Stop in for a drink.
We just got done with our new batch of homebrew. For those interested, here are some photos I snapped and a description of our process. Keep in mind there are a TON of different ways to do each step of the process of homebrewing. This is just the way we do it and I've left a TON of info off.
Once the yeast starter is done (see photos above), we pour some off to make to make the starter for the next batch, then stick it in the fridge to concentrate at the bottom. In this photo, you can see the nice yeast cake at the bottom of the flask and jar:
This is the "sparge" step. I didn't get a picture of the "mash," but basically, the grain has to "mash" in ~148*-154* water for 60 mins to pull out the fermentable sugars. We use only use about half the water needed for the mash, so that we can use the rest of the heated water to rinse the grain, which is referred to as sparging. This ensures you get as much of the sugars out as possible.
This is what it looks like inside the mash tun. Looks and smells like oatmeal.
At the bottom, there's a device that allows the liquid to drain without taking the grain with it:
We use a piece of cheesecloth as well to help keep the solids out:
Once we get to the pre-boil volume we need, it's time to start the boil. In this batch, we did a super long 90 minute boil. Typically, we do a 60 boil. Notice this is after the first hop addition. The longer the hops boil, the more bittering they contribute to the beer. Later hop additions contribute flavor, whereas the last additions contribute the hoppy aroma. We use disposable tea bags for the hops because it helps keep the hop matter out of the fermenter and keeps the off flavors at bay (in our opinion). In this batch, our pre-boil volume was 8 gallons.
With 10 mins to go in the boil, we add the immersion wort chiller (basically a 50' coil of 1/2" copper tubing). This devise helps cool the wort quickly so we can then pitch our yeast. We have a "pre-chiler" as well which helps cool it off even faster.
Between the chiller and pre-chiller (and cooler ambient temp), we were able to chill the boiling wort down to 65* within 10 mins.
We just got done with our new batch of homebrew. For those interested, here are some photos I snapped and a description of our process. Keep in mind there are a TON of different ways to do each step of the process of homebrewing. This is just the way we do it and I've left a TON of info off.
Once the yeast starter is done (see photos above), we pour some off to make to make the starter for the next batch, then stick it in the fridge to concentrate at the bottom. In this photo, you can see the nice yeast cake at the bottom of the flask and jar:
This is the "sparge" step. I didn't get a picture of the "mash," but basically, the grain has to "mash" in ~148*-154* water for 60 mins to pull out the fermentable sugars. We use only use about half the water needed for the mash, so that we can use the rest of the heated water to rinse the grain, which is referred to as sparging. This ensures you get as much of the sugars out as possible.
This is what it looks like inside the mash tun. Looks and smells like oatmeal.
At the bottom, there's a device that allows the liquid to drain without taking the grain with it:
We use a piece of cheesecloth as well to help keep the solids out:
Once we get to the pre-boil volume we need, it's time to start the boil. In this batch, we did a super long 90 minute boil. Typically, we do a 60 boil. Notice this is after the first hop addition. The longer the hops boil, the more bittering they contribute to the beer. Later hop additions contribute flavor, whereas the last additions contribute the hoppy aroma. We use disposable tea bags for the hops because it helps keep the hop matter out of the fermenter and keeps the off flavors at bay (in our opinion). In this batch, our pre-boil volume was 8 gallons.
With 10 mins to go in the boil, we add the immersion wort chiller (basically a 50' coil of 1/2" copper tubing). This devise helps cool the wort quickly so we can then pitch our yeast. We have a "pre-chiler" as well which helps cool it off even faster.
Between the chiller and pre-chiller (and cooler ambient temp), we were able to chill the boiling wort down to 65* within 10 mins.
