markq
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Having tried two successful extract brews, I decided to go for an all-grain BIAB for my favourite beer type, dunkles Hefeweizen. In the process, I think I've done everything wrong that you can do.
As embarrassing as all these mistakes are, I'm going to flagellate myself before you all in the hopes that you'll tell me which of these steps killed my beer
As embarrassing as all these mistakes are, I'm going to flagellate myself before you all in the hopes that you'll tell me which of these steps killed my beer
- Heated the water up to 10 degrees over mash temp (76 degrees) so that it would cool. Temperature took a looong time to drop, so probably mashed a bit too warm.
- Only managed a few rinses as a sparge before I'd hit my pre-boil volume.
- Evaporated too much water. I'd calculated my grains to send 9.5l into the primary fermenter and only managed 7.5l.
- Took a good while to cool in the sink with ice (maybe 2 hours or more to get to 22 degrees, guess I'll buy the wort chiller).
- Did not aerate the wort before emptying what I guessed to be less than half of the dry yeast sachet (since it said it makes up to 23l). When I weighed it against another packet, I'd probably emptied a good bit more than half.
- The fermenter seemed full of grainy/hoppy by-product from the boil.
- Temperature of the kitchen when I'm fermenting is from 18-23 degrees, ideal temp for the brew seems to be around 17.
- I had a fermenter full of something. I measured an OG of 1.062 before pitching my yeast so figured I had something fermentable.
- I was worried about lack of wort aeration but from what I've read since, dry yeast doesn't require it and some sources say it shouldn't be done at all.
- After 24 hours (perhaps up to 36) I did start to see activity. It looked fairly active for a time and produced a krausen about an 1/2 - 3/4 inch only, the next morning it had calmed right down but was still doing something occasionally.
- Within 24 hours of that, it looked almost dormant, so I measured the gravity the following day, day 4, and again today on day 6 and getting about 1.044, 1.0.42, about the same on both days.
- It does smell like the style which is more than can be said for when it went in, but that would only be in 2.3 - 2.6% ABV range if I'm measuring right. I don't think it's still moving but surely if it is, this would take well over 2 weeks to finish.
| Brew day |
OG on brew day | |
2 days ago, remnants of a pathetic krausen and reading of approx 1.042 - 1.044 | |
Essentially the same reading 2 days later |