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I am excited about this batch as I feel like I am getting closer to making good beer. added a bit to the grain bill as my efficiency has not been good. also, did a hop stand with an extra ounce of hops. It is fermenting away at the moment, I have a good feeling it will be my best batch of beer yet!!

7.5 gallons water
heated to 160 degrees and added grains (170 degrees for strike, too hot!)
mashed for 60 minutes
heated to 170 and held for 10 minutes
drained grain
added 1 oz hops (all Cascade) @ boil & started 60" timer
added .5oz @ 30"
added .25oz @ 15" put chiller in kettle
added .25oz @ 5"
chilled to 175 add 1oz for 30"
chilled
rack to fermenter
pitched yeast

couple items of focus to help my efficiency:
- Squeeze the grain bag thoroughly
- stir every 10 minutes during mash

grain bill
2 row - 8 pounds 8 ounces
Vienna - 2 pounds 4 ounces
10L - 12 ounces

couple things I messed up on. strike temp was too hot, not sure how this will affect things. by the time I had my grain in and stirred up, it was almost back down to target. also, I ripped my bag AGAIN - I think my metal spoon might be the culprit and am going to get a wooden one. Have been using nylon sheer curtains and sewing a drawstring. works great, except I have managed to create a small tear twice now... which has meant straining after mashing out and before boil - that is getting tiresome.
 
Well ED I have been sipping this beer for 3 weeks and it is a very nice brew. You should be congratulated and thanked for sharing this. The first week I thought I would change the hopping of this beer but after 3 weeks of nursing this keg I don't think I would change a thing!:mug:
 
Just brewed this up a couple days ago. I couldn't help but change the hops a little. Also my lhbs doesn't have c-10 so I subbed with c-15.

I did:
.75 centennial @ 60
.25 cascade @ 15
.25 centennial @ 10
.25 cascade @ 5
.25 centennial @ 0

If the hops are over the top I'll rebrew it to the recipe specifications. I'll bottle in about ten days and let you know how it turned out!

xgmxwm.jpg
 
Hey guys! I brewed a batch of this beer yesterday as my second all grain brew.

It was only my second AG batch, so I'm a bit rusty and still trying to figure things like my efficiency, boil-off rate, MLT/Fermenter loss, etc.

Anyway, I overshot my efficiency a lot and I ended up topping up with .75 gallons in the fermenter. I just want to know if if I did the right thing and how I should correct for it next time. I don't have Beersmith in front of me so I'm not 100% sure on these numbers: I was shooting for 6.5 gallons of pre-boil wort @ 1.043, but I got 6.5 gallons @ 1.050 with a batch sparge (strike water, drain, sparge, drain, sparge, drain). I input the recipe at 72% and Beersmith says I got 88% efficiency. I didn't know this until about halfway through the boil because I was waiting for my sample to cool in the fridge. When I siphoned from the kettle to the carboy, I ended up with ~4.9 gallons, instead of the 5.5 I was shooting for. So I boiled off 1.6 gallons -- is that possible? My intended gravity was 1.050 and I got 1.058. I used the dilution tool and it told me to add .75 gallons to correct things. So in the end, I believe I have 5.65 gallons @ 1.050.

Note: I took the preboil gravity while the wort was still pretty hot, like 120F, and made the appropriate correction. However, I understand this still may be wrong? The post-boil hydrometer sample was @ 68F, which is consistent with the initial overshooting. Then again, I apparently boiled off 1.6 gallons. Maybe I need to double check the volume markings I made on my carboy. I measure the volume in my kettle with a yardstick and some math.

I know the addition of water will affect my hop utilization, but to what extent? Do you think I made the right call? Also, what do I do better next time? Should I input my recipe at 85% efficiency?
 
chexjc said:
Hey guys! I brewed a batch of this beer yesterday as my second all grain brew.

It was only my second AG batch, so I'm a bit rusty and still trying to figure things like my efficiency, boil-off rate, MLT/Fermenter loss, etc.

