|
My first all-grain batch. First, I tried to bring the temperature
of the mash tun up to the point where the mash would be. I heated 2
gallons of water to 165F, and poured it into the mash tun. Meanwhile,
I heated the strike water. 13.2 quarts (1.1 quart per pound of
grain), heated to 169F. I moved the 2 gallons of water into the
lauter tun to use later as sparge water. Then I combined the strike
water with the 11.5 lbs of grain, and arrived at my mash temperature
of 153F. At the end of the 60 minute mash, the temperature in the
mash tun was still 153F. Kudos to my insulated mash tun. At the end
of the mash, I spent about 5 minutes recirculating the wort in order
to remove grains that had gotten through the false bottom. I
repeatedly filled a pitcher from the mash tun, and poured the wort
back into the top of the mash tun.
Next I heated up 3 gallons of water to 170F, put it in the other
cooler, hooked up the Phil's Sparger, and began sparging. I ran
through that 3 gallons pretty quickly, maybe 30 minutes or so. I just
didn't want to have a bunch of extra water at the end. Sparging
finished when the wort stopped flowing. I had ~5 - 5 1/2 gallons of
wort. Next was the boil and hop additions, just like in the extract
kits. I way underestimated how much water I'd lose in the boil,
especially with the wort separated into 2 kettles. By the end of the
boil I was down to probably 3 gallons and made up the difference with
tap water, just like in an extract kit.
I had made a 2 liter starter with the English Ale yeast yesterday,
in hopes of splitting the yeast between this kit and the Irish
Draught Ale extract kit I also did today. That's what I did,
although next time, try making the starter 2 days ahead of time. By
this afternoon, the starter was bubbling, but still pretty slowly.
This brew came out really well. Very close to Newcastle. What else
is there to say? A nice, solid beer.
|
