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2nd batch from same grain bill

S

Shakey_Dog

Hello,

Has anyone tried to make a second batch from the same grain bill?  I am planning in a few weeks on making a Scottish Ale with an OG of around 1.070 and was wondering if I could get a second beer from the same grain.

Let me know if you have had any success with this.

Brew on!

Don
 
Don,
 Yes you can do this - it is called "party-gyle" sparging.

 The biggest thing to watch out for is the first sparge, however.  It is not uncommon to lose 15% or more brewhouse efficiency when brewing very strong beers.  This is due to the fact that you are using a very small amount of water to sparge a large amount of grain.  Therefore if you normally get 75% brewhouse efficiency, you might only have 60% for a very high gravity beer.

 The second sparge should come out somewhere in the 1.030's or higher, as there is plenty of sugar still left in the grain bed after your first batch.

Cheers!
Brad
 
Thanks Brad,

I am going to give it a try.  I have some yeast that I have made a starter out of from a bottle of my Spotted Dog Brown.  Since this is the first yeast that I have tried this with and the first time I am going to attempt to parti gyle if it does not work, oh well I wont be out anything.

I will just kick back with a cigar and a brew.

Don
 
Don--maybe grab a bag or two of DME and use that to increase the gravity. It won't be totally authentic, but two beers for the (slightly more than) price of one sounds pretty good to me!
 
I thought about having some extra DME around but I think I want to try and go old school with one and see what I can get.

I am using a Scottish export Ale recipe with an OG of around 1.065.  I plan on brewing in a couple of weeks.

If nothing else it will be fun :D.  2 beers in one day!

Thanks,

Don
 
shakey_dog,

What kind of setup do you have??  Is your system big enough to do a no-sparge batch?  The reason I ask is that the size of your system and your sparge meathod will make a difference in what you really end up with.  With a "big" beer of only .065 (not really that big) theres not a lot left in the mash for the second beer.  For instance if I was doing a no-sparge brew I would set my efficiency to 50% to figure out my grain bill.  That would give me a big beer of .065 from the first runnings and a smaller beer in the .035-.040 range from the leftovers, not a bad second beer.  If I was batch sparging I would adjust my grain bill for a 60% efficiency and my small beer would probably only get me into the low .020's, not much there for making beer.  If I was fly sparging it would get even worse.  Now this is all based on the efficiencies I get on my system so YMMV but what you need to consider is what you can expect from your system and your process, so you can set your target OG and your efficiency so you end up with a decent second beer.
 
I've tried a couple methods of calculating efficiencies...Would some of you folks send me a method you use...I obviously need to refine my process.

Thanks!
 
pcdiver,

It's pretty simple math just need to know what to plug into the equation.

Actual OG divided by Potential OG

Lets say you were brewing a 5 gallon batch of brew using 10lbs of pale malt.  The pale malt you chose has a potential of .036 so for 10 lbs that makes .360 of potential sugars or a potential OG of .072 (.360/5)

Now lets say that your actual OG turned out to be .055, so then you take actual divided by potential and wala you have your efficiency.  .055/.072=.76 or 76% efficiency.

Now other things you need to take into consideration are any wort left behind ie.. the wort that doesn't make into the fermentor, wort left in the boil pot or spilled on the floor, and how much actual wort you have in the fermentor.  I normally target my brews to produce 5.5 gallons of wort knowing that I'll leave about a half a gallon behind with the trub and spent hops.
 
Horn,

I have a 5 gal Rubermaid set up.  As I have been reading up on this I may try it with the Barley Wine that I make every year.  This is a much bigger beer.  1.100 on the low end.  

I think that would be a better fit. I have been doing some tials with taking yeast from bottles trying to get the population big enough to make a starter.  My kids think it cool, like science class.  So if I do it wtih the smaller beer and it does not work I wont be out anything and it will be a learning experience.

Dom
 
BeerSmith can calculate the "gross" efficiency for your batch based on your actual measured OG (you need to enter the OG of course).

You can use this value to adjust your brewhouse efficiency up or down for follow-on batches.

Here's the link:

  http://beersmith.com/calculating_actual_efficiency.htm

Also the new version of BeerSmith will have a very detailed efficiency calculator to calculate several different efficiencies.  It will be out around the end of the month, and it will be a free upgrade.

Cheers!
Brad
 
Shakey,

Bad news for you man.  There's no way in he!! your going to fit a 1.100 beer into your 5 gallon rubermaid setup.  The grain and water just won't fit.  At 70 % efficiency you would need about 20 lbs of grain and 5 gallons of water.  The laws of physics, or some other law that I just can't remember the name of, say it just won't work.  If I remember correctly my max was like 13 lbs of grain at a 1.1 H2O/grain ratio, might be able to squeeze 14 lbs if you thin the mash down.  If you want to make a 1.100 with this type of setup you probably need to upgrade to a 10 gallon cooler, or make a 3 gallon batch, which might be a good compromise.
 
I have got 16lbs of grain in that.  It is very tight and thick but it can be done ::).  I use some DME to bump the gravity.  I have been making this BW for 3 years now and it is always over 1.100.  ABV around 12-14.  I age it for a year.  

I think with that amount of grain I sould be able to get a second beer. ;D

It is a huge pain the ass to make a 5 gal BW with this set up but it can be done if you are very patient and have a good cigar and good beer in your hand.  A homebrew for sure. ;)

Don

 
You should be able to get a great second beer cause with that much grain it has to be a very thick mash, and a thick mash usually lower your efficiency.  Should be lots of sugar left in those grains
 
Ya!

I thought that would be a better choice.  Very thick mash.  But the final product is great.  Sit in from the fire place with one of those bad boys  Oh yea ;D.  

Don
 
Hi Shakey_Dog

If youR BW is soooo good, could you share your recipe, so far I just found one that looks not bad, but I am not that excited yet...
Thanks!
 
OL,

It is listed on the Beersmith home page in the recipes section Private Reserve Barley Wine and my name Don Pfeiffer.  It is very hoppy.  I love this thing.  I make it every Nov. or Dec. and lay it down until the next Thanksgiving.

Let me know what you think.

Don
 
oops, looks like I forgot to download october recipes!!! Thanks, I am gonna try it soon. I will let you know
 
I am going to make it again right after thanksgiving with a few changes.  But not much.  I am going to drop the honey this year in favor of DME to spike the gravity.  And I am going to make a huge starter.

I cannot wait ;D

Have fun,

Don
 
Last weekend, I tried my first "double brew" from the same grain. (After boil volume - 4gallons). I added additional grain, DME, etc.
1.  Starting OG:  1045.  After sparge:  1034
2.  Not too clear (original was a wheat).
3.  Racked to secondary 12/23...
     a.  Sweet taste, NOT offensive, with a SLIGHT  isoprophyl  alcohol smell.  Is this the tannic acid washed from grain husk???

Since this is the FIRST try, I'm just experimenting and trying to discover more of my faults and developing more skills.

Any thoughts on this smell issue?

Thanks, and MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF YOU!!!.

Dave
 
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