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First brew this weekend..a few questions to get there first

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Post time 2022-9-8 17:41:39 | Show all posts |Read mode
Greetings from the warm climes of the Metro Denver Area. So big new for the day is that I am  now the proud owner of a Brewmaster Deluxe Brew Kit. I also got my ingredients for a recipe for a Pale Ale I am going to be brewing this coming weekend.
So here are my questions. Some Equipment related to Brewer's Friend and a few non-equipment related.
Equipment
There are a bunch of numbers in My Equipment Profile that I am not really sure how to calibrate currently. One is my Boil Evaporation Rate. My Kettle LossesCooling Shrinkage
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Post time 2022-9-8 17:42:27 | Show all posts
Congrats!
Full your kettle with 2 or 3 gallons of water. Get it to a boil and measure how much you lose in 30 minutes. If your kettle doesn't have volume markings you can mark a wooden spoon with a sharpie in 1/2 gallon increments
Kettle loss is the wort leftover in the kettle post-boil. If you're dumping your kettle into the fermenter, this will be close to zero. If you're siphoning then it might be 1/2 -1 quart
Don't worry about cooling shrinkage. Leave it at default or just input whatever the equipment profile says to.
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Post time 2022-9-8 17:43:23 | Show all posts
Amen yup drain the test liquid out the kettle however your desired method and then measure what's left that's your dead space losses.
Remember cooled wort is a little different to just water
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Post time 2022-9-8 17:44:12 | Show all posts
What @Sunfire96 said above, but the losses will be a bit more based on hop debris and break materials.
Also, with new equipment, it's a good idea to boil in it with some cleaner(PBW) or something similar prior to making your beer. You'd be surprised at what may be hidden in there from the manufacturing and packing process.
One last thing, your boil temp and evaporation rate will ber different than others that aren't at 5000 ft elevation.
Good luck!
Brian
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Post time 2022-9-8 17:45:03 | Show all posts
Good question and good answers.
Don't look too much at the numbers. You'll just put in your best estimated guess and after the brew, you can adjust your figures again.
Just measure and record.
Good luck and have fun!
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Post time 2022-9-8 17:45:35 | Show all posts
Did you buy a wort chiller? That will make life much easier when you get ready to pitch. I really can't get too much below 80 with our water, but I do put some ice in a container to push another couple of degrees before I transfer into the fermenter.
I agree with the others about the boil off rate. Mine is only 1 gallon per hour, but I am at 100 feet in a humid climate, not 5000 feet in a dry one.
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 Author| Post time 2022-9-8 17:46:33 | Show all posts
Thank you all for the assistance. I am going to play a bit with my equipment this weekend as well due to the hear we are having.
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Post time 2022-9-8 17:47:15 | Show all posts
I've used both PBW and Oxiclean Free and can't tell a difference between them, but oxiclean is cheaper and available at the grocery store. Jusy dont use dish siap to clean your brew equipment. Have you got sanitizer yet? Most people use Star San, but I prefer Iodophor. Just make sure whatever you use is food safe. Cleaning and sanitation are a super important part of the brewing process and shouldn't be overlooked
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Post time 2022-9-8 17:48:04 | Show all posts
I'm used to the heat. I just start right after sunrise and do as much setting up as I can the night before. If you are talking about fermenting without a refrigerator, that might be a problem. You can put it in a closet under an AC vent with a fan though. S-05 might take another couple of degrees above 68.
My house is at 80 most of the year, so that wouldn't work very well for me.
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