Brew Day Stories and/or Pics

1. My First BIAB - Fullers London Pride

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   First post by Emdiesse, 8 years ago

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   Hi All, I have completed my first AG, first BIAB, first time away from a kit brew day :)
   
   I have Graham Wheelers book and I am having a go at the Fullers London Pride recipe.
   
   After some consideration i am doing 1 (imperial) gallon batch though in a 12 litre stockpot as it takes me ages to get through a 25L brew so with 1/5th the amount I should get to have more brew days and get to experiment more this way - i have a 50L kettle but for the meantime i think tiny 1 gallon batches will be a great...

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   What was the temperature of your wort in the hydro? It should be very close to the calibrated rating with little to no adjustment factor.
   
   Sent from my XT1053 using Tapatalk
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   Last post by Mad_Scientist
   8 years ago
2. Ectoplasm from Kettle Tap

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   First post by dom, 10 years ago

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   So whilst transferring from kettle to the fermenter I noticed some grey coloured jelly/ectoplasm type thing come out. I fished it out and had a closer inspection only to confirm it was indeed a grey jelly/ectoplasm/snot thing.
   Suspecting my ball valve I unscrewed it and found more of the grey matter inside. I've never flushed out the valve or took it out before, I only used to run water through it. So for all of you with taps and valve and thermometers, make sure you clean it properly or you...

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   Previous posts on cleaning the kettle's ball valve saved my behind. I avoided embarrassment because I thoroughly cleaned the darn thing after reading those and found a threatening color in the deal. It would have been a major failure for me after my line of work involving GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) and CBT (Clean By Test) procedures where it's not clean unless you clean it, and it's not proven clean until you prove it. I much prefer non-GMP work where one can get away with Don't look,...
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   Last post by ShorePoints
   8 years ago
3. so what's mine come to in efficiency?

   2 Replies 4780 Views

   First post by JohnnyBrewGood, 8 years ago

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   So for my second ever BIAB I used 8 lbs Dom. 2 row.
   
   @ 5.5 gal into my fermenter, OG was 1.042 @ 60'
   
   online calc says OG should be 1.040 @ %75 so what's mine come to in efficiency at 1.042? More than %75 right?
   
   My first batch I think I got %60+, so as recommended I crushed a lot finer.
   
   Guess it worked?
   
   Beer is for a party for a friend. Mixed crowd. wanted a simple beer working with what I had on hand.
   
   Recipe:
   
   8 lbs 2 row mash at 154 for one hour BIAB
   full boil one hour.
   .5 OZ Columbus 60...

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   JBG, there is a big difference between kettle and fermentor efficiencies. Have a read of Clear Brewing Terminology first and then MS or others should be able to answer your question more precisely.
   
   :peace:
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   Last post by PistolPatch
   8 years ago
4. First BIAB is in the books

   4 Replies 6685 Views

   First post by JohnnyBrewGood, 8 years ago

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   Yesterday I brewed my first BIAB and my first all grain, and my first all grain I crushed myself and the first time I used my carona (knockoff) mill.
   
   A whole lotta firsts. I hope all the firsts dont add up to crap'ola.
   
   I live in a remote area (an Island) and getting ingredients is a challenge but I made friends with the local brewery brewmaster and agreed to sell me some grain. He said it was Munich 2 row.
   
   He sold me 10 lbs so I brewed 10 lbs worth lol
   
   Figured I would do my first SMASH...

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   Racked into keg last night.
   
   VERY TASTY!!!
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   Last post by JohnnyBrewGood
   8 years ago
5. First up BIABasket

   2 Replies 4736 Views

   First post by Bellybuster, 8 years ago

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   Recently just sold my single tier 3 vessel system and downgraded (so I thought) to a 20 gallon singe vessel BIABASKET system. It uses a 400 micron SS mesh basket.
   Love at first brew..... Turns out I have upgraded, not downgraded.
   
