First All Grain Brew Problems

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GatorBeer

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So I did my first all-grain brew yesterday and it didn't go quite as planned. Target OG 1.052
Pre boil OG 1.034
Post boil OG 1.042.

I missed the OG quite badly and I think it could be one of two reasons. I am using a 7 gallon round cooler, so when my grain and mash water are combined, they fill the cooler up. I'm thinking this is going to effect my sugar extraction? Also, I was only able to get my mash temp to 142-145F because I couldn't add more hot water due to size restrictions.

Lastly, I only got 4-4.5 gallons after my boil. I don't know how, because it started with 6.5 gallons. Is there such a thing as boiling too vigorously? I boiled for an hour on a bayou classic propane burner.

*Recipe*
60 minute mash @152
10 lb rahr 2 row
.75 lb briess rcaramel 60

1 oz chinook (45 min)
.75 oz perle (20 min)
2 oz cascade (0 min)
 
my first all grain did about the same.. was about the same if not more off of my OG and had a little less than expected..

the biggest thing that helped me was to preheat my mash tun.. and not just splash some water in there, i heat a bit more in my HLT and about 10 min before dough-in i fill up about 2 gallons in my mash tun, stick the lid on, and let it sit.. then just before i add the grains i open it up and swish it around to get the upper parts better.. that in itself probably fixed my first allgrain from 50% to 60%..

also making sure you mashed the full required time at the right temp is a big help too.. even preheating your mastun its good to add the water a couple degrees higher than you want to rest it at as the room-temp grains will quickly drop it a couple degrees..

those are just my 2 cents, i'm sure people who have been doing it longer would help better, and i can take some notes as well
 
Ok, I don't want to sound mean, but it sounds like you need to read up a bit on the AG process before your next batch. Things like mash thickness (1.25qt mash water/ lb of grain), strike tempurature (usually 10-12 degrees F above your mash temp), and sparging method (batch or fly), are all things that need to be carefully considered before each brew. It's not as hard as it sounds, it's pretty easy, but if you haven't looked at it before, you'd never think of all these things. There are some great threads (a few of the stickies here too) that can give you a good background on AG before the next batch. Cheers.
 
You cooler is fine. Less space empty is better. You should start with hotter water than your strike temperature and start a little thicker (~1 qt per lbs) so you can add water to adjust your temp without overfilling. Start with water like 185 degrees, let it set in the cooler. The cooler will absorb some temp heating up. Then stir and adjust your water until you hit strike temps. Mix in your grains and keep stirring until you hit your mash temps.

You can have too vigorous a boil. It's a waste of gas. It could be your pot/kettle though. Although you can compensate with more sparge water if needed to end up with your post boil volume.
 
I used 2 qts/lb, as per what I read in the sample 'first time all grain brewing' section in How to Brew, I guess I can lower that. I preheated my tun, but with only ~.5 gallon, I will use more next time. My strike water was at 160, but once it hit the grain it dropped to about 142 and I had to add about .5 gallons of boiling water to get it up to 145.
 
The problem was probably your temperature. For 11 pounds of grain you should use close to 4 gal of strike water at about 162-165 to land near 152. I use a 7 gal cooler too and you should not have any problem at all fitting 4 gal and the grain in. You will probably get about 2 - 2 1/2 gal out then sparge with 5-6 gal at 170. I need about 8 gal in the kettle to get 6 gal after a 90 min boil. I usually leave about 1/2 gal in the kettle because it is full of trub and get 5.5 gal in the fermenter.
 
I appreciate all the help. I'm going to use a little less water at a higher temperature next time for the mash and preheat it well. Cheers!
 
Congratulations on your first AG. You will zero in on your numbers after a few more times.

I would say this about your evaporation rate question, is I had a 2 gallon+ loss using a 10 gallon MegaPot here in Florida consistently...just factor it in. Flame wasn't over killed either. You can see this setup on my Flickr photos dated 10/09/2010.
 
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