1st All Grain: too Much Wort.

[Crusader-Rob]

Hi everyone:

So I'm trying to correct my water volumes, here is what i did below, hopefully some advice will help me correct also.
Using Beersmith, i used Medium body-Batch sparge
Recipe was as follows:
*4.5kg Maris Otter, and 0.5kg Caramalt
*beer smith said 16 litres to mash at 66 degrees (water heated to 72), ended up at 64 degrees, and i lost 1 degree in an hour.
*I pre heated the MLT with 2 litres of boiling water and removed after 5-10 mins.
*Mash for 1 hour, and did my run off, ended up with 9.5-10 litres of wort, and began to heat that, 1.032 was my Og on first runnings.
*i then added sparage 1 of 6.75litres at 76 degrees, and ran off as normal.
*i then added my second sparge of 17 litres, and repeated as above.
Boiled 60 mins with EKG Hops Additions 60-30-1(40g-30g-30g)

and Irish moss @15mins
Cooled and pitched 1028 wyeast, 2 litre starter.

I ended up with about 6 litre of wort left over, for 21 litre batch plus starter=23 litres
and still got 1.048 OG before yeast pitching. Beersmith said it should have been 1.051, so i didn't miss by too much. its just a waster of good beer... (i don't have a spare vessel for the extra wort.)

anyone have advice for me on my next batch soon.?

[mattd2]

I'll put in a 2nd for brewmate. Simple one pager for inputting the recipe, then one more page for the brewday calcs. Does leave some stuff out like heat loss from equipment but nothing that can't be overcome after a little practice.

[Crusader-Rob]

Well, Brew day went ok, nroke my hydrometer, which doesn't help. but i got alot closer. estimations of around 2.5litres which is good, i followed Jokings wort recovery protocol and will de-cant off the trab tonight, and freeze, i can probably even take a reading off of that one i get a new hydrometer.

[mattd2]

Sounds much better. Best plan of attack for the broken hydrometer - buy 2, that way you will always have a spare... and therefore due to Murphy's law you will never break one to ever need the spare!

Must of missed Joking's protocol but I just did a similar thing but recovered about 1 litre of wort, pitched a packet of (old) muntons yeast and fermented warm to get it to reach FG quickly, dry hopped with a few pellets, cold crashed, bottled (600ml Sprite bottle) and conditioned - all within <7 days. Just to get an idea how it will turn out. Hopefully it will be good since it was alright even with that shitty schedule!

[Crusader-Rob]

yeah much better, thanks for all your help matt, and everyone else too!! i'm nearly there. will pick up a new hydrometer, and i need a 5litredemi as well. might have to wait until payday, but i'll get there.

Heres the wort recovery fromjoking: http://www.forum.realbeer.co.nz/profiles/blogs/the-wort-recovery-pr... I got enough wort for the beer, but its good to know this sort of thing and with my hydro broken it'll be good to have when i need it.

 

Cheers everyone, the fruit beer is on its way, checked before work and it had formed a very small krausen, its been in with dry yeast for about 8-12 hours, and i've noticed that they take 24hours to really get cracking.

 

tha whirlpooling and siphoning worked a treat too!!