Batch 267, Panama Red

 Second attempt at brewing Panama Red in Baja. Things are going better, I'm getting used to the system, how much loss there is, measuring liquids, boil off rates, and so on. 

5 gallon batch

12 lb 2-row

12 oz Crystal 60

12 oz White Wheat

2 oz Chocolate malt

Mashed at 155F for 45 minutes, recirculated for about 10 minutes, collected 3 gallons in the boil kettle. Did the math right, mashed in with 5 gallons at 165F, hit 155F, no problem. Calculated absorption, figured I needed 3 gallons for the second sparge, that worked out exactly right, I got 6 gallons total in the boil kettle. I still need to figure out a better way to do the sparging.

1 oz Mt Hood, FWH

1 oz Centennial, 60 min

1 oz Cascade, 30 min

1 tsp Irish Moss, 15 min

1 oz Cascade, 5 min

1 oz Mt Hood, 5 min

60 minute boil. All my hops are pellets now, the whole flowers that I vacuum sealed didn't survive the trip down to Mexico, what with the temperature fluctuations and all.

Safale US-04

This is the only yeast I have in Baja, it seems to be a decent choice, thanks for the recommendation, HomebrewStuff! 

I got my chest freezer fixed yesterday, it had a leak somewhere, the repair guy just filled it with freon and it started cooling right away. He thought he knew where the leak was, so he tightened a few screws, but didn't offer any guarantee -- maybe it'll work for a year, maybe until tomorrow, who knows? It's working well at the moment, I'm hoping it'll last at least until I can cold crash this batch. He suggested keeping it running when it's not in use, he thinks that will help it not leak out.

Other things to adjust --

• I need a measuring stick. The boil kettle has a sight glass, but it's missing most marks.
• The boil kettle has a bazooka screen, which is nice, I guess, but it leaves a lot of liquid behind unless I tip the kettle.
• I need more o-rings. The heat here just eats them up.