Anyway, I overshot my efficiency a lot and I ended up topping up with .75 gallons in the fermenter. I just want to know if if I did the right thing and how I should correct for it next time. I don't have Beersmith in front of me so I'm not 100% sure on these numbers: I was shooting for 6.5 gallons of pre-boil wort @ 1.043, but I got 6.5 gallons @ 1.050 with a batch sparge (strike water, drain, sparge, drain, sparge, drain). I input the recipe at 72% and Beersmith says I got 88% efficiency. I didn't know this until about halfway through the boil because I was waiting for my sample to cool in the fridge. When I siphoned from the kettle to the carboy, I ended up with ~4.9 gallons, instead of the 5.5 I was shooting for. So I boiled off 1.6 gallons -- is that possible? My intended gravity was 1.050 and I got 1.058. I used the dilution tool and it told me to add .75 gallons to correct things. So in the end, I believe I have 5.65 gallons @ 1.050.

Note: I took the preboil gravity while the wort was still pretty hot, like 120F, and made the appropriate correction. However, I understand this still may be wrong? The post-boil hydrometer sample was @ 68F, which is consistent with the initial overshooting. Then again, I apparently boiled off 1.6 gallons. Maybe I need to double check the volume markings I made on my carboy. I measure the volume in my kettle with a yardstick and some math.

I know the addition of water will affect my hop utilization, but to what extent? Do you think I made the right call? Also, what do I do better next time? Should I input my recipe at 85% efficiency?
Click to expand...

I think you will be fine. You said you siphoned from kettle to carboy? How much was left behind in the kettle (if any)?
 
Brewed this again today but I got distracted during the boil and changed the hop schedule. 1 oz at 60 and the the other oz at 5. Lol. I missed the 30 mark so I eliminated the 15 minute as well. Pitched a packet of 05 at 64 degrees. Still should turn out great.

Right?
 
treacheroustexan said:
Brewed this again today but I got distracted during the boil and changed the hop schedule. 1 oz at 60 and the the other oz at 5. Lol. I missed the 30 mark so I eliminated the 15 minute as well. Pitched a packet of 05 at 64 degrees. Still should turn out great.

Right?
Click to expand...
It will still be beer and most likely pretty good!:mug:
 
So upon the advice given by some respected brewers, I've decided to dump my first batch of this beer (and my second all grain batch) after the yeast died and fermentation didn't start until day four. Long story short, it's likely that its infected by something that will contribute to off-flavors and it's entirely unlikely, but scientifically plausible that I germinated botulism; and I'm not enough of a risk taker to chance that.

I've reordered the ingredients to give this beer another go, but I'm hoping I can hit my numbers a little better next time.

The recipe is written for 75% efficiency for a 5.5 gallon batch at 1.050. I got 88% mash efficiency for 6.5 gallons pre-boil and ended up with 4.9 gallons at 1.058. I realize this means I need to adjust a few quantities, but I'm not sure exactly how to calculate it. I need less grain and more water, right? Thanks as always for the help.
 
chexjc said:
So upon the advice given by some respected brewers, I've decided to dump my first batch of this beer (and my second all grain batch) after the yeast died and fermentation didn't start until day four. Long story short, it's likely that its infected by something that will contribute to off-flavors and it's entirely unlikely, but scientifically plausible that I germinated botulism; and I'm not enough of a risk taker to chance that.

I've reordered the ingredients to give this beer another go, but I'm hoping I can hit my numbers a little better next time.

The recipe is written for 75% efficiency for a 5.5 gallon batch at 1.050. I got 88% mash efficiency for 6.5 gallons pre-boil and ended up with 4.9 gallons at 1.058. I realize this means I need to adjust a few quantities, but I'm not sure exactly how to calculate it. I need less grain and more water, right? Thanks as always for the help.
Click to expand...

Actually at 5.5 gallons, your grain quantity is about right, assuming you can recreate that efficiency.

