Did I just brew "near-beer" ?

[NewJerseyCowboy]

Well I just got into brewing and I need to slow down. I have already jumped into all grain brewing and missed one key part. I didn't mill my grains. I tried the Centennial recipe (yup I didn't even try doing an all grain kit, just went right for a recipe) that looks so damn good on here. It is supposed to have an estimated OG of 1.040, my OG reading was 1.005. I also pitched my yeast before looking at my reading, so yup... Should I even keep this batch? Anything I can do to "fix" this? What's a decent grain mill?

 

[GilSwillBasementBrews]

Not sure what your gravity readings were kinda hard to understand the readings. Your recipe called for 1.040??? And you got 1.005??? If you could post your recipe I'm sure you'll get better help. As for grain mills I can't really say either way get my grains crushed at the LHBS. but I know alot of brewers are using monster mills, barley crusher, heck even check out the ugly junk corona mill thread on here. I think it's more of a case of not which mill you get hit how you use it.

 

[NewJerseyCowboy]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f66/centennial-blonde-simple-4-all-grain-5-10-gall-42841/

Multiple - Centennial Blonde (Simple 4% All Grain, 5 & 10 Gall)
Recipe Type: All Grain
Yeast: Nottingham
Yeast Starter: Nope
Additional Yeast or Yeast Starter: Nope
Batch Size (Gallons): 5.5 & 11
Original Gravity: 1.039
Final Gravity: 1.008
IBU: 21.6
Boiling Time (Minutes): 60-75
Color: 3.9
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 4 days at 68 Degrees
Additional Fermentation: Kegged, chilled and Carb'd for one week
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 5 Days at 68 Degrees

****5 Gallon Batch****

Batch Size: 5.50 gal
Boil Size: 6.57 gal
Estimated OG: 1.040 SG
Estimated Color: 3.9 SRM
Estimated IBU: 21.5 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.0 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount
7.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM)
0.75 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM)
0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM)
0.50 lb Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM)
0.25 oz Centennial [9.50%] (55 min)
0.25 oz Centennial [9.50%] (35 min)
0.25 oz Cascade [7.80%] (20 min)
0.25 oz Cascade [7.80%] (5 min)
1 Pkgs Nottingham (Danstar #-) (Hydrated)


Mash at 150 degrees for 60 minutes.


Reading the whole recipe over I just realize my OG is lower than what the FG is supposed to be... I'm glad I can laugh at this.

 

[Pappers_]

If you tried to mash unmilled grain, I would go ahead and dump it, unless you want to treat it as an experiment. You can order grain (at your local store, online or in kits) that is already milled, so you won't need a mill right away.

 

[BrewKnurd]

So at this point, all I can think you could do to "fix" would be to add a bunch of extract to actually get some fermentables in there. But all you're really "saving" is the yeast and an ounce of hops.

I too am glad you can laugh at this.

 

[NewJerseyCowboy]

I have a Hefe from extract that will be ready this weekend, so I will drink that while I re-brew this batch and all will be okay.

 

[progmac]

basically you made colored water. dump it and move on

 

[NewJerseyCowboy]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I knew I was an idiot, it is just nice to have confirmation sometimes :cross:

I'll just have to repeat over and over when dumping it "this is not beer, this is not beer, this is not beer..."

 

[CreamyGoodness]

The fact that you are treating it as a learning experience and carrying on says good things about you. I would be punching walls (figuratively).

 

[dstranger99]

I love how new brewers jump into the hobby without a clue on what they're doing.....It's the same with fish keeping, they go get a tank, filters, rocks, fish, and days later the fish are dead, then they make posts on the fish boards I frequent and ask "Why are my fish dead?"...........

 

[iowabrew]

I think the acknowledgement (sp?) of "hey i messed up...do it diffrently next time" is nice to see. The OP obviously knows what he did wrong and therefore will remember to double check his process next time. Learning experiences still aren't fun...

 

[NewJerseyCowboy]

The whole homebrew thing kinda snowballed into ridiculousness for me. I was home brewing extract in a 16 qt pot until one day the wife told me we were having people over and she was using the pot to make up sauce for dinner. I had plans to brew that night, so it was decided we needed a dedicated brew pot. Ended up going to HomeGoods hoping they would have a big pot and ended up leaving with a 103.5 qt pot for $199. Equipment acquisition just snowballed after that.... "Well I should get this since I now have the larger pot" "Well not since I got that for the giant pot, I also need to get this." and so on and so on. The jump to AG from extract wasn't a well thought out plan to say the least.

