My First AG This Weekend

[Mitchamitri]

Lets face it, I've seen it done (thanks Jim) and know the drill by now, but some wise and encouraging words and tips would be appreciated!!!

[Benson_JV]

Don't get sloshed half way through?
Good luck though!

[rick_huggins]

Good luck but be warned, it's very addictive and prepare to put a day aside per weekend for brew day.

Im planning No 3 for tomorrow!

[yashicamat]

Give yourself plenty of time for the first AG. I'd start as early in the day as you can, I generally try to start about 6am but try and begin before 9am otherwise it feels like the entire day has gone. I'd also strongly suggest having a pencil and notepad to hand, write down everything you do, quantities, temperatures, times etc., so that in a couple of weeks time and you're samping your beer and thinking what might be an area to improve on, you've got a basis for that improvement!
Oh, and take plenty of pictures and put a thread up in the Brewdays forum.

Good luck!

[mdex]

Don't get sloshed half way through?
Good luck though!

I second this. I had a bbq sunday with whole family while brewing. It was nearly a disaster. For some reason I had a stuck runoff from the boiler and had to pour through a sieve tilting the bucket rather than the hops strainer and tap.

[booldawg]

Do as much as you can the night before, e.g weighing out grains, getting the brewing liquor measured out into the boiler and campden tablet in. Don't be tempted to sup a victory brew until the wort and yeast are in the FV together! Even 2 pints on the day has caused me to be get too 'relaxed'

Photos and full report are expected

[Nermal]

My first AG this weekend too - still have to construct the boiler before then

We were hoping to sup a couple of beers while the mash was resting, but as thats just before 30 litres of boiling liquid gets moved about maybe this is a bad idea :S

We shall see

[Horden Hillbilly]

Do a "dry run" first. Set up your equipment up as you would on a brewday & look for any potential problems. Guess who forgot to cut a length of plastic tubing to feed the spinny sparger from the hlt on his 1st ag brewday!

[Earth Titan]

I have only three tips:

1. Rehydrate the yeast before pitching. You can either make a starter the day before or during the mash / boil
2. Make a cooler of some description. Cooling the wort down takes forever.. if you just leave it. My first brew had me up to 3:00 in the morning (9 hours total) waiting for the wort to hit 30 c but my IC chiller (£25 all in) I can cool it in ten minutes which gets brew time down to 6 hours max.
3. Get sloshed once the yeast is pitched...... The chiller means more time for drinking.

Good luck.

[yashicamat]

I have only three tips:
1. Rehydrate the yeast before pitching. You can either make a starter the day before or during the mash / boil
Good luck.

Personally I'd just pitch the yeast dry on the first run. I think it's just one more thing to worry about on a day when the brain will be doing overtime anyway. Good practice though once the AG process has been established over a number of brews.

2. Make a cooler of some description. Cooling the wort down takes forever.. if you just leave it. My first brew had me up to 3:00 in the morning (9 hours total) waiting for the wort to hit 30 c but my IC chiller (£25 all in) I can cool it in ten minutes which gets brew time down to 6 hours max.

Agreed - a cooler of some description is essential. OP, you've probably already read this elsewhere on the site, but don't be tempted to add ice to cool the wort down. Unless you've specially prepared it with boiled water, sanitised ice trays etc., the ice could possibly infect the beer. If you haven't got a chiller and can't get one before brewday, then the thinnest walled and largest metal saucepan/stockpot you can find that will fit in the sink is the next best option. Fill the sink with cold water and ice cubes, sanitise the stockpot and cool the wort it batches (stirring with a sanitised spoon will speed the process, as will agitating the cooling water in the sink).

3. Get sloshed once the yeast is pitched......

Well obviously.

[Dennis King]

Do as much as you can the night before, e.g weighing out grains, getting the brewing liquor measured out into the boiler and campden tablet in. Don't be tempted to sup a victory brew until the wort and yeast are in the FV together! Even 2 pints on the day has caused me to be get too 'relaxed'

Photos and full report are expected

yes I do as much as poss. the night before. On the day you can then get the mash underway before sitting down to a nice breakfast.

[Eric]

There's a lot of good advice out there, all I'd suggest is to write out a workplan in advance with space to record times, readings, changes and aide-memoirs for future brews. Apart from making improvements from experience, we are waiting for you to tell us something we don't yet know.

[Long-Haired_brewer]

Do a "dry run" first. Set up your equipment up as you would on a brewday & look for any potential problems. Guess who forgot to cut a length of plastic tubing to feed the spinny sparger from the hlt on his 1st ag brewday!

Hordern is right here (but then isnt he always?) best to do that than find your mash tun leaks or the tap isnt closed....

[Horden Hillbilly]

Best to do that than find your mash tun leaks or the tap isnt closed...

Ah, yes! I think most of us will have been guilty of that one, me included!

[Mitchamitri]

All great avdice, thanks! Especially the bit about doing a dry run
Am doing a version of Bath Ales Gem but little bits changed enough little bits of it to justify a totally different name - "Screaming Mimi". Yes I know I should follow a recipe to the letter first go but I figure my critical bias on brew one will make anything I make taste great.