1+(.01×(58pts × 4.9gal))/5.5gal=1.052 O.G.
 
chexjc said:
So upon the advice given by some respected brewers, I've decided to dump my first batch of this beer (and my second all grain batch) after the yeast died and fermentation didn't start until day four. Long story short, it's likely that its infected by something that will contribute to off-flavors and it's entirely unlikely, but scientifically plausible that I germinated botulism; and I'm not enough of a risk taker to chance that.

I've reordered the ingredients to give this beer another go, but I'm hoping I can hit my numbers a little better next time.

The recipe is written for 75% efficiency for a 5.5 gallon batch at 1.050. I got 88% mash efficiency for 6.5 gallons pre-boil and ended up with 4.9 gallons at 1.058. I realize this means I need to adjust a few quantities, but I'm not sure exactly how to calculate it. I need less grain and more water, right? Thanks as always for the help.
Click to expand...

I'm really not sure that I'd figure that my beer is ruined if I don't see activity for four days. Sometimes there's a bit longer of a lag time. Your 'respected' brewers are really throwing some wives tales. I don't think I've ever read of someone getting Botulism in their beer.

As far as your questions: It seems that you overshot your OG. I wouldn't complain about that myself but I get your point. You just need less grain next time with the same amount of water to hit the original recipe's OG. Use a brewing calculator like brewers friend and input the recipe and expected efficiency then lower the grain amount evenly ( same percentage difference on all grains ) until the expected OG is reached.

If you're trying to hit 5.5 gallons then use more mash water or turn down your burner. You don't need to boil off 1.5 gallons an hour to make beer. I do it on a stove and burn off 0.75 G/hr and the beer comes out just the same.
 
You don't HAVE to have a vigorous boil but there is nothing wrong with it. In fact it can be benificial. Charles Bamforth in the March 1 podcast of Beersmith explains the benifits of a vigorous boil. I get a nice boil going and consistently boil off 1.5 gallons in a 60 minute boil.

Now I could boil harder and boil off more, or I could try to save some propane and boil off less. I personally want a nice vigorous boil in which I get consistent results.
 
chexjc said:
So upon the advice given by some respected brewers, I've decided to dump my first batch of this beer (and my second all grain batch) after the yeast died and fermentation didn't start until day four. Long story short, it's likely that its infected by something that will contribute to off-flavors and it's entirely unlikely, but scientifically plausible that I germinated botulism; and I'm not enough of a risk taker to chance that.



I've reordered the ingredients to give this beer another go, but I'm hoping I can hit my numbers a little better next time.



The recipe is written for 75% efficiency for a 5.5 gallon batch at 1.050. I got 88% mash efficiency for 6.5 gallons pre-boil and ended up with 4.9 gallons at 1.058. I realize this means I need to adjust a few quantities, but I'm not sure exactly how to calculate it. I need less grain and more water, right? Thanks as always for the help.
Click to expand...


Don't know if you use a bucket but I've made great beer that never had a bubble in the airlock sometimes the lids don't seal that well. what did the beer look like when you dumped it? I haven't had an infected batch in a long time (tracked that one to tubing) but I'd still keep some of it now to try to make some malt vinegar.
 
Brewing this beer tomorrow as my first all grain batch. I added an additional pound of 2 row as I don't know what my efficiency % will be yet. Seemed like a simple enough beer and will be a perfect summer beer by the sounds of it.
 
I brewed a 5 gallon AG batch of this 3.5 weeks ago along with a batch of BierMuncher's Centennial Blonde. My OG on this was 1.054 and it finished at 1.011. After 1.5 weeks in the keg at 43*F it is extremely tasty. The bitterness was a little sharp at first but it's more subdued and balanced now. I dry hopped it in the keg with 1oz of Cascade leaf hops and it took this beer from a 9.5 to a 10. What a great recipe!

Thanks Ed!
 
Oh, I forgot to add, the Centennial Blonde was ready sooner and made a good beer to have on tap while this one aged a bit longer. Two great hot weather beers. I'll have them both in my rotation from now on, I just wish I would have tried them sooner. With a 2-3 week turnaround I can brew these both once a month (each 5 gallon batches) and have two kegs worth on constant rotation.
 
