First 10 gallon batch

Guys,

I have about 20 5-gallon batches under my belt(8-10 AG) and I am doing my first 10 gallon batch this weekend split with a friend. We are doing a version of the Two Hearted clone recipe in the recipe section. I needed somewhere to get my thoughts down and ask a few ?s. Recipe is...

20lbs 2-row
4lbs Vienna
1lb Cara-pils
1lbs Crystal 20

2oz cent 60mins
2oz cent 10mins
2oz cent 2mins
2oz cent Dry Hop

My equipment includes 10 gallon cooler mashtun, 7.5 g boil kettle, 5 gallon turkey burner, and 2 wine buckets as fermenters. I have done all my AG batches using a rubbermaid bucket/tote as a chiller, letting the water run over the top of the tote while the kettle is in it and topping up with near freezing water but for the big batches which I have only done in the winter for obvious reasons. I know its time for a chiller and I have been eyeing the 40plate keg cowboy ones. Chilling will be painful but we will be hungry and drunk by then so we can eat while they chill.

My first ? is. I am planning on using US-05 on this batch but I am always interested in experimenting. I will have some US-04 from a pecan mild that I can wash and reuse. Do you guys think it will be worth it? It seems to me that this recipe is begging for US-05? Maybe I can just try a different dry hop?

Second question. How should I split my runnings? I am going to need to sparge to collect enough water since I am at capacity for the mash tun and will need to mash so thick. I am thinking of running first runnings off in the 5 gallon turkey burner and start it on the propane while I sparge into the 7.5 gallon. Once I collect it all I then mix the runnings and start the hopping?

you are going to want to mix the two runnings together (pouring them back and forth for a while should work) or you will end up with one that is really heavy and one that is really light. If thats what you are going for they could both turn out great but be different beers.

Just a word of caution. Using 26 pounds of grain in a 10 gallon cooler is REEEAAALLLY pushing it. I just did 10 gallons in a 10 gallon Rubbermaid with 22lbs at 1.25 - 1 ratio and it was pretty tight. But I'm sure with determination you will make it happen heh.

I'm sure you can get it done but there will be stories to shared and plans for bigger equipment afterwards. Mash tun, BK, Chiller, etc.... Good luck & have fun!! Cheers!!!

Oh, US-05 for sure! 2 packs, and plan for a lower mash efficiency due to the over crowded mash tun. You might have to sparge a couple of times assuming you're batch sparging..

H-ost said:

Just a word of caution. Using 26 pounds of grain in a 10 gallon cooler is REEEAAALLLY pushing it. I just did 10 gallons in a 10 gallon Rubbermaid with 22lbs at 1.25 - 1 ratio and it was pretty tight. But I'm sure with determination you will make it happen heh.

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I agree. I have a round 10 gallon cooler and 23.5 pounds of grain got very near the top. I had to be careful when stirring or else it would slosh over.

It was painful. HB shop had no Cent pellets so I went with...

2oz Chinook @ 60mins
.5oz Chinook and 1 of Cascade @ 10 mins
.5oz Chinook and 1 of Cascade @ 2 mins
And we will dry hop with 3 oz of Centennial whole hop

Strike water went in and my cooler started leaking. By the time we went through the trouble of dumping the monster mash into a spare 48qt cooler, got the leak "fixed" and get the mash back into the tun we were at 142 deg. I heated up a few gallons to a boil and got that in and the temp went to 160... We had nothing that would get near the bottom of the mash to stir it. I have a burn on my hand. The leak came back after opening the valve to run off the first runnings. We were able to cool very quickly with a large bag of ice thank goodness. Pitched 2 packs of us-05 into right @ 10 gallons of 1.062 @ 62 deg. We shall see....