Ready for my first All-Grain...what should a Newbie Brew?

brewin_in_bama · January 31, 2014, 1:26am

Greetings fellow Brewers!

So I’m fermenting my second batch of extract (NB Bavarian Hefeweizen) and everything is going as great as the Caribou Slobber I just bottled. My first two extract batches have been so easy that I think it’s time to brew FOR REAL! I’m going to make a rectangular Mash Tun out of my trusty 10-gallon cooler and attempt a batch sparge all grain brew day!

Here’s where I need ya’lls help. What should I brew? I probably need something easy so I can concentrate on the process. No sense trying to recreate Pliny the Younger on my first batch!

Any suggestions?

el_capitan · January 31, 2014, 1:34am

Go for Waldo Lake Amber. NB has a kit. Excellent beer!

brewin_in_bama · January 31, 2014, 1:58am

Waldo Lake sounds good. I see from the description that Denny Conn helped with this recipe. Looks simple enough!

dan_s · January 31, 2014, 2:27am

If you like English styles, you might also consider NB’s Nut Brown Ale or Innkeeper kits. They’re fairly straight forward to brew and can be very forgiving for a first AG batch.

Good luck with whatever you decide to brew!

garretd · January 31, 2014, 2:51am

SMASH beer for sure….1 grain and 1 type of hops…

brewin_in_bama · January 31, 2014, 4:52am

Thanks, Dan. I looked up those recipes, both seem simple and forgiving.

norman · January 31, 2014, 5:44am

An ale with a yeast fermenting temp that you feel you can achieve. A single infusion. Other than that, brew what you like!

brewin_in_bama · January 31, 2014, 12:47pm

So Norman, you’re talking about the temp that my carboy would be maintaining during fermentation? Or the water temp during the mash and sparge…sorry to be so dense, but I’m a total Noob!

stormybrew · January 31, 2014, 1:55pm

Pick any one that sounds good. The mash process is the same regardless of whether your grain bill has 10 different grains or only 2. It all goes in the Tun at the same time.

B.

brewin_in_bama · February 16, 2014, 7:28pm

Ok, so I decided to create my own recipe based off of a few different Yorkshire Bitters.

Best Yorkshire Bitter

Fermentables:
7 pounds- Maris Otter
.5 pounds- Crystal 120
.5 pounds-Wheat
1 pound - Corn Sugar

Hops
1.5 oz- UK Fuggles (60 min)
1 oz- East Kent Goldings (45 min)
1 oz- Styrian Goldings (10 min)
.5 oz- UK Fuggles (5 min)

Yeast
Wyeast 1469 West Yorkshire

OG after filtering into carboy- 1.051 (FG should be 1.014 to 1.016)

So, for a total NEWB, the Denny Cohn method of batch sparging was very simple. I made a Mash/Lauter tun from the 70 qt. Coleman Xtreme cooler and followed his advice for a 3 gal. mash and 4 gal. sparge. The temp stayed at 152 deg. the entire 60 min. I collected 6.5 gallons and boiled off almost 2 gallons! I topped up to 5 gallons with boiled water in the carboy then took a gravity reading of 1.051 which was right on my forecast OG. I used Whirfloc for the first time…wow, that stuff works! The wort is a CRYSTAL clear gorgeous medium amber already. Tons of trub. Pitched at 64 deg. and haven’t seen any activity yet, but it’s only been 12 hrs.

I’m hoping for a hoppy, dry, crystal clear Yorkshire with a malt forward character that diminishes behind a complex bitter finish. The wheat was added in hopes of retaining a good foamy head that sticks to the sides of the glass.

So far, this AG thing has been awesome! I only brewed 2 extract kits (both of which were great), but that didn’t seem quite like brewing…reminded me of paint-by-number. The partial grain seemed like painting with Bob Ross or something. AG means I decide what to brew- I’m hoping I don’t absolutely stink at it!

Any advice for a wannabe (me) on this first AG from the REAL homebrewers here?

denny · February 16, 2014, 7:35pm

If I did it, it’s GOT to be simple! Simple beers from simple minds!

brewin_in_bama · February 16, 2014, 7:39pm

Hey Denny- I NEED simple! Your batch sparge method is perfect for me! Worked brilliantly, by the way. Everything went so smooth, that I’m assuming the final product will be good, too- here’s hoping!!

denny · February 16, 2014, 9:01pm

Good on ya! Enjoy your beer!

dannyboy58 · February 16, 2014, 10:28pm

[quote=“Brewin’ in Bama”]Ok, so I decided to create my own recipe based off of a few different Yorkshire Bitters.

Best Yorkshire Bitter

Fermentables:
7 pounds- Maris Otter
.5 pounds- Crystal 120
.5 pounds-Wheat
1 pound - Corn Sugar

Hops
1.5 oz- UK Fuggles (60 min)
1 oz- East Kent Goldings (45 min)
1 oz- Styrian Goldings (10 min)
.5 oz- UK Fuggles (5 min)

Yeast
Wyeast 1469 West Yorkshire

OG after filtering into carboy- 1.051 (FG should be 1.014 to 1.016)

So, for a total NEWB, the Denny Cohn method of batch sparging was very simple. I made a Mash/Lauter tun from the 70 qt. Coleman Xtreme cooler and followed his advice for a 3 gal. mash and 4 gal. sparge. The temp stayed at 152 deg. the entire 60 min. I collected 6.5 gallons and boiled off almost 2 gallons! I topped up to 5 gallons with boiled water in the carboy then took a gravity reading of 1.051 which was right on my forecast OG. I used Whirfloc for the first time…wow, that stuff works! The wort is a CRYSTAL clear gorgeous medium amber already. Tons of trub. Pitched at 64 deg. and haven’t seen any activity yet, but it’s only been 12 hrs.

I’m hoping for a hoppy, dry, crystal clear Yorkshire with a malt forward character that diminishes behind a complex bitter finish. The wheat was added in hopes of retaining a good foamy head that sticks to the sides of the glass.

So far, this AG thing has been awesome! I only brewed 2 extract kits (both of which were great), but that didn’t seem quite like brewing…reminded me of paint-by-number. The partial grain seemed like painting with Bob Ross or something. AG means I decide what to brew- I’m hoping I don’t absolutely stink at it!

Any advice for a wannabe (me) on this first AG from the REAL homebrewers here?[/quote]

Probably the one thing that can have the biggest impact on your finished beer is your fermentation temperature. If you can keep your carboy in the low to mid 60s for the first 3 days you’ll make better beer.

Looks like an interesting recipe. I’d like to hear how it turns out.

brewin_in_bama · February 17, 2014, 12:54am

Thanks, Danny. It’s been so cold here in LA (that’s Lower Alabama) that its been easy to keep the fermentor under 65 deg. It’s fixn’ to heat up so I’ll have to devise some way to keep the temp down. I have farm fresh meat in my chest freezer, so I’ll have to grill burgers and steaks everyday till it’s empty

glug_master · February 17, 2014, 3:32am

[quote=“Brewin’ in Bama”] I have farm fresh meat in my chest freezer, so I’ll have to grill burgers and steaks everyday till it’s empty[/quote]Dude, that is GOLD! Right now around here good HB is goin’ for ~5 bucks a pound. What time is dinner?