Display posts from previous
Sort by

My first ever brew and BIAB success

Post #1 made 13 years ago
by porchfiddler
I did a lot of reading on this forum before I got started with my first brew. I had just got back from a trip to North Yorkshire where I attended a real ale festival in Richmond, the festival really got me interested in trying to create the "northern" pint back here in Richmond, VA. My favourite beer was the well documented and loved Tim Taylor's Landlord but Black Sheep's bitter was great too and I had listened to CYBI Black Sheep Riggwelter episode so I decided to go with Black Sheep's Bitter.
I used a recipe from Graham Wheelers Brew your own British Real Ale and gathered my grist and supplies from our fantastic homebrew shop here in Richmond, Original Gravity. My wife made me a bag which came out great and a hop bag and I made a insulated cover for the Kettle, a 10.5 gallon polarware. I made a controller for a used freezer I had bought.
The brew day did not go perfectly, I got to my strike temp and added my grain but the temperature kept climbing even though had turned off the gas. In a panic I threw in some ice cubes and got the temp down some only to find out later that my thermometer was 10 degrees high! Everything else went as planned and I did a no-chill to an aquatainer. The next day I transferred it to a Better Bottle and pitched my Wyeast 1469 and stuck it in the freezer. It took off after about 12 hours and then went crazy! I kept it at 65 degrees for three days and then let it climb to 68 degrees for three more where I took it down to 50 degrees for a week. My original gravity was supposed to be 1046 but I ended up with 1045 and the final was 1010. I bottled it and here you see it after a week and a half, it needs a couple more weeks to carb better but it tastes good but It's definitely beer, I give myself a 6.5 out of 10. It has nice colour, it's got a bit of a dry bitter aftertaste but improves when it warms up and could use a bit more carbonation and head. I'm pretty pleased with it and have an English IPA pitched on the yeast cake. Thanks so much everybody for your help!!!
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.

Post #2 made 13 years ago
by Lylo
Great job porchfiddler you will grow to love the process!
I hate to knock the wind out of your sails but,those are not new mistakes by any means.
We have all made them at one time or other and just like you sometimes all on the same brew!
It looks like we don`t need to remind you to have fun.
By the way,your camera was upside down for some of the pics,or were you standing on your head. :scratch:
Or maybe you are from are down under. :lol:
Sorry something has happened to my question mark slash key when I hit it I get É or é !! Off topic but HELP!!
Lylo
AWOL

Post #5 made 13 years ago
by porchfiddler
so it's upside down to you also? Congrats to you also
uk brewer wrote:well done ... :clap:

did my 1st biab this wekend and it went really well..

thats some beer you have there that can stick to the glass like that ,.... :whistle:
Last edited by porchfiddler on 27 Nov 2012, 08:13, edited 2 times in total.

Post #6 made 13 years ago
by PistolPatch
Lylo wrote:Or maybe you are from are down under. :lol:
Just checked from down under. Pics 1 and 2, I had to stand on my head. Pic 3, I lay down. Pic 4 looks fine as I type :lol:.

Congratulations porch :clap:. What a great colour on that beer!

Sorry to hear you got caught by the dodgy thermometer. Make sure you collect 3 or 4 cheap thermometers so as you can spot a dodgy one. What sort of thermometer did you have? Sometimes the ones with a flexible digital probe can get 'dirty' and will stick at a certain temp and then suddenly jump. Only discovered this recently :lol:.

And an English IPA on the yeast cake eh? Nice work.

:salute:
PP
Last edited by PistolPatch on 27 Nov 2012, 18:52, edited 2 times in total.
If you have found the above or anything else of value on BIABrewer.info, consider supporting us by getting some BIPs!
    • SVA Brewer With Over 100 Brews From Australia

Post #7 made 13 years ago
by porchfiddler
Thanks PistolPatch. I was using a Taylor digital thermometer that has a long braided cord and metal tip. I may have got it wetter than I should have. I took that thermometer and a couple of analog themometers and compared them with my fridge controller. The digital one was 10 dgrees higher than the other 3. I like the anal0g ones best, they don't fluctuate all over the place and make me freak out so much. Off topic I'm thinking of making a Yorkshire square open fermentor out of a full size stainless restaurant steaming pan,
polarware S2008D
Full Size 8" Deep
20-3/4" x 12-3/4" x 8"
29-3/4 qt.
3 - 18.5 lbs.

I'll make the upoer chamber somehow out of a lid or anther pan. I'm a bit afraid of the risk of infection but it's worth a try? while that's all rumbling around in my noggin perhaps I should improve on my other processes!

Post #8 made 13 years ago
by Lylo
I once had a Taylor and it caused lots of headaches after a few brews. If you fully submerge the probe it seems to take on liquid and no amount of drying will fix it.
AWOL

Post #9 made 13 years ago
by PistolPatch
I can't believe you already have so many thermometers. You are the man!!!

Two thing on the flexible digital probe...

1. Try boiling it in water. This might 'unstick' it. It has fixed mine several times.

2. With the probe, get a food-grade plastic container and pierce the bottomn of it with the probe. Then let the container float on the wort as in the following pic. This stops the braid getting sticky.

I know nothing on open fermentor stuff sorry. I've never read enough clear info on it so don't really understand it enough to try it let alone it's purpose :think:. Sounds like fun though :).

:peace:
PP
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
If you have found the above or anything else of value on BIABrewer.info, consider supporting us by getting some BIPs!
    • SVA Brewer With Over 100 Brews From Australia

Post #10 made 13 years ago
by porchfiddler
@Lylo and PistolPatch
I floated my analog thermo on my second brew but I never thought of using the digital! Maybe I'll give it a boil like you said and stick both of them in a plastic floater. As for the Yorkshire square I think it was just something to mull over whilst on a 15 hr drive this weekend.

Post #11 made 13 years ago
by uk brewer
talkin of thermometers ..

i floated mine ..[a meat thermo] and though it was faulty .. it was the insulation properties of the grain. .. :?

i jugged some wort out and put the thermo in it and it wizzed up.. ;)

i floated mine in a lid ..

Image
Last edited by uk brewer on 27 Nov 2012, 22:40, edited 2 times in total.
Post Reply

Return to “Brew Day Stories and/or Pics”

Brewers Online

Brewers browsing this forum: No members and 17 guests

cron