temp of 66. Didn't measure water but Asda 24L coolbox was more or less full.

Strike temp was 78 and had to mix 1L at end to acheive 66. Also added crushed campden tab at start.

This is my notepad, sorry if its boring but it won't get scrunched up and thrown away if I write it here :)

 

[rich27500]

Looks good what yeast are you going with?

 

[olriley]

Mash at 64 C after 90 mins, not bad for a £20 MT with a rug over it.

Fly sparging now...

Going with Nottingham yeast, on the basis that it's in the next county to me :lol:

 

[rich27500]

Popular choice should work fine.

 

[olriley]

Just finished sparging, stopped at about 1008, got 25L at gravity of 1022, still at 60C ish obviously.

 

[olriley]

Wort back on the boil now. Mash tun cleaned and drying in the sun.

 

[olriley]

Hopped and boil finished. Immersion chiller on the go at 19:45
Wort temp about 90
Coming down now. FV, hydrometer etc sterilising now

First booboo detected! Forgot all about the irish moss! oh well :pray:

 

[olriley]

21:45 wort at 26C, chiller out, emergency hop strainer (sieve) in (didn't do muslin in the end) and collecting runnings.

22:00, about 16 litres collected in the FV with a gravity of 1048 @25 C
Yeast hydrated and pitched.

A bit less than I had planned.... guess I didn't sparge quite enough and also didn't allow enough losses for hops and boil off.

Oh well. The taste is good (I think - first time I've tasted wort). The change during the hopping process is remarkable. Now got a very aromatic, dry bitter note running through the sweetness.