Leffe clone all grain recipe instructions

[Greg B]

Hello all!

I've purchased the below all grain recipe but am having difficulty understanding the instructions as this is my first all grain attempt.

https://www.themaltmiller.co.uk/product/belgian-blonde-leffe-clone/
Firstly, I've only got equipment to satisfy no boil recipe kits so appreciate I will need to buy some extra bits. I'm thinking of brewing in a bag, I don't want to buy a proper burner/kettle and am hoping I can mash and boil on my induction hob using a boiling pot. Now, how big should this pot be? As the ingredients are for a 23 litre batch, from reading up, I don't think I will be able to get the induction hob (or any hob) to boil the amount of wort I'll be working with.

Would I be able to split the ingredients, do two runs and mix them together at the end in a FV? If so, what size pot would I need to handle about 11/12 litres?

With regards to the recipe. I think I get the "mashing" part. Basically bring some water up to 60 degrees on the hob, drop the three different malts into the bag, and steep for 90 mins (infusion mash). Then I pull/winch the bag out and move on to the boil? Do I need to

For the boil timings, it states 90 mins, but the additions are shown as 90 mins (hops) and 10 mins (candi rocks). Are these timings calculated from the end of the boil? So effectively the hops go in as soon as you start the boil and the candi 10 mins from the end? Or is it the other way around?

After the boil, I believe I need to chill the wort as quickly as possible to 20 degrees, then pitch the yeast and ferment until I hit a stable FG.

I'm sure I've missed something or interpreted something wrong so any tips or advise would be much appreciated.

Cheers

Greg

 

[Kveik Freak]

I'm pretty new to this too and I've never done brew in a bag, so I can't answer your questions about that specifically, but I think I can answer some of them.

Capacity wise if you want to do the whole kit all in a oner, you're looking at a 30L+ pot. Boiling wort is dangerous stuff- think jam. It holds a lot of heat and can boil up, so head space in the pot is a must. 25L would be dangerous.

Splitting the batch is an excellent idea, especially since you're new to this. It'll take a couple of goes at least to get everything right. A 20L pot will do 10-12L easily.

Watch the wort like a hawk when it's coming up to the boil. A foam of proteins forms and will boil over unless you're stirring. Once the boil's going this disappears and you're reasonably safe, but the boiling wort should never be left unattended

You'll have to get input from someone else about BIAB mashing. My understanding is you'll mash with some water and then haul the bag out and sparge it with the rest.

If you are doing smaller batches you don't need to boil for the full 90 minutes. 40-60 is fine unless you are using floor malted pilsner or a really oldie worldie variety of barley.

The timings given for additions refer to minutes before you turn the heat off (flame out). So 90 mins is right at the start and 10 mins is 10 mins from the end.

Chilling wort isn't something I have any experience of. I use kveik yeast that can be pitched at 30-40 degrees C in most cases, but usually I just let the wort cool in a clingfilm and foil covered container and pitch the yeast the next day. I then put the container a basin of water and an aquarium heater to control the temperature anyway, so by the time the yeast is rehydrated and waking up it'll be at its ideal temperature.

I think there is a bit of controversy about whether people brewing the quantities brewed by most home brewers need to chill the wort at all. Obviously it makes the process of cooling and pitching happen faster.

I've heard of Australian home brewers using food grade 25L storage containers ("cubes") for this purpose. They fill them on brew day, let them cool overnight and pitch the next day. Maybe those with more experience could weigh in here.

I hope this is helpful, good luck!

 

[Jim Brewster]

I think you're on the right lines.

Its 66C for the mash btw

I only do gallon batches so not sure on the figures, but you need to consider the amount of volume the 5.5kg of gain will occupy in the pot as well (or 2.25kg if you're splitting into 2), the grain will also absorb a significant amount of the liquor too, if it comes almost to the top once you add the grains it will be optimal.

Wheat tends to clump a bit so perhaps mix it with the other grains before adding to the bag.

 

[Brew_DD2]

As it's a grain kit, I would stick roughly to the instructions until you're au fait with your efficiency etc. If you start mucking about with boil times etc. you'll end up with your OG being off from the predicted OG (it may be anyway as the kit assumes a certain brewhouse efficiency).

Given the limit to your volume capacity. I would consider splitting the batch into two. You'll have a more manageable volume and it'll give you two brew days and more experience as a result.

You're right on the timings. A 10 minute addition is 10 minutes from end of the boil.

All the best!

 

[An Ankoù]

I think I'd be inclined to bite the bullet and buy a kettle (pot) of at least 30 litres. 40-50 litres would be better. There's no way you should attempt this on your cooker top, though. Your best bet would be to go down to Calor Gas and buy a propane ring and do your brewing in a sheltered spot on the garden. Beg a redundant gas bottle from someone rather than pay the deposit on a new one. There are millions on circulation. As for mashing in a bag, it's not my area of expertise but I'd guess you either need a bit of tank lagging to insulate the kettle until the mash is done, or a picnic box. Either way, you're going to need to rig up some kind of hoist to lift the bag of wet grain out of the wort. You might rethink whether BIAB is the best way forward. It may well be. See what others say. Personally, I like a good sparge so as not to waste fermentables.

 

[Sandimas]

I do BIAB and weight is a big issue, both the weight of lifting the grain bag out and the weight of the wort on the stove-top. I only ever boil about 12L as that is the largest size I'm comfortable lifting over to the sink for cooling.

 

[An Ankoù]

I do BIAB and weight is a big issue, both the weight of lifting the grain bag out and the weight of the wort on the stove-top. I only ever boil about 12L as that is the largest size I'm comfortable lifting over to the sink for cooling.

12 litres is my max on the stove-top for the same reasons.

 

[Duxuk]

Since there are no late hops, in fact you only have one addition for a 90 minute boil, I wouldn't worry too much about cooling after the boil. If you use late hops then you need to cool quickly to preserve their character. You could sit the FV in a bath of cold water or just leave it with the lid on overnight until it's cool enough to add the yeast.