And I haven't done it yet because I'm sill nervous, but! I want to step up to all grain! I want to really feel like I **MADE** this beer instead of extract and speciality grains... Thoughts? I'm on my 3rd 5 gal batch. I've made like 3 of the 2 gal mr beers but I don't count those.. Time to read more about AG until I'm not intimidated by the terms and temps needing to be right! I don't know any AG methods except BIAB, what else is there?
I've been saying this for a while...
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dallasdb
Well-Known Member
Start with BIAB it's so easy. You can even make your own bag with voile material at any fabric place.
I did BIAB as my first try at all grain and trust me, even if you screw up your tempts the beer still turns out great!
I have done plenty of BIAB and accidentally gotten my tempt too high or didnt hold the exact tempt to mash and I've never had an issue. Efficiency is super easy with BIAB and as long as your pot is big enough the only cost will be $5 to get the material to make your bag.
If you do sew a bag try to make it a little conical shaped, helps when you are draining. Good luck!
I did BIAB as my first try at all grain and trust me, even if you screw up your tempts the beer still turns out great!
I have done plenty of BIAB and accidentally gotten my tempt too high or didnt hold the exact tempt to mash and I've never had an issue. Efficiency is super easy with BIAB and as long as your pot is big enough the only cost will be $5 to get the material to make your bag.
If you do sew a bag try to make it a little conical shaped, helps when you are draining. Good luck!
I had about 5 or 6 partial mash/extract brews under my melt and just went 100% All Grain in May. DO IT! Don't be intimidated -- just look at it as a learning experience and getting to know your brews better. Start with something simple like a pale ale, blonde or Hefe. The coolest thing for me while doing my first AG recipe was actually missing my temps. I ended up hitting 148* instead of 153* and the final product was a really dry hefe do to the low mash temp. Guess what? Turns out I like dry hefes better than the fuller bodied ones to style. You can also tweak you temps while brewing by using ice or boiling water.
I pult a Cooler Mash Tun for less than $70 and get about 78% efficiency, PM me if you want the run down on how I put it together.
I pult a Cooler Mash Tun for less than $70 and get about 78% efficiency, PM me if you want the run down on how I put it together.
These are good suggestions. I'll add one: I started w/ 2.5gal batches to make things manageable and leave half as much if I messed up. Made my first three AG brew days very enjoyable. Also, prep & measure all you ingredients ahead of time so you can focus on the new process.
Above all, don't be afraid of it. After switching I wondered what the big deal is
Above all, don't be afraid of it. After switching I wondered what the big deal is
Trust us. The one common thing I always hear from people who went AG is how much easier it really was than they thought it was going to be. If you've done extract batches, then you have most of the process down. The ONLY things different are mashing, which is mostly knowing how much water to put in your grain and what temperature. Lots of people here can give you those numbers and show you how to get them yourself.
The rest of the process is exactly the same. Get temp down ASAP, oxygenate, pitch correct amount of healthy yeast and control the fermentation temps.
The mashing part is actually pretty easy. I would suggest having a bag of extract on hand just in case you miss your OG wildly though. It's better to have that to fall back on than make something that is not close to what you wanted.
The rest of the process is exactly the same. Get temp down ASAP, oxygenate, pitch correct amount of healthy yeast and control the fermentation temps.
The mashing part is actually pretty easy. I would suggest having a bag of extract on hand just in case you miss your OG wildly though. It's better to have that to fall back on than make something that is not close to what you wanted.
Cromwell
Well-Known Member
Heh. Remember, beer was probably made by accident the first time, by leaving barley out in the rain. If it can be done by accident, how hard can it be?
Seriously, if you start with BIAB, it's cake. You put the grains in the bag, soak them in water, take the grains out and boil. Dead simple.
Seriously, if you start with BIAB, it's cake. You put the grains in the bag, soak them in water, take the grains out and boil. Dead simple.
Barnzy02
Well-Known Member
I made the jump to all grain after a year of doing extracts and mini mashes.
I made a zapap mash tun with buckets i had lying around to 'feel the process' out before i went out and built a cooler mlt.
All grain is definitely easier than it seems and grants you much more control over your final product.
I made a zapap mash tun with buckets i had lying around to 'feel the process' out before i went out and built a cooler mlt.
All grain is definitely easier than it seems and grants you much more control over your final product.
solbes
Well-Known Member
I would switch to a couple of partial mash batches. Use the BIAB method for these. You can even start with 5 gallon paint strainer bags if you want to (about $3 at Home Depot). You will get a little more trub than a true fine mesh BIAB bag, but it will work fine for the 3-4 lbs of mashable malt in a PM batch. The beautiful thing about PM is you still have extract to back you up if you miss your efficiencies. More forgiving of mistakes. If you like it (and you will), you can decide if you want to BIAB or use a mash/lauter tun for all grain.
