Starting my first AG tomorrow

[luckyeddie]

So here's the thing:

I'm doing a yeast starter in a few minutes (a pack of Nottingham yeast) - is 16 hours or so enough? I suppose if it hasn't glooped out (which I'm sure it won't) then I can just shoot the lot in after I've got it down to temperature rather than pouring away the liquor and refilling with wort).

I don't have a separate mash tun (yet - I plan to make one out of a picnic cooler but I just haven't got around to it yet, what with being a lazy slob) so I'm using a brewing/sparge bag and the boiler (A present from Santa - it says 'boiler / mash tun' on the packet so what the hell) - for a 5 gallon batch I'm planning to use 3 gallons initially then run off into a fermenter temporarily, then 3 x 1 gallon for the sparge with lots of sloshing around of the grain bag as a token gesture to efficiency before whacking it all back into the boiler.

I suppose a 90 minute boil will remove about a gallon of water vapour (and the entire kitchen wallpaper) - what do you reckon?

One other thing - has anyone any idea how long it takes to cool the wort down to pitching temperature using a copper coil chiller (another present from Santa)?

Incidentally, I still haven't made up my mind what to brew. I've got a couple of 3kg bags of Maris Otter and half a kilo each of crystal malt and chocolate malt. I've also got a couple of kilos of brewing sugar. As for hops, I have Fuggles, Goldings and Amarillo. The only yeasties I have is a couple of packs of Nottingham. I was hoping to be able to buy some Belgian yeast but no joy.

 

[robsan77]

no need to start nottingham yeast. It will do great just sprinkling it straight on the wort.
chilling will take about 20 - 30 mins. Gently stir the wort the get best results but dont splash it.

how about 4k maris otter
200g crystal malt
30g choc

then bitter with goldings to about 40ibu

fuggles for the last 15 mins (30g)

should give a copper beer. :thumb:

 

[dennisking]

Good luck with your journey to the dark side

 

[luckyeddie]

Cheers, guys.

We will see what we will see. It's really just to try the equipment and methods out - although I've already done a test boil and calibrated the heater, there's nothing like the real thing for 'proof of concept'.

At the end of the day (barring sanitation issues) - there's no such thing as failure in brewing - if the beer you end up with isn't the one you intended to make, that's just an 'unexpected success' (I hope). Just so long as I'm saying 'Ow, my liver' in a few weeks time, it's all good.

 

[Tony]

Good luck with your brew - not that you need it with a name like that!

Great zappa quote too!

 

[luckyeddie]

Good luck with your brew - not that you need it with a name like that!

Great zappa quote too!

The name was 'given' to me in tenpin bowling circles 15 or so years ago - I was an insanely determined 'practicer' and my favourite saying at the time when I was coaching was 'The harder I practice, the luckier I get'. I bowled a 300 game when I was running a coaching session at Ilkeston and the name stuck.

Now I ought to look on it as ironic. A serious knee injury and subsequent surgery ended my bowling 'career' just as I was knocking on the door of the England (seniors) squad, then a year ago I had Swine Flu which nearly did me in, followed by two doses of deep-vein thrombosis and a much-needed total hip replacement.

Now I take life one beer at a time.

I also worship the ground Frank Zappa decomposes in.

 

[Redbloke]

A serious knee injury and subsequent surgery ended my bowling 'career' just as I was knocking on the door of the England (seniors) squad, then a year ago I had Swine Flu which nearly did me in, followed by two doses of deep-vein thrombosis and a much-needed total hip replacement.

Now I take life one beer at a time.

I also worship the ground Frank Zappa decomposes in.

... well, as the great man said "Sometimes you got to get sick before you can feel better"

Have a great brewday Eddie :drink:

 

[Dieseljockey]

Hope the brew went well.. :pray: and your path to the dark side was not to fraught with danger.. :

ps...any pics...we need pics :whistle:

 

[darrenwest1]

hows the brew going mate
:thumb:

 

[jonewer]

Good luck, first one is always memorable!

 

[gurtpint]

Hope yours will be a great brew, Eddie!

 

[luckyeddie]

Delayed.....

Unfortunately something has come up which needs my undivided attention for most of today - so the big event has now been postponed until next weekend.

 

[dennisking]

Never mind your time will come

 

[mickeyt69]

Yeh good luck man just enjoy it : : :drink:

 

[Mark1964]

Hows the brew going

 

[luckyeddie]

Well, my delay was in fact only temporary, so I assembled my equipment and started 15 minutes ago. I cleaned the boiler (it's a brand spanking new Electrim), added 20 litres of water and checked the initial temperature before checking for leaks (electricity and water do not mix). The outside at the bottom felt wet - I thought for a minute that it was condensation but no - the damned thing leaks from where the heating element is fitted - I hadn't noticed it when I fired it up the other day for a couple of minutes, but I hadn't put anything like that much water in before - pressure and all that.

The instructions say 'tighten the locking ring.....' but there is no locking ring visible, either on the inside or the outside. It's probably under the protection plate for the electrics. No way am I messing about with that - back it goes. The thing is, it is already a replacement. My son had ordered me a Brupak one for Santa to bring - and it went missing in the post. The supplier didn't have another one so sent the Electrim one instead.

They don't call me 'Lucky Eddie' for nothing.

 

[BigYin]

That's a damned shame! Better luck with the next one!!

 

[luckyeddie]

That's a damned shame! Better luck with the next one!!

Indeed.

It's probably no bad thing overall - I'm really not that keen on using the boiler as a mash tun. I just nipped out to the local garden centre to get some proper hose fittings to connect up my wort chiller to the tap an hour ago. While I was there I popped into the aquatic centre to get some new siphon tube when I noticed a guy moving some large polystyrene boxes around. When I asked what they were, he said that they were the boxes they use for transporting koi carp and other tropical fish around.

They are about 5 gallons in capacity at a guess. My brain just screamed out "MASH TUN" so I invested a fiver and bought one. Now I need to find something to fit snugly inside (either ceramic, perspex or metal, I don't care - keeping on the fishy theme, perhaps I can get a perspex fish tank that will fit), fit some plumbing and I'll be able to do this AG lark properly.

 

[BigYin]

:wha: not sure even a perspex fish tank would be good for that - the jointing compound might well not withstand it....

I got foil covered bubble wrap type insulation - radiator insulation - from B&Q for £6 or so, and that gave my mash tun - a standard polyprop FV - 3 layers of insulation - it holds 20 litres or so and only drops a degree in an hour and a half :thumb:

 

[Muddy Funker]

Have a good one Eddie,

I had to repaint the kitchen after my first AG lol!!!

The boil caused rivulets of sticky hop water to cascade down the walls. She hated me for that one haha!!!