What would you have done?

[stuart_A]

My first ever brew day was yesterday. It was very long and very eventful. Certainly didn't go to plan. I cant face going into the details at the moment, its all too raw, but i have a 'hypothetical' situation which i'd appreciate your views on...


Youve mashed and sparged and have 25L in the boilder. You have a 60 minute boil planned with the following hop schedule; 60,30 and 0 (20min hop stand/whirlpool planned starting at 80degrees).

You have reached boil, added your 60min hop additions and then are told you have to go out for 3hours in ~45 mins time. There is no way you will be able to get through the planned boil, cool and get it into the FV in this time.

How do you progress? Where do you go from here to leave the brew in a position that wont ruin everything?

notes: youre using a Grainfather so have options for temp control, pump and cooler. Only 60min hops have gone in.

cheers

 

[Covrich]

That is a tricky one.. depending on the recipe you possibly could have just carried on but only had a 45 min boil... chucked 30 min hops in at 10 mins to go ( 30 sounds like an odd time to add them to me ) but I would have just adjusted the hop schedule.. chucked my flame out hops in and left it to start cooling naturally.. this would increase the IBUS but you would lose some IBUs from the bittering addition and even the 30 min anyway...

Not saying I would have done that for sure given the last minute drop of the hat decision but it is certainly an option/..

I am assuming with GF you cannot time the cooler so decided on no chill

 

[GHW]

Stop the boil, use the time you had to cool it with the counter flow. Start boil again when you get back. The chiller will bring the temp down enough that you won't get many extra ibus.

No idea how it would turn out though.

 

[stuart_A]

interesting. So maybe i wasn't completely mad. I was thown into a mad panic so this is what i did:

I added the 30min additions at probably more like 40mins, then the flame outs with about 10mins. At that point i attched the cooler and switched on the pump lettign the cooled wort pump back into the grainfather. I set the temp control to 20degrees and left on mash. I kept the valve half shut to control the flow through the cooler so i'd guess it cooled to 20 over 2hrs maybe. When i got back it was still being pumped round but was being maintained at 20 degrees. I then set it to boil which took about 40mins and then once boilder after about 5misn cooled it direct into the FV.

I think i was trying to avoid the flame out hops being in high temp for the long period and hoped if the temp was doen low some of the hop characteristics wouldnt be lost/changed too much. I reboilded thinking it may help with killing any bacteria but also because i felt i needed a little longer boil as i cut it off about 10 mins early.

The OG was bang on 1.060 which was probably the only positive i can take from yesterday. I'll see when i get home tonight if there's anything happening in the airlock.

One thing i learned... AG brewing/cleaning takes a lot longer than i thought it would. Especially the sparge and waiting time to reach temps. Also tryign to do it in a tight space wasnt easy.

I tried to measure the pre-boil gravity (but forgot that it needed to cooled to 20degrees). I also was unaware that the trial jar had a stand in the box so i was trying to balance it whilst dropping the hydrometer and making the reading. It read 1.030 with a volume of 25L. I also took a readign using a refractometer which said 7.8brix. End volume in FV was 19.5L at 1.060. Doesn't seem right? Any ideas? I hope my OG reading from the post boil is correct and wasnt just wishful thinking (as 1.060 was what the recipe stated)

 

[Leon103]

I would have been late going out....

 

[GHW]

Sparging is tedious with the gf, I have to say, very slow.

 

[brumbrew]

You will be surprised. It may turn out the best you will ever brew.

Since its tour first take it as an exercise in familiarizing yourself with the equiptment.

I'm sure my first brew had a slight copper taste, but then again the chiller probly wasn't as clean as it could have been.

Don't fret, practice will indeed make perfect.

But yea, I'd have just been late.

 

[stuart_A]

For those saying they'd have just been late. Your wife must be far more forgiving than mine. She was already rather peeved that I'd taken the day 9ff work to brew beer while she looked after the new born and did jobs round the house. I couldn't push it any more.

Anyway, got home tonight and it's bubbling away. Fingers crossed.

Having issues with my brew fridge over and undershooting. Not sure why was working a treat when I practiced with it beforehand. My bucket has a built in thermometer and it's reading 20.5 anyway but I've set the fridge at 19 but I'm catching it at 16.5 sometimes with the heating light on. As I say isn't effecting the fv internal temp yet but still frustrating.

 

[Slid]

Stop the boil, use the time you had to cool it with the counter flow. Start boil again when you get back. The chiller will bring the temp down enough that you won't get many extra ibus.

