Brew Day Stories and/or Pics

1. brew in a bag being used at a "brew on premise"

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   First post by jrodie, 11 years ago

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   I was lucky enough to get a holiday job at a local homebrew supply store this season. The owner had just opened up a brew-on-premise, allowing people to brew beer using the stores equipment at the store. He was having the customers make extract kits, but after we talked for awhile, and I showed him this site and the biabacus, he did some experimenting and now is doing full on all-grain BIAB for the brew-on-premise. He uses an engine hoist (that was already in the shop and not being used), to...

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   Thanks for your interest but write lots only if you think others may be keen. Phew!!! I can do with a break from writing lots any time. Only two things to say...
   
   1. The sparging, using firstly plain water I imagine on the first batch and then that sweet liquor on the second batch and then the resulting sweet liquor on the third batch would have resulted in 'runnings' from the fourth batch that were probably exactly the same gravity as the runnings from the first batch. In other words,...
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   Last post by PistolPatch
   11 years ago
2. First attempt at a 'slow' chill...advice needed.

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   First post by c_squared, 11 years ago

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   Hi all,
   
   Having completed a couple of BIAB brew days I want to step things up a notch and I'm planning to start with NRB's Amarillo apa recipe. I want to brew this with a slow chill step for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I don't have an immersion chiller and secondly I want to be able to eliminate as much 'faff' from the brewing process as I can. It's not so much about cutting corners, it's more because I have to juggle a busy family life and I don't want to be brewing into the early hours of...

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   Thanks pat, this is all great news! I haven't bought my hops yet so hopefully they will be ok! It's also great to get an idea of what the apa recipe should taste like in comparison to a beer that I have tasted. I am mainly focusing on this recipe as I know it has high integrity. Any errors will more than likely be mine and mine alone so I can at least learn from my experience.
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   Last post by c_squared
   11 years ago
3. 1st biab with electrim digital

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   First post by jimbeefish, 11 years ago

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   Hi all, well finally done it, my new electrim digital controlled 32litre toy arrived yesterday, and today joined the biab universe, been kit brewing for 2 years now and thanks to this wonderful site I've done the plunge, my first recipe went for something simple,
   ....SW2 APA
   6.81 lbs Maris otter
   .7 lbs crystal
   3 entries of east Kent goldings
   
   using the magical biabacus I settled for a 14litre conversion from original 25 litre, and went for 5.2 % rather than 4.9%
   Everything went great mashed...

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   Cheers guys I'm going to let be for 5 more days , so meantime I will attempt a pic upload of my homemade wort cooler I did today , it's just not about learning brewing skills but engineering skills as well lol, here goes..
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   Last post by jimbeefish
   11 years ago
4. A use for removed sample

   9 Replies 11280 Views

   First post by ShorePoints, 11 years ago

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   After measuring the Specific Gravity of the wort that will go into an opaque primary fermentation vessel, what does one do with it after tasting? I do not return it to the main batch. The ~200 mL sample goes into this clear container fitted with a bubbler.
   side.jpg
   I usually add the last dregs from the yeast container, whatever that was - bag, tube or starter jar - not worrying about cell count here. It also doesn't have to be the exact same yeast as the rest if I want to experiment with...

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   A valid point Rick, the only one I ever had break was when I found one of my sons playing with it (inside its protective case thankfully). Think I will continue living on the edge here tho, its possible of course it could break in there, but I gently place it in the center of the bucket, and the only thing it touches is the beer and my sanitized fingers... Someday I will probably go the refractometer route...
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   Last post by goulaigan
   11 years ago
5. A Chilling Innovation

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   First post by shetc, 11 years ago

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   I use a paint stirrer for mashing, etc. My friend Stanley was watching me brew today, and noticed I was using the stirrer to swirl the wort while chilling it. He suggested I hook it to the pulley system to do the stirring. Here is my son using the new Stanley Stirrer:

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   Lol shetc - that is like the epitomy of laziness. Love it!!!! Hopefully it actually does agitate the mash well enough?
   
   :peace:
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   Last post by PistolPatch
   11 years ago
6. First Brew Day Kolsch

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   First post by JerryCraft, 11 years ago

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   I did a fairly successful BIAB brew day. My first BIAB and my first all grain.
   The photo journal is here, along with my other brewing adventures.
   
   Enjoy!
   Jerry

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   Holey buckets, JerryCraft, your pictorial is the best I've seen to date. Thank you. My daughter has encouraged me to do one but I cannot top yours. As for the Kolsch, I had similar questions and results about the haze and bottling but I let it be and got great tasting beer with a little haze. I recently tried making an American Pale Ale with Kolsch yeast and got very interesting results (Whirlfloc took care of much, if not all haze) - after a repeat with some hop adjustments, I'll pass it on.
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   Last post by ShorePoints
   11 years ago
7. Today's brew - good amount off the trub?

