The Final Mini BIAB (For Now)....

With the completion of the 50 litre boil kettle the time has come to retire the trusty stock pot that I started my all grain brewing journey with. For the final brew I decided to finally brew up my entry for the November Case Swap Challenge, an Oatmeal Stout.

The brew started earlier this week with the preparation of a pack of liquid Irish Ale yeast.

After activating on Tuesday, the pack was ready to be split up by Friday. You don't have to split liquid yeast packs, and to do so requires a few other bits and pieces as well as a bit more time, but I found some dried malt extract to use in starters so I split this pack into 5 vials to use in a few different recipes that I have planned.

5 x 25 ml vials of Wyeast 1084 Irish Ale yeast

After managing to keep the mash temperature fairly constant, with only a few degrees lost over the hour, the trusty three ring burner got fired up to get up to boil temperature. While this was going on, I started work on my next project, the party porta keg (more on this later), and weighed out the hop addition. I opted to go with Fuggles purely because I had more of these in the fridge than other suitable English hops.

25.95g of Fuggles goodness

After almost having a boilover, the hops went in for the hour boil. I managed to hit all target numbers, but probably could have boiled a little harder. For those playing along at home, the recipe that I used for this batch is below;

Ingredients

Grain

1.85 Kg - Marris Otter Ale Malt
0.33 Kg - Flaked Oats (Quick Oats)
0.20 Kg - Pale Choc Malt
0.17 Kg - Biscuit Malt
0.10 Kg - Roasted Barley
0.10 Kg - Crystal Malt, Medium

Hops

26g - Fuggles

Yeast

25ml Wyeast 1084 Irish Ale yeast - Stepped in starter to approximately 94 billion cells

Pre Boil Gravity - 1.040
Post Boil Gravity - 1.051

Est. Final Gravity - 1.012
Est. ABV - 5.1%
Carb Level - 2.0 Vols

The Completed Boiler

After a couple of weeks delay, the boiler has finally been completed. All parts have now been fitted with the only things left to do is make sure that bulkheads are properly sealed and then run the first batch through the new system.

I have added a pick-up tube to the internal side of the ball valve and a plug to fit into the top of the T piece that the thermometer and sight glass are screwed into. While the plug may not be necessary, it has been known that the polycarbonate tubing used in the sightglass can crack or shatter when heating water for cleaning after a brew. For the relatively cheap cost of a plug it's easier than replacing the tube and remarking the litre increments if it does break.

The Fittings

Ball Valve with Pick-Up Tube attached

T- Piece for Thermometer & Sightglass (Stainless Plugs fitted)

Internal Shot - Pick-Up Tube fitted to Ball Valve & Thermometer Fitted to T-Piece

Now that the build has been completed there are a couple of things that I have learnt for future builds.

• Drilling bulkhead fittings - To drill out the holes for the bulkheads I used a stepped drill bit. If I was to do this again, I would probably opt for a Tungsten Carbide holesaw. While they are a bit dearer, there is a chance of burning out your drill or, as happened to me, snapping the screw that secures the chuck to the drill motor. What I saved on the stepped bit I'll now be spending on a replacement drill. Alternatively, your local homebrew shop, or metalworking business, may be able to drill these out for you at a small fee.
• Buying Fittings - Always make a list before going shopping for parts. Seems simple enough, but I ended up making two trips out to the other side of town instead of getting everything in one hit. While this wasn't a major inconvenience, getting everything in one trip would have had things done a lot sooner.

Thanks again to the guys from BrewAdelaide for their assistance and tips for the build. Now onto the next mini project for the brewery, the Garden Sprayer Porta-Keg. Further updates to follow as this one progresses.

Happy Brewing!!!