mac batch #8 (but don’t wait around for the tasting results)

I blew it tonight.

Followed the recipe and mash schedule for Austin Homebrew’s Blue Moon clone, reprinted on homebrewtalk.com

The mash was a mess.  First off, the AH mash schedule yields a super loose mash by the time you’re done (1.7 quarts/lb), which makes establishing clear runnings a real pain in the ass, cause the grain bed doesn’t settle out.

Secondly, despite hitting my protein rest temp dead on, and double checking the second infusion calculations to go from the protein rest to the saccrification rest, I ended up 10*F too hot for my saccrification.  Instead of my target of 158*F, i ended up closer to 170*F.   Total mystery as to why.

Lastly, when the runnings finally cleared out a bit (though still plenty cloudy from all the wheat and such), the sparge slowed to a trickle.  At this point, it was late at night, and the thought of waiting around 2 hours for the sparge to finish, just to wait another 2 for the boil and chill, sounded like madness.  I dumped the grains.  Screw it.

My dear girlfriend really wants a blue moon clone, however, so i’m gonna have to try this one again.  Next time:

• get the mash temps right
• use rice hulls to try to keep the sparge moving
• maybe use less water for the protein rest, so that the final mash won’t be so loose
• don’t fuck it up

mac batch #5.  First all grain!

Brew day: 2010-03-28

Recipe straight from Scott Russell’s North American Clone Brews

Targets:

OG: 1.058, FG: 1.012, ABV: 5.9%, 28 IBU

• 8 lb Belgian 2-row (3.5-4*L)
• 1 lb Belgian Special B (130-220*L)
• 8 oz Crystal 120*L
• 8 oz Munich I (5-7*L)
• 1 1/2 tsp gypsum

Single infusion mash, heat 3.5 gal mash water to 164*F, mash in. Hit target temp of 152*F.  Dressed my 5 gal rubbermaid cooler in a Carhartt jacket, it held temp within a degree for 70 minutes.  Target mash time was 90 min, but I didn’t have my sparge water ready at that point, so mash ended up going more like 120 minutes.

Recirculated 2-3 quarts, drew off ~1 gal, then recirculated another quart or two, then started the sparge with 166-168*F water, two cups at a time, using a total of ~3 3/4 gallons of sparge water.

At this point, I measured 1.043 @ 132*F, which corrects to roughly 1.055.  I had 6 gal of wort, so thats 330 total points.  To hit my target of 1.058, I should end up with roughly 5.7 gal post-boil.

• 5 AAU Brewer’s Gold  @ 60 min (0.5 oz x 9.8%)
• 4 AAU Saaz @ 15 min (1.4 oz x 2.8%)
• 1/2 tsp Irish Moss @ 15 min

chilled down, ended up with 5.6 gal at 1.056.  Two points low, I’m happy.

Pitched Wyeast 1214 Belgian Abbey Ale at ~72*F.