We did fire the burners a few times during the mash, so despite constant stirring we might have had some temperature gradient there. We also targeted a mash temperature of 156F, and we were above and below that in roughly equal proportions. We might aim for a lower temperature and let it sit without heating for longer for our next light-bodied beer.
I wish I had more experience with BIAB. All of mine have been cooler based mashing, which has it’s own caveats. I would MUCH prefer your method, you can raise temp on the fly.
It’s really easy to give it a try, if you already have a kettle and a vessel for pour-over sparging (such as your cooler). Pretty much all you need is a ten-dollar bag.
You know how hard it is to not spend money on homebrewing, right? We all gaze longingly at those catalogs that come in. I have one buddy who is selling his 3 vessel brew cart who asked me if I want to buy it, and another that linked this contraption to me.
https://www.williamsbrewing.com/BREWERS-EDGE-MASH-BOIL--P4216.aspx
Your $10 bag sounds ideal in comparison!
RDWHAHB
That Williams Brewing thing looks amazing. Has anyone tried it?
I will miss Charlie.
I’ve not tried that system but it does look pretty damned cool. Like a RIMS system almost. Hell, people even sit it outside and it can reach temps still. Only being 1600 watts though makes me wonder how long it takes to get to temp.
A friend of mine from the competitive shooting scene around here posted a picture on Facebook a few days ago: eight conical fermenters in two pickup trucks, which he apparently bought for a song from somewhere or another. The bum.
I hear that. There are a lot of folks I know in that same boat. Like a friend who spent his yearly bonus building a three burner cart with built in pumps on it, able to hold three 20-gallon brew vessels. In his case, he brews for a neighborhood of guys that live on his road and culdesac. They have a 2 keg tap system built outside in covered man cave kind of setup with multiple TVs, etc. It is a fantastic time on big sports game days. They all kick in for the brew materials and he brews with a couple of them assisting.
I hate to even think how much money he has put into that.
Hop Forward, our not-India pale ale from up above, has had almost two weeks to carbonate, so I cracked one tonight and gave it a try.
Please excuse the debris from our recent move
The head goes away as fast as always. The flavor has changed a bit, losing some of the sweetness and drying out a bit. (I’m cool with that.) Still not very much bitterness, still decent hop aroma. I’m very pleased with the color and clarity.
Man that looks fantastic.
I think I mentioned before I chased the tail on carbonation. That included head retention. Throw in 1/4 to a 1/2 lb of both wheat and a crystal every IPA or pale ale brew, or more. It’ll keep it from fading so fast.
That looks well carbonated though, man. Excellent work! And a dry, hoppy brew is a good thing.
I’ll give that a try going forward.
Next on the docket is an Irish red, brew day on St. Patrick’s Day. I have an idea in mind for a bonkers wheat/rye beer for the one after that, but it needs some further development, I think.
I love reading these. I need to brew again, man.
Do so, and post pictures!
I’m looking forward to the Irish red, in part because I like that style, and in part because it’s another simple brew so we can work out the kinks in our process on incomplete fermentation. As a nice bonus, our cost per bottle is finally coming down.
My first brew was a Pliny clone, I failed miserably. It tasted like popcorn beer (diacetyl, in a big way.) But my second was an Irish Red, so good. And with that, a hobby began.
Against my better judgement, live posting from the GR beer festival. My God, I am drunk. If you ever get the chance to attend this, jump on it immediately so many beers, only one afternoon. I’m pretty sure I never drank one 🍺 I could see through, and that is a full afternoon of drinking… do it now.
I am jealous. Also take an Uber home, don’t drive!!
I agree with @Charlatan, if it’s like here, law enforcement sits right outside those festivals. Be safe. I’ve been there and done that. It was a stout and high gravity beer fest at Sierra Nevada. Holy cow did I get drunk. I had to nap in the middle of it.
Yeah, I rode with a bunch of friends in a car service. Uber wouldn’t have been a great option, considering just how crazy busy it was…I’m sure there was surge pricing in effect and you’d have been waiting a good long time. Having the service pre-arranged was great.
That’s an excellent tip. We’re usually stuck waiting for a ride for a while.
I don’t think I’ve ever been to a beer festival somewhere without public transport. You’d think they’d put coaches on or something.