1 Oct
2003
1 Oct
'03
10:07 a.m.
Sounds like a great first batch Marc! If you're worried about hitting the
numbers exactly on the OG, you can always dilute. With the refractometer,
it's simple to see what your final gravity is going to be and add
appropriate water to the boil to hit your mark. With a hydrometer, you can
add water to the primary. It's easier to brew too strong, then add a little
water than it is to brew too weak and try to bring the gravity UP. About
all you can do at that point is add extract.
The other style point with Kolsch is fermentation temp - it's an Ale that's
fermented cool. Try to ferment around 60 F. if possible. If you have the
ability, you may even want to drop the secondary down to 50 F. Your mash
and hop bill looks fine.
- Al
----- Original Message -----
From: "Marc Donnelly" <marc(a)targetadv.com>
To: <mba(a)thebarn.com>
Sent: Monday, September 29, 2003 12:38 PM
Subject: My 1st All Grain brew...
This past weekend I decide to finally take the plunge.
From what came
of it, I'm pretty happy! Yea it added about two hours onto a normal
extract/partial mash batch for me but I believe it was worth it. The
first batch was a Kolsch.
I think I spent more time fussing with the pH of the water then
anything (set at 5.5). About 10.5 lbs of grain - 9 lbs of pils, 1 lbs
of wheat, and .5 lbs of carapils. Used Wyeast Kolsch yeast and 2oz of
Spalt for hops.
For my mash/lauter tun I used Listermanns setup (I got it some time ago
at Lee Kramer's old place). I wrapped the plastic bucket in the
insulated bubble duct wrap and it kept the temp very well (149 degrees
for 55 minutes). Spargered for about 30 minutes and got about 6 gallons
out of the 9 I started with.
Then boiled for 60 minutes and added hops at 60, 30 and 15 from end of
boil. Ended up just shy of 5 gallons of brew. So hopefully by the end
of this month I'll bring it to the club only judging looking for
comments. OG was on the high side at 1.052. Any suggestions on how to
get it more in profile with the style? I can tell you an ATC
refractometer is a nice tool to have!
I know I have more work to understand the whole process, but this was a
good start and "getting the feet wet" exercise, literally.
Now with a new family member (for all that don't know we had a baby
girl on August 22 named Paige Elizabeth Donnelly, 21.5 inches long and
7 lbs 14 oz. - and much bigger now) finding time to brew is becoming
more difficult but hopefully more rewarding. I was already teaching
her the ropes of being an assistant brewer.
-marc
1 Oct
1 Oct
10:27 a.m.
New subject: My 1st All Grain brew...
Actually, a 60dF hydrometer is easy to use in the boil. Just add 40
points to your measurement (doesn't work so well for beers under 1.040
OG). You'll need to turn off the heat and wait for the boil to subside,
but it's a quick way to determine if you are on track on your OG specs.
Of course, you'll have to know your evaporation rate...
Actually, I like a range of about +/- 0.004. I don't sweat if it is
within this 8 pt range.
If we're adding "water" sometimes we'll use the last gallon of
runnings
from the mashtun that wouldn't fit in the boil kettle (gotta _maximize_
the system). I like adding to the boil kettle, rather than the
fermenters for sterilization purposes.
Boil time seems a little low for an all-grain -- we typically are at 90
minutes -- but if you are hitting your extraction numbers and it tastes
good, I wouldn't worry about it.
Only adding 2 hours to your brew day seems low. A typical brewday for
the 2 Wheel is around 8 hours, though I think we knocked out our last
Vienna at around 6.5 hours. I can do an extract brew in 2 hours.
Congratulations on what sounds like a fairly successful all-grain
brew-day!
Andrew
--- Al Boyce <aboyce(a)mn.rr.com> wrote:
Sounds like a great first batch Marc! If you're
worried about
hitting the
numbers exactly on the OG, you can always dilute. With the
refractometer,
it's simple to see what your final gravity is going to be and add
appropriate water to the boil to hit your mark. With a hydrometer,
you can
add water to the primary. It's easier to brew too strong, then add a
little
water than it is to brew too weak and try to bring the gravity UP.
About
all you can do at that point is add extract.