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   First post by nicko, 11 years ago

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   Hi guys,
   
   Is this about where people draw the line?!? Thanks.

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   It sounds like you can choose to increase VAW and leave as much trub in the kettle as you want or you can leave the recipe as is and fill the cube up trub and all. I would probably increase the VAW and try to fill the cube up with as little trub and hop matter as possible so as to maximize the volume into packaging.
   
   I don't have that problem fermenting in the 6.5 US gallon carboy. I can fill it until the ball valve really starts to pick up trub and I still have plenty of space.
   
   Sounds good...
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   Last post by nicko
   11 years ago
8. Two latest brews

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   First post by onkeltuka, 11 years ago

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   I bottled today the barley wine, that was 1.113 OG and today 18 days later FG was 1.018, which translates to about 12.5% ABV. I'll wait for six months at least before opening the first one. It came out quite light colored, a dark orange, and there were some tones of raisins and toffee starting to emerge already. It was fizzing and gushing a bit when I siphoned it, so I hope I didn't bottle soon-to-be small glass bombs...
   
   Last weekend I brewed a cream ale, Weed,feed and mow from Brewing Classic...

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   Nosco, that is Correct, for everyone who Uses LDK and does not use PPG.
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   Last post by joshua
   11 years ago
9. My first BIAB

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   First post by Jazzafish, 11 years ago

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   Well, just punched out my first BIAB after a number of years on a variety of different systems.
   Overall it went ok. Used an urn controlled by one of my old PIDs. First minor issue was my PID was registering 98 deg C at a rolling boil. Only noticed at start of boil so I guess I mashed hotter than I wanted. See how it attenuates?
   The urn also only allowed for a soft rolling boil at maximum power. Internal thermostat on urn kept cutting out so only allowed a simmer. Will find a sparky to rewrite...

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   Jazza, we'll get your questions sorted when we have a beer on Thursday.
   
   Congratulations on your first one :clap:.
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   Last post by PistolPatch
   11 years ago
10. Diamonds

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    First post by HbgBill, 11 years ago

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    I came across this earlier today..... Says it ALL :shoot:

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    :):)
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    Last post by Lars
    11 years ago
11. So i did my first full mash biab

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    First post by beerlover1983, 11 years ago

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    Right i did my first full mash biab i got all my volumes etc thanks to the calculator but is this normal for the beer to look like this after boil.
    From what i have heard this will drop oy of the final product but it was a concern.

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    Excellent, thanks and sorry for high jacking the thread with a question!
    
    no problem good question as i wonderd aswell :thumbs:
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    Last post by beerlover1983
    11 years ago
12. Thank you BIABrewer

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    First post by safebrew222, 11 years ago

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    First of all.. Thank You. Thanks to this great forum. Thanks to Pat for this site and the BIABacus. I am about 2 yrs and 15 brews into my homebrew hobby. After my first 2 or 3 extract brews, I went to small batch BIAB in my 5 gal pot on the stove top. After getting kicked out of the kitchen, I mashed in a cooler and graduated to a 15g brew pot. About 10 brews later, I found out people were BIABing in their big brew pots! It took me a couple more brews until my wife sewed me up my full volume...

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    The book has both recipes so it is somewhat different.
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    Last post by safebrew222
    11 years ago
13. Disasters averted

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    First post by Epimetheus, 11 years ago

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    Disaster #1:
    Brewed a smoked porter. I brew inside on the kitchen range and during the boil the ceiling usually gets wet. It went well except - two days later the kitchen still smelled like a campfire. Like smoke damage.
    
    Had to wipe down all the surfaces. It looked odd using a mop on the ceiling.
    
    Disaster #2
    Same smoked porter. I made a starter, pitched it, and 4 days later there was no fermentation. Instead, there were tiny islands of mold floating in the wort. My guess is the yeast was old...

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    Epi... this is pretty much the reason I got kicked oit of the kitchen... but mine was a boil over...:o
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    Last post by safebrew222
    11 years ago
14. World's smallest "nano" BIAB... Proof of concept.

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    First post by InsanitySix, 11 years ago

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    I was having a lousy weekend.. And I still have an extract batch in the (primary) fermenter... But just got a cheapo Corona mill.. Decided to get it into the 5-gallon bucket and get it hooked to the cordless drill and adjust the grind. The LHBS sold me a couple of bag ends for about half price to proof the mill.
    
    I got the grind correct after about 1 Oz. of grain ground. Being cheap and never wanting to waste anything... I stuck the paint strainer bag with the grain (I went coarser to finer so...

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    Very inventive! :thumbs:
    You are going to need an awful lot of coffee cups to brew five gallons.
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    Last post by Epimetheus
    11 years ago
15. Number three: the rye-out APA

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    First post by onkeltuka, 11 years ago

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    OK, our first own original recipe. I tried to take more measurements today. We calibrated the kettle with a steel ruler.
    
