I brewed last night and things didn't go according to plan!
The temperature controller that I use to maintain the temperature of the wort as it is recirculated through the heat exchanger just wasn't showing a stable temperature. It fluctuated by as much as 20°C so any kind of control was out of the question. I have had this problem before and I know it's down to moisture in the wiring which I've been putting off replacing for months. I think I now have to bite the bullet.
I managed to get through by monitoring the temperature of the mash tun and the heat exchanger with a thermometer and controlling the heat exchanger manually. A few pints of AK helped me along too!
In case you want to see the recipe here it is:
Chineham Pale Ale
Brew Length (L): 55.00
Total Grain (kg): 9.40
OG: 1.040
Anticipated EBC: 29.6
Anticipated IBU: 31.0
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75 %
Wort Boil Time: 80 Minutes
Grain/Extract/Sugar
% Amount Name EBC
-----------------------------------------------------
87.8 8.25 kg. Pale Malt(2-row) 7
5.3 0.50 kg. Crystal 55L 145
5.3 0.50 kg. Flaked Corn (Maize) 0
1.6 0.15 kg. Black Patent Malt 1390
Hops
Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
55.00 g. Fuggle Whole 4.40 12.6 First WH
55.00 g. Goldings - E.K. Whole 4.20 12.1 First WH
40.00 g. Fuggle Whole 4.40 3.2 20 min.
40.00 g. Goldings - E.K. Whole 4.20 3.1 20 min.
Yeast
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White Labs WLP002 English Ale
Amsterdam bound
6 hours ago
What a pain. I brewed today and had a few issues too. It must be the time of year.
ReplyDeleteYes I've just seen your post. The cold and damp are a pain. You were lucky to fix that chiller before it ruined all your wort. I'd never have thought it would have got cold enough in your garage to freeze your chiller.
ReplyDeleteThe chiller was in the shed. I was amazed how much the copper had expanded. Thank God it was only two splits. One was quite long but I managed to approximate the edges very well. I learnt how to repair holes in copper cylinders etc will solder from my father-in-law. You have to be patient and know when to say "that's good enough" rather than being a perfectionist.
ReplyDeleteI am planning to install the brewery in the garage (a bit like yours) which will save be a lot of assembly time and reduce the dampness and freezing! also I found today that the shed roof is very badly in need of re-felting.