The other style point with Kolsch is fermentation temp - it's an Ale
that's
fermented cool. Try to ferment around 60 F. if possible. If you
have the
ability, you may even want to drop the secondary down to 50 F. Your
mash
and hop bill looks fine.
- Al
----- Original Message -----
From: "Marc Donnelly" <marc(a)targetadv.com>
To: <mba(a)thebarn.com>
Sent: Monday, September 29, 2003 12:38 PM
Subject: My 1st All Grain brew...
__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
The New Yahoo! Shopping - with improved product search
http://shopping.yahoo.com
This past weekend I decide to finally take the
plunge. From what
came
of it, I'm pretty happy! Yea it added about
two hours onto a
normal
extract/partial mash batch for me but I believe
it was worth it.
The
first batch was a Kolsch.
I think I spent more time fussing with the pH of the water then
anything (set at 5.5). About 10.5 lbs of grain - 9 lbs of pils, 1
lbs
of wheat, and .5 lbs of carapils. Used Wyeast
Kolsch yeast and 2oz
of
Spalt for hops.
For my mash/lauter tun I used Listermanns setup (I got it some time
ago
at Lee Kramer's old place). I wrapped the
plastic bucket in the
insulated bubble duct wrap and it kept the temp very well (149
degrees
for 55 minutes). Spargered for about 30 minutes
and got about 6
gallons
out of the 9 I started with.
Then boiled for 60 minutes and added hops at 60, 30 and 15 from end
of
boil. Ended up just shy of 5 gallons of brew. So
hopefully by the
end
of this month I'll bring it to the club only
judging looking for
comments. OG was on the high side at 1.052. Any suggestions on
how to
get it more in profile with the style? I can
tell you an ATC
refractometer is a nice tool to have!
I know I have more work to understand the whole process, but this
was a
good start and "getting the feet wet"
exercise, literally.
Now with a new family member (for all that don't know we had a baby
girl on August 22 named Paige Elizabeth Donnelly, 21.5 inches long
and
7 lbs 14 oz. - and much bigger now) finding time
to brew is
becoming
more difficult but hopefully more rewarding. I
was already
teaching
her the ropes of being an assistant brewer.
-marc
6:37 p.m.
New subject: My 1st All Grain brew...
A couple of thoughts came to me in this thread.
1) Kolsch fermentation temps - Somebody said ferment around 60F.
I have done it colder - 55F. It does work well.
2) Andrew mentioned the hydrometer in boiling wort.
I had some hydrometers become inaccurate over time. Tap water would
measure 0.994. It should be 1.000 or a little above.
The explanation I came up with was -- I was putting my hydrometer into
wort that just came out of the sparge. (160-165F) My thought is the
heat was making the glass expand, and the paper inside the hydrometer
was moving.
My solution - cool the wort before putting the hydrometer into. My
cooling method - Have a bucket of ice water ready (Actually, water with
a couple of the blue ice packs). Put the hydrometer test jar into the
ice water - cold water bath. When the temp of the wort sample drops
below 100F, I trust it not to mess up the hydrometer.
Now a simple solution - Buy a spectormeter!
Question - Has anyone else had trouble with hydrometers changing on
them?
--- Andrew Ruggles <arruggles(a)yahoo.com> wrote:
Actually, a 60dF hydrometer is easy to use in the
boil. Just add 40
points to your measurement (doesn't work so well for beers under
1.040
OG). You'll need to turn off the heat and wait for the boil to
subside,
but it's a quick way to determine if you are on track on your OG
specs.
Of course, you'll have to know your evaporation rate...
Actually, I like a range of about +/- 0.004. I don't sweat if it is
within this 8 pt range.
If we're adding "water" sometimes we'll use the last gallon of
runnings
from the mashtun that wouldn't fit in the boil kettle (gotta
_maximize_
the system). I like adding to the boil kettle, rather than the
fermenters for sterilization purposes.
Boil time seems a little low for an all-grain -- we typically are at
90
minutes -- but if you are hitting your extraction numbers and it
tastes
good, I wouldn't worry about it.
Only adding 2 hours to your brew day seems low. A typical brewday for
the 2 Wheel is around 8 hours, though I think we knocked out our last
Vienna at around 6.5 hours. I can do an extract brew in 2 hours.
Congratulations on what sounds like a fairly successful all-grain
brew-day!
