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First All-Grain (pics)

Post #1 made 10 years ago
by mthanry
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:
Image
All set to add the grain:
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STC-1000 says it's time!
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No dough ball… smells nice:
Image
Rolling boil:
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Time to hop in:
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A bit short on OG:
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I aimed at doing about 24 pints VIP batch to use up exaclty the 3 kg of Pale Ale Malt I had.

No problem during the brewing process. My OG was slightly short (I was expecting more around 1.054 OG). Pitched the yeast.

The estimated EOBV-A was 15.37 litres, y actual EOBV-A was 15.38 litres :thumbs:

I may habe been a bit too cautious (or still need to adjust my equipment parameters) regarding how much trub to leave behing because I had an actual 13 litres sharp VIF instead of the estimated 13.85 litres.

Since I only had a coopers FV available, I used it but with no chance to monitor the bubbling. A bit of floculation was visible after 12 hours but saw barely any foam from active fermentation.

Gravity after a 7 days (Feb 21st) was at 1.016, gravity after another 7 days (Feb 28th) was 1.012. So it's going down nicely but slowly. It's the first time I use that yeast so I'm not sure how it usually behaves…

It's a long wait… my stock of homebrew is down to 0…
Last edited by mthanry on 06 Mar 2015, 00:24, edited 1 time in total.

Post #2 made 10 years ago
by thughes
Great job posting up the pictorial! Safale-04 can use a bit of shaking up once in a while, don't be afraid to give the FV a rousting up to help the yeast finish. Enjoy, and get to brewing again asap to build that pipeline.

---Todd
WWBBD?
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First All-Grain (pics)

Post #4 made 10 years ago
by mthanry
Thanks for the advice Todd. I'll give it a try.

MS: yes it is a peco electrim standard not digital. I use an stc-1000 thermostat to control the temperature (once reached I set the kettle to 4 and let the stc do its job). Temperature remained within 2 degrees during mashing.


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Post #6 made 10 years ago
by mthanry
Hi Lars,

In Scotland :thumbs:

The temperature is maintained by the STC-1000 (in the wooden box) which sensor dips in the kettle.

I may mod the kettle to bypass its own thermostat.

Post #8 made 10 years ago
by alanem
I am intrigued with the use of an stc-1000 thermostat for your mash temps.
Do you have a special probe fitted for it to sit in the mash water or do you have a thermowell sort of setup ?
I Have 4 thermometers with all different readings and never thought of using my STC-1000 for that purpose.
Hmmmm :interesting: you have me thinking now....would accuracy be a problem in any way?

Welcome on board Mthanry and great post with great pics
Cheers
Al
I used to spill more than I drink these days!

Post #9 made 10 years ago
by Lars
Hi alanhem. I use the stc to hit mash temp by just dropping the probe straight in. My probe is encased in rubber. However when i hit temp, i unplug power and lag. I leave the probe in just as a digital thermometer

Post #10 made 10 years ago
by PistolPatch
Great thread mthanry and I enjoyed reading it :peace:. Here's my thoughts (includes praise and some suggestions)...

Nice simple set-up. This is very good. So often, brewers make their equipment far more complex than it needs to be. (thughes can tell you stories on that.)

I am worried that you are relying on one 'thermometer'. Even if you calibrate your thermometer at freezing and boiling point, it is unlikely it will read properly at mash temps. Read this.

You are reading too much into your measurements. Read Number Respect and Disrespect.

Buy a 'potato masher / paint stirrer'. It works much better than a spoon or traditional mash paddle. I'll leave it to someone else to post appropriate links or pics.

Congrats to you :clap:. Good job!,
PP
Last edited by PistolPatch on 07 Mar 2015, 22:29, edited 1 time in total.
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First All-Grain (pics)

Post #11 made 10 years ago
by mthanry
Thanks all for your comments.

@Alanem, PP: I use the probe that came with the STC straight into the middle of the kettle. the STC is calibrated with ice and boiling water just before brewing to prevent atmospheric pressure to affect the calibration. My readings are consistent with the other 2 thermometers I have.

Just took a gravity reading and it's still at 1.012, the same than 2 weeks ago. I don't think that it will go lower than that. Time to bottle?


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Post #15 made 10 years ago
by mthanry
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.

Post #16 made 10 years ago
by mally
You could always try this.

Or search the internet for pocket/syringe beer engine.
I do it quite a lot now, as I find it knocks out the thicker CO2 bubbles making the drink ever so slightly creamier.
Plus I have a drawer full of Calpol syringes (5ml) that are perfect for the job.

Just a thought.
Last edited by mally on 16 Apr 2015, 00:17, edited 1 time in total.
G B
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Post #17 made 10 years ago
by thughes
Give it another week or so, carbonation evolves over time. Head retention issues can have many causes too. Not having seen your recipe, I can't comment as to whether your ingredients may play into it. I typically add a half pound of carapils or wheat to aid in head retention, try it next time.

In the mean time enjoy the fruits of your first all grain brew!

---Todd
WWBBD?
    • SVA Brewer With Over 100 Brews From United States of America

Post #18 made 10 years ago
by blu_afro
mthanry wrote: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 other peoples recipes, but if I happened upon what you describe I'd give carapils/dextrine a go to improve head retention.
Great photos :drink:
Last edited by blu_afro on 17 Apr 2015, 19:59, edited 1 time in total.
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