If I don't put "bullet points" I would end up writing a long story with unnecessary tangents galore...
- First all-grain BIAB, didn't have large enough kettle so mashed in a 5 gal water cooler.
- had all of the grains in the same bag so mashed them all dark and all, never checked pH, and mashed 90 mins...
- checked and verified temp of water to add to the grains but never actually checked temp in mash tun
Denver Water
4.5 lbs Pale 2-row
2.25 lbs of english pale ale
1 lb munich dk II
1 lb roasted barley
.75 lb flaked barley
.75 lb flaked oats
.75 lb chocolate malt
.75 crystal 75
1 lb peanut butter powder at 20 min
1.25 lb milk sugar
0.5 lb clear candi sugar (because I had it...)
0.5 oz Magnum 60 min
1 oz EKG 10 min
I plan on adding secondary additions of cacao nibs and more peanut butter but need to figure out fermenation before moving on to that...
- Cooled with immersion chiller to 67 then strained and aerated from pouring bucket to kettle and vice versa.
- Did not make a starter with Wyeast 1028 that was 4 months old from the LHBS.
- Put all into my 7 gal conical ( I got a barely used blichmann from a garage sale for $150!) where it stayed pretty even around 67F
- 2 days in no real visible action from airlock, brought upstairs to front porch and agitation from moving it caused some bubbling about 1 every 2-3 seconds for 5-10 mins, got excited thinking it was going and took it right back downstairs, it stopped bubbling minutes later. didn't really bubble after replaced in basement.
- the next day took it to the backyard and set in the sun where it bubbled for another 5-10 mins, left it outside for 2.5 hrs then carried it back downstairs. didn't really bubble after brought to basement.
- because I had it in the fridge I used a 4 year old s-33 started in solution with dextrose, which I since learned isn't a great idea...
- fermentation took off airlock was busy for the next couple days
- 11 days after initially placed in fermenter the gravity is 1.030 which is why I'm worried, also the beer I sampled with the hydrometer appeared to be carbonated...
- taste notes: it was slightly tart with a coffee bitter aftertaste, tartness may have masked sweetness.
Main question at this point should I try a high attenuating yeast or possibly a lager yeast to get the gravity lower?
Now that I have all of the new equipment I will have to make sure to pay attention to the little details. I am the "ooh shiny" kind of person.