I remember being nervous and frazzled the first brew day I decided to jump into all-grain (it was my third brew ever). In the end...I made beer. Decent beer, too.
Jump into it, (BIAB is a great starter method, check out deathbrewer's sticky on it). You'll laugh at yourself when you see how easy it really is.
Jump into it, (BIAB is a great starter method, check out deathbrewer's sticky on it). You'll laugh at yourself when you see how easy it really is.
Above all, don't be afraid of it. After switching I wondered what the big deal is
+1. Just do it!
Ok you guys are twisting my arm!
So far my equipment list is the following
5 gal pot
Grain bag for speciality grains
Boil proof spoon
And the miscellaneous ones, hydrometer, thief, racking tubes ect.
To go to AG I need a bigger pot, i also heard that turkey friers work wonder for temp control, is this true? the voile bag, lauter tun & mash tun(?) do I need a CFC or something of the sort to chill rapidly?
Because I let it do it's thing in the bath tub with water and that takes for ever.. I did recently get a carboy though I think that was an upgrade
So far my equipment list is the following
5 gal pot
Grain bag for speciality grains
Boil proof spoon
And the miscellaneous ones, hydrometer, thief, racking tubes ect.
To go to AG I need a bigger pot, i also heard that turkey friers work wonder for temp control, is this true? the voile bag, lauter tun & mash tun(?) do I need a CFC or something of the sort to chill rapidly?
Because I let it do it's thing in the bath tub with water and that takes for ever.. I did recently get a carboy though I think that was an upgrade
It's a learning curve no matter when you start. The sooner you start, the sooner you get up to speed.
I switched to AG back in the spring and I love it. I feel like I have a lot more control over my beer now and it forces you to do your research on ingredients before you just dump it in there. I put my first recipe together on an IPA and it came out great. It's an amazing feeling to say you made a beer nobody else has ever made and it tastes pretty damn good.
I switched to AG back in the spring and I love it. I feel like I have a lot more control over my beer now and it forces you to do your research on ingredients before you just dump it in there. I put my first recipe together on an IPA and it came out great. It's an amazing feeling to say you made a beer nobody else has ever made and it tastes pretty damn good.
Ok you guys are twisting my arm!
So far my equipment list is the following
5 gal pot
Grain bag for speciality grains
Boil proof spoon
And the miscellaneous ones, hydrometer, thief, racking tubes ect.
To go to AG I need a bigger pot, i also heard that turkey friers work wonder for temp control, is this true? the voile bag, lauter tun & mash tun(?) do I need a CFC or something of the sort to chill rapidly?
Because I let it do it's thing in the bath tub with water and that takes for ever.. I did recently get a carboy though I think that was an upgrade
Get a bigger pot and a propane burner so you can do full volume boils. Bayou Classic makes a good turkey fryer with an 11 gallon pot. That's what I use.
Then drop 75 bucks and make a mash tun out of a 10 gallon cooler. There are tutorials all over the internet on how to do it. Or you could start out doing BIAB.
Chilling rapidly helps. Immersion chiller is the cheapest way to go there. If your ground water is pretty cold it should do the trick. I live in TX, so my ground water is 85 F in the summer. I have a small submercible pond pump I use to circulate ice water from a cooler through the chiller.
The greatest thing about this hobby is there is no end to how far you can take it. I've always got my mind set on something I want, and I tell myself once I get it I'll be satisfied and won't need anymore gear. But then I get it, and I immediately start thinking about my next purchase. You're always buying things to speed up your brew day, or improve your beer, increase your capacity, or just because it's damn cool.
Happy brewing!
Keep reading, Look at batch sparging, fly sparging as well as BIAB. There are equipment requirement differences.
YouTube has some really good videos so you can see the processes.
All grain does take longer and there are more things that you have to watch. But it is not really difficult.
Personally I have done extract, partial mash, batch sparging and BIAB.
I am one that dislikes BIAB because, for a five gallon batch, you get a heavy hot sticky mess. I will be doing more though when the weather gets cold again and I don't want to brew outside. It is also great for smaller test batches.
Don't fear AG!
Also don't feel you have to go AG. Some brewers are satisfied never going all grain.
YouTube has some really good videos so you can see the processes.
All grain does take longer and there are more things that you have to watch. But it is not really difficult.
Personally I have done extract, partial mash, batch sparging and BIAB.
