Real cock-up first all grain

[Steved53]

Was desperate to get a brew on today, and make use of some of the equipment that I've recently purchased.

When I took delivery of my digital scales, I wasn't happy that you could only choose kg and not grams. Today proved why. Well, actually, it proved I'm an idiot!

I'd recently picked up a load of grain from a brewery, and unfortunately the Maris Piper was rotten. So I decided to use Pilsner instead, and weighed about 3.5kgs out. I then should have weighed out 250 grams of Cara, but weighed out 2.5kg and then proceeded to weigh out 1.25 kg of wheat malt, which is the that I realised what I had done. I pulled some of the wheat malt, as it was on the top, but left the Cara! So I haven't a clue how much wheat malt went in.

I ground it all up anyway, and thought, what the hell, in for a penny etc. I mashed in my new Buffalo with a brand new (super expensive) grain bag. I was losing a bit too much temperature during the mash, so decided to switch on the boiler a little.

Any of you with a few more brain cells than me will be able to guess what happened next.... On pulling out the bag, all the grain started to drop out the hole that I had managed to burn in my new grain bag!

I then had to slowly drain the wort into a fermentation vessel, before washing out the boiler, adding the wort to the boiler and starting the boil - whereupon, as soon it was at a rolling boil, it cut out on the stat! I managed to get it to come back on again, so I am now sitting out on my terrace, waiting for it to come to the boil again, and if it cuts out I'm going to bed!

So if I manage to boil this, do you think it is possible to make anything drinkable, by brewing some straight Pilsner malt tomorrow, and adding that (maybe a few times)? Or just dump it?

I would really like an answer, before I add any hops!! It's boiling away nicely now!

 

[ManseMasher]

So you ended up with a grain bill of nearly 7kg? How much liquor did you mash/sparge with, how much ended up in the boiler and have you taken a hydrometer reading yet?

 

[MyQul]

You'd be surprised how hardy and robust the brewing process is. The amount of cock ups I've read on the forum (and done myself) only for member to come back a few weeks later to post that they had in fact brewed a drinkable beer.

My latest is experimenting with leaving the hops in the wort for the two weeks of fermentation. When I tried it straight from the FV it had a extremely strong soapy taste. 1 month later it's the best pale ale I've ever made

 

[Leon103]

Just run with it, it will no doubt turn out fine and you will be glad you kept it.

 

[Steved53]

You'd be surprised how hardy and robust the brewing process is. The amount of cock ups I've read on the forum (and done myself) only for member to come back a few weeks later to post that they had in fact brewed a drinkable beer.

My latest is experimenting with leaving the hops in the wort for the two weeks of fermentation. When I tried it straight from the FV it had a extremely strong soapy taste. 1 month later it's the best pale ale I've ever made

Thanks MyQul.

I think it'll have to be called Biscuit Ale then - cos that's what it smells of! I suppose my main concern is that I subsequently read that Cara is not normally used any more than 10% of the total grain bill. I don't even want to work out what my addition is!

 

[ManseMasher]

Has it boiled yet? If you could let us know the gravity reading it might give a good idea of how it might turn out!

 

[MyQul]

Cara (crystal) iirc can be used up to 20% but I think the consensus is 10%. If you have US-05 (or can get it) use that as It hammers it's way through wort sugars at about 80% attenuation

 

[Steved53]

So you ended up with a grain bill of nearly 7kg? How much liquor did you mash/sparge with, how much ended up in the boiler and have you taken a hydrometer reading yet?

Yes, it looked a rather large amount!

I mashed with around 25 litres, and I didn't really sparge, due to the problems with the bag, and not having four arms!

I took a hydrometer reading before the boil, and it was 1.060, but I subsequently added water to take it to around 35 litres for the boil. It's boiling away merrily now, so I hope I can get that close to 25 litres in the next 45 mins or so.

 

[Steved53]

Cara (crystal) iirc can be used up to 20% but I think the consensus is 10%. If you have US-05 (or can get it) use that as It hammers it's way through wort sugars at about 80% attenuation

I have SO4 and US-05, so I'm ok there.

 

[ManseMasher]

Keep us informed! 1060 preboil is interesting, but you added extra so I reckon lady luck will be on your side - let us know the post boil reading. I take it your terrace is slightly warmer than the new Baltic extension known as the UK?!!

Every set up is different obviously, but I work on losing a litre every 10 minutes.

 

[Steved53]

It was a beautiful day today, but it's getting rather cold on this terrace now!

I can't wait until I finish my 'Brewgarage'!

