Double Batch Brew

[newToBrew]

gonna brew soon

it's on !!!!

Didin't get to use the Irish malt - my cheap ass  drill is burned out and couldn't face into hand crushing 10 KGs last night so goin with the precrushed Pale Ale Malt from lats big GB
Mashing at the moment

had @ 10 KG of malt - so mashed with @ 30 Litres
- mash looked kinda thin - so fecked in a@ another 1 - 2  KG of Pale Ale Malt

- My measurement methods leave a lot to be desired - I have a jug that filled is @ 1 KG of Grain
anyway - I don't want a ridiculosly high abv - I've accounted for boil loss/hop soakage which has caused it in the past - I wondering If I am @ 2 kilos extra would that push up the abv significantly ?

whats the right temp for hydro readings again - - figure I can add Boiled Water if its high and I also have Malt extract if its low !!!!

[Rossa]

Your hydrometer will say what temp it works at. Usually 15or 20c.

[newToBrew]

nice one ! - just spotted it - 20 c

[JimmyM]

2 kilos extra would that push up the abv significantly ?

Depends on how much you want to end up with at the end.

I find that 4.5 - 5kg will give me about 4.5% for a 22-23 litre batch. Roughly speaking, if memory serves me right.
You have "about" 12 kg so you want to be hitting about 50+ litres at the end to keep it in the 4.5% bracket.
Summary 12kg is slightly high for 2 batches if you want a moderate ABV.

Rough guidelines above, as you're not sure what you put in in the first place its hard to say. Your hydrometer will get you out of jail.
Be wort (see what i did there) banging into some brewing software too.

[newToBrew]

 
yeah hydro readeing for SG seem a little high alright 1.050

crappity smack ! just had a boil over !!

[newToBrew]

wrapping up now...
2nd batch - she be a chillin !

mistakes
1. too much grain in the mash  -
2.  dropped thermo - now theres "air biubbles" or something in the middle of the green part - either way can't trust it anymore !!
3. forgot the whirlfloc on the first batch
4. scales crapped out on me weighing the hops for 2nd batch - so used a handful size to approximate weights

not totally trusting the hydro reading of .050 stood a cup of the wort in a saucepan of cold water to bring it down - felt colder than 20c - must check charts - hopefully colder wort gives hiigher readings ?

so..
grain bill :
@ 12 KG Pale Ale malt
@ 250 G Crystal (light  ) 25 ebc ( I think)
@ 500 G Wheat  (for da head)

hops :
b1
30 G Cascade 8.2 % 60 mins  & 30 mins
50 g Amirillo  11.2 %- 15 mins & 0 mins

b2
b1
30 G (handful) Cascade 8.2 % 60 mins  & 30 mins
50 g Rakau 12.1 %- 15 mins & 0 mins

.. some difference between the fresh cascade and the Amirillo & Rakue 0 have them with months - the cascade was right stiicky !!!!

*edit
mistake no 5
dont replace your hop filter pipe with a seive - unless you nail the seive to the floor of the kettle 

[Will_D]

2.  dropped thermo - now theres "air biubbles" or something in the middle of the green part - either way can't trust it anymore !!

Two techniques to fix a thermo. with a broken liquid column. Works for either Mercury -silver thread ( which ye shouldn't be using ) or alcohol ( red/green/blue - much safer )

1. Gently tap the base of the T. on a piece of wood. This may just re-unite the thread. Can always try "shaking it" like you did with the old mercury filled clinical thermometer. These were "designed" to break the thread so they recorded the max reading of your fever.

If that doesn't work:

2. Put the T. in hot/boiling water to see if you can re-unite the two threads. If you look closely you will see that at the very end of the T. is a wider bubble. This is the safety region so that if you overheat the T. the fluid has some where to go. If you really need to get above say 100C for a T. Just use a cig. lighter carefully to push all the fluid near to this safety region. Hold vertically and let it cool down.

You should now have a fixed T.

[newToBrew]

Thanks will - unfortunately after I posted when I was cleaning.up I found it broken under a saucepan on the  draining board ! Ah well least I know the green Shite is not mercury !!