Ag questions.

New to AG have a few questions:

Why do you add grain to the mash tun first as opposed to the water?

What do I need to do to my water, I live in Salt Lake City and have high bicarbonate (hard) water?

I will be batch sparging. If i do a mash out do i stir after adding the mash out water?

Thankz

You should actually add the water to the mash tun first, then add your grain as the large heat shock of adding grain first can denature some enzymes. Also, you should add your strike water to the mash tun about 10 degrees high and let come down to "pre-heat" the tun to avoid heat loss during the mash. You will need a city water report to determine exactly what your water needs, I personally just buy spring water to brew since my water is no good for brewing and will be using R/O water and adding salts/chemicals soon as that will be cheaper. For your mash out and your sparge, you definitely want to stir then let sit before vorlauf.

hulkavitch said:

New to AG have a few questions:

Why do you add grain to the mash tun first as opposed to the water?

What do I need to do to my water, I live in Salt Lake City and have high bicarbonate (hard) water?

I will be batch sparging. If i do a mash out do i stir after adding the mash out water?

Thankz

Click to expand...

One: I don't. I preheat my mash tun, drain that hot water, add the strike water then add the grain.

Two: What you add depends on what is already in the water. I filter my water with a Britta water filter and have not been adding anything. I am going to add some Gypsum and Calcium Chloride (I think? given to me by my LHBS to try.) Lhbs guy said it may make my good beer better.

Three: Every time you add new water, stir like crazy. You want to get all that you can out of the grains.

hulkavitch said:

New to AG have a few questions:

Why do you add grain to the mash tun first as opposed to the water?

What do I need to do to my water, I live in Salt Lake City and have high bicarbonate (hard) water?

I will be batch sparging. If i do a mash out do i stir after adding the mash out water?

Thankz

Click to expand...

1. you don't. You add the water first then "dough-in" with the grain slowly whilst stirring the whole time to avoid clumps.

2. Hard water is generally not a bad thing in brewing. Most important is the PH. I have pretty good water so don't adjust..others can chime in here.

3. Lately I've been skeptical of the effects of a mash out. I just add water enough to fill my mash tun (at about 160*) then stir like crazy, vorlauf, drain, and repeat until I hit my preboil volume (usually about 1.5g more than final volume)

The only reason i asked the first question is that Palmer in how to brew described it as grain first then water. I also read it one other place.

Didnt make much sense to me

Are you reading the current print edition or the free online addition? Some of the details have changed over the years.

It is the print.

1. I have no idea where Palmer may have said to add the water to the grains, but it's a terrible idea. You'd have a godawful mess, I'm sure you'd have doughballs galore. Add the water first.

2. Water that is "hard" i.e. quite a bit of minerals, can be very good for brewing. But water that has a lot of bicarbonate (high alkalinity) can be really problematic. It can skew your mash pH too high and cause significant reductions if mash efficiency and also flavor. If you have really alkaline water you may want to buy RO water. Go to the Brew Science section and check the "Primer."

3. Always stir after every water addition, whether a batch sparge, mashout, or whatever. You want everything to be mixed nice and uniform.

I have done both first. Haven't seen any real difference.