Andrew
--- Al Boyce <aboyce(a)mn.rr.com> wrote:
=====
Leo Vitt
Sidney, NE
__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
The New Yahoo! Shopping - with improved product search
http://shopping.yahoo.com
Sounds like a great first batch Marc! If
you're worried about
hitting the
numbers exactly on the OG, you can always dilute. With the
refractometer,
it's simple to see what your final gravity is going to be and add
appropriate water to the boil to hit your mark. With a hydrometer,
you can
add water to the primary. It's easier to brew too strong, then add
a
little
water than it is to brew too weak and try to bring the gravity UP.
About
all you can do at that point is add extract.
The other style point with Kolsch is fermentation temp - it's an
Ale
that's
fermented cool. Try to ferment around 60 F. if possible. If you
have the
ability, you may even want to drop the secondary down to 50 F.
Your
mash
and hop bill looks fine.
- Al
----- Original Message -----
From: "Marc Donnelly" <marc(a)targetadv.com>
To: <mba(a)thebarn.com>
Sent: Monday, September 29, 2003 12:38 PM
Subject: My 1st All Grain brew...
1
This past weekend I decide to finally take the
plunge. From what
came
of it, I'm pretty happy! Yea it added about
two hours onto a
normal
extract/partial mash batch for me but I believe
it was worth it.
The
> first batch was a Kolsch.
> I think I spent more time fussing with the pH of the water then
> anything (set at 5.5). About 10.5 lbs of grain - 9 lbs of pils, lbs
> of wheat, and .5 lbs of carapils. Used Wyeast Kolsch yeast and
2oz
of
> Spalt for hops.
>
> For my mash/lauter tun I used Listermanns setup (I got it some
time
ago
end
at Lee Kramer's old place). I wrapped the
plastic bucket in the
insulated bubble duct wrap and it kept the temp very well (149
degrees
for 55 minutes). Spargered for about 30 minutes
and got about 6
gallons
> out of the 9 I started with.
>
> Then boiled for 60 minutes and added hops at 60, 30 and 15 from of
> boil. Ended up just shy of 5 gallons of brew. So hopefully by
the
end
baby
of this month I'll bring it to the club only
judging looking for
comments. OG was on the high side at 1.052. Any suggestions on
how to
get it more in profile with the style? I can
tell you an ATC
refractometer is a nice tool to have!
I know I have more work to understand the whole process, but this
was a
> good start and "getting the feet wet" exercise, literally.
>
> Now with a new family member (for all that don't know we had a > girl on August 22 named Paige Elizabeth
Donnelly, 21.5 inches
long
and
__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
The New Yahoo! Shopping - with improved product search
http://shopping.yahoo.com
7 lbs 14 oz. - and much bigger now) finding time
to brew is
becoming
more difficult but hopefully more rewarding. I
was already
teaching
her the ropes of being an assistant brewer.
-marc
2 Oct
2 Oct
10:10 a.m.
New subject: My 1st All Grain brew...
Better yet, don't bother with the hydrometer reading.
If it's too low there's nothing you can do anyhow. And
if it is too high, that is probably because you don't
have enough wort (which will be obvious when the
fermenter is not up to the desired volume). The
quality of the beer is the same whether you do
readings or not.
What can I say, I guess I'm not a very scientific
brewer ...
Cheers
WH
--- Leo Vitt <leo_vitt(a)yahoo.com> wrote:
A couple of thoughts came to me in this thread.
1) Kolsch fermentation temps - Somebody said ferment
around 60F.
I have done it colder - 55F. It does work well.
2) Andrew mentioned the hydrometer in boiling wort.
I had some hydrometers become inaccurate over time.
Tap water would
measure 0.994. It should be 1.000 or a little
above.
The explanation I came up with was -- I was putting
my hydrometer into
wort that just came out of the sparge. (160-165F)
My thought is the
heat was making the glass expand, and the paper
inside the hydrometer
was moving.
My solution - cool the wort before putting the
hydrometer into. My
cooling method - Have a bucket of ice water ready
(Actually, water with
a couple of the blue ice packs). Put the hydrometer
test jar into the
ice water - cold water bath. When the temp of the
wort sample drops
below 100F, I trust it not to mess up the
hydrometer.
Now a simple solution - Buy a spectormeter!
Question - Has anyone else had trouble with
hydrometers changing on
them?
