Newbie help request

Mashing
1

hello all

i’m going to brew my first batch of beer and i have no one nearby who can hang out and help me through the process. i’ve read a bunch but need to just get started doing it and learn on the ropes

so i thought i’d ask the forum for any tips. i know sanitation is the key, don’t worry! i have a long background in cooking so i am going for all-grain but the book i have doesn’t really give a ton of detail about this - it assumes i’d want to start with extracts but i’m always interested in going straight for the exact thing i want…

my first batch will be Terminator Stout (with the oats thrown in):

http://beerrecipes.org/showrecipe.php?r ... s2N8P.dpbs

the instructions are pretty straight forward, though there is no info about bottling. i bought all the ingredients from Northern Brewer (except the liquid yeast which i got locally), and i have a BSG brewing kit that my wife got me as a surprise.

my questions:

  • i don’t have a big pot to mash in - i have something which is about 10 qt. i am planning on getting a 20qt pot so can get enamel or aluminum or steel. what would you get?
  • do i put all the malt in the mesh bag that i got from NB, and the hops too? and pull them when the boil time is done?
  • if i ever lose my bag or it breaks - can i just strain the malt and hops out at the end of the boil?
  • i am looking at DIY chillers - either immersion chillers or wort chillers. somewhere it mentioned dumping the hot wort into cold water - what do you all think? i am for now only going to be doing 5 gallons batches…
  • i like the taste of our tap water but i could be convinced to buy bottled water if anyone had an opinion
  • do i just top the liquid off in the fermenting bucket to make it an even 5 gallons?
  • is this Priming Sugar Calculator on this site reliable? what kind of sugar do you recommend for this beer?
  • i have enough 20 oz bottles (plus some Grolsch) to bottle in, and also 2 cases of 12 oz bottles… any suggestions about which might taste better? i was planning 20 oz for this, and 12 oz for the next batch (an Imperial Pale Ale)
  • i think i need a better book - what would be your recommendation if you could only have one book about brewing?

ok that’s it. i think i’ll call this Trial & Error Stout haha, unless it tastes as good as i hope it will

thanks!
Bb

2

I would take a look at this first:

http://www.howtobrew.com/intro.html

This will give you all the basics, starting with a simple extract brew and working up to all grain brewing. Even if you want to start with all grain, I would recommend reading through the entire book first. Then I would recommend getting a hard copy of the same book as it has (so I hear at least) lots of extra information. And ask lots of questions. There are lots of folks here (many much more knowledgable than I) who will be happy to help you out.

Oh, yeah, welcome to the forum!! :cheers:

3

Good on you… Brewing is simple, but brewing well takes some practice.

Essentially, you are taking crushed grain, and soaking it in warm (150-155 degree) water for an hour. Strain the water out, then boil for an hour, adding hops to the boil at various times. Cool, then add yeast. Let ferment for a few weeks, then get it into bottles with some sugar, cap, wait a few weeks, and enjoy.

Specifics: You are doing all grain. So you want to have a container that can hold all the grain and a bunch of water, that you can strain out of easily. Go to dennybrew.com for one way to do it, or search for “boil in a bag.”. Either way, your current pot may not be enough.

Water: For your first brew, don’t worry too much about this. You’ll get to it soon enough.

Kettle: You want a big ass stockpot. For a five gallon batch, you will start your hot long boil with 6.5-7 gallons. So a ten gallon pot is a good idea. I haven’t seen enamel in this size. Stainless is wonderful. Aluminum is cheap, but works. I use a 7.5 gallon aluminum turkey fryer, and wish I had something bigger. If you go aluminum, boil water in it first to build up a hazy oxidation layer. Also, don’t count on your kitchen stove to boil that much liquid. It’s possible, but not likely. A gas burner will work better. Or, you could go for smaller batches, like 2.5 gallon small batches.

Chilling: After you boil for an hour, you will have a lot of hot water to cool. Ice batches will take forever. Immersion coolers are quicker. Don’t skimp on this. Get the beer really cool.

