twalte
Well-Known Member
I am moving towards all grain after finding this process online. Would love to hear input from some seasoned all grain brewers as to if this process is good, or if I truly need to move towards a mash tun.
This site has a process for using the brew kettle and a bazooka tube for all grain brewing. I have searched HBT but have not found a review of this process. Am I missing out on anything if I use this approach instead of a mash tun?
I did two batches...still not sure how to measure efficiency, but they seemed very close to the recipe OG. Even if I had to add a little more grain, seems like the simpler process (less equipment in my full garage) would be worthwhile to me.
Thanks for your input!! I also have a few more brewing books on order to better understand the more advanced brewing processes.
Here is the link:
http://morebeer.com/brewingtechniques/library/backissues/issue2.3/schmidling.html
Here is the general process using the bazooka tube:
Mashing: The first step is to dump 8 lb of crushed pale malt into the kettle. Don't forget the strainer! Add 3 gal of warm tap water and mix thoroughly. Apply heat and raise the temperature to 155 °F (68 °C). Stir frequently to avoid caramelizing and to distribute the heat. Hold this temperature for 30 min by heating and stirring as necessary.
After 30 min at 155 °F, crank up the heat and continue stirring until the mash reaches 175 °F (80 °C). This step is known as mash-out and is difficult or impossible to do with the plastic bucket approach. This step eliminates a set mash - a cessation of flow not caused by a blockage in the spigot, which can be a common problem with first all-grain batches. Set mashes are frequently caused by allowing the mash to get too cool. By raising the entire mash to sparging temperature, you eliminate this potential source of trouble. Hold this temperature for 10 min, then turn off the heater and let it rest while you bring 2 qt of water to a boil in a separate kettle on another burner.
Sparging: Sparging allows you to get 6 gal of wort out of a mash that started with only 3 gal of water. This is done by slowly passing hot water through the grain bed as the sugary liquid drains out of the bottom. After mash-out, the grain will settle to about 1 in. below the liquid level. Lay a small bowl on top of the grain and pour the hot water directly into it. This distributes the sparging water and minimizes the disturbance of the grain.
Open the spigot just a trickle and run the wort into a cup until it runs clear. Pour the turbid runoff back into the kettle; it will run clear after a few ounces. By way of comparison, it sometimes takes gallons with other systems, and all this turbid runoff must be recycled back into the mash until it runs clear.
This site has a process for using the brew kettle and a bazooka tube for all grain brewing. I have searched HBT but have not found a review of this process. Am I missing out on anything if I use this approach instead of a mash tun?
I did two batches...still not sure how to measure efficiency, but they seemed very close to the recipe OG. Even if I had to add a little more grain, seems like the simpler process (less equipment in my full garage) would be worthwhile to me.
Thanks for your input!! I also have a few more brewing books on order to better understand the more advanced brewing processes.
Here is the link:
http://morebeer.com/brewingtechniques/library/backissues/issue2.3/schmidling.html
Here is the general process using the bazooka tube:
Mashing: The first step is to dump 8 lb of crushed pale malt into the kettle. Don't forget the strainer! Add 3 gal of warm tap water and mix thoroughly. Apply heat and raise the temperature to 155 °F (68 °C). Stir frequently to avoid caramelizing and to distribute the heat. Hold this temperature for 30 min by heating and stirring as necessary.
After 30 min at 155 °F, crank up the heat and continue stirring until the mash reaches 175 °F (80 °C). This step is known as mash-out and is difficult or impossible to do with the plastic bucket approach. This step eliminates a set mash - a cessation of flow not caused by a blockage in the spigot, which can be a common problem with first all-grain batches. Set mashes are frequently caused by allowing the mash to get too cool. By raising the entire mash to sparging temperature, you eliminate this potential source of trouble. Hold this temperature for 10 min, then turn off the heater and let it rest while you bring 2 qt of water to a boil in a separate kettle on another burner.
Sparging: Sparging allows you to get 6 gal of wort out of a mash that started with only 3 gal of water. This is done by slowly passing hot water through the grain bed as the sugary liquid drains out of the bottom. After mash-out, the grain will settle to about 1 in. below the liquid level. Lay a small bowl on top of the grain and pour the hot water directly into it. This distributes the sparging water and minimizes the disturbance of the grain.
Open the spigot just a trickle and run the wort into a cup until it runs clear. Pour the turbid runoff back into the kettle; it will run clear after a few ounces. By way of comparison, it sometimes takes gallons with other systems, and all this turbid runoff must be recycled back into the mash until it runs clear.