Hi all,
After a 12 -13 year hiatus, I brewed my first all grain batch - got back into brew earlier this year with a couple of extract batches before I dug out all my old all grain equipment.
I brewed an American Wheat, here is the recipe...
4lb pale malt
4lb wheat malt
4oz flaked wheat
.5oz cascade 60 min
.5oz cascade 20 min
.5oz cascade 5 min
4 tsp Fermax yeast nutient
1 Whirlfloc tablet 15 min
White Labs American Hefeweizen (WLP320)
Strike water (2.75 gallons) was 165 degrees - after dough in temp was down to about 150 - 152 degrees.
Batch sparged with 5.1 gallons (two spurges of 2.5+ gallons) @ 170 degrees.
All water was Poland Springs.
Forgot to take pre-boil gravity (any measure of efficiency will have to wait until my next batch tomorrow morning)
Post Boil O.G. 1.044 (exactly where it should have been)
Known mistakes made during this mash/boil:
1) I used a grilling thermometer for the mash temps (questionable accuracy at low temperature - i.e. below 300) so, I could have mashed quite a bit hotter than planned.
2) Cleaned my 12+ year old I.C. during the boil and discovered a slit in the bottom of one of the copper coils... had to cool using an ice bath (took much longer than it should have 40+ minutes)
3) No yeast starter
Here is my problem, two weeks in the primary I am only down to 1.020 (I was expecting closer to 1.010).
I am planning on adding 7 lbs of frozen blueberries to this batch (I'll thaw and crush them first then dump into the primary). I assume that this might 'kick start' fermentation activity a little bit - is this assumption correct?
Any thoughts on adding another vial of yeast when I add the blueberries? (I have an extra Pacific Ale vial in the fridge)...
As to my known mistakes... I've not got a proper brewing dial thermometer, I've got a SS I.C., and I will be doing yeast starters on all my batches from now on.
Thanks for any advice you can offer up (and thanks for all the advice/knowledge already on the forum),
-Schmutzie
After a 12 -13 year hiatus, I brewed my first all grain batch - got back into brew earlier this year with a couple of extract batches before I dug out all my old all grain equipment.
I brewed an American Wheat, here is the recipe...
4lb pale malt
4lb wheat malt
4oz flaked wheat
.5oz cascade 60 min
.5oz cascade 20 min
.5oz cascade 5 min
4 tsp Fermax yeast nutient
1 Whirlfloc tablet 15 min
White Labs American Hefeweizen (WLP320)
Strike water (2.75 gallons) was 165 degrees - after dough in temp was down to about 150 - 152 degrees.
Batch sparged with 5.1 gallons (two spurges of 2.5+ gallons) @ 170 degrees.
All water was Poland Springs.
Forgot to take pre-boil gravity (any measure of efficiency will have to wait until my next batch tomorrow morning)
Post Boil O.G. 1.044 (exactly where it should have been)
Known mistakes made during this mash/boil:
1) I used a grilling thermometer for the mash temps (questionable accuracy at low temperature - i.e. below 300) so, I could have mashed quite a bit hotter than planned.
2) Cleaned my 12+ year old I.C. during the boil and discovered a slit in the bottom of one of the copper coils... had to cool using an ice bath (took much longer than it should have 40+ minutes)
3) No yeast starter
Here is my problem, two weeks in the primary I am only down to 1.020 (I was expecting closer to 1.010).
I am planning on adding 7 lbs of frozen blueberries to this batch (I'll thaw and crush them first then dump into the primary). I assume that this might 'kick start' fermentation activity a little bit - is this assumption correct?
Any thoughts on adding another vial of yeast when I add the blueberries? (I have an extra Pacific Ale vial in the fridge)...
As to my known mistakes... I've not got a proper brewing dial thermometer, I've got a SS I.C., and I will be doing yeast starters on all my batches from now on.
Thanks for any advice you can offer up (and thanks for all the advice/knowledge already on the forum),
-Schmutzie