Janutoberfezt

[cheesefood]

So I'm brewing my first all grain lager.

12 lbs Munich
11 lbs German pils
1 lb wheat
8 oz oats
8 oz Belgian Cara Munich
4 oz Belgian biscuit
4 oz Belgian aromatic
2 oz Hallertau @ 60
2 oz Saaz @ 10
4 packs Saflager 23

7 gallons water @ 150 rest for 90

[cheesefood]

O curse thee, compacted grain bed. A pox on your house, stuck sparge. Why must I endure thy plague, oh Goddess of the Gallon Short. Forsooth! I see in my path the way! To my rescue, oh ancient pound (or so) of DME! To the boilery!!

[Evan!]

what's your separation medium? False bottom? Braid? Does this happen often? Have you ever tried rice hulls?

[Rhoobarb]

what's your separation medium? False bottom? Braid? Does this happen often? Have you ever tried rice hulls?
I though you had a copper manifold, Cheese. Why El Stucko Sparge-o? You only had a pound of wheat.

[cheesefood]

Rookie mistake of grain then water instead of
water grain water. I had to use the March to get it all out. Then my hop bag opened so my keggle plugged up and I eventually had to dump the keggle into a bucket. Bush league today boys.

[cheesefood]

Well it's done and in the buckets and I pitched a lot of lager yeast but I think it's getting too cold because I'm not seeing signs after 24+ hours. Aerated it this morning and wrapped it in a blanket on my sun porch.

[cheesefood]

So update...
My porch got really cold.

I ended up making a lagerator. I took an empty grain bin big enough to hold two buckets and filled it with warm water. I bought a submersible 25w aquarium heater to raise the ambient temp of the water by 2-10+ degrees, in adjustible increments. In my garage (in the Chicago NW Burbs) I'm able to maintain and control a range from 40 (ambient tmp this week) to 50+ (I've kept it steady at 44, 48 and now going for 52). I keep a painters tarp and an old mattress cover on it for insulation. The heatr was $20.

[cheesefood]

Kegged tonight. Only got down to about a 1.018, which is surprisingly high for what I was anticipating. My only guess is that my temps were way off at some point. I have a better thermo so hopefully that was the case because it'll be corrected.

Nice taste. Spicy from the Saaz, but that'll abate over time. One the hops mellow out this will be a damn delicious beer.

[cheesefood]

This may be the best beer I've ever brewed. Not nearly clear enough, but WOW what flavor.

[Rhoobarb]

Sounds tasty! Did you use any gelatin? I use it on every lager except Schwarzbier. Does the trick.

[cheesefood]

SRM keeps telling me to put in Gelatine.

RDWJ suggested I use this:

http://victoriabelanger.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/fruit-parfait-jello.jpg?w=491&h=369

[rdwj]

Anything to mask the taste of your beers is helpful :D

[cheesefood]

Anything to mask the taste of your beers is helpful :D

Gotta hide that nasty beer flavor.

[srm775]

I think you misunderstood when I was talking about Mold.

[blacklab]

This may be the best beer I've ever brewed. Not nearly clear enough, but WOW what flavor.

It's weird how the most hassle filled brew days result in the best beers.

[srm775]

RDWJ brewing with snozberries ....

[Rhoobarb]

RDWJ brewing with snozberries ....
Is that Veruca Salt on the TV?

[rdwj]

Is that Veruca Salt on the TV?

Sean wouldn't notice that with the bean bag and male ass in the pic.

[srm775]

Sean wouldn't notice that with the bean bag and male ass in the pic.

That's what it's gonna look like when I tea-bag ya this weekend ... you'll play the part of Veruca Salt with the open mouth.

I'm totally buying Konerko again just to get your kid to hate you ... even more. The look of disappointment with you in her eye was priceless. It's how Cheese's wife and kids look at him everyday ... disappointment and contempt.

[rdwj]

That's what it's gonna look like when I tea-bag ya this weekend ... you'll play the part of Veruca Salt with the open mouth.

I'm totally buying Konerko again just to get your kid to hate you ... even more. The look of disappointment with you in her eye was priceless. It's how Cheese's wife and kids look at him everyday ... disappointment and contempt.

She doesn't hate me - she hates YOU. She asked me if I'd hold you down so she could kick you in the head.

[srm775]

She doesn't hate me - she hates YOU. She asked me if I'd hold you down so she could kick you in the head.

She told me she wants to live with her real dad.