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Blond ale all grain help

Posted: Fri Jan 05, 2018 10:49 am
by yakattack
Hey guys. While my 4 Inch gear is being redone slowly I am finally going to get a keg of beer put up.

Got my grain and hops.
Here's my grain bill for a 15 gallon beer batch

33lbs of pale 2 row.
1.5 lbs Crystal malt 20L
1.05 Oz of nugget hops( pellet form)
1.5 oz Willamette hops (pellet form)


Recipe specifics
Batch size. 18.9 gallons
Total grain 34.5 lbs
Anticipated og = 1.050
Srm = 4.3
Ibu =20.1
Boil time = 60 min

Pre boil amounts
Evap rates 15% hour
Pre boil wort size 22.23 gallons
Pre boil gravity 1.042

Now here is where this get difficult.

I don't have the best beer setup
I have a 15 gallon ss pot that I can add a drain valve to but don't have a false bottom.. though I'm sure I can make one. Can I use wood for a false bottom. ?

I also have an 8 gallon pot with a drain valve and a false bottom. So I am considering doing mashing and sparing in the 8 gallon. Then do final boil ( and start he boil as soon as the first batch is sparged )

Any thoughts? Protical suggestions? Should I be incorporating a protein rest with this recipe?

Yak.

Re: Blond ale all grain help

Posted: Sat Jan 06, 2018 4:31 pm
by bitter
Yak,

This is a good blonde http://www.theelectricbrewery.com/forum ... hp?t=25429" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow just make sure you adjust for efficiency he has his at 95% and your most likely about 75% if not made beer before

For mashing why not turn a cooler into a mash ton? just need a valve and the other stainless tube from re-enforced water hose.. the outer stainless
This http://brewology101.com/tutorials/simpl ... rom-cooler" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

As for your boil I don't think you will boil that much off with even a 90 minute boil. I only loose about 1 gallon on 10g batch with a really hard boil 11g preboil.

When I make 12g batches my boil kettle it to the top! and a much milder boil and end up with say 1/2g fo boil off.

You can also do a more concentrated wort... and then dilute with boiled steralized water also some guys make 10g batchs on 8 gallon pot making 6g of higher gravity beer and dilute it.. you could do that. Only thing is sugars scale of but hop utilization is different.. so that part can be tricky.

I just made earlier in the week 12g of dry Irish stout. Fermenting with 1084 right now
75% efficiency (I was too high so dumped some wort doooh hit over 85% efficiency)
OG (1.036 - 1.050)
IBU 36
% (4.0% - 5.0%)
fg (1.007 - 1.011)

16 lbs Marris Otter
4.5 lbs Flaked Barley
1.75 lbs 500L Roasted Barley
4oz East Kent Goldings for about 36 IBU
Yeast Irish Ale Wyeast 1084 or White lab WLP004

Re: Blond ale all grain help

Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2018 5:26 pm
by bilgriss
Your grain bill looks similar to one I use for a stock IPA base. Vary the finishing and dry hops at the end, and you can get a lot of variations on the theme. I usually mash that at about 152F, but I use a 10gallon cooler to hold the temperature at a constant.

I never worry about whirlpooling or drain valves, but I don't do larger than 6 gallon batches. I chill, pour into a 6 gallon bucket, then into a 6.5 gallon carboy. Plenty of aeration from the two transfers, even for relatively high gravity beers. I'm not sure how to advise you regarding your two kettles, but I can highly recommend a simple cooler with braided hose. I do love a high-tech setup, but having never had one I believe my beer is just as good from very simple equipment.

Re: Blond ale all grain help

Posted: Wed Jan 10, 2018 3:35 pm
by yakattack
Well after having a long convo with bitter, I turned a spare chest cooler into a mash tun for the cost of a braided ss line and a 99 cent in line valve. So for 15 dollars I have a insulated mash tun that should handle a full 15 gallon batch of beer. Was soldering on my ball valve to the kettle and over heated it and blew the seal out of the valve. 5 bucks tomorrow will replace that and I'm 100 percent ready to brew once I do the cleaning protocols.

Also while at the hbs shop I was gifted by the owner 5 gallons of a red wine that didn't make the cut. He was trying out a new brand to carry ar the shop and he didnt care for it so decided not to sell it. So I have 5 gallons of sub par red wine at aproxx 12 percent etho. This will either be a 2 plate brandy or vodka. Depending on the way the new make brandy smells.

Beer update to come soon.

Re: Blond ale all grain help

Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2018 5:46 pm
by bitter
Hope your beer is fermenting away right now. My Stout is just about done fermenting.. Going to take a gravity reading tomorrow I think. Its starting to clear also.. so that is a good sign.

I use my mash tun for making booner's or any other all grain using enzymes. Takes about 2 days for mash to pitch yeast the cooler holds temp so well.

B

Re: Blond ale all grain help

Posted: Sun Jan 14, 2018 5:49 am
by yakattack
Well I'm still slacking. Or rather not slacking but keep hitting roadblocks. My induction element shit the bed on me so I'm replacing that today. Brew day today. 2 weeks to keg. 3 to tap

Re: Blond ale all grain help

Posted: Sun Jan 14, 2018 6:07 am
by still_stirrin
yakattack wrote: My induction element.... shit the bed on me....
Now that’s quite the word picture right there. :crazy:

Re: Blond ale all grain help

Posted: Mon Jan 15, 2018 5:42 am
by yakattack
Well finally got this into the fermenter. Hoping it turns out well. Finally grain bill was 24 lbs.
Final volume was aproxx 14 gallons. Og after temp correct right before I pitched yeast was 1.052. Pretty satisfactory for a first go.