Yeast: Pitch enough yeast, and keep it at the right temp. How much is enough? Research at mrmalty.com, or ask here. Know your original gravity and the yeast strain you are using before asking.

Temp control: I said this earlier, but will say again. Keep your fermenting beer at the right temp. For ales, low sixties is usually good (ask with more specifics on your yeast strain for specific opinions). Keep this temp constant, without big temp swings.

Wait: Give it a few weeks. If you have a hydrometer or refractometer, wait until you get the same reading a few days apart. I’d not, give it three or four weeks.

Bottle: Without splashing, get the beer, with a little passion table sugar into bottles. Cap and store for a few weeks.

Enjoy: Chill for at least 24 hours. Pour into a glass, leaving the yeast slug into the bottom of the bottle. Enjoy, brag, and ask questions for your next batch.

Of course, there are more nuances, but those are the basics. Read a book, watch some videos, and ask away. We try to be a helpful lot here…

4

Do you have your own well for water a water source? All municipal water contains chlorine or chloramines at some level. Municipal water can be treated with Campden tablets to make make beer that doesn’t have the aroma of a box of band aids.

5

Regarding the choice of material for a pot, aluminum transfers heat faster than stainless steel. The practical consideration is that it takes less energy to heat the same volume of wort in aluminum, but the down side is that it also cools off faster in aluminum.

Because I do BIAB outside, I chose a S/S pot. It’s easier to maintain the mash temp in the S/S.

But the choice is yours.

Cheers!

6

[quote=“uberculture”]Good on you… Brewing is simple, but brewing well takes some practice.

Essentially, you are taking crushed grain, and soaking it in warm (150-155 degree) water for an hour. Strain the water out, then boil for an hour, adding hops to the boil at various times. Cool, then add yeast. Let ferment for a few weeks, then get it into bottles with some sugar, cap, wait a few weeks, and enjoy.

Specifics: You are doing all grain. So you want to have a container that can hold all the grain and a bunch of water, that you can strain out of easily. Go to dennybrew.com for one way to do it, or search for “boil in a bag.”. Either way, your current pot may not be enough.

Water: For your first brew, don’t worry too much about this. You’ll get to it soon enough.

Kettle: You want a big ass stockpot. For a five gallon batch, you will start your hot long boil with 6.5-7 gallons. So a ten gallon pot is a good idea. I haven’t seen enamel in this size. Stainless is wonderful. Aluminum is cheap, but works. I use a 7.5 gallon aluminum turkey fryer, and wish I had something bigger. If you go aluminum, boil water in it first to build up a hazy oxidation layer. Also, don’t count on your kitchen stove to boil that much liquid. It’s possible, but not likely. A gas burner will work better. Or, you could go for smaller batches, like 2.5 gallon small batches.

Chilling: After you boil for an hour, you will have a lot of hot water to cool. Ice batches will take forever. Immersion coolers are quicker. Don’t skimp on this. Get the beer really cool.

Yeast: Pitch enough yeast, and keep it at the right temp. How much is enough? Research at mrmalty.com, or ask here. Know your original gravity and the yeast strain you are using before asking.

Temp control: I said this earlier, but will say again. Keep your fermenting beer at the right temp. For ales, low sixties is usually good (ask with more specifics on your yeast strain for specific opinions). Keep this temp constant, without big temp swings.

Wait: Give it a few weeks. If you have a hydrometer or refractometer, wait until you get the same reading a few days apart. I’d not, give it three or four weeks.

Bottle: Without splashing, get the beer, with a little passion table sugar into bottles. Cap and store for a few weeks.

Enjoy: Chill for at least 24 hours. Pour into a glass, leaving the yeast slug into the bottom of the bottle. Enjoy, brag, and ask questions for your next batch.

Of course, there are more nuances, but those are the basics. Read a book, watch some videos, and ask away. We try to be a helpful lot here…[/quote]

That’s good advice, well put

7

hi all

thanks for the replies! i’m really in over my head, and i can’t totally focus on the entirety of many details due to my work and home life, which is why i’m just ready to give it a shot and learn the hard and messy way

i do have a copy of “How To Brew” and this thread was a reminder that i need to read and re-read it a bit more, which was helpful

so i’m just gonna write out the instructions that i understand so far (with some of my own shorthand terms and some questions in bold) and keep moving forward until the basics are clear to me:

  • mash the malt grain (ie soak it at a continuous temperature; in the Terminator Stout recipe it says 157 degrees for 90 min) - i can make a mash tun and add a little hot water and a little cold water as needed to keep it there, or can i just do it on the stove in a pot (or two) and then siphon the liquid out?.
  • how much water do i use for the mash - about 1.5 qt per pound? and the same amount for the sparge?
  • lauter it (ie strain-after-recirculation)
  • sparge it (ie the second mini-mash, ~15 min soak followed by strain-after-recirculation)
  • how much is the total amount of liquid to put into the pot to boil with the hops? 5.5 gal? if i am short do i add more water? if i have too much do i just dump out what i don’t need?
  • boil the hops in the resulting liquid as specified (1/2 oz at boil, 1/2 oz at 60 min, stop boil at 90 min)
  • cool it quickly using some kind of method (probably will make a chiller coil and use tap water, as wasteful as that is - at least i’m not in CA - might try to chill the water first with ice)
  • add the yeast (i need to calculate the right amount, using Mrmalty.com - seems complicated; to ask the lazy and obvious can’t i just use one container of liquid yeast?)
  • siphon it into the fermenting bucket carefully, without aerating it
  • keep it at the right temp for a few weeks (69 degrees?)
  • gently mix in the priming sugar - how much? what kind?
  • fill bottles and cap em
  • wait a few weeks or longer and hope they don’t explode in the closet - any tips on avoiding this? i live in an apartment in Brooklyn and don’t have access to the basement

also - what is the best way to store crushed grain? i bought some already but need a minute to get my act together. in the freezer?

thanks again
Bb

8

Interesting recipe… I’ll walk you through what I would do if I were trying to follow this one.

First, siphoning from the mash probably won’t end well. Think of trying to duck the water out of hot oatmeal. Probably won’t end well. To separate grain from wort, I’m going to say a mesh bag will probably be relatively easy. Go to a home improvement store and look for paint straining bags.

Start with your water… 1.5 qt/lb seems like a good start. Using two or three of your biggest pots should work. Heat the water to about ten degrees warmer than the 157 “strike” temp. Put the crushed grain in the bag(s) and soak in the water. You can monitor and add gentle great when needed, or throw the put into a warm oven. After this mash, pull the bags of grain, and let them drain (maybe a collander over another pot?)

At this point, I’m assuming you’ll have about four gallons or so of wort. Rinse the badge with two gallons of hot water, and add that to your wort (so you’re starting with six gallons). Don’t worry about being super exact, you just want to be in the ballpark.

Boil for however long, adding hops (sounds like you’ve got this). Cool to mid sixties (69 sounds a little warm to me, but let’s follow the recipe. Keep in mind, the fermenting beer will be a bit Warner than the temp).

Now is actually the only time you want to splash beer. Yeast needs oxygen at the start, so splash as you add the chilled wort to your fermentor.

This beer looks kind of big (assuming you get to the 1.066og). One package of yeast is not enough yeast. You could use a starter, but lets keep things simple. Get a second packet of yeast and pitch two. Later on, you can worry about dates on the package, viability, etc, but for now, just use two packets.

Ferment a few weeks. Look up blow off assemblies… You’ll probably need one on this to aid a mess.

When you bottle, use table sugar. Rule of thumb, for five gallons, use 5/8 cup ordinary white sugar. You can tweak this on your next batch. Keys to avoid bottle bombs: Make sure you give the beer enough time to ferment before bottling(3 weeks minimum). Don’t add too much sugar. Make sure the sugar is stirred in evenly. Keep everything clean, and avoid infection. Still, though, keeping your bottles in a Rubbermaid tote is cheap insurance.