34 replies to this topic

[KSUwildcatFAN]

Are you saying that you are going to top off when you keg???

Isn't that what Budweiser does?

I think he means after he transfers he'll add water to the now empty fermentation vessel so he can determine how much beer he ended up with.

Zym got it right. After rereading it, I didn't have my plan stated very well.

[Deerslyr]

Isn't that what Budweiser does? Zym got it right. After rereading it, I didn't have my plan stated very well.

Whatever Budweiser is doing, they are doing it consistently! (How's that for a non-responsive answer?)Whew! I feel better knowing what your plan is. I use plastic buckets that have levels marked on them. I keep forgetting that carboy's don't. FWIW, I plan my beers out at 6 gallons due to dead space and possibly too much boil off. If anything, the OG comes out higher and there is no problem topping it off to bring it to volume. The last batch was a Strong Scotch. The recipe was supposed to be 5 gallons at 1.072(ish) and when it drained into the fermenter, it was 1.082 at 4.5 gallons. Topping it off to 5 gallons got me to where I needed to be.

[KSUwildcatFAN]

Update: Took a gravity reading and it's 1.008 which, according to StrangeBrew, is 5.2% alcohol with 83% attenuation. I'll report back to see if I actually got a full 10 gallons.

[3rd party JKor]

Update: Took a gravity reading and it's 1.008 which, according to StrangeBrew, is 5.2% alcohol with 83% attenuation. I'll report back to see if I actually got a full 10 gallons.

Nice attenuation. What's the style?

[KSUwildcatFAN]

Nice attenuation. What's the style?

It's the famous Memory Lapse Pale Ale.

[3rd party JKor]

It's the famous Memory Lapse Pale Ale.

Ah, very nice. Should be a good beer.

[KSUwildcatFAN]

The funny thing is that according to Wyeast, the attenuation is 73-77%. Not sure if that's an average stat or an absolute.

[3rd party JKor]

The funny thing is that according to Wyeast, the attenuation is 73-77%. Not sure if that's an average stat or an absolute.

It's an average based on a "standard" wort, whatever WYeast determines that to be. Going out of the stated attenuation range is not abnormal, it just depends on the fermentability of your wort.

[KSUwildcatFAN]

Ha! So much for beginners luck. The final amount came to 8.5 gallons which brings my efficiency to roughly 66%. I thought I might have came in a little low, but I thought maybe 9-9.5 gallons. Oh well, the good news is that I got more beer now once it's carbed.

[3rd party JKor]

Yeah, it takes a while to really get your volumes dialed in. I have over 14 gallons of runoff to get 10 gallons of finished beer when all is said and done.

[Beejus McReejus]

It does definitely get easier and quicker with experience. You'll learn to get things timed so once your mash is done the sparge water is at temp and ready to go, etc. Are you batch or fly sparging now? One simple trick I took a while to learn was getting rid of the vorlauf and just using a filter (read: sock tied to the end of the mash tun hose). That saved me about 30 minutes.What kind of mill are you using? I still use a cheap Corona mill, but although it seems to crush a little too well, I can get effeciencies in the mid 80's with it. The mill at the LHBS doesn't seem to crush as well.

[KSUwildcatFAN]

It does definitely get easier and quicker with experience. You'll learn to get things timed so once your mash is done the sparge water is at temp and ready to go, etc. Are you batch or fly sparging now? One simple trick I took a while to learn was getting rid of the vorlauf and just using a filter (read: sock tied to the end of the mash tun hose). That saved me about 30 minutes.What kind of mill are you using? I still use a cheap Corona mill, but although it seems to crush a little too well, I can get effeciencies in the mid 80's with it. The mill at the LHBS doesn't seem to crush as well.

Fly sparging, and do not have a crusher. Not really ready to drop that much coin on one, so I just had the LHBS crush it. There's a million reasons why the efficiency could have been bad, so I'll just keep at it and work on getting my mash and sparge water temps spot on. If I still have low efficiencies at that point, I'll consider buying my own crusher.As far as vorlauf, I just drained about 1/2 gallon into a pitcher and poured it on top of the grain bed. At that point it was all going into the keggle.

[cavman]

There's things you'll learn to quicken your day. I usually finish in under 4.5 hours, and hit low 80's efficiency. It's all about learning what works with your system.

[Spoon]

I usually take about 4.5 -5 hrs. Most of the time I will setup night before, weigh grains, crush, set up boiler, fill pots get everything ready to go then wake up and fire up the burner, make coffee, and begin.

[Big Nake]

Congrats on the first AG batch. When I made my first AG batch I was actually nervous. I was clutching my notes and a diagram to my chest while I was going through all the steps and everything was very deliberate. Now I feel like I just fly through the batches... 4-4½ hours (60 minute mash, batch sparging, 60-70 minute boil) is usually what it takes and I look forward to it every single time. Nice work & cheers.