First all grain

[NZBrad]

Hi guys.
Yesterday I brewed my first all grain batch. It was bit of a learning experience and I will definitely be more organised next time.

A few questions...
I followed a Motueka hop SMaSH recipe to keep things simple and used BIAB method. I was aiming for 14.5l in the fermentor.
Pre boil I measured the SG and it was at 1.065, well above the expected 1.050 (I squeezed the bag so maybe this could be a factor here).

Just wondering what is the usual procedure if you are out on an expected gravity pre-boil?
I diluted with water which gave me more liquid than I expected so I added extra hops, but did measure, just guestimated by adding a few extra. I don't have a scale on my kettle so wasn't sure on the exact volume on it so will have to make a dipstick for next time. My Final O.G post boil came out at 1.054.

I also ran out of ice cooling the wort. it was late at night so I put it in the fermentation chamber and dialed it to 18 C (64.4 f) and pitched in the morning. Is this likely to cause any issues?

Hopefully the final result is drinkable!! My last attempt was from an all extract kit with no boiling, but I wasn't to happy with it so thought I would try all grain.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

Sounds like you did stuff correct. Did you scale the grain bill to your batch size yourself? You might just need to adjust for your system's actual efficiency moving forward. Some extra hops should help balance out the extra extract you got (but using a scale is a good idea..and a way to measure the volume in your kettle too).

Some people's standard process is to let the batch cool in their chamber and pitch the next morning, so that is fine. You are around the batch size where an immersion chiller might be very handy vs trying to cool in an ice bath...or you could do what you did for the last 10 degree of cooling.

 

[tgolanos]

Pre boil I measured the SG and it was at 1.065, well above the expected 1.050 (I squeezed the bag so maybe this could be a factor here)
....
My Final O.G post boil came out at 1.054.

Your pre-boil gravity shouldn't be higher than your post-boil; you're boiling off liquid, which will lead to a higher gravity reading post boil.

Check your hydrometer for its calibration temp, it should be about 20°C. If you measure wort higher than this temp, you'll get a reading that's way off. There are online calculators that will adjust temps for you, but you can always put 125ml of wort in the freezer and chill it down to calibration temp.

I also ran out of ice cooling the wort. it was late at night so I put it in the fermentation chamber and dialed it to 18 C (64.4 f) and pitched in the morning. Is this likely to cause any issues?

You'll be fine. I always let my wort chill down naturally. So long as your sanitation is good, you won't have issues.

 

[millatime]

Just to hop on, i like to have an ice cooler on hand. Google Rapi-cool. REALLY helps cooling where my immersion cooler "stops" cooling.

Keep it in the freezer and sanitize when ready to cool wort!

 

[RM-MN]

Hi guys.
Yesterday I brewed my first all grain batch. It was bit of a learning experience and I will definitely be more organised next time.

A few questions...
I followed a Motueka hop SMaSH recipe to keep things simple and used BIAB method. I was aiming for 14.5l in the fermentor.
Pre boil I measured the SG and it was at 1.065, well above the expected 1.050 (I squeezed the bag so maybe this could be a factor here).

Just wondering what is the usual procedure if you are out on an expected gravity pre-boil?
I diluted with water which gave me more liquid than I expected so I added extra hops, but did measure, just guestimated by adding a few extra. I don't have a scale on my kettle so wasn't sure on the exact volume on it so will have to make a dipstick for next time. My Final O.G post boil came out at 1.054.

I also ran out of ice cooling the wort. it was late at night so I put it in the fermentation chamber and dialed it to 18 C (64.4 f) and pitched in the morning. Is this likely to cause any issues?

Hopefully the final result is drinkable!! My last attempt was from an all extract kit with no boiling, but I wasn't to happy with it so thought I would try all grain.

With less liquid than you wanted pre boil your OG was higher than expected. Adding water back to get to the proper volume was the right choice. If your grains were milled fine, you should overshoot the OG if you don't adjust the grains to account for the higher mash efficiency.

Next brew, instead of just adding the water to the boil pot to get your proper volume, pour it over the bag of grains and capture the left-over sugars. That will increase your brewhouse efficiency (not the same as mash efficiency) so you might have to drink a beer with alcohol until you learn the expected brewhouse efficiency and adjust your base malt to account for that.

 

[NZBrad]

Thanks for all he advice guys.
Good to know it doesn’t look like I’ve stuffed up too bad yet.
Cascades brewer, yea I scaled it up myself. The recipe was for 9l and I wanted around 14.4l so multiplied everything by 1.5.

RM, yea I think that is probably right about the grain. Over the next few batches I’ll measure everything through the process and work out my efficiency. One thing that may have made it more efficient is that the brew shop sold me some special grain (a small amount) which is supposed get the pH right for our local water during the mash.

On a seperate subject, my first brew was from an all extract kit. (Mangrove jacks Simcoe ipa). It’s still very fresh but has a soapy taste. Anyone know what can cause that?

Cheers

 

[MrHadack]

It’s still very fresh but has a soapy taste. Anyone know what can cause that?

It has been said soapy flavors can develop if you leave the beer in the primary fermentor for too long. "Too long" depends on the style and other conditions (probably talking a month or two), but personally I've never experienced it. I've heard some people describe the mouthfeel of diacetyl as "soap-like" because the the oily slickness it can impart. Curious: how long did you have it in the fermentor, and how did you determine it was finished?

 

[kh54s10]

Soapy from leaving in primary for to long? That would take many months. Not just one or two. I have gone 2 months and more many times through procrastination about bottling or kegging without ever getting soapy.

 

[MrHadack]

Soapy from leaving in primary for to long? That would take many months. Not just one or two. I have gone 2 months and more many times through procrastination about bottling or kegging without ever getting soapy.

Right, as I said I've never experienced it. I doubt it's the issue. I mentioned it only because it's what is most commonly linked to "soapy" flavor / aroma. I brought up diacetyl because pulling it from the fermenter too soon would cause that problem, and it's the next closest thing I've heard referred to as "soapy."

 

[NZBrad]

Thanks for all the replies guys. Im not that active on the computer so hence the delay! I've tried the SMaSH and it is good!!

Yesterday I brewed a panhead supercharger apa clone and was thinking something is definitely different about this batch..

Laying in bed later I thought, damn, that bag seemed a lot like a mosquito net....
Sure enough, I checked in the morning and my brewing bag was tucked away with the tea towels and i had used a mosquito net for my bag! What a fail.. Considered biffing the brew and starting again, then decided to just pitch and see what happens... Should be interesting haha.

 

[NZBrad]

also, in relation to the "Soapy" taste of the first kit I did, It was in the fermentor for two weeks so I don't think that was the cause.. Maybe my taste buds pick up things differently and it just wasn't readyy?.. It's been in the bottle for a while now and the taste has been improving a lot.

 

[kh54s10]

Your mosquito net beer should also be OK. Maybe a bit more cloudy than usual.

How long has the "soapy" one been bottled? 3 weeks or more for most to get the best flavor. Much longer for strong heavy beers.

 

[NZBrad]

Just an update in regard to the mosquito net beer. It turned out great, good clarity and tasty as!!