Hose from Cooler to Kettle

I'm doing my first AG batch today and I don't have any hose coming off the cooler to get the wort into the kettle. My plan was to just open it up and catch the stream in the kettle but this would be a moving target as the level goes down. I have some spare beer line but do you think I should use it? Do you think it would melt?

Either would work. As far as the beer line, I am not sure what type you are talking about, if its the beer line in a keggerator, it should still work, it will get soft and very flexible, but it should still work.
Only one way to find out.
Good luck with your first AG!

I use beer line for my transfer. Like Sherpa said...it'll get soft but it'll work fine. The runnings aren't boiling hot so I can't see how it could be detrimental. Been doing it for over a year and a half and I haven't died yet!!

Yeah, it's keggerator beer line. The kit I bought from my LHBS only had 4' or so per picnic faucet and it's coming out too fast so I bought 20' on my last AHS order. This way I can dial in and get the proper dispensing pressure w/o adjusting my regulator all the time. I think I'll try the 'catch the stream' method this first time and see how big of a PITA it is.

Catch the stream method isn't going to create a very good siphon. Do you have a braid or a manifold in your cooler? You really do want some tubing on the output. In a pinch, use some of your racking hose.

I don't think I need a siphon. Gravity should get it out right? I've got a braid in the bottom of the cooler. BTW I'm 30min in to my mash! Woot! Target was 150 I'm at 153. I preheated my tun which I didn't tell beersmith I was going to do.

Question: Is it better to be over or under temp on the sparge (or does it need to be exact as per beersmith?)

As close as you get get it.

There won't be any really huge differences between 150 and 153, but the wort will be a bit more malty than expected.

If you want to drop the temperature a couple of degrees, open the mash tun up and stir the top for 30 seconds or so then close it back up (repeat as necessary.) Most coolers are going to lose a degree or two over an hour mash though, so you may not want to make any corrections.

Use a hose for sure to guard against any hot side aeration (oxegenating the hot wort is not a good thing).

meddin said:

Use a hose for sure to guard against any hot side aeration (oxegenating the hot wort is not a good thing).

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Why does it matter going to areat it with the boil in a few minutes

hlumbard said:

I don't think I need a siphon. Gravity should get it out right? I've got a braid in the bottom of the cooler. BTW I'm 30min in to my mash! Woot! Target was 150 I'm at 153. I preheated my tun which I didn't tell beersmith I was going to do.

Question: Is it better to be over or under temp on the sparge (or does it need to be exact as per beersmith?)

Click to expand...

153 is a good temperature for most beers, so you should be fine there. Gravity probably won't "suck out" the wort out of the deadspace. The tubing works as a siphon, pulling out the wort from the bottom of the MLT.

LKHA said:

Why does it matter going to areat it with the boil in a few minutes

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Hot side aeration is a possiblity. I don't think I've ever experienced it, and I'm not sure how prevalent it is at the homebrew level, but it's always been good practice to not pour or otherwise aerate hot wort. (Some say that it doesn't even exist, but I wouldn't go that far).

LKHA said:

Why does it matter going to areat it with the boil in a few minutes

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Boiling doesn't aerate. If anything it does the opposite, driving off dissolved gasses.