Malt Tour #3, brewed 20091114 This is the third in a series of very similar brews. The only variable is the "specialty" grains. Yield: 5 gallons. Ingredients: 8lb 2-row 1lb Crystal 120L 1oz Amarillo 1tsp Irish Moss Nottingham Yeast Ingredient cost: 8(1.20) + 1(1.75) + 1(1.88) + 1(1.59) = 14.82 (.371/pint) Mash schedule: Sacch: 155F for 60min Mashout: 165F for 10 min Sparge: Single batch sparge for 15min. Boil additions: 1oz Amarillo at first runnings. 1oz Irish Moss for 15 minutes. I prepared the grains by spraying about 2.5 oz (by weight) of water while mixing continuously. Waited 10 minutes and then ran through the mill at .035". Doughed in with 3.5 gallons of water at 166F. Stirred until even. Rested at 152.5F for 1 hour. This is 14qt/9lb or 1.55 qt/lb. Per braukaiser, should read 19.4 Plato. 10.4% Brix. (53.6% conversion eff.??) Mashout rest by adding 2 gallons at 212F. Stirred until even. Rested at 160F for 10 mionutes. This is 22qt/9lb or 2.44 qt/lb. Per braukaiser, should read 13% Plato. Vorlauf 1 gallon and drained to the boil kettle with 1oz of Amarillo. 13% Brix. (100% conversion eff.??) Single batch sparge by adding 3.5 gallons at 171F. Stirred until even. Rested at (??) for 15 minutes. Vorlauf 1 gallon and drained to boil kettle. After sparge, the BK was at 11.2% Brix. Collected 8(!) gallons of wort. Boiled only 7 gallons for 60 minutes. I chilled with the IC to about 94F. Whirlpooled, racked to carboy. 11.4% Brix (1.047). 5 gallons in the fermenter. In the fermentation fridge to chill to pitching temperature. Pitched 11g sachet of Nottingham yeast per instructions @70F next morning. Fridge is about 62F. Left out O2 injection. Good fermentaiton last time, so I'm not sure it's necessary. Notes for next time: I really need to watch volumes. I built a mash paddle during this brew session and also marked the handle for BK volumes. Temps were low so I ended up with waaay too much water. Brix measurements seem really odd. Though the iodine test after mash still showed some unconverted starch, it follows that the tempearature rise from mashout converted the rest, which would increase the gravity reading. It didn't increase as much as I had expected after boiling though (only .2% thinking 1%). Dumping cooling water into the laundry machine is working well. 20091121: 5.5% brix (1.007), 5.1% ABV. 85% attenuation, really? Go go gadget Nottingham! Going to be chilling to 45-50 because the next batch is a lager. 20091218: kegged 20100111: Has a very unpleasant off flavor that I have trouble describing. I might relate it to that smell that the dirty pot of mac and cheese gets when I'm lazy and leave it soaking in the sink overnight. Bacterial infection?