 

[MyQul]

I have a similar cock up story. I was supposed to be making a Orkney Dark Island clone. I went to my LHBS for the ingredient's (I buy everything online now btw). Normally I would get everything seperate but they couldn't find any bags. Seeing as it was all for the same brew I just said stick it all in the same bag. The guy begain to weigh the different grains out and put them in the one bag. As he began to put the crystal in I thought to myself that looks more than the 200g that I want. So I asked the bloke how much he'd put in. He said 2kg! So he tried to get most of it back out and we estimated that there was about 500g still left in there.

When I got back home I weighed the grain. There should have been about 5kg. There was 7kg. Where the other 2kg had come from I've no idea as I watched the bloke take most of the crystal back out.

I didn't want to waste the grain, of course, so I just mixed it all thoroughly. Then took 2kg out because my 19L pot can only take about 5kg and brewed with it. The other 2kg I added a further 2kg of marris otter and brewed with that two weeks later. The first brew came out like a really heavy brown porter and the second brew. came out as a lighter brown porter that I used liquid yeast with for the first time. Both were great, in fact the second one was one of my better porters

 

[Steved53]

Keep us informed! 1060 preboil is interesting, but you added extra so I reckon lady luck will be on your side - let us know the post boil reading. I take it your terrace is slightly warmer than the new Baltic extension known as the UK?!!

Every set up is different obviously, but I work on losing a litre every 10 minutes.

I went for a bike ride today, followed by the inevitable pint or two to rehydrate. Sitting outside I was getting burnt by the sun! Now, unfortunately, it is 5 degrees!

I think I'm losing maybe less than that, so I might not get down to 25 litres. I don't mind really if it isn't too strong.

Can you do the calculation if I give you the gravity reading from boiling wort? I'm afraid I'm going to have to leave it to chill itself. I haven't got the equipment or the time to chill tonight.

 

[MyQul]

Your going to no chill (chill overnight?). When it's ambient temp just use this calc

http://www.brewersfriend.com/dilution-and-boiloff-gravity-calculator/

to dilute it dwn to your target gravity

 

[Steved53]

So, it turned out to be 1.047. That'll do pig!

 

[Fil]

sounds like it all went well compared to my first brewblunder, and i still got a grand pint out the end, granted i saved my weighing screw up for the hops, but i made a mess firstmost and foremost.

have faith in the beer gods.. they will smile down on your efforts im sure.. and if not at least you now know a few things Not to do now..

grab a £shop ground mat to wrap round the pot to insulate it for the mash, and just record the temp drop so you can adjust the strike temp for next time a temp drop of a few degrees isnt the end of the world,,, but if you must try n cook the mash by turning on the power get a cake rack from the £shop to stand the bag off the element

welcome to the clan of experienced brewers

 

[Steved53]

Your going to no chill (chill overnight?). When it's ambient temp just use this calc

http://www.brewersfriend.com/dilution-and-boiloff-gravity-calculator/

to dilute it dwn to your target gravity

Temperature corrected it is just about spot on 1.050, so for the sake of argument I think I'll call that my target gravity. A bit like hitting a bullseye with your eyes closed!

 

[Steved53]

The good thing about fermenters with taps is you can take a little snifter, to see how things are going! Just a mouthful, but it gives you an idea. Surely I'm not the only one?

I have to say, it's tasting not bad!

It took about twenty hours to chill down to pitching temperatures, and on Monday evening I pitched a sachet of SO4. Fmentation is going well.

 

[Fil]

The good thing about fermenters with taps is you can take a little snifter, to see how things are going! Just a mouthful, but it gives you an idea. Surely I'm not the only one?

I have to say, it's tasting not bad!

It took about twenty hours to chill down to pitching temperatures, and on Monday evening I pitched a sachet of SO4. Fmentation is going well.

a fv drain makes life easy when it comes to taking samples for tasteing and gravity checks But please remember to rinse out the tap spout asap after using it. any residue wort will attract wine flys aka fungus gnats, and if you then drain the beer through an infested tap you can ruin a brew.

a simple squirt up the spout with warm water to rinse it out after drawing a sample solves this potential problem tho..

if draining thru the tap when the liquid level drops close to the tap opening, gently tip the bucket forward and wedge something under its back end.
being gentle with this can leave the sediment bed virtually intact, but you will have a lil more sediment in the later bottled bottles..

if you let the liquid level drop below the tap opening it will suck air in down and out of the tap quickly removing the co2 blanket covering and protecting the beer from o2 and oxidising every bottle you then fill. (not good.. )