First All-Grain Brewday Yesterday

[christyle]

So, I did my first all-grain brew day yesterday and now that it's done, I had a few questions...

First, my setup:
10 Gal coolers (MLT and HLT)
SS False bottom on the MLT

I did a batch sparge split into 2 sparges on a Northern Brewer Saison kit with about 10.75 lbs of grain. About 5 gallons of mash water, 2.75 gallons sparge water, total.

Issue #1: Vorlauf not clearing
- I ran the first runnings into a pitcher (about 1.5 gallons) a quart at a time, slow drain, fast drain, etc and I kept getting significant debris. I feel the false bottom was not fine enough to catch a lot of this, but I'm not sure. Also wondering if starting and stopping so often (one quart at a time) could cause it? Either way, I put a fine mesh bag over the drain tube and ran it wide open. Used it in the sparge as well. Seems to work fine (no pun intended ), any drawbacks to this?

Issue #2: Low Sparge temps
- My grains seemed to suck more heat than I expected, and my sparge was only about 155 to 160 (Target of 170-175), using roughly 185 strike/sparge water. How will this end up affecting the beer? I may be wrong on that large of an inconsistency, my thermometers all seem to read differently, and not consistently. My notes are also at home.

On my sparge, I also added 1.5 gallons on the second sparge, and only used 1.25 (thought it would be enough, pre-boil). Does this effect things much; not using all the sparge?

Target OG (per recipe) was 1.056 and I hit 1.05 pre boil, 1.06 post boil, right at 5 gallons. I would have rather ended up with 5.5 gallons, but I ended up boiling off more than a normal extract batch. Decided not to bother adding any extra water.

Items I know I need to change:
- Foil on top of the grain bed to hold heat and better distribute vorlauf without channeling (if I do a vorlauf again)
- Try warmer sparge water and triple check temps to see if it is working or not
- Shoot for higher pre-boil volume

Any other tips/input? I'm happy that I hit my target OG (overshot actually) on my first batch. How do I check efficiency, brewhouse and overall? Software? I haven't gotten anything yet, but plan on something soon.

 

[Bowtiebrewery]

So, I did my first all-grain brew day yesterday and now that it's done, I had a few questions...

First, my setup:
10 Gal coolers (MLT and HLT)
SS False bottom on the MLT

I did a batch sparge split into 2 sparges on a Northern Brewer Saison kit with about 10.75 lbs of grain. About 5 gallons of mash water, 2.75 gallons sparge water, total.

Issue #1: Vorlauf not clearing
- I ran the first runnings into a pitcher (about 1.5 gallons) a quart at a time, slow drain, fast drain, etc and I kept getting significant debris. I feel the false bottom was not fine enough to catch a lot of this, but I'm not sure. Also wondering if starting and stopping so often (one quart at a time) could cause it? Either way, I put a fine mesh bag over the drain tube and ran it wide open. Used it in the sparge as well. Seems to work fine (no pun intended ), any drawbacks to this?
Would love to see how you're tun is set up... When I used to mash in a cooler, I used a SS Braid and it cleared well within a few quarts... If you are getting particulates in your runnings and its not clearing you might have to blame a few culprits on that. You might have accidentally lifted your FB and started to get grain underneath it... That can happen. Also when you stirred it might have lifted as well. Also, when Voirlauf is occuring just keep it open and slowly drain (between 1/4-1/2 open into a container and have another on standby and slowly pour back on top of the grain bed... It should eventually compact and create a natural filter to clear it. Technically the fine bag only will take out particulates, but won't acutally clear the beer, so its not really a solution.
Issue #2: Low Sparge temps
- My grains seemed to suck more heat than I expected, and my sparge was only about 155 to 160 (Target of 170-175), using roughly 185 strike/sparge water. How will this end up affecting the beer? I may be wrong on that large of an inconsistency, my thermometers all seem to read differently, and not consistently. My notes are also at home.
Mash out at 160 is not truly hot enough, but shouldnt negatively impact the beer to a point that its going to make you not drink it. Next time really try to get that sparge water up to 168-172*f and have some boiling water on hand just incase you come under.
On my sparge, I also added 1.5 gallons on the second sparge, and only used 1.25 (thought it would be enough, pre-boil). Does this effect things much; not using all the sparge?

Target OG (per recipe) was 1.056 and I hit 1.05 pre boil, 1.06 post boil, right at 5 gallons. I would have rather ended up with 5.5 gallons, but I ended up boiling off more than a normal extract batch. Decided not to bother adding any extra water.

