You did remind me that ya gotta press the damn button on the spigot though. I guess I could stick a piece of high temp tubing in there with an inline valve, which I already have, or like you said, pour the wort out. Well, you saying that it should work is good enough for me, unless it's the Hoegarden speaking.
I have one of the coolers and I took off the valve and replaced it with one Mr. Beer sells that you can leave open. $5 maybe. I use it for bottling, not mashing, but it does the trick. I leave the spigot open and use the wand to dispense [It also came with a bottle wand].
And for what it's worth, it's Hoegaarden, and you're making me thirsty!
damn, that's a good idea. I have a water bottle in my fridge with one of those spigots you could leave open.....maybe I'll try that. Thanks for the tip, and the spell check. i guess it just proves that when you see 9 labels of something, it doesn't mean you know how it's spelled. Maybe when all 12 are gone, I'll actually read something on the label.
damn, that's a good idea. I have a water bottle in my fridge with one of those spigots you could leave open.....maybe I'll try that. Thanks for the tip, and the spell check. i guess it just proves that when you see 9 labels of something, it doesn't mean you know how it's spelled. Maybe when all 12 are gone, I'll actually read something on the label.
I loooove my Hoegaarden! Sometimes when I'm feeling daring, I'll throw a slice of lemon in with it (who keeps oranges around for slicing?).
Ok, please forgive me if these questions have been asked, but at 74 pages, it's hard to read this entire thread:
1) Does the amount of sparge water you use matter, or should I just use whatever amount will bring me to my final boil volume?
1a) is any water re-absorbed by the grains when sitting in the sparge water pot?
2) My thought was that in "traditional" sparging that you rinse the grains, not soak them again. Does soaking them change anything that's happening? Would it be "more correct" if I were to hold the grains in a colander and pour the sparge water over them, or does soaking them just accomplish the same thing in an easier manner?
3) How long do you usually hold the bag above the kettle to let it drain?
1) If you use TOO MUCH sparge water, you can extract tannins from the grains. This method uses 2 gallons for mash and 2 gallons for sparge...you could probably go up to three and be fine. It also uses a partial boil. If you want to do a full boil, add water after the sparge is complete and the grains are out (and, obviously, you'll need to use a bigger pot)
1a) Yes, you will lose some water...how much comes out depends on how much you let it drain. Sometimes, I would set it aside in a plastic container while I prepare some more and then dump that little extra wort in before the boil.
2) A "traditional" sparge is a "fly-sparge" in which the grains are never removed from the water and it actually keeps a level of water above the grains while you are draining the bottom (by sprinkling from above.)
You can use a colander with that method. I've actually found it increases efficiency to do a pour-over with some of the sparge AND THEN dunk them in the sparge water after that. It's the only way to get really good efficiency when I use this method for all-grain. Partial mash, doesn't make as much a difference.
3) As long as I can hold it! I usually use my big-ass colander and just let it drain until it's pretty much just sprinkling.
This is so helpful, thank you! I plan to try this next.
Quick question on measuring efficiency. When exactly do you measure it to know your % efficiency from the grains? After you mix your wort + sparge water (step 5.5)? Or do you measure it when your completely done?
I sometimes take a sample at many different stages.
I take a sample at the first run-off to ensure efficiency is good.
I take a sample after run-off is complete to guage where my efficiency is at and how much extract to add.
I take a sample at the end to make sure I hit my numbers.
Remember that extract can skew readings a bit, as it doesn't work its way into solution and distribute itself like the regular wort.
This makes sense, I was just curious about that because normally I only take a hydro sample when I'm completely done and before pitching the yeast. But I could see it would be helpful doing so before adding the extract, so you can see how efficient your mash was... and ultimately adjust your extract based on that if you wanted to. Very cool, I'm psyched to try this out!
I am preparing to brew two 5-gallon recipes this weekend and wanted some help in converting the AHS mini mash instructions to this partial mash method. I'm also trying to figure out how to set up Beersmith to help calculate temperatures, volumes and hop additions. I can either use a 5-gallon pot for a partial boil or a 10-gallon pot to do a full boil. Here goes...
AHS 1492 Pale Ale
3 lbs. 2-Row Malt
8 oz. Crystal 40L Malt
4 lbs. Extra Light DME
4 oz. Malto Dextrin
1 oz. Columbus 60 mins
1 oz. Columbus 15 mins
1 oz. Columus dry hop
OG -1.052
FG - 1.012
AHS mash instructions: 2.5 gallons to 160 degrees, mash for 45 minutes at 155 degrees. Pour 170 degree water over grain bag using 1 qt/2 lbs grain. Allow bag to drip until nearly all water has dripped out, then return to heat for boil.
Questions:
1) How do I convert to partial mash method?
2) Should I change the amount of water used?
3) I prefer to do a full boil, do I just add enough water after the mash to reach my pre-boil wort amount?
Stella Artois Clone
2 lbs. Belgian Pilsner Malt
0.5 lbs. Vienna Malt
0.5 lbs. Cara Pils Malt
5 lbs. Extra Pale LME
2 oz. Saaz 60 minutes
1 oz. Saaz 15 minutes
1 oz. Saaz Flame out
OG - 1.047
FG - 1.008
Same AHS mash instructions as the Pale Ale. The instructions also suggest a cold fermentation for 10 days at 50-55 degrees, which I can accomplish using my kegerator. It then states to raise the temp to 60-70 degrees for 2 days before racking to the secondary for 3-4 weeks at 40 degrees.
Questions:
Same as the Pale Ale, except I also want to get some feedback on the fermentation process recommended by AHS.
I sometimes take a sample at many different stages.
I take a sample at the first run-off to ensure efficiency is good.
How do you go about taking efficiency ratings with hot wort? So for example, after the mash, do i just scoop out some, put it in a tube and drop my hydrometer in right away? Will my hydrometer reading be at all accurate at those temps?
I usually use my big-ass colander and just let it drain until it's pretty much just sprinkling.
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