    The mash went really smoothly, the temps stayed within a degree of 66 for the whole 90 mins. We mashed-out at 78 for ten minutes. I took the first gravity reading after that, was 1.048 (expected was .046). After that the FWH-hops, 36 grams of 12.5% Citra. I took another reading at flame-out, this time stirring well before scooping the sample. It said 1.062 (expected 1.060)....

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    Thanks Mally! The onkeltuka nickname goes way back to teenage years, when I had a really wild hair style. It doesn't really translate well... Finnish is a weird language, I have often times hoped to be able to hear how it sounds to a foreigner. It keeps surprising even me sometimes, it just dawned to me a couple of weeks ago that our word for world , maailma is literally earth-air ...
    
    I've been trying to learn Russian as well this summer, that's a difficult too. But it's always easier to...
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    Last post by onkeltuka
    11 years ago
16. yet more questions

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    First post by BDP, 12 years ago

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    Hi,
    
    Second batch in the bag, excuse the pun: a slightly modified version of BCS Hoppiness is an IPA .
    
    After getting a low evaporation on my first brew, I modifed the evaporation rate in section X to 5L/hr, and ended up a lot closer to the estimated volumes. I used PistolPatch's suggestion of floating a stainless steel bowl, and the boil was indeed a lot more vigorous, but the evaporation rate was the same as before. Why exactly is it better to have a vigorous boil in this case?
    
    My efficiency...

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    Hi Mad_Scientist,
    
    No, but my brewing water read 1.000 (or as near as dammit). And then either I was lazy or ran out of sugar. More than likely the former :) I should really do that last measurement sometime ... Thanks for asking :salute:
    
    The brown ale is tasting better than it did two weeks ago (so about a month after bottling now). Next time though, I'll go with a sweeter, maltier version of this style.
    
    Cheers!
    BDP
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    Last post by BDP
    11 years ago
17. Second BIAB.

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    First post by nicko, 11 years ago

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    Hi guys,
    
    Second BIAB today, I'm doing a Pacific Ale clone, I got the recipe from AHB, tried to convert it into BIABacus, got part way there and Pat helped with the rest, thanks Pat.
    
    I've increased the VIF to 41 litres, which should fill two kegs nicely, going by the volume into packaging figures in BIABacus.
    
    This brew is going really well, I'm using a whiteboard to record bits n pieces, bugger just looked at the time, time to mashout, will update more later! :salute:

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    Haha thanks gents. In fairness it's a great recipe from AHB that probably took along time for Daemon to get right, but it's nice making tasty beer!
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    Last post by nicko
    11 years ago
18. Two firsts

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    First post by SteveDQ, 11 years ago

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    Two firsts tonight.
    First BIAB session and first use of the new keggle.
    I think I'm spending more in DIY errors than I would have if I just bought the dang stuff but learning a lot.
    It's a Orange Creamsicle Cream Ale. Got the recipe off beer smith. We will see how it goes.

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    Congratulations Steve and welcome to the forum :thumbs:.
    
    Don't talk about the DIY spending :?. Hope you had fun and the at the brew day went well for you.
    
    :luck:
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    Last post by PistolPatch
    11 years ago
19. There went my BIAB virginity

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    First post by onkeltuka, 11 years ago

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    Uh. It was a long but fun day. I've spent the last month or so preparing for this first brew, and I think that it went quite nicely.
    
    The recipe was All Amarillo APA, with Amarillo substituted to Cascade.
    
    We began by adding 14 grams gypsum, 8 grams Epsom salt, 2 grams sodium chloride and 2 grams of chalk, so we ended up what Bru'nwater spreadsheet defines as Pale Ale water profile. It was quite a lot of powders so I got a bit hesitant, but the water tasted nice so I just went ahead and...

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    Going back to post #3 you said:
    hmmm. Itś 16 hrs later and no bubbles.
    
    Besides the prior comments.. wort temp and pitch rate play a big part here. But something you can consider is that one of the byproducts of fermentation is CO2.. which is what you are looking for with the bubbles. In the early stages of fermentation, that CO2 is being absorbed into the beer and it's not until it is somewhat close to a saturation point at your fermentation temperature that it will start being released to...
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    Last post by HbgBill
    11 years ago
20. Number two

    11 Replies 11611 Views

    First post by onkeltuka, 11 years ago

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    It was time for the Schwarzbier today. Or Black Ale, actually, I guess. We had our new two-ring 11,4 kW burner, and everything went quite smoothly. Only at strike-in the temps fell all the way to 61, but we got over that quickly.
    