   Quite strange seeing the entire water volume mixed with the grain, felt and looked like not enough grain.
   Hit my OG bang on with a setting of 75% in Beersmith.
   
   I am a convert..... Why oh why would I have been using 3 vessels all these years?

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   thanks for the reply. I like Beersmith due to the ability of it to go between Mac and iPhone/ipad
   I have looked at BIABacus but so far like what I know. That could change of course, we shall see
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   Last post by Bellybuster
   8 years ago
6. Good News - I figured out this 90 minute mash thing !

   9 Replies 12208 Views

   First post by soccerdad, 9 years ago

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   Like everyone else, when I first started brewing - and researching all grain brewing I had 60 minutes etched into my stone tablets, just like old Moses himself. 60 minute mash - 60 minute boil - with very few variations and those mostly on the boil side .. boil pilsner for 90, etc.
   
   So my research gets me to this crazy place called biabrewing and these nut jobs are talking about a 90 minute mash - they must be crazy! Maybe it's a typo. Meantime I am mashing for 60 (like it says in the old...

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   Just leave the f***ing mash alone for the 90 minutes, already! (Use a sleeping bag or similar to maintain the mash temp.)
   
   That's what I did with my last batch.
   
   Previously, I would over / undershoot my target temperature and was constantly fiddling. This time, wrapped the kettle with an old quilt, covered it with a heavy duty garbage bag and left it for 90 minutes. Went from 149°F to 147°F.
   
   Hit all my numbers and the fermentation is going according to plan.
   
   It is tempting to want to do...
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   Last post by Primavera
   8 years ago
7. First full sized BIAB

   6 Replies 8830 Views

   First post by bowserm, 9 years ago

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   So I finally got some nice weather here in Nova Scotia to break out the new propane burner I bought to do my beer outside instead of in the kitchen on my stovetop.
   
   I filled by 9gallon turkey frier with 7 gallons of water, heated to 163 then started adding my 14.5 pounds of grain for an IPA. Turns out 7 gallons of water and 14.5 pounds of grain is way too much for a 9 gallon pot, and I ended up with about 1 pound of grains left in my crush bucket... no problem whats a little water going down...

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   @Bowserm it's an excellent hobby but you make a lot of mistakes that you learn from as you gain experience. Fortunately these mistakes very rarely result in a dumper
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   Last post by Lars
   9 years ago
8. Sharps Golden Citrus Ale - First Biab

   4 Replies 7148 Views

   First post by SwiftG40, 9 years ago

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   Hi Everyone
   
   The grain pack I used (link below)... I chose the Safale S-04 option
   
   Well I've brewed my first Biab now and it's in the fermenter in my fermentation fridge at 18 - 20 degrees bubbling away nicely. The brew went well I think for my first one and I used biabacus for all my working out (That takes some getting used to). I kept the mash between 65.5 and 67 degrees for the 90 minutes, drained & squeezed the grain bag then boiled for 60 min to the instructions adding hops when...

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   Hey SwiftG40,
   
   The Brewing Classic Styles is a great book if you want lots of good recipes. And the recipes are easily scalable if you want them a little lighter or heavier in body... This way is a great intermediate step between buying a kit from someone else and actually designing your own recipe!
   
   Best of luck!
   
   Scott
   
   Thanks for that Scott I'll have a look at that book!
   
   This brew has had eight days fermenting and been in secondary for eight days now so I'm going to put 2 Gal in a pressure...
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   Last post by SwiftG40
   9 years ago
9. 1st BIAB small batch

   2 Replies 4777 Views

   First post by Blinky, 9 years ago

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   Hi folks,
   
   Just did my first all grain brew today, got a 12l stock pot, managed to get about 9l and its now fermenting in 3 demijohns..... I got the base recipe from a book my son gave me for christmas, I used centennial rather than cascade 'cos that what I had in the freezer, think I went a bit overboard with the hops but then they have been in the freezer since December so thought they ay not be 100% fresh...
   Turned out my efficiency must have been over 80% as at one point the gravity was...

