Well, I somehow made it through the brewing session. Only about four hours longer than usual…
Two problems to start with…
(1) I keep getting a stuck mash, even with a lower than usual flow rate. This is unusual for me. I thought maybe my Bazooka screens (yes multiple - two) collapsed, so I transfered the whole mash into the kettle. No. No problem with the screens. I must’ve just milled too fine. Damn.
(2) I forgot to replace my failing SSR (solid state relay) which controls the RIMS heating element. Apparently the leakage current is higher, because even though it was turned off while I was messing with the mash, it still boiled the contents of the RIMS chamber. Can anyone say "scorched"? I thought you could…
Sigh.
And is started as such a lovely morning…
Then, it got even worse.
After almost three hours, the mash was only 6 degrees over where I doughed-in (130 to 136). At this rate, it would be Tuesday before I reached my target temperature.
So, I finally transferred the mash to the kettle (again) and brought it up to saccharification temp with the flame. Of course, the kettle isn’t insulated, so I had to turn the flame on a few more times, including raising the temp for mashout.
After transferring all of the mash back to the mash tun (using a one gallon plastic pitcher), I found a LOT of scorched mash on the bottom. (I thought I did a good job stirring, but since I’ve never done a direct fired mash, I shouldn’t be surprised…)
Jeez. And I thought I scorched the mash earlier…
After an HOUR of scrubbing, I finally gave up. This is what it looked like when I "finished" cleaning it:
To add insult to injury (or, more likely, vice versa), while cleaning up, I accidentally banged my chiller against one of the full carboys, resulting in a major crack. I’ll let it finish the primary fermentation before I throw it in the trash.
Sigh.
At least I’m FINALLY done…
All of the problems didn’t seem to have any detrimental impact on the fermentation, though!
Today, I bought new blow-off tubing. More of it this time so I can just use the bucket directly (I have a carboy drain holding up the pitcher inside the bucket to get the end of the hose under the sanitizer).
And, wow! It smells wonderful! (All them hops, ya know…)
Of course, the real test will be in a month when I can taste it (post fermentation, post dry hopping, post carbonation…)
The brew day, as frustrating as it was, wasn’t a complete waste (even if the resulting beer isn’t very good), since I got to spend a nice autumn day outside and drink some absolutely fabulous homebrew, my Belgian-style Dubbel:
Ahhh, beer….
