tacks
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2012
- Messages
- 291
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- 30
Hi everyone,
I did my first AG batch yesterday, and all went well procedure-wise for my brew, but I clearly screwed up a couple of things and am looking for answers. I was trying to do this recipe (https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f66/centennial-blonde-simple-4-all-grain-5-10-gall-42841/ ), thinking it would be a good first AG brew. First things first - I tried mashing in with not hot enough strike water. I heated up more water and got it to 151F, then waited the hour to allow for enzymatic activity. I did the Vorlauf step and waited for the wort to run clear, and gently poured the Vorlauf runnings back into my tun. At this point I already had too much water but didn't want to leave any extra sugar behind so I did my batch sparge (168F for 20 minutes) anyhow. After that, I had roughly 10 Gallons of wort and I boiled off down to 6.5. Even after this, I ended up with a measly OG of 1.030 (should have been around 1.038-1.040). I know I really screwed up the water volumes, and I certainly expected a low efficiency on my first batch, but is there something I am missing? Should I be taking pH readings or using a stabilizer? I know some people swear by them and others say they are bunk. I just want to know what (other than proper water additions) I should be doing to up my efficiency and not leave all those sugars in the grain! Thanks in advance!
I did my first AG batch yesterday, and all went well procedure-wise for my brew, but I clearly screwed up a couple of things and am looking for answers. I was trying to do this recipe (https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f66/centennial-blonde-simple-4-all-grain-5-10-gall-42841/ ), thinking it would be a good first AG brew. First things first - I tried mashing in with not hot enough strike water. I heated up more water and got it to 151F, then waited the hour to allow for enzymatic activity. I did the Vorlauf step and waited for the wort to run clear, and gently poured the Vorlauf runnings back into my tun. At this point I already had too much water but didn't want to leave any extra sugar behind so I did my batch sparge (168F for 20 minutes) anyhow. After that, I had roughly 10 Gallons of wort and I boiled off down to 6.5. Even after this, I ended up with a measly OG of 1.030 (should have been around 1.038-1.040). I know I really screwed up the water volumes, and I certainly expected a low efficiency on my first batch, but is there something I am missing? Should I be taking pH readings or using a stabilizer? I know some people swear by them and others say they are bunk. I just want to know what (other than proper water additions) I should be doing to up my efficiency and not leave all those sugars in the grain! Thanks in advance!