All-Grain on the Cheap

Hey all! First time poster here...so please don't judge me too harshly.

I'm relatively new to home brewing. I've done some extract and partial mash recipes. I've been talking to a buddy of mine that was reading about doing a cheap all-grain set-up using 5-gallon plastic buckets for his mash/lauter tun.

I've been doing 5-gallon batches with both the extract and partial mash recipes. I'd like to keep it about that size, or maybe increase it a little.

So, here's my question: How much beer can I make with an all-grain recipe if I'm working with 5-gallon plastic buckets as my mash/lauter tun? Also, if I split it into 2 different batches (half grain in each bucket) and then marry in my boil pot, will that adversely affect my final product?

I'm trying to get a grip on the all-grain stuff before I go out and spend lots of $$$.

Thanks for any advice you can lend!!

If you have a 8+ gallon kettle you could easily Brew In A Bag and go all grain after a visit to the hardware store.

Check this out - https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=244

sqlt said:

....5-gallon plastic buckets as my mash/lauter tun?

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Converting a cooler really inst that expensive and is much less labor intensive than the "Zapap" style mash/lauter vessel I think your hinting at. You'd have a cooler tun completed by the time you drilled all those holes.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=75231

good biab introduction.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=525556

my own setup and others weighing in on biab.

ps. main difference between deathbrewer and my setup is i use fermenter for the "sparge" where he has 2 kettles.

+1 for BIAB. Cheapest and easiest way to start all grain brewing.

Even with a smaller kettle, you can do a partial boil and top up in the fermenter with pre-boiled water.

Peruvian802 said:

If you have a 8+ gallon kettle you could easily Brew In A Bag and go all grain after a visit to the hardware store.

Check this out - https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=244

Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. Seems like BIAB is a really cheap way to get started. Now to make a run to the hardware store without my wife

Derek1985 said:

Converting a cooler really inst that expensive and is much less labor intensive than the "Zapap" style mash/lauter vessel I think your hinting at. You'd have a cooler tun completed by the time you drilled all those holes.

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Yep, that's what I was hinting at. Thanks for the input. I might go that route. I'll have to think about the differences between the cooler tun and the BIAB. Not sure how much money I want to drop to get started.

sqlt said:

....I'll have to think about the differences between the cooler tun and the BIAB.....

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Differences, most notably, would probably center around the cooler's ability to hold consistent temp without a heat source and the BIAB's simplicity in relation to the whole lautering process.

The good news is many a good beer are made with both methods. If you already have the correct size pot for BIAB it will likely be cheaper. That being said, if you already have a cooler it may be a wash.

Choices......

Peruvian802 said:

If you have a 8+ gallon kettle you could easily Brew In A Bag and go all grain after a visit to the hardware store.

Check this out - https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=244

Click to expand...

Thanks! Seems like most people here are on board with the BIAB as a cheap, entry. Now I just have to get to the hardware store without my wife tagging along.

Derek1985 said:

Differences, most notably, would probably center around the cooler's ability to hold consistent temp without a heat source and the BIAB's simplicity in relation to the whole lautering process.

Click to expand...

That's a fair point, although many of us find that wrapping a blanket or sleeping bag around the kettle during mashing is enough to limit heat loss to an insignificant amount.

Having one less piece of equipment to wash is a definite advantage if you're lazy like myself

If you already have the cooler, then making yourself a proper tun might be the easiest solution, especially if you like to tinker with things. But as Derek said, you can make great beer with either set up.

mcbar said:

That's a fair point, although many of us find that wrapping a blanket or sleeping bag around the kettle during mashing is enough to limit heat loss to an insignificant amount.

Having one less piece of equipment to wash is a definite advantage if you're lazy like myself

If you already have the cooler, then making yourself a proper tun might be the easiest solution, especially if you like to tinker with things. But as Derek said, you can make great beer with either set up.

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Amen. Beer, as they say, is beer. Doesn't matter how you make it.

Thanks for the feedback, all. Seems like I've got a good path forward.

One question I had, is how much beer should I expect to make in a 5-gallon cooler/pot/bucket? I guess I'm curious about how much grain I can fit, as that seems like the biggest determination of production with all-grain.

...but then again, maybe I'm wrong on that?

sqlt said:

One question I had, is how much beer should I expect to make in a 5-gallon cooler/pot/bucket?

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Your mash vessel sizing is determined by the amount of grain and the amount of water it displaces, as well as water to grist ratio i.e.:

12 lb grain * 1.25 = 15 qts strike water = 3.75 gal strike water

12 lb * .32 qt/lb = 4.8 qts = 1.2 gal grain displacement

Total = ~5 gallon vessel size

So, you could fit ~12 lbs of grain in a 5 gal cooler. You would be maxed out though.

Derek1985 said:

12 lb grain * 1.25 = 15 qts strike water = 3.75 gal strike water

12 lb * .32 qt/lb = 4.8 qts = 1.2 gal grain displacement

Total = ~5 gallon vessel size

So, you could fit ~12 lbs of grain in a 5 gal cooler. You would be maxed out though.

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That's super helpful! Thanks for the visual on that.

Another vote for BIAB. A painter strainer bag is something like $2. You'll learn all the concepts of all grain brewing, but not spend any money, time or effort in building equipment.

Once you understand the concepts doing BIAB, you can decide if you want to do a cheap mash tun, a cooler mash tun, some nice stainless, a gravity system, a 3 vessel electric, a nano brewery, etc.

This is what is great about this hobby- It can be as simple or complicated as you want to make it.

Just to get the hang of it, you could do smaller batches, using muslin grain sacks for BIAB. Minimal investment and be easier to handle to see if all-grain is your thing.

I have essentially done BIAB with muslin bags for partial mash batches. I just haven't done it for all-grain, yet. I'd need to get a bigger bag for an all-grain batch. I ran roughly 5lbs of grain for my last PM batch, but I had to split it into 2 different bags for steeping.

I guess I never really thought about doing all-grain in the same fashion. Seems like that would be the path of least resistance, at least for the immediate future.

Thanks everyone for your help/suggestions!

I found a 60 quart cooler at a thrift store for 3 bucks. It ain't pretty, but it holds a 60 minute mash within 1 degree. I initially bought ground grains, but got a cheap mill (Corona) that works fine with batch sparging. Perhaps more work on brew day, but it really drops cost per batch. Work arounds are the essence of home brewing. That and drinking the final product. Cheers.

Biab is the way to go permanently IMO if you are doing single step mashes. I started with a more traditional batch spaging method and after getting my brother setup with biab I now do biab exclusively. Less cleanup, it's faster, and gets better efficiency for me. Basically I'm trying to say don't start coveting a 3 kettle setup...

barnaclebob said:

Less cleanup, it's faster, and gets better efficiency for me.

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You get better efficiency with BIAB than your other set up? Any guesses why your efficiency went up? That's a really interesting argument for BIAB.