First Solo Brew Day -- Frustrating

[rigatron]

Hey,

I've brewed about a dozen times with friends, only doing all-grain batches. Today I tried to brew by myself for the first time, and tried to do an extract brew with steeped specialty grains (BIAB). Today was a frustrating experience, but I'll try to keep this short.

I first had to build a wort chiller today, which went fine except the faucet attachment didn't fit. I went back to Lowes for a different attachment, had to figure out which coupler to get because they didn't have exactly the right one, and made sure it fit the faucets they had. Came back home and the threads wouldn't fit. Just decided to do an ice bath.

I was trying to do an Oberon clone I had found online. I went to my LHBS and they had these little cards with their recommended clone recipes. I kind of felt pressured to just go with that, but it called for a 30 minute steep with 1 lb of Munich malt and 0.5 lb of Crystal 10L. The Munich kind of surprised me, and I feel like it made the color off.

Also used 6.6 lbs of What LME. I kind of messed up and had my burner up too high, and it ended up scorching the bottom of the kettle, and I havent been able to get the burned extract off.


Recipe

1 lb Munich
0.5 lb Crystal 10L
Steeped for 30 minutes in two bags (157 - 149 degrees Fahrenheit)
2.5 gallons of water

6.6 lbs of Wheat LME
0.5 oz of Northern Brewer (60 min)
0.5 oz Saaz (30 min)
0.5 oz Saaz (15 min)
0.5 oz Saaz (0 min)

After boil, I racked to the fermentor and topped off with water. Then sat the fermentor in an ice bath.

Wyeast American II (1272)

The most troubling thing that happened was that before the hot break it was really foaming up high, but I only had 2.5 gallons of wort in the 5 gallon kettle so it didn't boil over. However, the side of the kettle and the bottom of the lid became covered in what looked like hop pellet sediment. This seems bad because the hops didn't actually go into the beer. I've never seen or heard of this before. Any insights?

I tasted the sample I took for the OG reading, and it tasted very "flat" and "watery". Having sampled many beers in this fashion, this one was probably the worst. It didn't really taste bad, but there just wasn't really anything there. I added the water post boil, because that's what How to Brew says to do, but I've never done anything like that before. I can't help but feel like I just watered down my beer too much.

The OG ended up being 1.046. The goal was 1.050 - 1.053. Not terribly far off the low end, but it certainly tasted it.

I think I am going to try to salvage this beer by drying hopping in the secondary fairly heavily, maybe using 1 oz of Cascade and 1 oz of Saaz. Any thoughts or opinions on this?

Sorry for the long bitchfest, but I needed to vent. Thanks for any input.

 

[KepowOb]

When you top off an extract batch, it doesn't always mix as well as you'd expect. The sample you tasted, and where you got your OG from might have been from a more watered down sample.

With extract, if you hit your target volume, you'll hit your OG.

To stop the scorching in the future, take your kettle off the heat when you add your extract. Also to prevent darkening, look into late extract additions.

 

[flars]

I have some suggestions which may make your next brew day a little better.

As mentioned turn off the heat when you add extract to prevent scorching.
Go for late addition with some of the extract for lighter color and truer flavor of your beer.
After adding the extract stir well to make sure is dissolves. This will help prevent scorching.
Keep up with occasional stirring as you bring the wort back to a boil. Control the heat. The boil does not need to be super intense. Just keep most of the wort surface rolling. This will help prevent scorching and overly darkening of your beer from the Maillard reaction.
Stir well as the hot break begins to foam upwards. This will prevent the hops from being stuck to the side of the kettle.
Don't boil with the lid on the kettle. DMS will condense on the lid and drop back into your wort.

Cool the boiled wort in the ice bath before adding to the fermentor. It is more efficient to lower the temperature of a small volume of liquid than a large volume of liquid.
Add the cold water to the fermentor, especially if it glass, then add the cooled wort. Adding the warm wort to a glass fermentor will stress the glass. Top off with more cold water to account for the boil off to reach the recipe volume.

 

[CadiBrewer]

I also have one suggestion. Some of my worst brew days have been when I was trying to do other stuff before or during the brew. It seems like those days when I'm trying to keg another batch or build a new chiller, or whatever, have been the worst. I now clear my day whenever possible to have a brew day without other goals, and those have magically been the ones that I hit my gravity, pH and generally have a good day. Just my $.02.

 

[jtratcliff]

Some of my worst brew days have been when I was trying to do other stuff...

Amen brother. Especially for a 1st time solo.

Easy to get discombobulated when you're juggling too many things!


+1 to the late extract additions off-heat, as well

 

[kaconga]

Brew another batch without a long lapse of time in between. As with most things, brewing gets easier with practice. You have identified some problem areas. In my situation I ask more experienced brewers, search around on the subject, formulate a solution and then implement the solution.

The hop sediment is perfectly normal, for me at least. If the pellets touch the wort then they are going to give up their goods and I don't stress about it. Topping off is a very economical way to make beer. It might taste watery to you but it should be great after the yeast have their way with it.

If you have been practicing all grain brewing with friends then extract brewing will be very foreign to you. Perhaps you should move towards all grain brewing solo via 2.5 gallon BIAB batches. This will allow you to do what you have seen them do to a greater extent and not need to upgrade much equipment.

 

[Ridire]

I get the hop junk on the side of the kettle on every brew. I do not think that to be abnormal...unless I just don't know what I'm doing.

 

[rigatron]

Thanks everyone.

I will try the late extract addition technique, and also will try to lower the temperature of the boil.

I woke up to it fermenting so vigorously that I had a small blow off, but I heard it and immediately rigged up a blowoff tube. I'm not sure how it will taste, but it will at least be alcoholic!

 

[kwikness]

it ended up scorching the bottom of the kettle, and I havent been able to get the burned extract off.

Try isopropyl alcohol?

 

[MindenMan]

I feel your pain, brewing by myself sucks. Now that it is summer and my wife and daughter are home more, I just may have found myself a brew partner or two.

 

[flars]

I get the hop junk on the side of the kettle on every brew. I do not think that to be abnormal...unless I just don't know what I'm doing.

I'll use my spoon to rinse it back down into the wort. Don't know if it makes a difference, but just looks a little cleaner.

 

[flars]

I feel your pain, brewing by myself sucks. Now that it is summer and my wife and daughter are home more, I just may have found myself a brew partner or two.

You will have a brew partner. The one that put in the special request.

 

[surffisher2a]

Don't worry about the hop residue on the sides, its not a big deal.

Another trick to keep the foam down is to keep a spray bottle with cold water near you. Once you see it start foaming up give it a couple sprays.

 

[rigatron]

Try isopropyl alcohol?

Will do. Thanks.

I feel your pain, brewing by myself sucks. Now that it is summer and my wife and daughter are home more, I just may have found myself a brew partner or two.

Yeah an extra pair of hands is really helpful.

Don't worry about the hop residue on the sides, its not a big deal.

Another trick to keep the foam down is to keep a spray bottle with cold water near you. Once you see it start foaming up give it a couple sprays.

Clever. I'll try this next time.