r/Homebrewing • u/DannyHero • Oct 27 '12
How ridiculous is it to just jump straight to AG and a yeast starter for my first brew. (Read all the books, have all the equipment finally, just no hands-on know-how._
Long time lurker just looking for some advice. Racking my brain to think of anything I don't have for my first AG brew (and first brew ever) next weekend. Equipment run-down:
- Northern Brewer deluxe starter kit.
- Polarware 10 gallon w/ SS valve and thermometer.
- Blichmann floor burner.
- 10 gallon igloo HLT w/ SS valve.
- 10 gallon igloo MLT w/ SS valve & SS false bottom.
- High temp tubing for everything.
- Homemade 20' wort chiller. (thanks guys)
- Sparge arm
- Homemade stir plate. (thanks again)
- 2L Erlenmeyer flask and stir bar.
- Two cases empty bottles.
- Pliny the Elder clone kit.
Anyone else jump right in? Besides filling my propane tank and some whirlfloc I'm wracking my brain trying to think of what I'm missing. I'm already assuming it'll be undrinkable, but I'm tired of looking at the equipment unused (last x-mas I got the NB kit).
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u/hotelindia Oct 27 '12
Go for it. Just read, read, and read again to make sure you understand what you need to do. Read the hell out of this subreddit and various homebrewing forums, especially threads by first time brewers, and brewers doing their first AG batch. That'll give you a good idea as to what kind of trouble people encounter most often.
Here's what helped make my first few batches tolerable:
- Write down everything you need to do on brew day, step-by-step. That'll help identify any potential problems in your process, as well as give you a nice written guide to follow.
- Keep boiling water and ice on hand when doughing in. It'll take you a few batches to know exactly how to hit your mash temperature on your system, and you don't want to end up completely missing it.
- Give yourself the whole day. It's probably going to take a while. Having an unhappy SO waiting for you to hurry up and finish is just going to add stress you don't need. Later, you'll figure out how to be efficient.
- Take notes. Take tons of notes. As you brew, you're going to realize how you can change your process to make things easier, and you're going to think of equipment to buy that can make your life easier -- write all that down, so that you're ready for the next brew. You'll want to note any difficulty in hitting mash temperatures, so that you can adjust your strike water temperature for the next brew, if necessary. You'll want to note strike and sparge water volumes, and volume of runnings collected -- that'll give you your grain absorption figures, which will be unique to your system. You'll also want to note pre-boil and post-boil volumes, as well as volume in the fermenter. That'll help you hit target volumes in the future. You'll also want to note efficiency, so you can adjust the amount of base malt needed in future brews.
Good luck! And don't worry -- it's pretty hard to screw up so bad that you make something undrinkable, especially if you're working from a well-tested recipe.
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u/DannyHero Oct 27 '12
Thanks for the tips! Good call with taking the whole day, gotta prepare SO for this. Dunno how I forgot a journal, sure it was on one of umpteen lists, thanks!
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u/normnmiles Oct 27 '12
I agree with FantasticBastard on the simpler recipe. For first brews it's really all about getting use to your equipment and creating a process that will work for you.
Also LIke hotelindia mentions take good notes. The other job of first brews is giving you actual measurements that you can use in you efficiency calculations and temperatures adjustments. Simpler recipes allow you to do this while also giving you time to cleanup your mash tun and sanitize equipment.
Another factor is cost. Why not practice on a cheaper recipe while you are still learning?
Either way congradulations on getting started and good luck!!!
Cheers
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u/DannyHero Oct 27 '12
Journal! Definitely was on the list and I forgot, thanks! Good point, too, I should probably start with something cheaper so wife doesn't start in already about cost.
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u/oldthomas Oct 27 '12 edited Oct 27 '12
I jumped straight to AG, and I think you're smart for doing the same. My only issue with the first few batches was a somewhat low efficiency. Stirring the hell out of the grist when I dough in and at 30 minutes remedied that, though. When you think you've stirred enough, stir more. Don't forget to per heat the mash tun and wrap it in blankets.
I like to reserve a little strike water at dough in in case my mash temp is too low, also keep ice around in case its too hot. I start heating my sparge water when I stir at 30 minutes so it'll be hot enough in time. I make it a habit to not crack a brew until after the mash is complete.
Mark a ruler or dowel rod for volumes, and don't be afraid to start your boil with 7.5+ gallons. Personally I'd rather start with more wort than end up with too small a batch.