--- Andrew Ruggles <arruggles(a)yahoo.com> wrote:
=== message
truncated ===
__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
The New Yahoo! Shopping - with improved product search
http://shopping.yahoo.com
Actually, a 60dF hydrometer is easy to use in the
boil. Just add 40
points to your measurement (doesn't work so
well
for beers under
1.040
OG). You'll need to turn off the heat and wait for
the boil to
subside,
but it's a quick way to determine if you are on
track on your OG
specs.
Of course, you'll have to know your evaporation
rate...
Actually, I like a range of about +/- 0.004. I
don't sweat if it is
within this 8 pt range.
If we're adding "water" sometimes we'll use the
last gallon of
runnings
from the mashtun that wouldn't fit in the boil
kettle (gotta
_maximize_
the system). I like adding to the boil kettle,
rather than the
fermenters for sterilization purposes.
Boil time seems a little low for an all-grain --
we typically are at
90
minutes -- but if you are hitting your extraction
numbers and it
tastes
good, I wouldn't worry about it.
Only adding 2 hours to your brew day seems low. A
typical brewday for
the 2 Wheel is around 8 hours, though I think we
knocked out our last
Vienna at around 6.5 hours. I can do an extract
brew in 2 hours.
Congratulations on what sounds like a fairly
successful all-grain
brew-day!
Andrew
--- Al Boyce <aboyce(a)mn.rr.com> wrote:
> Sounds like a great first batch Marc! If you're
worried about
> hitting the
> numbers exactly on the OG, you can always
dilute. With the
> refractometer,
> it's simple to see what your final gravity is
going to be and add
> appropriate water to the boil to hit your
mark.
With a hydrometer,
> you can
> add water to the primary. It's easier to brew
too strong, then add
a
> little
> water than it is to brew too weak and try to
bring the gravity UP.
> About
> all you can do at that point is add extract.
>
> The other style point with Kolsch is
fermentation temp - it's an
Ale
> that's
> fermented cool. Try to ferment around 60 F. if
possible. If you
> have the
> ability, you may even want to drop the secondary
down to 50 F.
Your
> mash
> and hop bill looks fine.
>
> - Al
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Marc Donnelly" <marc(a)targetadv.com>
> To: <mba(a)thebarn.com>
> Sent: Monday, September 29, 2003 12:38 PM
> Subject: My 1st All Grain brew...
>
>
> > This past weekend I decide to finally take the
plunge. From what
> came
> > of it, I'm pretty happy! Yea it added about
two hours onto a
> normal
> > extract/partial mash batch for me but I
believe it was worth it.
> The
> > first batch was a Kolsch.
> > I think I spent more time fussing with the pH
of the water then
> > anything (set at 5.5). About 10.5 lbs
of grain
- 9 lbs of pils,
1
> lbs
> > of wheat, and .5 lbs of carapils. Used Wyeast
Kolsch yeast and
2oz
> of
> > Spalt for hops.
> >
> > For my mash/lauter tun I used Listermanns
setup (I got it some
time
> ago
> > at Lee Kramer's old place). I wrapped the
plastic bucket in the
> > insulated bubble duct wrap and it kept
the
temp very well (149
> degrees
> > for 55 minutes). Spargered for about 30
minutes and got about 6
> gallons
> > out of the 9 I started with.
> >
> > Then boiled for 60 minutes and added hops at
60, 30 and 15 from
end
> of
> > boil. Ended up just shy of 5 gallons of brew.
So hopefully by
the
> end
> > of this month I'll bring it to the club only
judging looking for
> > comments. OG was on the high side at
1.052.
Any suggestions on
> how to
> > get it more in profile with the style? I can
tell you an ATC
> > refractometer is a nice tool to have!
> >
> > I know I have more work to understand the
whole process, but this
> was a
> > good start and "getting the feet wet"
exercise, literally.
> >
> > Now with a new family member (for all that
don't know we had a
baby
> > girl on August 22 named Paige Elizabeth
Donnelly, 21.5 inches
long
> and
> > 7 lbs 14 oz. - and much bigger now) finding
time
8101
days inactive
8102
days old
3 comments
4 participants
participants (4)
-
Al Boyce -
Andrew Ruggles -
Leo Vitt -
Will Holway