I have started down the path to the darkside...1st all grain!

Not only my first all grain, but my first original recipe. Nothing too special, mind you, but mine nonetheless. I've been dying to develop my own nut brown since its my wife's favorite!

So, I used the countertop partial mash set up for the first time, but I decided to do a 2.5 gal all grain instead of the 5 gal partial. Worked well enough, cooler held its temp, but the vourlaffe was crap and the bag of grain kept clogging my spigot. I may have to put in a braid or manifold just to handle that issue and keep me from holding the bag up.

Recipe:
3.75 lbs Pale Malt 2-row
8 oz Special Roast (heard it adds a good nutty flavor)
4 oz chocolate (nice rich brown color)
0.75 oz cascade hops (had it lying around)
safale S-05

I only did a 30 min boil...not sure how that will impact it, but wanted to shorten the brew day a touch so tried it out. Added the hops for all 30 min. Based the time on hop utilization for flavor that I read on this forum. Hydrated and pitched the yeast...no starter yet as I decided last minute that Sunday was brew day.

OG was higher than I calculated using BrewTarget (1.048 instead of 1.038) but I have no clue on efficiencies, boil off, or the like at thsi time and was guessing.

Temperature in the mash didn't drop like I thought either so I had to add extra cold water to bring it down from 165F to 154F. Then it held pretty good for lacking insulation on the lid...only dropped a degree in 60 min!

Anyway...first one down fermenting in the basement. Hopefully bubbling away already.

Why 2.5 gal? I want to brew more frequently and experiment a bit more. Once I nail something down I can adjust for a 5 gal partial!!

I've done a bunch of smaller batches myself as well. Cheaper to experiment and easier to do by myself. I find experience to be one of the best teachers, so the more batches I can get in the better.

I found making a stainless steel braided hose filter to be pretty easy. Cutting it was quick and using hose clamps to attach it to the barbs was easy.

I do the same thing. I even have a 3 gallon carboy specifically for those small batches. It's great for testing out smaller recipes or making beers that other might not enjoy. I really wish I could get a 3 gallon keg but they're expensive.

You mentioned it clogging the spigot? Are you using something like an igloo cooler? If you have an igloo cooler lying around that has a water drain, you can convert it to a mash tun easily without even needing to drill or anything. The parts are around $30 or so. Most websites sell the stuff, I know Rebel Brewer has them.