First Extract Attempt

[fishjam45 (Colin)]

Evenin all,
I had my first go at doing an extract kit over the weekend. The kit I chose was the HBC Extract Red and I also added some extra hops.
The first mistake I made was not checking the size of my stock pot, silly mistake, but I just used my two biggest pots instead.

These are the steps I took:
1 - Place grains in Muslin Bag
2 - Bring 2ltr Water to 70deg in a pot
3 - Add Muslin Bag to to 2ltr and steep at 67degrees for 30mins.
4 - While steeping, start heating 2 x 6ltrs of water to boiling temperature.
5 - At the end of the steep add the steep water to both pots of 6ltr water.
6 - Let the muslin bag sit in a colander over one of the 6ltrs.
7 - Run 2ltrs of water at 80deg from kettle through the Muslin Bag over the other 6ltrs.
8 - Add 1 can of LME to each 6ltr pot.
9 - When they start  boiling, add the kit hops to each pot. (Lucky I had spare muslin bags to divide up the hops into 2 batches)
10 - 45 mins later add the whirfloc and 70gr Perle (half a tablet and 35gr perle to each pot)
11 - Fll the sink with cold water
12 - After 1hr boil, put pots, one after the other, into the sink and keep filling and emptying sink with cold water to reduce temp to close to 30deg.
13 - Transfer to FV and top up to 23 Litres
14 - Check Gravity
15 - Pitch Yeast

Overall I found it more time consuming than kits, obviously, but a lot more enjoyable.  The smell that filled my place was amazing, even the missus was commenting on it from the sitting room.  Its bubbling away there nicely now in the FV and the smell coming from the airlock is amazing compared to when I did any kits.   I'm glad I did this before properly getting into all grain as I'm still gathering the equipment to step up anyway.

Thanks for reading.

Pics to follow.

[GrahamR]

fair play to you, I would wonder if half a tab in just 6 litres may be a bit much whirl but other then that it seems good. Heatons tend to do 15 -  20 litre pots for decent money so try pick up one of those maybe. I would generally steep my grains in 3 litres of water but thats just me. Onwards and upwards brother.

PS - if you have a spare fermenter then making a kettle could be a good way to go

[Chris]

Well done. The smell from that red ale is fairly delicious. I still think you should try making yourself an electric boiler from a couple of argos kettles and a fermenter. It won't go to waste when you move on to all grain. This is a good discussion with some good links http://www.nationalhomebrewclub.com/forum/index.php/topic,6309.0.html

[LordEoin]

Good stuff Fishjam. What was your OG?

[fishjam45 (Colin)]

cheers lads,
with regards to a boiler I have acquired a 50ltr metal vessel ( )that I've attached two earthed argos kettle elements to.
I have a bag on order from CustomBIAB.  Stainless steel ballvalve and bazooka on order too.  I'm in the process of buying a sight glass also.
So the wheels are definitely turning.

OG was 1042.

Airlock still popping away nicely this evening.

[Chris]

Nice

[Partridge9]

Great stuff
- nice pics as well.

[Will_D]

Great stuff
- nice pics as well.

Maybe even up the right way?? 

[fishjam45 (Colin)]

Great stuff
- nice pics as well.

Maybe even up the right way?? 

I know - its my feckin iPhone! Dont know what way the orientation etc. is on it.
If I do any proper reviews I'll get out the DSLR for some proper shots, promise . . . .

[Shanna]

Great stuff
- nice pics as well.

Maybe even up the right way?? 

I know - its my feckin iPhone! Dont know what way the orientation etc. is on it.
If I do any proper reviews I'll get out the DSLR for some proper shots, promise . . . .

IPhone captures the photos in landscape by default as they expect the user to use the camera on its side. If you rotate the iphone/camera to take a portrait photo it marks the exif meta data of the pictures with a rotate 90 degrees clockwise. Its own products read this and apply the rotation so that when they are displayed they appear as portrait. Unfortunately other programs that display the pictures don't know about this slight of hand and just display the photo in landscape mode. Try turning your head 90 degrees to the left or if your looking at the photos on a laptop/tablet rotate it instead

Shanna

[LordEoin]

about videos, but still relevant:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOqTLB6hKIs

[johnrm]

There's 20s, ffwd, 5s, stop, of my life I'll never get back.

[fishjam45 (Colin)]

thanks Shanna, will give it a go the next time I'm posting more pics.

thanks again for the grain too, Bastereaud loves it!!!!!

[Shanna]

thanks Shanna, will give it a go the next time I'm posting more pics.

thanks again for the grain too, Bastereaud loves it!!!!!

Glad to hear the grain is not going to waste. I guess the rats in South Dublin are loosing out as previously the grain was going into landfill . If somehow we could exchange a few buckets of aged manure next time i bring the grain around. Would use it on my hop plants.

Shanna

[fishjam45 (Colin)]

The poor rats . . . 
I'll mention it to the brother in law about the manure, cheers Shanna.