First all grain brew July 21
Finally got round to doing my first all grain home brew - Old Yella from Barley Bottom.
It went pretty well - the mash tun was the main problem as I'd not cut enough slits in the filter so the runoff stuck, but the boiler and chiller worked very well :)
Things I've learnt:
- Start early - possibly prepare the water the night before
- Write down quantities with the instructions on the checklist
- Spending a little more time on your equipment saves you a lot of hassle later on - see mash tun filter problems
- You lose a surprising amount to evaporation, trub and deadspace - I lost almost 30%
- It's better to ferment for longer at slightly cooler temperatures than too quickly at too high a temperature
- Not everyone loves the smell of mashing grain or boiling hops ;)
I've done a write up of the brew day with photos and added it to the home brewing section.
Home brewing June 8
I've been busy lately making the equipment needed to start All Grain Brewing.
On the left is the boiler (or kettle) which will be used to heat the 'liquor' for mashing and sparging as well as boiling the wort, in the middle is the mash tun and on the right is the wort chiller, used to cool the wort down after boiling so the yeast can be pitched.
I've created a new project page and have written up how I went about constructing each bit of equipment. I'll also be putting brewday reports on there in the near future :)