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  • #31
    Leave it for a few hours in the cold water to cool. Change the water as it gets warmer too.

    I've left mine over night before. The bitterness comes from the hops as they are boiled. 30 mins from the heat off for aroma will be fine, maybe wrap a towel around the pot to keep the heat in. Then get it chilled.

    Off to work now

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    • #32
      OK thats great. Thanks Rich. Have a good afternoon at work then.
      Simon
      "I can certainly see that you know your wine. Most of the guests who stay here wouldn't know the difference between Bordeaux and Claret." - Basil Fawlty

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      • #33
        Just finished for the day - really enjoyed that. I even managed to fit a family day trip to Stonehenge in between. Gravity was 1.044 which seemed a little low compared with the recipe but hey, for first go thought I would go with that that. Just a tad over 5 litres but with sediment looks like I should probably manage 1 gallon. Smells like beer, looks like beer (a bit).
        Does the mashing time determine the amount of sugar in the wort. I mashed for 60 mins as per recipe?
        Simon
        "I can certainly see that you know your wine. Most of the guests who stay here wouldn't know the difference between Bordeaux and Claret." - Basil Fawlty

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        • #34
          Mash time and temp both contribute to the starch conversion. For my 5 gal recipes I tend to mash for at least a couple of hours as it makes for a lazy brew day. I can heat the water in the morning then sling it in the mash tun with the grains to get a temp between 62-66C. Off down the park/shops with the kids and sparge after lunch.

          If you have a farm supplies shop near you or a friendly farmer, ask for some iodine (used in lambing). stick a bit on your spent grains and if they go black you haven't converted all the sugars yet. Also, over sparging will reduce your OG as you can only wash so much out of the grains.

          http://markblades.com
          Bebere cerevisiae immodoratio
          These days I'm drinking in Charcot's Joint.

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          • #35
            Thanks. Maybe i'll try Scats for the iodine and a 90 minute mash next time. I mashed at 68c for 60 minutes. I didn't sparge as such as that wasn't in the instructions but I did give the bag a really good squeeze. Pitched yeast yesterday evening. This morning head has started to develop nicely.Krausen.jpg
            Simon
            "I can certainly see that you know your wine. Most of the guests who stay here wouldn't know the difference between Bordeaux and Claret." - Basil Fawlty

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            • #36
              scats is where I got mine. comes in a 500ml bottle which will last your entire brewing career (unless you start lambing). Interesting that there is no sparge in the instructions as I would think your are leaving a fair bit of sugar in with the grains. Not sure how you would get it out though and still keep to your brew length of 1 gal. The brew is looking good!

              http://markblades.com
              Bebere cerevisiae immodoratio
              These days I'm drinking in Charcot's Joint.

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              • #37
                Head had dropped yesterday morning so yesterday evening i racked into DJ.

                Enough to completely fill + I managed to have 1/2 glass. Really lovely full of hoppy, yeasty flavours. Not too bitter but the bitterness is still there.

                Gravity of 1.012.

                Beer in DJ.jpg
                Simon
                "I can certainly see that you know your wine. Most of the guests who stay here wouldn't know the difference between Bordeaux and Claret." - Basil Fawlty

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                • #38
                  So the instructions say:

                  □ Rack into a demijohn and leave under airlock for another week or so.
                  □ Check your SG, should be around 1.008 to 1.015 when finished
                  □ Sterilise 5 litres worth of bottles, tubing, racking stick etc.
                  □ Rack from demijohn back into your 10 litre bucket with 10 grams sugar dissolved in a small amount of water.

                  My question is how do I know when to rack into bucket and sugar prime. Should the beer be clear at this point in time or does it clear after bottle conditioning? I have been reading all the various posts covering clearing/hazes etc so I am unsure as to whether clearing is going normally or not.
                  Simon
                  "I can certainly see that you know your wine. Most of the guests who stay here wouldn't know the difference between Bordeaux and Claret." - Basil Fawlty

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                  • #39
                    Doesn't have to be completely clear. It will undergo another ferment in the bottle.

                    Then over time it will (hopefully) drop crystal clear. Until you pour it anyway and disturb the sediment!

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                    • #40
                      OK thanks Rich. So what determines a week or so. Is just about settling out the main bits of trub that remained after the first racking?
                      Simon
                      "I can certainly see that you know your wine. Most of the guests who stay here wouldn't know the difference between Bordeaux and Claret." - Basil Fawlty

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                      • #41
                        A week? that's determined by stars and the moon phases isn't it?

                        It's stopped bubbling, gravity reading is constant, but while enough yeast is still in suspension to bottle ferment it.


                        (you could read up on forced ferments I think they're called, where you take a sample of your wort, keep it at a high ferment temp on your stir plate to find out what sg reading you should expect from that batch of beer. I've never bothered.. mainly as I can't get the higher higher temp control on my stir plate.)

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                        • #42
                          Thanks for that. Don't have a stir plate thingy but I think I have enough of an understanding now to at least know there is nothing particular I am looking for other than constant SG.

                          Stars and moons and phases - right got it. Thanks.
                          Last edited by SiSandrine; 22-10-2012, 06:10 PM. Reason: Spelling (what else)
                          Simon
                          "I can certainly see that you know your wine. Most of the guests who stay here wouldn't know the difference between Bordeaux and Claret." - Basil Fawlty

                          Comment


                          • #43
                            Forced ferments bascially provide more optimum conditions for the yeast to ferment so that they can convert all the sugars more quickly. Basically you take a small volume and give it optimal fermentation conditions (ie abit of heat, not too much though). An airing cupboard would be ideal.

                            They can be useful if the main ferment is being carried out at a lower temperature or there are sugars which take more time for the yeast to metabolize. You don't really need a stir plate, just somewhere warm (but not hot). So, a lager would be a prime candidate, but I just prefer to leave it for aaaaaaaages.

                            A bit like my recent time between posts....
                            Dutch Gunderson: Who are you and how did you get in here?
                            Frank Drebin: I'm a locksmith. And, I'm a locksmith.
                            -Police Squad

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