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   Bubbling away nicely now....
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   Last post by Blinky
   9 years ago
10. First All-Grain (pics)

    17 Replies 18856 Views

    First post by mthanry, 9 years ago

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    Hi,
    
    On Feb 14th, I decided to do my fist all-grain. I initially wanted to do the Ruabeoir but Ididn't have any Pale Crystal so I replaced it with some Crystal 120L and I had a pack of Safale S-04 lying around and decided to use it and used Irish moss instead of Whirlfloc… It's all about experimenting as well, right?
    
    My setup to prevent the bag from burning:
    
    All set to add the grain:
    
    STC-1000 says it's time!
    
    No dough ball… smells nice:
    
    Rolling boil:
    
    Time to hop in:
    
    A bit...

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    Well,
    
    I just gave it a try (yes, it is 1pm, so what?) and it tastes fantastic despite bottled only 3 weeks ago. There is however something wrong with the carbonation (I think).
    
    When pouring, there is an obvious coarse carbonation and it looks like pouring coke in the glass (colour is quite close actually) without any head forming. That beer has actually no head at all. Once poured in the glass, the bubbles are much finer but still a bit agressive in mouth.
    
    G'day mthanry, I'm still using...
    17 Replies
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    Last post by blu_afro
    9 years ago
11. You must learn from the mistakes of others

    8 Replies 10136 Views

    First post by Primavera, 9 years ago

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    You can't possibly live long enough to make them all yourself
    
    Posting my first BIAB mistakes for other FNG's to avoid.
    
    The good:
    Did a test boil and had my evaporation rate dialed in and knew the propane stove was working.
    Made a starter and had it up to speed at the appropriate time
    Rigged a hoist and tested before starting
    
    The bad:
    Poor organization – Had two cardboard boxes; one with ingredients and one with equipment. No table to work from meant I was constantly looking for the last...

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    I made a winter warmer based on an old english porter.
    
    I added in figs and liquorice. I did not want my usual 30 litres (could never drink that much in the Christmas period, do I have the recipe, all except the liquorice. It was like drinking Basset Alsorts.
    
    So rather than waste it, I brewed up a second, weaker dark ale and blended. Still ended up with 30 litres but at least it was drinkable.
    
    My advice, never adjust the recipe on the fly, once you have started brewing.
    8 Replies
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    Last post by Yettiman
    9 years ago
12. My first brew at my 5th Wheel RV

    11 Replies 11731 Views

    First post by OldGoat, 9 years ago

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    OK...Although I have been brewing for MANY years, this is only my third BIAB, and my first at my 5th Wheel RV. As some of you already know, I have retired and my wife and I full-time it in our RV. I used to use a 3-tier brewing system, but downgraded (in size....) to a BIAB system due to the space constraints. Over the past month, I brewed my first two BIAB batches (Dr. Smurto's Golden Ale and an Irish Red) at a friend's house while I was getting the hang of BIAB. That way, I had his help and...

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    Thanks Windrider!
    
    PistolPatch,
    I think I used to do that (cover kettle) years ago. Funny how, for some unknown reason you stop doing something a specific way and it never occurs to you to go back to that routine. (talking about ME of course). It IS a good idea to cover the wort and I am going to start doing it again. Thanks for the tip!
    
    In the future I intend to get some scenic pictures as well. There isn't much at the place I am presently, so I concentrated on the beer.... Expect better...
    11 Replies
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    Last post by OldGoat
    9 years ago
13. 2nd BIAB results - Irish Red

    3 Replies 5393 Views

    First post by Brew4me, 9 years ago

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    BIAB #2 – Irish Red – overall went pretty good. Improvement over 1st BIAB but not there yet. Nice color and it tastes like it’s going to be pretty good – now quietly fermenting…
    
    Attached is the BIABacus file – I did not hit the numbers, but like this site is teaching me- first focus on process and don’t put too much in all the numbers. With that said working to understand my results. Any input on the file is appreciated.
    
