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Newbie here! Can someone help me with my first recipe - Pliny the Step Child?

Thanks for those info Scott. So I'll first take my gravity reading sunday and then I'll decide then what I do!

This is my recipe : http://beersmithrecipes.com/viewrecipe/172160/pliny-the-step-child Check the "Notes" section for the reference to the "4 days"!

And yes, the yeast is Fermentis Safale SO5.

 
Wow.  Your predicted starting gravity in the recipe is 1.078.  You were at 1.041.  I'm thinking you didn't get full conversion of the starches to sugars during your mash.  You should have had a lot higher starting gravity.  I have some questions.

How well were you able to hold your mash at 152F for the one hour of mashing?
  Did you overshoot the temperature and get it up into the 160F+ range?
  Did you undershoot it?
At what temperature did you take your gravity reading after the wort was coooled?
Did you crush your grains or did the supplier crush the grains?

If your gravity was really at 1.041, this will taste nothing like what you sampled.  It will probably be sweeter tasting.  With all of the IBU's in this recipe, it may end up being a quite tasty beer.  It just probably won't be anything like what you sampled.

 
electrotype said:
- Before the boil : 1.055
- After the wort has been boiled and cooled : 1.041
Click to expand...


Wait! What?
Did you top up the fermenter with water, after the boil? Gravity should go UP with boil time.
 
I shouldn't have written my readings here because I'm not 100% sure of them.

I remember that I read the gravity after the boil, but I didn't write it down immediately. When I wrote it, I wasn't sure of it anymore.

I'm quite sure about the 1.055 pre-boil gravity though!

So yeah sorry about that, next time I'll have more specific informations to provide about gravity! I'll learn!

brewfun said:
Did you top up the fermenter with water, after the boil?
Click to expand...

No, I don't!

 
Scott Ickes said:
How well were you able to hold your mash at 152F for the one hour of mashing?
  Did you overshoot the temperature and get it up into the 160F+ range?
  Did you undershoot it?
Click to expand...
I realized too late that I didn't have a thermometre for the mash tun! So I used 160F water hoping it would go down to 152F with the cold grain. The mash tun was pre-warmed.

Scott Ickes said:
At what temperature did you take your gravity reading after the wort was coooled?
Click to expand...
60F (I though this was the pitching temperature, see previous posts)

Scott Ickes said:
Did you crush your grains or did the supplier crush the grains?
Click to expand...
Supplier crushed it.

Scott Ickes said:
If your gravity was really at 1.041, this will taste nothing like what you sampled.  It will probably be sweeter tasting.  With all of the IBU's in this recipe, it may end up being a quite tasty beer.  It just probably won't be anything like what you sampled.
Click to expand...

As long as it's drinkable and that I learn, I'll be happy!

Thanks for your help.
 
In the original recipe you posted, the original brewer reported 1.057 preboil gravity. Postboil, he reported 1.079 OG.

His preboil gravity is very close to yours. If your boil off rate was similar, then you're in that ballpark. Maybe 1.067 to 1.075. Quite respectable for your first time.
 
brewfun said:
In the original recipe you posted, the original brewer reported 1.057 preboil gravity. Postboil, he reported 1.079 OG.

His preboil gravity is very close to yours. If your boil off rate was similar, then you're in that ballpark. Maybe 1.067 to 1.075. Quite respectable for your first time.
Click to expand...

Based on brewfuns calculations, I think you're in the ballpark as well.  I'd rack to the secondary at about 1.030 gravity, give or take a little bit.
 
Scott Ickes said:
Based on brewfuns calculations, I think you're in the ballpark as well.  I'd rack to the secondary at about 1.030 gravity, give or take a little bit.
Click to expand...
Nice, I'll take the gravity tomorrow. Thanks.
 
I enjoyed all the pictures. Welcome to a fantastic hobby and welcome to the BS-forum.

Scott Ickes/Brewfun, you guys are amazing with your support!!!
+1
 
Slurk said:
I enjoyed all the pictures. Welcome to a fantastic hobby and welcome to the BS-forum.

Scott Ickes/Brewfun, you guys are amazing with your support!!!
+1
Click to expand...

Thanks Slurk! Indeed Brewfun and Scott Ickes help a lot!
 
There is something I don't understand...

http://imgur.com/a/J0H0f

(first picture is with plain water)

I took my gravity reading two times.

The first time, directly in the bucket. It read 1.108! (See the picture in the bucket)

I took it again, this time using a sample. Now it read +/- 1.005.

I guess 1.005 is the correct reading! But why didn't the reading in the bucket work properly? Maybe because it was touching the yeast cake?

Anyway, if my true reading is 1.005 (as it seems), do you think it's ok to rack to a secondary tomorrow?

By the way, I tasted the beer and it's already not that bad!

 
Bubbles. See the bubbles around the hydrometer stem?

There is a minor amount of carbonation left in a fermented beer. That probably floated it. You get rid of them by spinning the hydrometer a few times to degas the sample.
 
electrotype said:
Anyway, if my true reading is 1.005 (as it seems), do you think it's ok to rack to a secondary tomorrow?

By the way, I tasted the beer and it's already not that bad!
Click to expand...

Yup.  You can definitely rack it.  I'd also let the temperature rise to 72-74F in the secondary for 3-4 days to let the yeast clean up the stuff they made (fusels, off flavors, diecetyl, etc.) in the primary.  Then bring the temp down to the mid sixties for a while before bottling.

I agree with brewfun on the hydrometer reading.
 
So it is now racked! And dry hopped!

http://imgur.com/a/qmAFc

I realize that I losted a lot of liquid though! I was targetting 4 gallons but I think I may have 3 or so.

Also the rubber cork doesn't stay in place on the glass carboy, it's too slippery. I'll try to push it more when it will be dryer.

 
Yep! Hoppy beers are lossy beers!

You can console yourself that it's only a gallon. With my DIPA I can lose 4 kegs worth to the kettle and another three to dry hopping. That's in addition to the two I lose to just yeast on every batch.

 
electrotype said:
So it is now racked! And dry hopped!

http://imgur.com/a/qmAFc

I realize that I losted a lot of liquid though! I was targetting 4 gallons but I think I may have 3 or so.

Also the rubber cork doesn't stay in place on the glass carboy, it's too slippery. I'll try to push it more when it will be dryer.
Click to expand...

A gallon of beer lost is a small price to pay for liquid gold.  If it tastes great, you'll make it again, but you won't be disappointed when you lose a gallon, since you'll be aware of it ahead of time.
 
Yup.  Perfectly normal.  My PtE recipe is set to a 6.5 gallon "batch" size for just this reason.  1 gallon larger than my standard 5.5 gallon brew.
 
Thanks guys, I hope it will be a tasty 3 gallons!

I'm starting my second batch now... Hopefully I'll do less mistakes!
 
Scott Ickes said:
What are you making for your second batch?
Click to expand...

Exact same recipe, but this one will stay in the primary fermenter. I want to see by myself if it makes any difference.

Also, I prefere to work with buckets I think. So if I can avoid carboys, I'll be happy.

I'll like to find transparent buckets though!
 
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