First 2019 AG brew + Barley wine & parti-gyle experiment

[Portreath]

Yesterday 12/01/19 I managed to get AG 2019 #1 off, alter than I planned but never mind. What started out as a well-planned reproduction of a previous Porter, turned into a, oh well let’s bang it in and see. A least I’ve now made space for new grains etc. anyway the brew went like so:
4697g Pale
542g Crystal
350g Torrified Wheat
504g Roasted barley
300g Brown
1.5 hrs mash at 68c
50g Fuggles @60
17g EGK @10
10g Target @10
10g Cascade @10
After the boil I came out with 20ltrs with and OG of 1067. I’ve topped up the FV to 23ltr and now have a very respectable OG of 1.058, and MJ New World Strong yeast pitched this morning at 19c. So I’m looking at something that’s more of a strong stout, potentially 6.0%

Having had a discussion on Parti-gyle I took off the first running's of approx. 13ltrs, and then the second after a 10ltr sparge. The second running came out at 1.052 (I misplaced the first running reading, so I’ll try and find the measurement or reverse engineer it)
On the topic of Parti-gyle, and the barley wine recipe I posted early this month https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/1st-barley-wine.80269/
and thinking about the size of my mash run, and the weight of the grain bill I think that it would be possible for me to get a 12 ltr batch of Barley wine and a 15+ ltr of 4.5ish Abv bitter. So all in all a good first brew for 2019, and a bit more brew knowledge gained. Thanks to all the posters on the above thread with tips for Barley wine and parti-gyle.

 

[Dutto]

I like it.

The double use of a mash is a traditional way of getting the most out of the malted barley and what was known as "Small Beer" was made from the second runnings.

Apparently, "Small Beer" was used in place of water because A. It had a very low ABV. and B. The water quality in cities was terrible at the time.

I've not used the system myself but it definitely comes into the "Hmmm ... I must try that!" especially as I have a 32 litre Mash Tun that is very often under-used.

@Clint
Will the use of such an old and trusted system be classed as "Experimentation" or can I try it out with a Premium Bitter and a Low ABV Bitter later on this year?

 

[Portreath]

Hi @Dutto I'm a bit of a lover of lower ABV brews like Mild and bitter, and of brew history, which I find fascinating.
I was surprised at how easy it was to get two volumes of wort out of 6.4ish Kg of grain. I think with a little forward planning it would not to too problematic to get two kettles of wort out and on the boil without adding too much in the way of more time to the brew day. In fact I accept the white glove across the chops and the next brew will be a parti-gyle. I'll set a day aside and record and photograph the stages. I have a converted 42ltr thermo cooler box for the mash tun, a 25ltr electric boiler, and a new 56ltr gas boiler. Let the party-(gyle) begin.

 

[Clint]

It will only be classified as experimental if you wear a long white coat....

 

[Portreath]

@Clint
Ordered!
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004Q9GM6W/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20