I am one that dislikes BIAB because, for a five gallon batch, you get a heavy hot sticky mess. I will be doing more though when the weather gets cold again and I don't want to brew outside. It is also great for smaller test batches.
Don't fear AG!
Also don't feel you have to go AG. Some brewers are satisfied never going all grain.
kh54s10 said:
I've watched a few videos of brew day on YouTube and I understand some of it but I just don't understand a few things, like if I do BIAB, do I need to sparge or fly sparge, do I need to convert an ice chest to a lauter tun, do I still need to mash if I do BIAB? I've read how to brew, the AG section like 4 times and I don't know if all the technicalities psych me out or if my mind isnt concentrating on what I'm reading...
solbes
Well-Known Member
If you do brew in a bag, there is usually no sparge done as the water to grist ratio is more dilute (higher efficiency). I will sometimes do a drip sparge or dunk sparge. I always hang my turkey frier basket and grains (after 60 minute mash) from a rope and pulley. Squeeze the bag with a saucepan lid to get most of the wort to drop into the boil kettle below. For sparging you can either dunk sparge (best effieciency) where you dip the whole bag into a second vessel at 170F. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes and combine wort. Or you can drip sparge where you sprinkle the 170F sparge water over the suspended grain bag. Both are pretty easy.
Best thing about BIAB is less equipment to buy and less equipment to clean on brew day. No other real disadvantages except that you need a large boil kettle if you have a large grain bill (over 13-15 lbs or so). You do get a little more trub in your fermenter with BIAB, but the voile bags help alot.
Mash and lauter tun would be if you went the more traditional all grain route.
Best thing about BIAB is less equipment to buy and less equipment to clean on brew day. No other real disadvantages except that you need a large boil kettle if you have a large grain bill (over 13-15 lbs or so). You do get a little more trub in your fermenter with BIAB, but the voile bags help alot.
Mash and lauter tun would be if you went the more traditional all grain route.
pentachris
Well-Known Member
My next batch will be my first AG attempt. Watching this video convinced me that it's nothing to really be afraid of:
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solbes
Well-Known Member
I would start with Palmers "How to Brew" internet site. He also has a more modern version for sale in book form (highly recommend). He goes over the process, the inner workings, and equipment needed for building/using a mash tun.
http://www.howtobrew.com/section3/index.html
I've never done one, but have seen a nice & efficient fly sparge setup. Was really nice, but it was all stainless with brew stand, gravity transfers, tri-level heating bases, etc. Well over $1k invested. You can do an insulated cooler tun for remarkably less.
longmi01
New Member
I moved to brewing BIAB a few months ago, and I don't think I'll need to move to a three-tier setup for quite some time, if ever (I just don't have the room). Here's my equipment and process:
7GA turkey fryer I bought at Walmart - many will say it's too small for doing any big beers, but I've managed 15lbs of grain in it once or twice, so I don't think it's limiting me too much; if I need extra gravity, I'll sub out some of my base malts for DME to get where I need to be. However, get a larger kettle if you feel so inclined and don't want the constant risk of boilovers.
3-4GA stockpot - I heat my sparge water on the stove in this. Works great for me, and the volume is just about perfect for my sparges.
Fermentation bucket - I batch sparge in this (dunk the bag in), and once the boil gets going, I clean/sanitize for wort later.
Process:
Since you don't have to worry about stuck sparges and all the efficiency hassle that full fledged AG brewers have to worry about, double crush your grain! Get as much of that starchy goodness exposed to the water as possible. I'm usually getting around 75-80% efficiency with my process, so I'm pretty happy.
Heat strike water (what you're going to put your grains in for the mash) to the desired temp in your kettle with your mesh bag. My water usually drops about 10 degrees (f) after adding the grain, so I'll heat mine to about 160 or just above to achieve 150-155 for a mash temp. For the amount of water, you will mash at the same ratio as other AG brewers, 1.25-1.33qt/lb of grain. So, for example, say you've got 10lb of grain, you need around 13qts of water, just over three gallons. Once the strike water is to your desired temp, dump the grain in and stir like crazy until everything is mixed well. Cover, remove from the burner, and wrap it in a blanket or two to maintain temp.
Once your mash is complete, stir it up again to free up as much of the converted sugars as possible from the grain. Then, pull the bag up to drain it out. Don't worry about the nay-sayers who'll tell you to never squeeze, squeeze the piss out of that bag. It's got sugars in it that you want!
Then, I take my preheated sparge water (from the stockpot on the stove), and dump it in my fermentation bucket. Put the grain bag in, stir up the grains more to expose them to the water, and let it sit for a few minutes. Then, repeat the drain and squeeze process, and you've successfully sparged!