 

[Accidic]

At least he's interested enough to learn and he has a great attitude about it. I suspect he'll laugh about this with his brewing buddies someday. For today though it's the normal "Whoops!" and he learned a lesson so that it doesn't happen again.

 

[Walking_Target]

LOL!

I know the feeling of the snowball of equipment. I started out doing stovetop batches too, which turned into stovetop 2-stage full boils, which then turned into "Hey, for $150 i can do this on propane outside"...

Which turned into "all grain can't be that hard"

Which turned into "Hey, 5 gallon cooler tun, couple hundred dollars of grain..."

Which then turned into "I don't have room in the fridge for beer, or enough bottles... KEGGERATOR!!"

Which turned into "Honey, I need to buy a grain mill, I need to keep my kegs full"

and here I sit. Grain mill is ordered, and SWMBO is enjoying the beer, but kinda amused by the progression.



Now, if you're serious about all-grain, i'd suggest looking into your own mill. A basic corona mill can be had cheap and does a good enough job for most people (just do a search for "corona mill" and see all the long time members that still use them)

Or, y'know... if you're thinking about your own brewery at some point, buy a barley crusher or monster mill and tell the wife it's "an investment"

 

[dstranger99]

^

The thing with AG now is alot of people are just doing BIAB, and the hell with the old way.......Cheaper, and easier cleanup......

 

[Accidic]

Agreed. I used to do fly sparging but when I had to go to new equipment I went Batch instead and couldn't be happier.

As a sidenote, a good Corona Mill is never a bad investment as cheap as they are even if they're simply insurance for a failed mill. I have a fancy 2" stainless Monster Mill now but still occasionally use my Corona for things like grinding fresh corn meal for the wife which wouldn't be as effective with the MM2.

 

[Walking_Target]

Yeah. A Corona mill for me would have been close to $80 with shipping in. One of the more local online shops has their own brand of mill.

http://www.ontariobeerkegs.com/Adju...er_for_Homebrewing_p/grain-mill-obkrusher.htm

So I was more than happy to put out a bit of extra cash for it over the corona.

My other local online/LHBS is within easy driving distance and sells base malts for a great price... so I feel pretty good about investing in a mill.

After having done all-grain in both BIAB and traditional mash tun type setups, i'm firmly of the opinion that every homebrewer should try it at least once. You don't need a lot of extra equipment, nor do you need a lot of experience.

 

[NewJerseyCowboy]

I was just BIAB (Well making colored water in a bag) this time. Already bought a cooler to turn into a mash tun though...

Good thing I know how to sew as getting a bag big enough for Bertha (my pot) is impossible. I've just been sewing up the bag completely and throwing it for now. I want to make a dedicated bag that lines the whole pot eventually. Once I rig up a pulley system to the ceiling that is. Need to get enough homebrew in my SWMBO though to get that to go over well.

 

[dstranger99]

I was just BIAB (Well making colored water in a bag) this time. Already bought a cooler to turn into a mash tun though...

Good thing I know how to sew as getting a bag big enough for Bertha (my pot) is impossible. I've just been sewing up the bag completely and throwing it for now. I want to make a dedicated back that lines the whole pot eventually. Once I rig up a pulley system to the ceiling that is. Need to get enough homebrew in my SWMBO though to get that to go over well.

If you go to Amazon and look at their Turkey Fryers, you can get a great deal for just over $20 or $30.........I got a 7.5 for $25, and I can do a 5 gal batch using that and sparging in my old 5 gal BK.

 

[Accidic]

Wow. It's a shame they'd charge you that much to ship it up there via Amazon. I used to import hockey equipment years ago and it really worked out well from Canada.

 

[Pappers_]

Just a quick word that I don't think there's anything wrong with brewing extract and moving to a big pot and burner means you can do full boils. I have a good friend who only does extract brewing and he wins awards. I think there is something to be said for not focusing on mashing and instead making sure you have fermentation down pat - yeast health, viability, cell count, oxygenation, temperatures.

If you do go ahead and brew all-grain (which it seems like you really want to do), then I always point folks towards Denny Conn's method, which is basically the method I use to this day: http://hbd.org/cascade/dennybrew/

 

[Accidic]

Nothing wrong with Extract brewing. I just like the unlimited customization potential of Mashing. And while it takes longer but there are just a couple things I just can't manage to duplicate without it. I do still occasionally throw down an extract batch though when it's something simple and the price is right.