    I did solve part of my #1 BIAB mistakes. My measuring bucket for the...

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    Couple things from the “Some Common Reasons for a Low Efficiency Reading” link that I will work for the next brew –
    1.Pick up a second thermometer (for comparing temps)
    2.Make sure the bag is fully open and free of folds (something I did notice – may have restricted some flow). Will also check my bag to make sure not too fine
    3.Agitate and check temperature more during mash
    4.I do have a water softener, I’ll pick up a water kit and see what my readings are
    
    While this goes without saying… I...
    3 Replies
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    Last post by Brew4me
    9 years ago
14. My first BIAB

    8 Replies 9471 Views

    First post by OldGoat, 9 years ago

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    A picture of my first BIAB. Dr Smurto's Golden Ale. Although I have a good turkey fryer base, I wanted to try my Volcano Grill. It is only 15K BTU, but on the plus side, a breeze doesn't affect the flame nearly as much...no shield needed. Took about 50 minutes to take the mash water from 55 to 158F. And then another 20 minutes to get it to boil after the mash. All-in-all, a good first BIAB.
    
    OldGoat

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    Took about 50 minutes to take the mash water from 55 to 158F.
    
    OldGoat
    
    Goat
    
    Just finished my first BIAB. While I was waiting for it to warm up a bit outside, I put two 16L pots on the stove on low and heated 5G/20L of water to about 175°F. When I was ready to start brewing, I just dumped the water into my kettle and added two more gallons to get me to my target volume / temperature.
    
    Saved quite a bit of propane and time.
    
    Chris
    8 Replies
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    Last post by Primavera
    9 years ago
15. Chinook Pale Ale - BIAB #1

    4 Replies 6425 Views

    First post by valleyred72, 9 years ago

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    Well, I've treated this as an experimental run through, with the intention of something to drink at the end of it whatever it tastes like.
    
    Kit brewing has been valuable in getting me used to terminology etc but I dont want 40 pints at a time, so looking for around 20 bottles out of each batch.
    
    18 Litres of Water at 68°c
    2.5kg Maris Otter pale malt
    Mashed for 90 minutes.
    Boil for 90 minutes after mashout.
    12g chinnok leaf @ 75minutes.
    14g chinnok leaf @ 30 minutes.
    18g chinnok leaf @ 10...

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    Sorry VR, missed your post above until now.
    
    Congrats on your first two brews :salute:. Not sure if our posts above have helped but let us know if you need any help on the next batch.
    
    ;)
    PP
    4 Replies
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    Last post by PistolPatch
    9 years ago
16. irish red/advice PLEASE.

    10 Replies 11734 Views

    First post by onkeltuka, 9 years ago

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    Brewed Ruabeoir from BCS today. Everything went smoothly until I decided to start improvising. The original plan was to go no-chill,but As there's a lot of snow here,I thought that we'll chill the wort in no time by digging the kettle into the snow bank. I rehydrated the US-05. After boil there was about 40 liters left in the kettle and we carried it outside,waited for 15 mins and took a temp reading which was something like 82C! We eere in a bit of hurry by this time,and I thought it'll never...

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    Mine came out quite dark as well... I'll probably adjust the recipe next time
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    Last post by safebrew222
    9 years ago
17. My Second BIAB- Altbier

    18 Replies 17063 Views

    First post by Johnny Mac, 9 years ago

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    Hi Guys,
    
    The brew bug has struck! This past weekend I brewed my second BIAB batch, that makes two in three weeks. I can really see myself getting into a routine of brewing every other week. I have been and will continue to do small batches of 2 gallons so that I can get in a lot of brews to gain experience without filling my basement with beer bottles.
    
