First BIAB

[Oliver]

Well, my first BIAB brew, which is also my first AG brew, is currently sitting in the back yard wrapped in cardboard, a gym mat and a quilt, hopefully keeping it at 66C.

It's BribieG's Moby Wheat recipe from this thread, renamed Dead Simple Ale (aka AG Cherry Popper Ale).

I weighed the grain I got from Grain and Grape beforehand and there was 5kg, which is 500g more than there should have been, unfortunately. But we'll see what happens with volumes after the boil.

I'm also going to use Citra. Should be interesting to see how it turns out.

I will report back later if I have time ... before the missus gets home I need to clean up so that it's like the brewing never happened I also need to pack the quilt away so that she doesn't know I used it to wrap urnie in.

Brewing Dr Smurto's Light Amber is on the cards tomorrow.

Oliver

[warra48]

That's another fine mess you have gotten yourself into, Olly.

Well done on your first AG !
Hope it turns out to be everything you'd wish for.

[rotten]

About time Oliver, congrats.

I still think it's funny that the owner of a home brew forum has to duck for cover when it comes to brewing.
Cheers

[BribieG]

Well done, about 5 minutes ago the keg blew so I'll be making that one again. I have four people at work that I ply with a 1.25L PET of beer a few times a year, and I ran off 4 of the American Wheat and put some Xmas decorations on the bottles and took them in. Reports are that they love the beer because it tastes like something they would buy from Dan's erm is that a compliment? but definitely getting a good reception out there. And here I was worried that it might be a bit too bitter for the darlings
I'm getting a sack of wheat in the next Bulk Buy in Brisbane, going to make this a house always-on-tap beer.

Citra should be perfect.

[big dave]

Nice Oliver. You will be amazed how good the beer is!

[Oliver]

The two samples that I drew off to take the SG are tasting pretty good after fermenting for a couple of days

The second brew was much easier than the first. I had learnt some valuable lessons and tips on the first one so I was more relaxed with the second and it just all seemed to come together nicely. It may also have had something to do with me having had a few mates there for the second and we cracked quite a few coldies.

There are still two things I need to get right:

First is the insulation during the mash, which I did with cardboard wrapped tightly around the urn, then a camping mat and finally a quilt. In the first brew I lost 1 degree over an hour, which I know is fine. The second brew was done on a day that was cooler, and I lost almost 3 degrees in an hour. I think I'll cut up the camping mat so that it fits more snugly. I also need to remember to only brew on days that 'er indoors isn't around, so that she doesn't see what I use the quilt from the spare room for

The second thing I need to address is the chilling of the wort. The wort chiller from the Millennium Ale did a good job of getting a lot of heat out fairly rapidly but struggled once it got down to about 30C. Not to mention that it took ages. Part of the problem is there are not enough coils in the chiller. I was thinking of buying a new chiller, then using my existing one as a pre-chiller to run the water through iced water before going through the new chiller. I think Warra does something like this.

There are a couple of other improvements to technique that will make things easier again next time, but overall I'm happy with it went, and how the beers are looking and tasting.

Cheers,

Oliver

[Tipsy]

The second brew was done on a day that was cooler, and I lost almost 3 degrees in an hour

That's not bad, I have to infuse boiling water to keep my temperature even.

The second thing I need to address is the chilling of the wort. The wort chiller from the Millennium Ale did a good job of getting a lot of heat out fairly rapidly but struggled once it got down to about 30C. Not to mention that it took ages. Part of the problem is there are not enough coils in the chiller. I was thinking of buying a new chiller, then using my existing one as a pre-chiller to run the water through iced water before going through the new chiller.

I had real problems once I got to 30c to drop the temperature quickly.
I made a pre chiller but it really didn't help that much.

I now no chill due to my circumstances.

[big dave]

I have had heat loss issues on cold days too. I believe that most of the sugary goodness is converted in the first 15 minutes or so anyway, which means your strike temp is more crucial than your end-mash temp. And don't stress too hard, I have had a major hurdle or two for all of my BIAB brews, and the result is good. Love handing one to a mate, and watching their face.

[rotten]

Just be careful with the insulation that you don't make it too good. I wrapped my HLT urn in 6mm insertion rubber and I cooked the second craftbrewer 2200W element that I ahh used to have.

edit: too hard to post pics here