First All-Grain Brew

After 4 successful batches of partial mash brewing -2 are original recipies- I'm taking the plunge. I have lot of time to nail down the recipe because assembling the equipment is getting d@mned expensive (at least for my budget).

I have never made an all-grain brew. I'm attempting a simple pale ale. Post any suggestions that would be helpful.

This is what I have so far:

Grain bill:
9 lbs - Pale Ale Malt (UK)
1 lbs - Belgian Pils Malt
.5 lbs - Crystal Malt 20 Lovibond

Single step mash planned, 158 F for 90 minutes. Would a "step mash" make much of a difference? And, can I use a few very loose grain bags, or do I have to let the grain stay loose in the mash?

Hops/boil (all pellet except Golding)

1 oz Cluster - 60 min.
.5 oz cluster - 30 min.
.25 oz perle - 15 min.
.25 oz golding - 10 min. (2 tsp irish moss)
.5 oz golding - 5 min.

Pitching: English Ale liquid yeast (WLP002) starter.

Isinglass for the last 8-10 days of fermentation.

The goal is a light bodied pale ale golden with a slight amber tinge, not too bitter (my friends aren't fans of real bitter ale, unfortunately).

Cheers,
-Jacob D.

p.s. started a blog to chronicle my progress, it's mainly for me but y'all may enjoy it. homebrewnewb.blogspot.com

I don't think you'll be able to taste a pound of pils in 10 pounds of pale malt. I don't see a need for a step mash, especially in an English beer like this. If you want a light bodied beer, you should mash much lower than 158F- somewhere in the 152-154 fora full hour. Isinglass should be added after the beer has dropped clear. The recipe look solid otherwise!

I agree with mashing in the 152-154 range for this beer. No need for a step mash. The recipe above will yield a pretty pale yellow beer. If you want a slight amber hue while maintaining a light bodied beer, adding 2-4 oz. of black patent will do the trick for you.

As far as whether or not to use a bag, what type of vessel will you be mashing in? Cooler? Stove top? Other?

I'm using a rectangle igloo cooler for lautering, a standard kettle (7 gal) for the mash. I was thinking about using a crystal malt for the color and a little sweetness. Replacing the lb of pils malt with an extra lb of crystal 20 lovibond. I like the black patent idea though. Could I do both?

Another pound of 20L probably won't add a whole lot more in the way of "amber" color and that much crystal malt might add a little too much body if you want to keep it "light bodied". 1.5# would probably be safe. Keep in mind that extract brews are always darker (with more amber hue) than the comparable recipe converted to all grain. For some reason the extract has the tendancy to brown a little more when boiled. A pound or two of wheat would be nice in this recipe.

What if I were to dry hop? Would that change my boiling/hop schedule?

Got your blog bookmarked bud. Will keep up with your progress. Good luck!

homebrewnewb86 said:

What if I were to dry hop? Would that change my boiling/hop schedule?

Click to expand...

no