No idea how it would turn out though.

I would just have turned it off and left it with the lid on. The IBU's will be extracted, during the unwanted hiatus and then on return, get it back to a boil and proceed from the 15min point on the recipe.

That, is from the cool and calm position of hindsight. On the day, I might well have flapped around like a seagull on a windy day and made a big mess.

 

[MyQul]

I'm really tempted to change the thread title to, 'What would Jesus have done?' like those American t-shirts/bumper stickers you see on the web :lol: (reckon he would have made a crackin HBer btw)

 

[mike-os]

Think I would have turned off and chilled , then restarted the timer once the wort came back on the boil, not sure 45 min is enough to ensure a proper boil and achieve the desired og, , and may affect Bittering,.

 

[geetee]

For those saying they'd have just been late. Your wife must be far more forgiving than mine. She was already rather peeved that I'd taken the day 9ff work to brew beer while she looked after the new born and did jobs round the house. I couldn't push it any more.

Anyway, got home tonight and it's bubbling away. Fingers crossed.

Having issues with my brew fridge over and undershooting. Not sure why was working a treat when I practiced with it beforehand. My bucket has a built in thermometer and it's reading 20.5 anyway but I've set the fridge at 19 but I'm catching it at 16.5 sometimes with the heating light on. As I say isn't effecting the fv internal temp yet but still frustrating.

Does she not realise that all those things are just real life and not as important as beer.

Couldn't help wondering that when you said got home and it's bubbling away, is that the beer or the wife?

 

[stuart_A]

update:

I managed to hold off peeking in the FV until today at 5 days since pitching.

The OG was 1.060 and the SG today was 1.024. Does this seem ok?? The FG im aiming for is 1.010. I've had it at a consistent 19degrees. should i up the temp?

It smelt great but tasted very bitter but other than that no discernible off flavours.

Does this look typical for this stage?

 

[brumbrew]

It's only 5 days I'd let it sit for another 5 at least.

Looks on target though. :-)

 

[stuart_A]

Update:

So gravity is now 1010 or there abouts. I will test gain tomorrow but plan to rack to secondary on Saturday evening to empty my FV for Sunday brew day.

Anyway, the sample on took has sat in a glass on the table for the past 30 mins and I've just noticed white sediment on the floor of the glass. The beer is far from transparent.

Firstly, is this normal and secondly should I try cold crashing it before racking on Saturday or should I just transfer to secondary, dry hop and then cold crash just before bottling? Im planning about 10 days in secondary at room temp then dry hop at 13 degrees for 4or5 days just not sure if I should squeeze in a quick chill before the transfer?

Any thoughts?

 

[JapanBrew]

You need to get the same reading for at least 3 days. That time is very important to the yeast. It has to clean up its mess. If not, you'll get this buttery taste called daicetyl. If it happens it will go away over time but it's a good idea to let the yeast do its thing.
But 1.010 from 1.060, nice job. Little dry but the alcohol at that level will give it a nice sweet taste.
I don't do secondary. Just throw the hops in then after a week, cold crash then bottle. But do not leave the dry hops in too long. You'll get this grassy taste.

Good job bud.

 

[stuart_A]

Thanks JapanBrew

I was hoping to clear my FV on sturdy evening so I can fill it with my next brew. I had a reading of 1.013 on Tuesday and the 1.010 Thursday. If it reads the same tonight and then again Sat evening the I guess that's 3 days in a row. But if I'm adding it to a secondary for a couple of weeks before dry hops wouldn't that give it ample time to clean up, just in a fresh vessel off the yeast cake? Or am I missing something?

 

[mike-os]

Racking to a secondary is ok as long as it has an air trap, ... as you are dry hopping you really want something with a wide top so you can get in to clean it. Ie another fv lol.....

Can you not use your secondary as an fv?

I leave at least 2 weeks in fv before dry hopping for 4 to 5 days this allows everything to clean up and settle out before racking and bottling

Best not to be in too much of a rush to get things bottled/kegged. .. works out better in the long run

 

[stuart_A]

My plan was to move the beer from my primary FV to a secondary on Saturday night. This is a 23L bucket with an airlock. I planned to keep it here at c20-22degrees for 10 more days and then add my hops (in a bag) for 4days, dropping the temp at this poitn to ~14degreesC. Then bottle; 2 weeks hot, 2 weeks cold. Then drink.

 

[Covrich]

It is up to you of course but I would just leave it in the primary FV and dry hop in that