All grain newbie

I've brewed about 10 batches of beer with help of kits and extracts. I want to step it up alittle and try all grain to test my skills. Can anyone give me some good advice or tips to help a fellow brewer out?!

Brew with someone else first. Watch some videos, consider the things that could go wrong like a stuck sparge.

Search the term BIAB on this forum. If you can heat water to a specific temperature and can lift 20 or so pounds you can probably be successful.

I was an extract brewer for 10 years,went to partial mash for about 2 years
to learn the basics of using grain.Late last year I went to all grain and will never go back,still may do some partials.I am on my 5th all grain batch now and it is
improving rapidly with a lot of research on this board and abroad.For me the number one thing to do is be organized on brew day.My first batch was a complete nightmare and the beer came out BAD,mistakes with equipment,
missing temps,not sparging right,under pitching you name it,it happened.I`ve
got a handle on it now after 5 batches yesterday a made spotted cow clone
and everything finally went like clockwork.Used my first yeast starter,took off in
5 hours,hit all my temps and gravities were spot on.Practice and patience are a virtue.Go for it bro you wont go back to extract.


Just be organized. - peace-

It depends on what technique you want to use (BIAB is pretty simple, and might be a good way to start), but John Palmer gives a pretty thorough description of how to do all-grain.

How to Brew -- All Grain

You should familiarize yourself with either some software or a spreadsheet that will do a lot of the calculations for you. I could give you a spreadsheet for free if you want.

If you want to be a purist, you should check out the thread on making a mash/lauter tun out of a rubbermaid cooler: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/cheap-easy-10-gallon-rubbermaid-mlt-conversion-23008/

Then get yourself a big pot. Something like this is a great starting point: http://stores.nextag.com/store/4886497/product/970991274/50QT-BLK-GRANITEWARE-STOCK

With these two items and what you already have for brewing you should have everything you need.

Also watch some videos on youtube. This set of videos is really good to help you get started:

Also, for the rubbermaid Mash Tun, I think getting a bazooka screen that screws in to the bulk head is better than the stainless steel braid. you don't need a compression fitting or any of that crap: http://morebeer.com/view_product/9684

Simple instruction would look like this:
get/make converted cooler to mash tun (lots of detailed instructions here) then get crushed grain instead of kit/extract. Im guessing you have large enough pot already to boil 6gal or more of water so use it to heat some water and mix it with grain in the cooler (you would have to calculate how much water and what temp but standard is to use 1.25qt of water per 1lb of grain and for me strike temp is usually 165-173F but this depend on few factors) and then check temp in the cooler, if its below of what you wanted add more of hot water, if its too how add some ice cubs, when you get it somewhere around 150-155 close the cooler and have a beer, 1h later drain it, add more hot water (175F) and drain again, you should add enough of sparge water to get to your planned pre boil volume or if size of your boiling pot dosent allow that get it to the level you feel comfortable to boil in your pot. Then start boiling and add hops at different time points and proceed as usual with kits/extracts, taraa you made all grain beer

go to http://www.listermann.com/Store/WannaMash.asp ( LHBS over in Cincinnati) and download their pamphlet called "So You Wanna Mash". Not too too much on details, but my first few all grain batches went smoothly because I had it there for reference.

Once you go all-grain, you never go back....good luck. :rockin:

Thanks everyone for the advice! With a little more research on my part I will be doing my first all grain! I'll make a post when I get it started.

willdabeast55 said:

Thanks everyone for the advice! With a little more research on my part I will be doing my first all grain! I'll make a post when I get it started.

Click to expand...

Have you started it yet???? :cross:

www.dennybrew.com

For realz.

Bobby_m has a nice all grain tutorial at the bottom of his sig....http://www.suebob.com/overbrook

I first went allgrain after reading Edwort's recipe for his haus pail ale.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f66/bee-cave-brewery-haus-pale-ale-31793/