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Author Topic: First AG batch......  (Read 8751 times)

Offline tygo

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Re: First AG batch......
« Reply #45 on: January 20, 2011, 06:55:30 pm »
This sounds like a good excuse for me to get an Extreme.  ;D

Lot's of good excuses to get one of those  ;)

But I'm going to agree that the malt conditioning probably helped here.
Clint
Wort Hogs

Offline oscarvan

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Re: First AG batch......
« Reply #46 on: January 20, 2011, 07:23:27 pm »
This sounds like a good excuse for me to get an Extreme.  ;D

The really cool thing about this cooler (oh man  :D) is the little ditch under the drain. In the 48qt model I have there was 1.5 qts of loss due to drain positioning (in spite of a 2x4 to tilt it towards the drain). In the 70QtXtreme there is less than 1/2 qt......
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I brew WITH style..... not necessarily TO style.....

Offline euge

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Re: First AG batch......
« Reply #47 on: January 20, 2011, 07:28:16 pm »

This sounds like a good excuse for me to get an Extreme.  ;D

The really cool thing about this cooler (oh man  :D) is the little ditch under the drain. In the 48qt model I have there was 1.5 qts of loss due to drain positioning (in spite of a 2x4 to tilt it towards the drain). In the 70QtXtreme there is less than 1/2 qt......
I think it's less than a cup dead space. Besides absorption you can really get the wort out on the extreme.

And you throttled back too? IMO that probably helped more than the conditioning lol but why not do both if it works.
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Offline oscarvan

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Re: First AG batch......
« Reply #48 on: January 21, 2011, 06:27:38 am »
And you throttled back too? IMO that probably helped more than the conditioning lol but why not do both if it works.

Nah, I started slow the first time too and it never went anywhere. I am now in the "moisten your malt camp" with both feet in concrete boots. Again, the pics didn't do it justice but the difference was striking.
Wooden Shoe Brew Works (not a commercial operation) Bethlehem, PA
http://www.woodenshoemusic.com/WSBW/WSBW_All_grain_Setup.html
I brew WITH style..... not necessarily TO style.....

Offline maxieboy

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Re: First AG batch......
« Reply #49 on: January 22, 2011, 08:38:57 am »
Glad the conditioning worked for ya! I've never had slow runoff problems so it probably won't enter my process. JSP non-adj. Maltmill and 70 qt. Extreme w/ 1/2" copper manifold(with 1/2" SS full port ball valve) designed per John Palmer's specs here.
« Last Edit: January 22, 2011, 08:59:57 am by maxieboy »
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Offline gimmeales

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Re: First AG batch......
« Reply #50 on: January 24, 2011, 11:47:15 am »

Or get a different screen.  Based on what you said earlier, I crush finer than you, and don't have any issues.

Denny, how much vorlaufing do you? And maybe a follow-up question is: how concerned are you with wort clarity going into the kettle?

Just curious as I have a MLT just like yours and to vorlauf the wort to the clarity I like, it's usually a minimum 2 gallons for mash and sparge which I'd say adds 20-30 minutes to my overall process.  This can be longer if I've got the time or a really cloudy wort.  I've dialed my crusher gap down from factory settings a bit, but doesn't sound like it's as tight as yours.  I get a fair amount of flour, so seems like you'd have really particulate-laden runnings.





Offline denny

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Re: First AG batch......
« Reply #51 on: January 24, 2011, 11:54:35 am »
Denny, how much vorlaufing do you? And maybe a follow-up question is: how concerned are you with wort clarity going into the kettle?

Just curious as I have a MLT just like yours and to vorlauf the wort to the clarity I like, it's usually a minimum 2 gallons for mash and sparge which I'd say adds 20-30 minutes to my overall process.  This can be longer if I've got the time or a really cloudy wort.  I've dialed my crusher gap down from factory settings a bit, but doesn't sound like it's as tight as yours.  I get a fair amount of flour, so seems like you'd have really particulate-laden runnings.

I seldom vorlauf over a qt. and never over 2 qt.  Usually the runnings are very clear at that point, but if they're not I don't sweat it as long as it's free of chunks.  Often it's clear enough to read a newspaper through after a qt.  I've never seen a correlation between clarity of runnings and quality of the finished beer.
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Offline Hokerer

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Re: First AG batch......
« Reply #52 on: January 24, 2011, 12:20:20 pm »
I seldom vorlauf over a qt. and never over 2 qt.

LIkewise, I use the stainless braid and I vorlauf clear usually after the first quart.  I do a second quart just out of habit as it's usually not really necessary.
Joe

Offline gimmeales

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Re: First AG batch......
« Reply #53 on: January 24, 2011, 12:56:20 pm »
thanks Denny and hokerer.  Maybe a definition of 'clear' is hard to nail down.  I definitely get all the chunks out of there and even try and remove most cloudiness assuming tannin-producing husks are present in the flour - perhaps it's other parts of the kernels though, and so I shouldn't be worrying about it as much.  Was just trying to reduce tannin extraction with a little extra effort - maybe wasted effort though?

Offline denny

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Re: First AG batch......
« Reply #54 on: January 24, 2011, 02:00:20 pm »
Do you have a problem with tannins?  If not, it's wasted effort.  If so, pH is the first place to look, not the vorlauf.
Life begins at 60.....1.060, that is!

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Offline gimmeales

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Re: First AG batch......
« Reply #55 on: January 24, 2011, 02:30:02 pm »
Nope, not that I notice or have been notified of (through comps).  I guess just one of those warnings I remember from reading howtobrew years ago and has morphed into a habit for my own amusement.  I'm not SO amused that I wouldn't better prefer shortening my brewday though! :)  Thanks

Offline kgs

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Re: First AG batch......
« Reply #56 on: February 01, 2011, 01:09:24 pm »
I seldom vorlauf over a qt. and never over 2 qt.

LIkewise, I use the stainless braid and I vorlauf clear usually after the first quart.  I do a second quart just out of habit as it's usually not really necessary.

I'd wondered how much vorlaufing seasoned pros do. Thanks!
K.G. Schneider
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Offline tomsawyer

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Re: First AG batch......
« Reply #57 on: February 01, 2011, 06:07:39 pm »
I always vorlauf a quart or so, and it never really has much of anything in it.  We're talking a teaspoon worth of little chunks.
Lennie
Hannibal, MO

Offline richardt

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Re: First AG batch......
« Reply #58 on: February 01, 2011, 09:53:57 pm »
Like stated above, my definition of vorlaufing is "return the chunks."
I tend to do high-gravity beers.  (that's a different story).
Needless to say, the first runnings are pretty damn syrupy/thick looking.  It tends to look more opalescent or cloudy, IMO.
The first runnings are NOT translucent or clear.

The second (or third) runnings tend to be a lot more clear looking (like a hefeweizen or brownish ale).

Offline oscarvan

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Re: First AG batch......
« Reply #59 on: February 01, 2011, 09:55:19 pm »
Quote
Like stated above, my definition of vorlaufing is "return the chunks."

Sounds like my style. ;D
Wooden Shoe Brew Works (not a commercial operation) Bethlehem, PA
http://www.woodenshoemusic.com/WSBW/WSBW_All_grain_Setup.html
I brew WITH style..... not necessarily TO style.....