Next time will be a full fly sparge instead of a mix between fly and batch.

Re: Blond ale all grain help

Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2018 2:27 pm
by bitter
Sounds good how the fermentation going?

Re: Blond ale all grain help

Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2018 3:22 am
by yakattack
Well chalk this one up as a learning experience.

Go to transfer into keg. Remove ''sealed'' to find a lacto or vinigar infection taking hold. Not sure if a sour beer is going to be any good. But I'm going to find out. And if nothing else It will be stripped for the etho. Next time ill ferment in carboys with an airlock.

Re: Blond ale all grain help

Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2018 5:51 am
by fizzix
yakattack wrote:Well chalk this one up as a learning experience.
Go to transfer into keg. Remove ''sealed'' to find a lacto or vinigar infection taking hold. Not sure if a sour beer is going to be any good. But I'm going to find out. And if nothing else It will be stripped for the etho. Next time ill ferment in carboys with an airlock.
Sorry to hear that, Yak. Sanitize the shit out of your equipment before the next one of course.
I've got a Red Ale bubbling and hope my housekeeping and sealing was up to snuff.

Re: Blond ale all grain help

Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2018 7:20 am
by BlackStrap
yakattack wrote:Well chalk this one up as a learning experience.

Go to transfer into keg. Remove ''sealed'' to find a lacto or vinigar infection taking hold. Not sure if a sour beer is going to be any good. But I'm going to find out. And if nothing else It will be stripped for the etho. Next time ill ferment in carboys with an airlock.
Don't get discouraged, there may not be anything wrong with letting it settle out, My second batch of beer "soured" on me, like the other post say Cleanliest and Sanitation are key...

If you are able, leave this batch age a bit, bottle or keg it (which ever you do) and see what happen in 3-4 weeks sometime those good flavors will come out. However i do like the approach of "it's never a failed beer, it's mash for the still...That is so why I love distilling. Taking something that others would toss and making something that may be pretty awesome.

I'd like to know how this turns out for you.
Hoping for the best
Blackstrap

Re: Blond ale all grain help

Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2018 6:58 pm
by bitter
Sorry man. Sour beer can be very nice.. I have about 50l on the go souring right now (Has both brett and lacto bugs in it). Will put some fruit in it once its down to about a ph of 3.5 or less.

Did it taste sour also? Did it have a floating mass on top? Taste it might still be drinkable.

PBW everything before your next brew and then rinse well and then starsan also.

Thinks like syphons etc.. buy new and use for beer only... easlier than trying to keep clean.

End of Jan I kegged my dry Irish stout and brewed 12g of Irish Red ale that's now ready to keg. Wish you were closer would ensure you were not dry. Also have a keg of blond and about 1.5 kegs of my Scottish ale that's oak'd with whiskey soaked sticks.

B

Re: Blond ale all grain help

Posted: Sun Feb 18, 2018 4:59 pm
by Wild Bill
yakattack wrote:Well chalk this one up as a learning experience.

Go to transfer into keg. Remove ''sealed'' to find a lacto or vinigar infection taking hold. Not sure if a sour beer is going to be any good. But I'm going to find out. And if nothing else It will be stripped for the etho. Next time ill ferment in carboys with an airlock.

Yep it can happen but get right back on that horse and show that beer whose boss. What kind of Ferm vessel were you using Yak?

Re: Blond ale all grain help

Posted: Mon Feb 19, 2018 6:01 am
by yakattack
Wild Bill wrote:
yakattack wrote:Well chalk this one up as a learning experience.

Go to transfer into keg. Remove ''sealed'' to find a lacto or vinigar infection taking hold. Not sure if a sour beer is going to be any good. But I'm going to find out. And if nothing else It will be stripped for the etho. Next time ill ferment in carboys with an airlock.

Yep it can happen but get right back on that horse and show that beer whose boss. What kind of Ferm vessel were you using Yak?[/quote

15 gallon blue barrels with lids. Use then for.pretty much everything in the brew.room. storage. Fermenting. Ect. But they get sanatized before they are used as fermenters. Must have missed something though. Oh well. And ya as soon as I can afford the malt and grains for another batch of beer I will be brewing again.

Re: Blond ale all grain help

Posted: Mon Feb 19, 2018 11:02 am
by bitter
Yak you need to be closer to me. I just kegged my Irish red today. I think you would like it. I have 7 kegs of beer ready for consumption now.

2 kegs Scotish Ale with oak sticks soaked in whiskey in secondary (7.9 -8%)
1 kegs Blonde ale (This one is a bit high % at 7.2)
2 kegs Dry Irish stout (4.5%)
2 kegs Irish red ale (4.6%)

Only 1 keg free now. Also have about 55l of a sour beer going.. hoping it drops in ph more.. its just under a ph of 4.. want it to finish about 3.2 to 3.5 before I add fruit.

Now that kegs are full time to get back to stillin...