    I tweaked the recipe so that we would end up with 27 liters into the fermenter, but probably because of the more vigorous boil we ended up losing so much liquid to evaporation, that we got just a little under 26 liters. I measured the OG at flame-out, and it was...

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    Yep, it's bottled. Got a FG of 1.012, that's 4.3% ABV, and 72% apparent attenuation; I understand US-05 should give a bit more? Anyways, it tasted really nice, malty and strong, but without any porterish or stoutish heaviness. Hoppiness was also surprisingly forward, although not too much by any means. We got fifty 0.5 liter bottles, although we aimed for 27 liters bottled, but that was probably because of the excessive evaporation during boiling.
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    Last post by onkeltuka
    11 years ago
21. First BIAB - Help me understand the numbers

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    First post by SilentBob, 11 years ago

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    So yesterday was my first BIAB attempt and I think it mostly went to plan..Did the All Amarillo APA
    Did a 90 min mash, stirred while bringing up to 78 degree mash out then a 90 min boil.
    
    Few areas where i missed the mark, but only slightly so I think it went well..
    Any thoughts on the following (BIABacus file attached with these points noted):
    
    Overshot on my strike temp a little with the mash starting around 67/68 (started at 67 but after wrapping the urn up the temp rose another degree).....

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    So I should be lowering it , or wait for more 'attempts' and then adjust after that..
    Having a lower estimate would mean I end up with more wort as opposed to not enough? All this can get a little confusing. Even I have to stop for a second when reading things like the above to make sure I haven't made a mistake :P.
    
    If you lower your evaporation rate in the BIABacus, what will happen is your Total Water Needed will drop as well. So you will start with less water and your wort should be more...
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    Last post by SilentBob
    11 years ago
22. First BIAB results

    3 Replies 5767 Views

    First post by windrider, 11 years ago

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    Hi,
    
    Wanted to share the results of my first BIAB brew (thank you for all your help). Been in bottles for about 4 weeks now.
    
    Cracked a couple of bottles open within the first 2 weeks and they didn’t taste that great (fizzy but no head showing). Left it another couple of weeks and the taste completely changed and it’s now really nice (a bit like Old Speckled Hen) came out at 5% ABV. It’s also developed a really good head 
    
    Thought I might of messed the brew up with the hop additions. Read...

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    Really nice color.
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    Last post by onkeltuka
    11 years ago
23. Shock Horror! Skink Actually Brews Something!

    14 Replies 16058 Views

    First post by Skink, 11 years ago

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    Yes, folks, believe it or not, after an age of talking about it, writing drivel, and all round procrastination, Skink has finally brewed something! And it was, well, interesting.
    
    Well, actually, it was an unmitigated disaster from start to finish; it started at the bottom, and then defied the laws of gravity by going downhill. And it went downhill faster than a German bobsleigh team on Ecstasy.
    
    The problems began the previous night; we’d bought our grain whole, and didn’t have a grain mill,...

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    Thanks for the advice, and the kind words - a name like that could feature in upcoming chronicles without any alteration! I really must get back to them - might wait until my mind has been bent (all right, bent more than normal) by the first couple of bottles of my first brew.
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    Last post by Skink
    11 years ago
24. First BIAB today.

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    First post by nicko, 11 years ago

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    Hi guys,
    
    Well what a massive day, my wife has broken her arm so that's kind of thrown this weekend into a bit of a spin to I didn't start brewing until this afternoon and just turned the burner off five minutes ago, it's about 8.30pm, I knew that if it happened any later I'd have to wait until another day.
    
    I learned a lot today, first lesson was those big 1/2 fittings (my tap) need a larger shifter than I have, so I improvised with a set of multigrips and a cloth over the nut.
    
    I hid the gas...

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    Okay results are in..
    
    Dry hopping definitely provided more aroma (excellent aroma), but seemed to start fading as that keg emptied (I definitely need to experiment more with DH though).
    
    The hop tea did add a harsh bitterness for a couple of days, and I know what people mean now by grassy flavours, but after a week or less, the aroma is nice (not as aromatic as the DH though), the flavour is really good and both the harshness and grassy flavours have gone.
    
    This beer is also quite clear now,...
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    Last post by nicko
    11 years ago
25. First BIAB brew - Saison - with questions...

    12 Replies 15698 Views

    First post by Rigging65, 11 years ago

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    So, it's been over 100 degrees for the past several days :cry: ...and it's constantly in the 90s otherwise...but I needed to brew. Got some new gear, and one of the taps is running low...it's time.
    
    We started early, about 0700 (probably could've started at 0500 and done a bit better). I got the gear all set up (new single vessel RIMS, electric). Everything went pretty much like clockwork, since I'd put in a lot of time learning BIABacus and used the info to set up a pretty detailed flow sheet...

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    Thanks folks, I'll get the paddle out!
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    Last post by Rigging65
    11 years ago