Elderberry Wheat Beer II

Well the first batch of Elderberry Wheat beer came out great, so I figured to try it again, this time all grain.  Note that beersmith II doesn’t account for color with elderberries, so I don’t have an expected SRM.  It should be fairly purple again though!  Here’s the ingredients:

• 4 lbs, 8 oz pilsner malt
  4 lbs wheat malt
  1 lb flaked wheat
  0.5 lbs 20L crystal malt
  1 oz Fuggles at 30
  1 oz Fuggles at 10
  8 oz dried elderberries

Yeast: Bavarian Wheat Yeast, with starter

Targets:

• IBUs 19.8
• OG 1.054
• FG 1.015
• SRM ?
• ABV 5.1%

Note: They only had 8 oz packages of elderberries at the LHBS.  Whoa!  Not sure if I’m going to add the whole thing and boil for less, or just add half of them and boil same as last time (20 minutes).  I’m also tempted by all sorts of experimental things I could do with them, so I’ll have to make up my mind before brew day!

1. prepare checklist
2. lay out ingredients and equipment
3. Add grains to mash tun
4. bring 3.3 gallon spring water to 166 F
5. Add 3.5 gallons of 166F spring water to mash tun on top of grains, then stir well
6. add more water to boil pot, bring to near 172F and hold for sparging
7. measure temperature after temperature equalizes in mash
8. adjust mash temperature using either heated mash water or cool spring water as needed to reach 155F, if necessary
9. mash for 75 minutes at 155F
10. during mash, stir about every 15 minutes or so, checking temperature and adjusting if needed
11. at end of mash, begin draining wort into pitcher
12. allow first runnings to drain into a pitcher until clear
13. pour first runnings back on top of mash
14. drain remaining wort into boil pot until mash tun is near empty
15. add 2 gallons 172F water (adjusted as needed)
16. stir well
17. drain first runnings of first batch sparge into pitcher until clear (or close to it)
18. pour first runnings of first batch sparge back on top of mash
19. drain wort into main boil pot until near empty
20. add another 2 gallons 172F water to mash tun (adjusted as needed)
21. stir well
22. drain first runnings of second batch sparge to pitcher until clear (or close to it)
23. add first runnings back into mash tun
24. drain wort into main boil pot
25. bring main boil pot to a boil
26. when boil is reached, boil 60 minutes total
27. at 30 minutes, add 1 oz Fuggles
28. at 25 minutes, add about 1/4 tsp Wyeast nutrient blend to a small amount of spring water and dissolve
29. add wort chiller to boil pot
30. add nutrient blend at 20 minute mark
31. add elderberries at 20 minute mark
32. add 1/8 tsp Irish moss powder at 15 minute mark
33. add 1 oz Fuggles at 10 minutes
34. begin sanitation procedures on spoon, thermometer, bucket, wine thief
35. stir occasionally with sanitized stainless spoon during cooling
36. ensure bucket, wine thief, thermometer, strainer, spoon are sanitized
37. when wort gets to about 70F, add to fermentation bucket, pouring through sanitized strainer to catch any extra solids and to help aerate.  If necessary, clean strainer during process and re-sanitize to remove most of the hop trub and berries before fermentation
    
38. take OG reading with sanitized wine thief
39. thoroughly aerate wort with sanitized stainless steel spoon again
40. ensure wort is 68F or a little less before pitching yeast
41. ensure yeast is a little cooler than wort before pitching
42. pitch yeast
43. gently stir using sanitized stainless steel spoon
44. install sanitized bucket lid and airlock
45. ferment in freezer chest w/Johnson controller for 14+ days at 66F
46. after 14+ days, add dry hops, 1 oz chinook, 0.5 oz willamette
47. ferment a total of 21+ days
48. take FG sample and bottle
49. use 5 oz corn sugar at bottling

Actual OG:

Actual FG:

Notes: