PNB Brew Day
Ingredients:
4 Lbs Muntons Hopped Nut Brown Ale Malt Extract
3.3 Lbs Light Malt Extract
4.5 galls carbon-filtered, boiled tap warer (OWASA)
Nottingham ale yeast (started in a 1 quart wort of above LME).
I started off boiling 2.5 gallons of water in my stock pot. It took about 30 mins to come to the boil at HI heat. I maintained a boil (covered) for 15 minutes, on MED-HI heat.
While the water cooled, I sanitized the 6.5 gall carboy. (1 gall water + 1 scoop oxiclean). I let it sit about 10 minutes, swirling every couple of minutes. I drained the sanitizer into a plastic bucket, which became my sanitizer bucket. I discovered that a plastic laundry cup provides a perfect cap for this carboy. I sanitized the cap, and a funnel, then rinsed in boiled water from the tea-kettle. With the funnel, I poured boiled water into the carboy to rinse, drained, then poured in the 2.5 gallons of water. This water was still pretty hot, so I put the carboy in a cold-bath (kitchen sink + cold water).
Wort boil:
I put 0.5 gall water in the stock pot, over HI heat, then opened the can of nut brown extract, and emptied it into the pot. Very sticky stuff. I rinsed out the can with another .5 gall, and stired to ensure it disolved. Next I added the LME. This had already been opened (for the yeast started) and stored in the fridge for a couple of days. I added 1 more gallon of water, for a total of 2 galls water, plus the extract, which must have been about 0.5 gallons. I covered the wort but watched it CLOSELY. Once it started to show signs of boiling, I reduced the heat to MED-HI. While I was changing the carboy's water bath, the pot boiled over a bit. I reduced the heat to MED, and still maintained a boil. I cleaned up the boil-over stickiness. After about 10 minutes of boiling, the hot break was complete, as evidenced by clearing of the fluffy head. I boiled for about 30 mins in total.
Note about the extract:
Both extracts have BBE dates in '95, so are probably 12 years old! Probably not optimal. Anyway, both were almost black, which they probably weren't 12 years ago. I guess this due to slow oxidization, which may approximate to roasting of the malt, so I'll probably end up with something resembling a stout.
Once the boil was over, I transfered the pot to the other sink for a water-bath. This wasn't doing a great job of cooling, because only the bottom half of the pot was submerged, so I put the pot in my laundry bucket, which is the same height as the pot. I put ice in the bucket, and an ice pack on top of the pot. Two baths like this brought the temperature down much better.
Before combining the cooled wort with the water in the carboy, I gave the water in the carboy a good shake for aeration. Its much easier to effectively shake 2.5 galls than 5 galls. I then resanitized my funel, and poured the wort into the carboy. The thermo read 72 degF - perfect. I got my yeast starter, and dumped the whole thing in. I tried as best as I could to give the carboy another good shake.
I had a sanitized syphon and racking cane, and drew of a cup or two of the wort, and measured the OG. The OG reading was 1043 at 73 degF, so correcting according to http://www.honeycreek.us/SpecficGravityTables.htm we get about 1044 at 59 degF. 1044 equates on my hydrometer to 6% "potential alcohol"
I capped off the carboy with a bung and airlock and put it in the downstairs bath. I put cheap vodka in the airlock. I think this carboy is a bit big to be left next to the sink, like I did with the 5 gall carboy, and yeast starter. I'll try to keep the cat out, because he likes to get into the bath and sniff around!
Now its time for cleanup, and the long wait...
4 Lbs Muntons Hopped Nut Brown Ale Malt Extract
3.3 Lbs Light Malt Extract
4.5 galls carbon-filtered, boiled tap warer (OWASA)
Nottingham ale yeast (started in a 1 quart wort of above LME).
I started off boiling 2.5 gallons of water in my stock pot. It took about 30 mins to come to the boil at HI heat. I maintained a boil (covered) for 15 minutes, on MED-HI heat.
While the water cooled, I sanitized the 6.5 gall carboy. (1 gall water + 1 scoop oxiclean). I let it sit about 10 minutes, swirling every couple of minutes. I drained the sanitizer into a plastic bucket, which became my sanitizer bucket. I discovered that a plastic laundry cup provides a perfect cap for this carboy. I sanitized the cap, and a funnel, then rinsed in boiled water from the tea-kettle. With the funnel, I poured boiled water into the carboy to rinse, drained, then poured in the 2.5 gallons of water. This water was still pretty hot, so I put the carboy in a cold-bath (kitchen sink + cold water).
Wort boil:
I put 0.5 gall water in the stock pot, over HI heat, then opened the can of nut brown extract, and emptied it into the pot. Very sticky stuff. I rinsed out the can with another .5 gall, and stired to ensure it disolved. Next I added the LME. This had already been opened (for the yeast started) and stored in the fridge for a couple of days. I added 1 more gallon of water, for a total of 2 galls water, plus the extract, which must have been about 0.5 gallons. I covered the wort but watched it CLOSELY. Once it started to show signs of boiling, I reduced the heat to MED-HI. While I was changing the carboy's water bath, the pot boiled over a bit. I reduced the heat to MED, and still maintained a boil. I cleaned up the boil-over stickiness. After about 10 minutes of boiling, the hot break was complete, as evidenced by clearing of the fluffy head. I boiled for about 30 mins in total.
Note about the extract:
Both extracts have BBE dates in '95, so are probably 12 years old! Probably not optimal. Anyway, both were almost black, which they probably weren't 12 years ago. I guess this due to slow oxidization, which may approximate to roasting of the malt, so I'll probably end up with something resembling a stout.
Once the boil was over, I transfered the pot to the other sink for a water-bath. This wasn't doing a great job of cooling, because only the bottom half of the pot was submerged, so I put the pot in my laundry bucket, which is the same height as the pot. I put ice in the bucket, and an ice pack on top of the pot. Two baths like this brought the temperature down much better.
Before combining the cooled wort with the water in the carboy, I gave the water in the carboy a good shake for aeration. Its much easier to effectively shake 2.5 galls than 5 galls. I then resanitized my funel, and poured the wort into the carboy. The thermo read 72 degF - perfect. I got my yeast starter, and dumped the whole thing in. I tried as best as I could to give the carboy another good shake.
I had a sanitized syphon and racking cane, and drew of a cup or two of the wort, and measured the OG. The OG reading was 1043 at 73 degF, so correcting according to http://www.honeycreek.us/SpecficGravityTables.htm we get about 1044 at 59 degF. 1044 equates on my hydrometer to 6% "potential alcohol"
I capped off the carboy with a bung and airlock and put it in the downstairs bath. I put cheap vodka in the airlock. I think this carboy is a bit big to be left next to the sink, like I did with the 5 gall carboy, and yeast starter. I'll try to keep the cat out, because he likes to get into the bath and sniff around!
Now its time for cleanup, and the long wait...
posted by number9 at 2:46 PM
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