My New Brewery! (FIRST BREWDAY PHOTOS ADDED)

[floydmeddler]

Few pics of the maiden voyage.

The recipe. A Hoppy APA:

Size: 60.0 L @ 20 °C
Efficiency: 81.0%
Attenuation: 78.0%

Original Gravity: 1.044 (1.026 - 1.120)
Terminal Gravity: 1.010 (0.995 - 1.035)
Color: 7.93 (1.97 - 98.5)
Alcohol: 4.45% (2.5% - 14.5%)
Bitterness: 31.8 (0.0 - 100.0)

Ingredients:
5 kg (45.9%) Lager Malt - added during mash
5.5 kg (50.5%) Maris Otter - added during mash
200 g (1.8%) Oats Flaked - added during mash
200 g (1.8%) Torrified Wheat - added during mash
29 g (7.5%) Columbus (17.1%) - added during boil, boiled 70 m
25 g (6.4%) Columbus (17.1%) - added during boil, boiled 5 m
25 g (6.4%) Cascade (8.4%) - added during boil, boiled 5 m
25 g (6.4%) Citra™ (14.4%) - added during boil, boiled 5 m
25 g (6.4%) Centennial (13.5%) - added during boil, boiled 5 m
35 g (9.0%) Columbus (17.1%) - added after boil, steeped 45 m
25 g (6.4%) Cascade (8.4%) - added after boil, steeped 45 m
25 g (6.4%) Citra™ (14.4%) - added after boil, steeped 45 m
25 g (6.4%) Centennial (13.5%) - added after boil, steeped 45 m
50 g (12.9%) Cascade (8.4%) - added dry to secondary fermenter
50 g (12.9%) Citra™ (14.4%) - added dry to secondary fermenter
50 g (12.9%) Centennial (13.5%) - added dry to secondary fermenter
S05

HLT filling the MT


The MT


The boil


Recirculating the wort during the steep to keep the hops moving. I also recirculated during the chill to keep the wort moving. Beats stirring!



Aftermath


Pumping the wort into the fermenter.


Beer sitting at 17c in the new fermentation fridge.


All in all, the brewday went pretty damn smoothly. Mash temp was a bit low - 66c. Was shooting for 70c. I'll get to know the rig though and should be able to get this bang on next time.

I have also decided that the pumps need to go under the counter (original plan) as they're unstable where they are. This is something I'll do down the line though.

Amazing to have a garage to brew in... I've waited years for this!

[themadhippy]

Mash temp was a bit low - 66c

crikey that is low,sure your not making ice lollies

[floydmeddler]

I know. I hate mashing that low. Back in the late noughties it was all the rage. These days, I sometimes go for 74c when fermenting with S05. Have had my 1.040 beers stop at 1.012. Taste so full and meaty.

Ah well. This beer is for a big garden party so prob not a good thing if it was too chewy. I used lager malt to keep it light and crisp in the hope it would appeal to everyone... Maybe 66c is good this time.

[floydmeddler]

Update:

On Tue, I dry hopped and cranked the heat up to 24c. I find that a higher dry hop temp REALLY brings out a BIG hop punch.

F.G is 1.007.

Plan next is to remove the dry hops and crash cool to 4C. Finings to follow... Still unsure what I'll do here.

[djbadger]

This is interesting... I've been working on a mash temp range of say 63 - 68 with 65/66 being bang in the middle for an average beer. You're going for as high as 74C in a pale ale Is this just the result of trying things out and finding they work for you? Makes me think I'm a bit safe doing things by the book all the time...

I like your brewery style by the way, I was going down the same route until I picked up a job lot of shiny. Are you tempted to bung a HERMS pot into your recirculating pipe, seems like you're half way there already?

[floydmeddler]

I am tempted, yes. Maybe one day.

I'm experimenting some more with mash temps. Last few beers i mashed at 70c. 1.040 Beer finished at 1.012 which is what i'm after. I also mash quite dry. 2 litres per kg of grain. I mash for 1 hr. All this, i'm led to believe, results in lower attenuation.

[dloper]

I do like to see an economical brewery set up with some thought put into it! I find it much more interesting than just throwing money at the problem. I've decided to do what you considered - 200 litres and selling it.

I'm interested in your mash temperatures too - I thought I was being daring going to 68 degrees and you still get attenuation to 1012 at 74 degrees, so OK, I'll push the boat out and go for 69 degrees and see what happens with an OG of 1044 and some Notty ale yeast. I do like a full bodied beer but I kinda took it as read that alpha amylase would be inhibited at temperatures over 72 degrees and even then, the sugars produced at that temperature wouldn't ferment readily. I was worried that if I bottled my beers with an FG of over 1013 or so that the yeast would slowly but surely turn my bottles into bombs.