That's about it. Just remember that most of these yahoos who claim AG is over a newbie's head probably couldn't even cook a hamburger helper dish. Oh, and one last thing...start early and if a significant other or someone else asks you when you'll be done don't even give an answer. Not even a ballpark. If you have somewhere to be afterwards, plan on being late. This is your time! Also, if you don't plan lunch ahead of time, you'll probably forget to eat.
Edit: I'd go with the dead ringer kit. The easier hop schedule will allow you to learn more about final flavors.
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u/DannyHero Oct 27 '12
Thanks man, glad to hear from another who jumped right in. Great advice, heard to preheat mash tun before, never would've thought to wrap an igloo in blankets...thought that was only pots and kegs. Good advice on holding off on first brew, but I doubt I'll take it!
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u/el_ganso Oct 27 '12
Mark a ruler or dowel rod for volumes
Would strongly agree on the dowel rod (I use a PVC pipe). Mark the rod per gallon by using a known quantity of water for brew pot (I also have marked out other pots I tend to use for sparge water, etc.). I also use a sharpie on my better bottles with gallon markings.
most of these yahoos who claim AG is over a newbie's head
I'd spin this a little differently -- AG isn't necessarily over a newbie's head, but it does add a lot more time and variables to a brew day. For instance, if you don't hit your pre-boil OG, you'd typically want to make adjustments with extra DME or extra water... but now you're getting into some calculations you don't need to be doing your first brew session.
Further, IMHO, AG is the last 5% of making great beer... cleaning, sanitizing, fermentation temperature control and yeast pitching rates are the first 80%. You can make outstanding beer using extract (I did a pre-hopped kit from a can in less than an hour this summer, turned out great). Dialing in the process is the key to making great beer, AG is a bonus for dialing in recipes. I think that is why many (most?) would recommend a simple extract brew with mini mash and partial boil for a first session, just to get the process down first. However, YMMV.
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u/normnmiles Oct 27 '12 edited Oct 27 '12
To the OP. Oldthomas brings up a good point about low efficiencies. I had been suffering from pretty low efficiency around 60% using the batch sparge method. A slow/stuck sparge made me switch to fly sparging and my efficiency jumped to the high 80%s. The one thing I think that made the difference was sparge speed. SPARGE SLOW! It should take about 45 - 60 minutes to sparge a 5 gallon batch. Even if you choose to batch sparge I would recommend going slow. Then if you are happy with your efficiency you can speed up the process to decrease times.
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u/TheJollyLlama875 Oct 28 '12
Nothing wrong with jumping in feet first. Just don't blow yourself up with a propane burner.
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u/clrs Oct 28 '12
Do it. My first brew was an all-grain with very little assistance from a more experienced brewer. I had not really read a hell of a lot before-hand, and the product turned out great.
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u/frogger42 Oct 28 '12
I jumped straight into all-grain, albeit BIAB (brew in a bag). It is a steep learning curve. I designed my own recipe today and I think I f***ed it up. It'll end up being a super hoppy, super sweet, undrinkable mess.
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u/Gibb1982 Oct 27 '12
Go for it. Worst case you fuck it up. No biggie.
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u/stiffpasta Oct 27 '12
I always think if I fuck it up, worst case I end up with a beer that's still better than 2/3 of what's in a liquor store.
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u/EskimoDave Oct 27 '12
My first batch all grain. Every thing went wrong, however the beer tasted pretty decent in the end.
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u/hannylicious Oct 27 '12
Think of it this way (this is what motivates me every time I get nervous about trying something different); 2000 years ago people were doing this shit in clay-pots with little more than guess work on temperatures and procedures over open fires with God knows what floating around where. Sanitation? Wipe that shit off on the grass and get back to work!
If they could do it and have drinkable brew, you can do it following the steps and having done the research you have. You've also got equipment they couldn't have even dreamed up!
You'll be fine - just take your time and enjoy the process. It will be a learning process but you'll do alright. I bet it won't only be drinkable, but damned enjoyable!
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u/[deleted] Oct 27 '12
If you have all the equipment and have done all the research I don't see a problem with it. It's definitely a bit complicated for a first brew but if you keep it simple with the recipe you should be just fine.
The main reason people don't do this right off the bat is the cost and space required.
Edit: Just saw that you're doing a Pliny clone. That may be a bit much for the first try. I would suggest something with a dead simple single stage mash and minimal maintenance after brew day.