Dump it all in your boil kettle, and you're off like you were when you were extract brewing (boil, hops, chill, sanitize, yeast ... beer).
That's it. I love the simplicity, so that's why I do it. I know others can think otherwise, but the process works wonderfully for my setup and location, and I make great beer.
Hope that helps...
itsbeeryo
Well-Known Member
Be more worried about getting the equipment right. Once you do it, it's really quite boring. Heat Water, add to cooler and wait, rinse, repeat and voila you have extract.
longmi01 said:
So of I understand correctly.. You have your turkey frier, as your main pot, and a secondary pot for the grains.
You soak the grains in the secondary and then add that liquid to the turkey frier, bring to a boil and add hops like normal?
I'll have to re read some of the how to brew book by Palmer, but if it's that simple ill step up to it. Now do each brews have different Mash completion times, or is all like 60 minutes?
60 is generally going to be plenty of time for the conversion to finish. Grab a piece of big sidewalk chalk and a bottle of iodine. Put a few drops of the mashing liquid on the chalk, and add a drop of iodine to it. Starch makes iodine turn black, sugar does nothing so it'll stay yellow. Easy test.
b_andersson
Active Member
You will be fine! Made one partial mash and then stepped up to Biab after that. No beer has been catastrophic. But remember the max percentage of specialty grains thats the only problem i've had. I had a beer tasted like drinking almond juice - thank god it mellowed out.
Heres a good link:
http://www.brewery.org/library/Malt101.html
Nope, when it's black there is still starch that needs converting. When it is pure yellow (or a hint of red if you use highly kilned malts like munich, etc), you have converted all the starch to sugar.
Whirlfloc is something you can use when doing any brewing, be it extract or AG. Drop a tab in about 5-10m before the end of the boil. It coagulates proteins that are inherent in wort and settles them out so you end up with a clearer beer.
It's not necessary if you don't care about your clarity.
I just started AG with a cooler for a MLT and two 4 gallon pots for boiling on the stove. With a couple drops of foam control in each pot I've boiled over 7 gallons without catastrophe. I heat the strike and sparge water in the pots, run the wort from MLT into a bottling bucket, when sparge is done transfer wort from bottling bucket to pots and boil. It takes a little more concentration on the hops additions, but eliminates the cost of a large kettle and burner up front. I used that money on immersion chiller, ph meter, and some other junk. In theory, 2 bags would get you a BIAB setup provided you have a second larger kettle (4 gallon pot goes for $12 at Walmart). I should mention both batches brewed using this technique are still in primary so I can't really say, "and it works great!". Hit my numbers though FWIW.
pentachris
Well-Known Member
When I was first considering moving to all grain, I found some videos on You Tube that took you quickly through the mashing process. There are several excellent videos there! My reaction to watching some of them was "Is that all that is involved?" I would recommend that you check it out, if you haven't done so already. You might even look particularly at BIAB mashing. This might give you some ideas on how to step into all grain without spending a fortune.
I hope that this helps! Mark
I hope that this helps! Mark
Ok you guys are twisting my arm!
So far my equipment list is the following
5 gal pot
Grain bag for speciality grains
Boil proof spoon
And the miscellaneous ones, hydrometer, thief, racking tubes ect.
To go to AG I need a bigger pot, i also heard that turkey friers work wonder for temp control, is this true? the voile bag, lauter tun & mash tun(?) do I need a CFC or something of the sort to chill rapidly?
Because I let it do it's thing in the bath tub with water and that takes for ever.. I did recently get a carboy though I think that was an upgrade
I started all grain BIAB with a 5 gallon pot and just did a half size batch to see if I wanted to continue badly enough to buy a bigger pot. I thought it worked well enough that I did a second batch that way before I got a turkey fryer for the 5 gallon batches.
I'm looking into making a mash tun right now, and I'm looking into some stuff to maybe not do BIAB, I like the way it went in that video and it looks like a blast! I'd be able to brew outside by my garden, fresh air! I really want to make this happen but so far, I need to spend About 200$ or so to buy the gear, so I need to find some ways to maybe cut corners and attempt to DIY some of the stuff like the mash tun. The wife gave in but I think I made her angry at me due to my pestering her for like a month lol
LuiInIdaho said:When I was first considering moving to all grain, I found some videos on You Tube that took you quickly through the mashing process. There are several excellent videos there! My reaction to watching some of them was "Is that all that is involved?" I would recommend that you check it out, if you haven't done so already. You might even look particularly at BIAB mashing. This might give you some ideas on how to step into all grain without spending a fortune.
I hope that this helps! Mark
Ya I'd watched a few and still didn't understand, because one guy did BIAB and one guy didn't so I got confused quickly
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