BeerBorg

Actually, after the advice I got from the gang before, I didn't use a bag. Just the false bottom and pickup tube that the cooler came with:
https://www.homebrewing.org/10-Gallon-C ... _1006.html

I'll give it another shot, but next time add rice hulls, I guess. It was a long day and I feel gypped with only 4 gallons. After all the trub falls out I'll prolly only keg 3-3.5 gallons. OG was OK at 1.057. I was shooting for 1.062.

I oxygenated the bejeebers out of it before adding my yeast so I hope that makes it happy. It's just now starting to bubble a little. My normal lag time is only about 4 hours. It still looks like the muddy Mississippi.

alb wrote: It was a long day and I feel gypped with only 4 gallons. After all the trub falls out I'll prolly only keg 3-3.5 gallons. OG was OK at 1.057. I was shooting for 1.062.

So, just another thought...

It's common for AG brewers to 'top off' with some extract to hit their numbers.

You could figure out how much water and extract would both increase your gravity and volume to the afforementioned 5 gallons / 1.062 SG; boil it up for 10-15 minutes, cool it and add it now.

It's not too late ya' know?

BigPapaG wrote: So, just another thought...

It's common for AG brewers to 'top off' with some extract to hit their numbers.

You could figure out how much water and extract would both increase your gravity and volume to the afforementioned 5 gallons / 1.062 SG; boil it up for 10-15 minutes, cool it and add it now.

It's not too late ya' know?

I can neither confirm nor deny that I have ever done this.....

It's great advice to get your volume and gravity back up to where you wanted it. With a lower gravity your IBUs may seem higher than intended so if you want to get the beer closer to what you intended this is great advice - and will net you more beer.

BigPapaG wrote: So, just another thought...

It's common for AG brewers to 'top off' with some extract to hit their numbers.

You could figure out how much water and extract would both increase your gravity and volume to the afforementioned 5 gallons / 1.062 SG; boil it up for 10-15 minutes, cool it and add it now.

It's not too late ya' know?

My first AG kind of went the way yours did, a Sunday evening, my digital thermometer twice jumped into the boiling wort, succeeding to second time to throw it off by over 20 degrees, spent two hours longer than I sould have trying to cool it down from the upper 80's when it was in the upper 60's. Undershot both gravity and volume, put the yeast to sleep cause I did not have the temp strip on the bucket and cooled it into lower 50's, because of the suicidal thermometer. Monday went to LHBS to get the temp strip, explained what happened, told me to boil up some DME with the volume I was after to get more gravity points and add. Turned out to be a very tasty brew, it was a Marris Otter/Liberty SMaSH.

Here are the pics of the manifold I put together

Okay, Li'l Sis, just sit back, take a deep breath, and re-assess what's gone on.

The first AG may be a little rocky. A lot can go haywire, because you're using new equipment and employing new techniques all at once. And your yield was disappointing.

But....

not disastrous. As Paul pointed out, if you learned something, and if you can make adjustments and corrections (and you can, because you're one smart cookie), you'll get this sussed.

I can't address what went on, but I can tell you this: you're a good brewer, and you're also smart and analytical, so you can work with this. The issues such as "muddy" wort are inconsequential. Whirlfloc can help with that, but most of my cold break manages to get into the carboy, and I still end up with clear beer, with good floccing and careful racking.

You'll eventually learn what your mash volume, your pre-boil volume, and your temperature settings should be. Stuck sparges can be dealt with, also. Whether you need to rethink the false bottom, use rice hulls, or make some other adjustment remains to be seen.

I agree that you should brew using the method you prefer, and which works best for you. But I wouldn't abandon AG based on one bad experience. If we all did that, nobody would be brewing AG, because we've all experienced disappointments, frustrations, and stuff that just didn't work. I prefer AG because it gives me more control over my recipes. But I still have developed some really good extract recipes that I brew regularly. They're good recipes; they're easy to make; they make me happy. It's all good.

I'm just saying that I don't think you should give up because your first attempt was less than a success. And keep on asking questions here. There are so many of us who are willing and eager to help you get some AG chops.

In regards to the stuck sparge..... I had that issue too using just a false bottom and dip tube. I had to push water through the dip tube to clear it out. Once that happened I was able to vorlauf and proceed. Since you don't have a pump, I'm assuming, to push water back though it than you will do yourself a great service to made a manifold as shown in the thread earlier or use a mesh bag to contain the grains and prevent them from getting stuck in your dip tube.

I don't now what the difference is between a false bottom and a manifold, but I use a manifold, similar to what's pictured, and I've never had a stuck sparge.

False bottom, circular thing in the middle of the table. It just allows the liquid through. My dip tub bends right in the middle of it. Manifold is good in a large container where the false bottom can't fit tight and grains can get around the edges and to where the dip tube sits.



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I didn't make myself clear, Dan. One of the dangers of posting before the coffee kicks in.

I do know what a false bottom is, and since I use a manifold, I know what that is. I just don't know exactly what the difference between them is regarding liquid flow and getting stuck, and whatnot. Am I correct in assuming that the drain for the wort would be below the false bottom?

I'm having trouble picturing exactly how it's put together, but then again, I use a manifold and it works great, so I have no need to even investigate a false bottom.

Amy, do you have an LHBS that you frequent regularly, staffed with people whom you can trust to give good advice? The Borg is filled with knowledgable (and good-looking) people, but I know from my own experience with my LHBS, that talking one-on-one about these things can be very beneficial.

FedoraDave wrote: The Borg is filled with knowledgable (and good-looking) people

Aw shucks, thanks.

Dave,

The false bottom (FB) sits snug at the bottom of the Keggle. The keggle doesn't have a flat bottom though so there is a gap between where the bottom of the grain sits on the FB and the bottom of the keggle, like you mentioned. There is a hole on the FB that my dip tub sits in so it can siphon from the liquid between the FB and the bottom of the keg.

I attached a picture of my mash tun (taken during my wet run) without the FB in it so you can see the dip tube and how it sits directly in the middle of the keggle. Just look at the picture above and you will see the hole in the middle of the false bottom. You will have to picture the FB in there with the dip tube going in to to the middle. Overall, it is basically a flat strainer or like a reverse sift that the miners used to use to seperate the sand from the gold. In this case, the gold is the fantastic wort that can through and the sand which stays above

Some times the FB doesn't sit right until it has the weight on it which allows some grains to get under it and clog the dip tube. In that case I run water back through the out port to clear it and than it seems to run fine after that. I just need to vorlauf a few times in order to get clear running liquid.