First All Grain Brew - Questions!

Hello everyone!

So I'm brewing my first all grain recipe this weekend and have lots of questions.

I have brewed 2 beginner batches with extract and know the general process. I also know that my recipe calls for a mash no hotter than 152 degrees which sounds pretty standard. The recipe told me the ingredients but not really the process. I have my grain, I have my hops, and I have my yeast.

That's what I know, what I don't know is this:

- When making an all extract brew I usually make a tea with about a pound of included grain, is that necessary now (it's not in the recipe).

- Is the wort from the Mash/Sparge the wort or do I have to make a tea first?

- Once I Mash/Sparge do I bring to a boil (foam) then start with hops and countdown?

- Tips on Mashing or Sparging? I have a good idea on the Mash but am a little confused on the Sparging process.

- Do I need any additional Corn Sugar or ingredients aside from bottling sugar.

- Any other tips on this process?

Thanks so much for all the help. What can I say, I'm a beginner and I'm loving this hobby!

Check out the links in this sticky thread.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f36/all-grain-pictorial-video-tutorials-78963/

- When making an all extract brew I usually make a tea with about a pound of included grain, is that necessary now (it's not in the recipe).

Won't be necessary. Now your tea is the entire wort.

- Is the wort from the Mash/Sparge the wort or do I have to make a tea first?

The wort from the mash/sparge should be all you need.

- Once I Mash/Sparge do I bring to a boil (foam) then start with hops and countdown?

Generally, yes. But in some cases, you may want to "First Wort Hop" which is adding the first hops to your first runnings already before the boil.

- Tips on Mashing or Sparging? I have a good idea on the Mash but am a little confused on the Sparging process.

I'd suggest batch sparging (for a beginner) as demonstrated by Yuri in the thread that Ace linked to.

- Do I need any additional Corn Sugar or ingredients aside from bottling sugar.

Depends on your recipe, but generally, no.

- Any other tips on this process?

The process is not that difficult, but you really should study up a bit on it before jumping in. I think you are still lacking some of the very basic knowledge necessary to be successful with AG. You might even want to pick up a brewing book.

Tell us what equipment you're using along with your recipe.

Thanks so much guys! I really appreciate the help. On a side note, I realize I'm jumping the gun on doing an AG with such limited experience, but its the only way I learn! Hopefully not too many mistakes are made