Got my AG order coming in Monday so Tuesday is the first brewday! I’m so excited to do this batch, a dunkel. I think I may be more excited then my very first batch.
Do I have to wait until my first AG is done before I can post to the AG board?
Dammit! I knew I should’ve done more reading about cooler color and efficiency. They had a blue one with wheels but I thought red was gonna give me the eff. boost I needed. Live and learn, I guess. :lol:
Yes, definitely congrats! Let us know how it goes. I’ve been doing AG for about 8 months now, and I’m still like a kid on Christmas eve before my brew day. I definitely know how you feel.
Well, it looks like you are on here enough so I’m assuming your all researched and ready to go. Hope everything rolls smoothly!
Batch sparging is a piece of cake (which with Denny’s setup I’m assuming). If you got a calibrated thermometer and accurately calculate your strike temp you shouldn’t have any problems what so ever. I keep a extra pot of boiling water and a tray of ice cubes handy just in case something weird happens and I miss my temp by a bunch.
I’d planned on having a pot of water handy, mashing on the low side, and adding extra hot water to dial in the strike temp. I’ll remember ice cubes in case I overshoot. Just 5 more days!!!
Thinking about it, I should’ve started with an ale. It’s going to be hard to get 5 gallons of wort down to lager pitching temp without an IC. I will probably let it sit overnight to get down to the proper temp before pitching.
Yeah, blue coolers get 137% efficiency. After you brew 10 batches, you’ve saved so much grain that a 50 lb. bag magically appears in your garage![/quote]
Red MT for sale…cheap!
[quote=“mvsawyer”]I’d planned on having a pot of water handy, mashing on the low side, and adding extra hot water to dial in the strike temp. I’ll remember ice cubes in case I overshoot. Just 5 more days!!!
Thinking about it, I should’ve started with an ale. It’s going to be hard to get 5 gallons of wort down to lager pitching temp without an IC. I will probably let it sit overnight to get down to the proper temp before pitching.
Thanks for all the words of encouragement!
:cheers: [/quote]
A lesson I learned the hard way: It may take a good 10 minutes for the temperature of you mash to come to equilibrium. On my first two AG brews, I stirred up the mash and measured the temperature immediately. It was 5-10 degrees high so I started dumping in ice 'til I reached the target temp. 15 minutes later when I checked (and it had come to equilibrium) it was 5-10 degrees low. Give it a little time before you add ice or hot water.
[quote=“mvsawyer”]I’d planned on having a pot of water handy, mashing on the low side, and adding extra hot water to dial in the strike temp. I’ll remember ice cubes in case I overshoot.[/quote]I use this calculator http://www.brewheads.com/strike.php
for my strike water target temperature and I’m always within a degree or so. I also add the water to my cooler about 10° warmer and let the cooler absorb the heat then add the grain when it’s down to the temperature I’m shooting for.
[quote=“Glug Master”][quote=“mvsawyer”]I’d planned on having a pot of water handy, mashing on the low side, and adding extra hot water to dial in the strike temp. I’ll remember ice cubes in case I overshoot.[/quote]I use this calculator http://www.brewheads.com/strike.php
for my strike water target temperature and I’m always within a degree or so. I also add the water to my cooler about 10° warmer and let the cooler absorb the heat then add the grain when it’s down to the temperature I’m shooting for.[/quote]
I use BeerSmith software to do the same calculation. Works great and I’m almost always spot on.
