Barrel Project - Summary Thread

[Shanna]

This is beginning to feel like brewing porn  I did my first ever all grain brew last night. Despite using beer smith I ended up with 18 ltrs of wort from my boiler with an og of 1.10. I topped it up with about three to four litres of cold water to be give an og of around 1.090. I think I could have used more sparge water.  I used a drill and a tile grout mixing attachment to mix in the grain with the help of a neighbour, I was around 1/2 degree below the strike temperature. This was also the first time I used my mash tun,  hlt and boiler and my new solar fan. Delighted to say that every thing worked as expected. I had a nervous few moments when I saw wort dribbling from the underside of the mash tun but it was nothing really. 

Main thing I learned was that leaf hops are a nightmare as the kettle showed a quantity of 23 litres but this was not taking in the account the soakage and the displacement effect of the hops. Nevertheless I pretty much got the desired outcome,  all the equipment worked, nobody was maimed and I might even get some beer out of it.

The smell of the beer was really nice although not I sure I like it permanently in my shed. From start to finish including cleaning took 7 hours 30 minutes. This included 1/2 hour of panic at 2:40am when I figured out the attachment for the kitchen tap to connect the immersion chiller had disappeared.  I searched and searched but no luck.  Ended up having to do the chilling in the dark via torch light in my back garden using two buckets. Torture really but It worked.

Pitched two dried packs of yeast @04:00 and spent half an hour washing out my equipment. Went to bed just as the dawn started to appear.

Shanna

[Shane Phelan]

Shanna that sounds awesome!  That sounds like a pretty damn successful first run with your new equipment.

[Shanna]

Hi Shiny

What is this item and how does it work?

Shanna

I'm half way though grinding the second one. Even with a drill I'm wreaked.

I'm definitely going to use one of these the next time:


First boil of the weekend is well underway, not too far off the numbers with 1.093 pre boil. Given that it was an overnight mash, I'm not as confident that I will hit them again with the second batch today. 

[Shane Phelan]

Its an extension for a drill. My wrist was in bits from the vibrations when I was grinding the grain on Saturday. If I put the flexible extension in between the drill and the grinder then that should reduce the vibration.

There probably wouldn't be any vibrations if I had a perfectly centered bolt where the handle used to be.

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[Ciderhead]

Shiny can you update front page
24 litres 1.099
Do we have enough?
p.s. thats wicklow on the top bunk


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[Shane Phelan]

Done. You didn't do too badly with the numbers yourself!

I see you have nice temperature control there. All my fermentations are producing a lot of heat, I'm having trouble keeping them below 22. Normally they sit nicely at 18....

[Bubbles]

Lads, just bear in mind that what we have in the fermenter is not what we're going to be transferring to the barrel, after losses to trub.

I have around 29 litres in my two FVs so I can get 27 litres into the barrel, if it turns out we're short.

When the dust settles a little, we also need to work out losses, top-ups, transfer to barrel (dates and other details), arrangements for bottling etc.

[Bubbles]

Lads, I presume everyone has done their brews at this stage?

If you haven't already done so, can you confirm your volumes and gravities on this thread and Shiny can update?

Ta.

[Shane Phelan]

PaddyBubbles what was your 2nd brew, was it the same numbers as the first one?  I cant remember if you put it on twitter or not.

[Bubbles]

 

I didn't put it on Twitter. I was too tired. And a little fuzzy from all the congratulatory beers I was sipping.

14 litres at 1.098 for batch#2. I reckon I'll get just over 26 litres into the barrel, if needed.

[Shanna]

23 litres in the fermenter hope to get 20 litres in the secondary. Have the grain for a 2nd batch ground and ready to go. Hope to be able  to get it done in about 10 days time around the 17th. Cutting it tight but if it is not done my 2nd batch can be used for top up.

Shanna

[Ciderhead]

Us05 turning out to be a bit of a plodder plenty of machine gun fire as can be seen from star san bubbles just not the rocket I had using 004 for  the Wicklow which nearly blew the lid off.


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[Bubbles]

Us05 turning out to be a bit of a plodder plenty of machine gun fire as can be seen from star san bubbles just not the rocket I had using 004 for  the Wicklow which nearly blew the lid off.

Bleurgh. You can keep that S-04. Dreadful stuff imo. 

[Ciderhead]

No darling 004 or wlp004 to give it its full name is Irish ale yeast, only the very best for Wicklow ;-)


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[Bubbles]

Ah.. well the proof will be in the drinking, won't it?!