With the added pound of 2 row I came out with 5 gallons at 1.058. Now to get my system dialed in a little better.
 
Brewed this a little over a week ago, realise now that I must have cold crashed it after like 6 days, for some reason I thought it was longer but the fg was at 1.008, think it will be alright or should I try taking it out of the fridge for a few days and then cold crashing again?
 
havox07 said:
Brewed this a little over a week ago, realise now that I must have cold crashed it after like 6 days, for some reason I thought it was longer but the fg was at 1.008, think it will be alright or should I try taking it out of the fridge for a few days and then cold crashing again?
Click to expand...

I think you'll be ok. I've brewed this one numerous times and have never had it finish below 1.010. However I usually mash at 154.
 
Brewed this yesterday afternoon. Bumped my grains up 15 % to make up for lower efficiency. Came out with OG of 1.056. Woke up this morning to see a nice active krausen. This is going to be a good one :)
 
Notty is awesome I brewed this malt bill with mosaic hops but used S-05 and it refuses to floccuate it's cloudy and tastes like a Belgian I should've stuck with my tried and true notty
 
My first batch of this (5 gallon AG) has been in the keg for 3.5 weeks at ~40*F and I've been dry hopping in the keg for 2 weeks with 1 oz of whole cascade flowers in a hop bag. Man, this beer was good at first, but it's really hit its stride now, which is a shame b/c there isn't much left. The flavors are much more blended and it's overall much "smoother". I hate using that word to describe drinks, but I really don't know how else to describe it now. WAY too easy to drink, that's for sure... In my next batch I think I'll try dry hopping in keg for 1-2 weeks before I tap it.
 
Zibe said:
Notty is awesome I brewed this malt bill with mosaic hops but used S-05 and it refuses to floccuate it's cloudy and tastes like a Belgian I should've stuck with my tried and true notty
Click to expand...

I just kicked a keg of Centennial Blonde that I fermented with S05. It came out tasting like a Belgian too. I've never had that with S05. I wonder if it is a batch issue.
 
I changed up the hop schedule to use 3 oz of hops to fit my liking. Brewed this a couple times now. I have entered it in 3 competitions in the past year. One competition scored a 41 and a silver medal, next competition scored a 35 and no medal, and this past weekend I entered it in one more competition and it scored a 39 but still didn't medal unfortunately. I can't believe it!
 
All set to mash in on this and just as a check I weighed out my grains bought+crushed from LHBS and it's a full pound short. This is on a 3.5 gal batch, so that's like 15% short... and who knows which grain is missing, either the 2-row or the vienna or some combination. So steamed. Will have to adjust the boil off and hops on the fly i suppose, who knows how this'll turn out.
 
I'm thinking my scale must have been off... I actually ended up OVERSHOOTING the gravity at 1.060 for about 83% efficiency. Weird! From one extreme to the other.

I'm trying this with Yeast Bay's midwestern ale AKA the Bell's yeast. Excited to see how it turns out.
 
I made this back in April and just got around to finally tasting it this past weekend. I was worried as I am not a fan of IPA/hoppiness but was told this is more of a summer beer. Dead on. Loved it. Excellent. Totally recommend this recipe
 
Not sure what i'm doing wrong but I haven't been able to nail this beer yet, first attempt it had an aftertaste and the second time I brewed it it seems to taste overly bitter (this is before carbonation as I just threw it in a keg) Not sure whats going wrong, the first time I didn't temperature control it for a few days so I thought that may be it, but the second time it was sitting around 68 the whole time.

Guess I should just try another APA.
 
havox07 said:
Not sure what i'm doing wrong but I haven't been able to nail this beer yet, first attempt it had an aftertaste and the second time I brewed it it seems to taste overly bitter (this is before carbonation as I just threw it in a keg) Not sure whats going wrong, the first time I didn't temperature control it for a few days so I thought that may be it, but the second time it was sitting around 68 the whole time.

Guess I should just try another APA.
Click to expand...

I haven't made this in a long time, but I seem to remember that it takes a little time in the keg before it all comes together.

Give it a little time and see what happens.
 

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