Fanoffermentation
Well-Known Member
This was a much more successful attempt then I thought it would be. Here were a few takeaways I had....
For new all grain people, a 5 gallon batch will give you somewhere near a 20lb grain bill. There are a ton of programs for calculating volumes, absorption, etc. However, if you have a 10 gallon container for the brew, don't even try it. You will be starting with around 8.5-9 gallons, and with displacement from the grain, you will need closer to 11 gallons of space or more.
Don't let the 9 gallon start volume scare you....after absorption and loss to a 60 minute boil, I still ended up with around 5.5 gallons.
If you plan to cool this large volume with an ice bath, it's going to take about an hour. I neatly covered mine with foil to keep outdoor contaminants out. If you do that, be sure to sanitize your foil with starsan or whatever because vapor will condense on the foil and drip into your vulnerable brew.
Get a bag with an opening that is a little wider then your boiling container. This way you can easily fold it over and stir your grains as needed. Your grains should be easily stirred to ensure uniform temperature. Mine was too narrow, the grains were a little tight, and the temperature was, at times, 10 degrees different from the liquid outside the bag.
I did the founders breakfast stout clone, that stuff tasted incredible for the record.
This was my first try and this process could clearly be refined a hundred ways. I just wanted to share a couple of things I wish I knew from the start.
For new all grain people, a 5 gallon batch will give you somewhere near a 20lb grain bill. There are a ton of programs for calculating volumes, absorption, etc. However, if you have a 10 gallon container for the brew, don't even try it. You will be starting with around 8.5-9 gallons, and with displacement from the grain, you will need closer to 11 gallons of space or more.
Don't let the 9 gallon start volume scare you....after absorption and loss to a 60 minute boil, I still ended up with around 5.5 gallons.
If you plan to cool this large volume with an ice bath, it's going to take about an hour. I neatly covered mine with foil to keep outdoor contaminants out. If you do that, be sure to sanitize your foil with starsan or whatever because vapor will condense on the foil and drip into your vulnerable brew.
Get a bag with an opening that is a little wider then your boiling container. This way you can easily fold it over and stir your grains as needed. Your grains should be easily stirred to ensure uniform temperature. Mine was too narrow, the grains were a little tight, and the temperature was, at times, 10 degrees different from the liquid outside the bag.
I did the founders breakfast stout clone, that stuff tasted incredible for the record.
This was my first try and this process could clearly be refined a hundred ways. I just wanted to share a couple of things I wish I knew from the start.