    I made the recipe myself, with strong inspiration from the Kaiser Alt recipe on another site. Attached is the BIABacus.
    
    The brew went well!...

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    Thanks for the advice PP, especially the volume/ gravity into boil. Common sense, but good advice. One thing I've done to allow myself to quickly gauge volume is marking graduations in liter increments on my brewing paddle.
    
    Today I'll be brewing the same grain bill for the 3rd time. This time I'm going to leave the gravity high and hop accordingly, with Galaxy, for an imperial IPA (target BU/GU of 1:1). It'll be a little outside the style guides, bridging the imperial amber and imperial IPA,...
    18 Replies
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    Last post by Johnny Mac
    9 years ago
18. My first BIAB - NRB's All Amarillo

    3 Replies 5572 Views

    First post by carmenb1059, 9 years ago

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    My first BIAB - NRB's All Amarillo APA :thumbs:

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    I've had your thread book-marked for several days Carmen. Firstly, to say congratulations. A first all-grain brew day is a big achievement so :clap: :clap: :clap:.
    
    On someone's first AG, I always try and give some feedback as well. Choice of recipe... excellent! As for the process side of things, we can only work off the pictures... bag shape and porosity looks excellent. Only possible criticism I might have is that the insulation leads me to suspect that you may have skimped on agitating the...
    3 Replies
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    Last post by PistolPatch
    9 years ago
19. -20c BIAB

    5 Replies 6163 Views

    First post by goulaigan, 9 years ago

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    Well I had my mind made up I was brewing my Superior Saison (named for the lake I live beside) last weekend. Ice fishing Saturday and brewing Sunday, all OK'd with the boss, everything ready. Unfortunately it was -25c Sunday morning... :shock:
    
    My cutoff is usually -20 since the propane doesn't seem to flow too well at anything colder, but I gotta brew when I can squeeze it in, so figured what the heck. By the time I milled my grain the temp rose to about -20 so it was all good. :party:...

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    Not sure about Australia, but in Canada the law kinda frowns on home distilleries... And I don't really like spirits anyway so wouldn't do me much good... I do love my homebrew tho, and brewing beer in the cold is a walk in the park compared to working on snowmobiles and vehicles out in the snowbank. I can brew almost entirely without taking my gloves off, not so much when trying to pretend to be a mechanic. It isn't pleasant tho when you do take the gloves off to pull the bag and than grab the...
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    Last post by goulaigan
    9 years ago
20. My 1st biab, in the bag

    9 Replies 10020 Views

    First post by jimbeefish, 9 years ago

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    This is my 1st ever grain.
    Marris otter, Med crystal malt
    3 lots of east Kent goldings.
    a sw American pale ale, just simple recipe for starting,
    
    My 32 litre boiler at temp

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    Spot on mally, I'm using taptalk. app from my phone which obviously has limited features, I went straight onto website via browser and its just as you guys explained, so will have another go with pics when I've got something to show, thanks again
    Jim
    9 Replies
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    Last post by jimbeefish
    9 years ago
21. First BIAB - Pale Galaxy SMaSH

    4 Replies 7393 Views

    First post by milligan, 10 years ago

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    I finally pulled the finger out and had a crack at my first BIAB, which happened to be my first All Grain, as well.
    
    BIABacus Pre-Release 1.3 RECIPE REPORT
    BIAB Recipe Designer, Calculator and Scaler.
    (Please visit onclick= window.open(this.href);return false; for the latest version.)
    Smash Pale Galaxy
    
    Recipe Overview
    
    Brewer:
    Style:
    Source Recipe Link:
    
    Original Gravity (OG): 1.046
    IBU's (Tinseth): 28.2
    Bitterness to Gravity Ratio: 0.61
    Colour: 8 EBC = 4.1 SRM
    ABV%: 4.45...

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    Just trawling the site and was reading this thread and recognized it as mine.
    
    This was a while ago now but I had to toss this beer as it became vinegar. I went away and left it unattended for about 4 weeks with no temperature control. However I dont think this woyld be the reason for the vinegar. Perhaps it was my use of homemade no-rinse sanitiser.
    
    No real notes as it was months and months ago.
    
    In hindsight I probably should have bottled a little of the vinegar. Nothing like a little pale...
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    Last post by milligan
    9 years ago
22. First AG Stout - maybe this weekend...

    2 Replies 4440 Views

    First post by Hiebster, 9 years ago

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    Planning on trying my first batch of all grain this weekend and, yes, it's gonna be a stout (what else is there?). This is the recipe I'll be using although I've only got about a 19 litre pot so I'm gonna have to scale it down a bit:
    
    7 pounds, Crushed pale malt
    2 pounds, Flaked barley
    1 pound, crushed roast barley
    1 ounce, Colmbus hops
    3 ounces, northern brewer hops
    1 tsp. CaCO3 (if you are in a soft water area)
    Yeast - Safale S-04
    
    I didn't get any other notes as far as the process goes so...

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    Hiebster
    
    Joshua has given you the best bit of advice you are likely to get at this stage of the process. Download and look at BIABacus.
    
    Fill in sections B, C and then watch the result for TWN in section K as you change the OG in section C and the VIF in section B. Play around with those two numbers keeping TWN less than 19 litres.
    
    My rough calcs show that if you use all of your grain you will make about 3 litres VIF at about 16.8%. A pint of that and you may not know whether the beer is a...
    2 Replies
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    Last post by majorphill
    9 years ago
23. Missed my og on NRB's Amarillo apa

    9 Replies 10865 Views

    First post by c_squared, 9 years ago

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    This was my third biab brew day and the first one where I tried the recipe listed above. I got a new kettle for Christmas so not only am I still learning the process for biab but I also had to get to grips with the kettle.
    
    The brew day actually went very smoothly. The pre boil Gravity was 1.040 with the estimated value being 1.041. I was happy with this and knew that I had managed to keep a reasonably constant temperature throughout the 90 minute mash.
    
    After the 90 boil I took another...

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    Ok cool, thanks for the help!!
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    Last post by c_squared
    9 years ago
24. First brew - burned the bag...

    10 Replies 10898 Views

    First post by Hiebster, 9 years ago

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    The title says it all. Don't feel I need to add anything, except that it was AWESOME - and by awesome, I mean not very...

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    Or even post a bit more in this thread about your brew day in detail and there'll be a few people about to hive you some pointers.
    
    BIAB is like driving a manual car, when you first do it it seems like there are an impossible number of things happening at once to control but a few brews in you'll be wondering what all the fuss was about!
    10 Replies
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    Last post by Contrarian
    9 years ago
25. First BIAB - NRBs All Amarillo APA

    5 Replies 7511 Views

    First post by jeatmon, 9 years ago

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    First, thanks to all those who post here, the information and support is invaluable.
    
    I'm ready to do my first BIAB, using the recipe for NRBs All Amarillo APA.
    
    Attached is my BIABacus.
    
    I've got a ~5 gal kettle, and I'm expecting ~2 gal to go into packaging, producing ~20 12 oz bottles.
    
    Could someone review it, and please let me know if I've got the numbers right.
    
    Thanks again !
    
    Jim

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    Thanks for everyones help on my first BIAB, things are going pretty much to plan.
    OG = 1.050
    
    Been cooking for 16 days, bubbles have stopped and 99% of the yeast cake is on the bottom of the carboy.
    Took a sample, it's very clear, nice color, tastes good.
    Current FG = 1.0161
    
    Things of note:
    
    1) Mash temp was high, was 155+ more often than not
    2) After 10 days, still had a very large yeast cake on top, advice here on the forum was to swirl it around. I did this for three days in a row, and...
    5 Replies
    7511 Views
    Last post by jeatmon
    9 years ago