« Breakfast Burrito with Sausage and Cheese - Jimmy Beans | Main | Dental Anguish »
November 15, 2005
Brewing process
I compiled this from many sources, though mainly by picking Todd Fahrner's brain. It works, and the beer that comes out is great. There are numerous on-the-fly adjustments that one must make while brewing. You just get used to it.
The process:
1. Sanitize equipment
2. Boil Water
For 10 gallons of beer, i used 7 gallons of 170F water for about 18-22lbs grain in the mash.
3. Add grain.
Dribble 170F water into the grain, stirring frequently, until the temp is a uniform 145-155F and the texture is like slightly thin oatmeal. 145ish is for lighter, dryer, more alcoholic beer and the higher temps are for sweeter heavier beer. It is much better to mash in slightly cooler and add more boiling water rather than mashing in too hot because the excess heat may kill off the enzymes.
4. Prepare Sparge
Boil More Water 10 gallons to 170F for the quantities given above. Place in cooler.
5. Sparge
After about 45-90min mash.
Partially open the tap and allow the liquid to run off into a jug. Gently pour the liquid back on to the top of the mash. Repeat this several times until you are not getting any coarse material in the run off.
Run the liquid off slowly and gently. If you run it off too quickly or suddenly, suction can cause the grain bed to compact and so reduce the flow.
Run the liquid off slowly and gently. If you run it off too quickly or suddenly, suction can cause the grain bed to compact and so reduce the flow.
Stop sparging when kettle volume is about 12 gal or runoff tastes astringent, whichever is first.
6. Start wort a Boilin'
Once it's boiling, you can reduce flame to maintain boil. If you leave the flame too high, you'll end up with boil over when adding hops.
7. Add Hops at correct intervals
During the boil various protein debris from mashing coagulates into flakes, this is hot break. The mechanical action of a vigorous boil helps greatly. Hot break may appear like soap flakes in the boiling wort, greenish if hops have been added.
8. Add Moss
This helps solidify the semi-solids that are rolling in the boil.
9. Force Cool Wort
Best to force-cool wort at least partly before going into kegs, but optional
10. Move to Primnary Fermenter
Drain wort into sterilized kegs (through hop back, optional)
don't splash or otherwise aerate hot wort.
11. Rock kegs.
Pouring the wort and allowing it to splash down the sides of the fermenter will help aerate it. Do aerate cold wort before adding yeast. add plenty of highly active yeast - make big starter.
12. Add yeast when cool
13. Set up blow-off tube in distilled water.
14. Let ferment. Keep fermentation temps stable in the 60s.
15. Move to Secondary Fermentation Keg
Gently transfer between kegs. I use CO2, and purge oxygen form destination keg to avoid aeration.
16. Dry hop if necessary.
17. Filter if necessary.
18. Drink beer.
Posted by tdotjay at November 15, 2005 07:28 PM
