Birth of a Beer...

just bought a 3 way co2 distributor. i've begun collecting parts for my new kegerator.

going to see if the wife can scoop a chest freezer on black friday for me to use.

also ordered my beer gun, should be here today or tomorrow, so i can easily bottle from a keg.

now to find a recipe for brewing on saturday...
 
Just bought all the stuff to make my mash tun. Going to do my first all grain beer this weekend. Going to do one using a well known recipe with good reviews. Then I'll start learning how to make my own recipes.
 
Pics please tshile :)

Got a starter ready to brew an Imperial Stout this weekend. Then next weekend I'll be brewing a favorite of mine, 'Winter Warmer'.
 
Nah...never found it necessary. If I'm doing anything other than an ale or session beer, I do usually do a starter a couple days ahead of time. Never had any problems...
 
tshile said:
Hah. Cheap & Easy 10 Gallon Rubbermaid MLT Conversion - Home Brew Forums
That's the mash tun km making today.

Here's the beer im making
All-Grain - Bee Cave Brewery Haus Pale Ale - Home Brew Forums

I'll see if I can get some pictures.

Do you use a stir plate?
Click to expand...

I made the same exact mashtun 10 years ago and its going strong. I would strongly recommend you use that teflon tape on your threads (if you haven't already put it together) as it will ensure you don't have any leaks down the road. I have another 10 gallon rubbermaid that I use for my sparge tank. That beer looks good too :)
 
That's the one I have too :)
 
I ordered a hose from NB and they send me the wrong length. Called them up - no questions asked, right part in the mail. Obviously not worth returning a 2$ hose, so I get to keep that too.

Very happy with that place so far. Thanks for the recommendation.
 
tshile said:
I ordered a hose from NB and they send me the wrong length. Called them up - no questions asked, right part in the mail. Obviously not worth returning a 2$ hose, so I get to keep that too.

Very happy with that place so far. Thanks for the recommendation.
Click to expand...

Yeah, they have always been great in my experience, I've steered a number of folks their way...
 
Boone/Neo - i need you to look over this and correct me where I'm wrong. The instructions I have compensate for heat loss when adding additional water to the mash, but I think they assume you know your system well enough to set up the initial strike water.

I needed a target mash of 152
10.5 pounds of grain
starting with 3.5 gallons/14 quarts

(.2/(14/10.5)(152 - 70) + 152 = 164 for strike temp

I got my water up to 170, then put it in the cooler and stirred until it hit 164, then added the grain.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
tshile said:
Boone/Neo - i need you to look over this and correct me where I'm wrong. The instructions I have compensate for heat loss when adding additional water to the mash, but I think they assume you know your system well enough to set up the initial strike water.

I needed a target mash of 152
10.5 pounds of grain
starting with 3.5 gallons/14 quarts

(.2/(14/10.5)(152 - 70) + 152 = 164 for strike temp

I got my water up to 170, then put it in the cooler and stirred until it hit 164, then added the grain.
Click to expand...

I'm lazy - I use an online mash calculator Green Bay Rackers--Mash Calculators
I get a strike temp of 168 plugging in your numbers. The only issue with doing it the way you're describing is that you're not taking into account that the addition of the grain will lower the mash temp as well. I get my water to the strike temp, then mix the grain and water, stir it really well with a mash paddle, and THEN check the temp of the mash. That is the most accurate method in my experience. If it's not warm enough, I have some boiling water on hand to raise the temp, or I can add cool water. I also try not to obsess about it being exact. You want to get close, but it doesn't have to be perfect. I'll tell you a secret - I NEVER do a mashout. I know you're supposed to, but I find with my coleman mashtun that it takes SO much boiling water added to get the mash to 170 degrees, I just skip it. What I do instead is I get my sparge water up to 180 degrees or so that when I'm sparging, it's at least 170 degrees when it hits the grain. I have never had any problems doing it that way and it's simpler than worrying about a 'mashout'.
 
i need to get a different floating thermometer. i just broke my second one and had to start my pot of water over.
 
tshile said:
i need to get a different floating thermometer. i just broke my second one and had to start my pot of water over.
Click to expand...

I just have a long glass one. Amazing I haven't broken it over the years...
 
Just got a huge commercial freezer to turn into a Kegerator. Super excited now.
 
Got an Imperial Stout in my closet that's as dark as tar. The regular grain bill was about 13 lbs. I didn't think that was anywhere near enough, so I doubled it using some 2 row I had. This should be a helluva beer. Will need to age at least 4 months. But I'm thinking I'm going to bottle it at about 6 months and let it sit for another 6. That will be a major test of discipline.

Brewing today as well. Making a 'Winter Warmer', another strong beer. This one should be ready by the end of January.
 
The sights and sounds of sparging....

[video]http://www.bgobsession.com/images/brewing.mov[/video]
 
Who has two thumbs and is going to the National Homebrewers Conference this year? This guy! Merry Christmas to me!

Have I mentioned that I love my wife? Yes, yes I do!
 
Neophyte said:
Who has two thumbs and is going to the National Homebrewers Conference this year? This guy! Merry Christmas to me!

Have I mentioned that I love my wife? Yes, yes I do!
Click to expand...

Wow - I didn't even know such a thing existed. Color me jealous!
 
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