Items I know I need to change:
- Foil on top of the grain bed to hold heat and better distribute vorlauf without channeling (if I do a vorlauf again)
- Try warmer sparge water and triple check temps to see if it is working or not
- Shoot for higher pre-boil volume

Any other tips/input? I'm happy that I hit my target OG (overshot actually) on my first batch. How do I check efficiency, brewhouse and overall? Software? I haven't gotten anything yet, but plan on something soon.

I would say that for Voirlaufing, just keep up with it and improve your design, and or ensure that you are not lifting the False bottom when you stir or add water/grain. As far as channeling... I would say you can control that without the foil, just pour the wort back on top in a random pattern. Another recommendation would be to use some rice-hulls in your mash... Helps so you don't get stuck mashes, and i've found it helps set the grain bed for filtering... YRMV

 

[christyle]

Thanks for the tips! I'll try the two-pitcher method next time, constant drain.

My false bottom is a fairly standard SS domed plate with holes in it, not a mesh. The orifices are larger than that of a braid or slitted copper that I've seen, plus it has a large volume under the dome that can harbor many pieces, taking a bit to get them all out, I would think. I would have probably gone with a bazooka screen or copper if it was me, but it was a gift and looks really nice.

My sparge water was heated to around 180 I believe...I just didn't expect ~150 degree post-lautering grain/cooler to suck that much heat from it... Again, I'll check temps more diligently next time.

 

[Bowtiebrewery]

I have the same exact FB in my SS Sanke Mash Tun... I had an issue when I first started out because it lifted up... just be diligent when stirring and that shouldnt be a problem... Of course now I don't have to do the double pitcher method anymore, as I use pumps and constantly recirculate during the mash.

You will be fine though, just keep trying and learning... No one here started out being a god in Home brewing... well maybe with the exception of Denny Conn lol, but we all learn from each other and celebrate both our challenges and successes.

 

[christyle]

So what about efficiency? Is that only figured through software? How does someone like Northern Brewer determine what amounts of grain are needed and what efficiency the buyer has in their system? So, if I was going to make up my own recipe, do I need software to determine how much grain will get me to my desired OG?

 

[LandoLincoln]

So what about efficiency? Is that only figured through software? How does someone like Northern Brewer determine what amounts of grain are needed and what efficiency the buyer has in their system? So, if I was going to make up my own recipe, do I need software to determine how much grain will get me to my desired OG?

There's a lot of things that can affect your efficiency. No sparge/ single sparge/ double sparge/ triple sparge, pH, mashout temp, diastatic power of the various malts used...I'm sure there's a few others I forgot to list.

Yes, software like BeerSmith helps a lot with this.

 

[Happywanderer]

Efficiency is dependent upon many variables.

Here's from Brewersfriend.com

* There are four main types of efficiency in the brewing world. 'Efficiency' alone could refer to any of these. Each type references a different point in the brewing process. This calculator can compute each of them, but it is up to you to provide the corresponding volume and gravity:

Conversion Efficiency - The percentage of total available sugars that were extracted from the grains inside the mash tun.
Gravity - measured before the boil (blend of all runnings).
Volume - how much mash water was used (do not count grain absorption or mash tun dead space).

Pre-Boil Efficiency - The percentage of total available sugars that made it into the kettle.
Gravity - measured before the boil (blend of all runnings).
Volume - how much wort went into the kettle.

Ending Kettle Efficiency - The percentage of total available sugars that made it to the end of the boil, before draining the kettle.
Gravity - OG (measured after cooling, before pitching yeast).
Volume - ending kettle volume (when cooled, before draining).

Brew House Efficiency - An all inclusive measure of efficiency, which counts all losses to the fermentor. This can be thought of as 'to the fermentor' efficiency. Hops absorption factors into this, and is reduced on the same equipment by ~1% in super hoppy beers.
Gravity - OG (measured after cooling, before pitching yeast).
Volume - how much wort went into the fermentor.
For detailed information on the topic of efficiency, check out the Braukaiser Wiki: Understanding Efficiency.

 

[Happywanderer]

For calculating OG for the purposes of recipe building:
http://byo.com/component/k2/item/409-calculating-gravity-bitterness-and-color-techniques

If you don't like algebra (I'm too old to do math), then using software is the best bet. I like brewer's friend. Others use Beer Smith (also good). The only thing on brewer's friend I'm not entirely fond of is their water chemistry tool. BeerSmith or Bru'n'water are good for that...

now I'm rambling.

 

[christyle]

So...new question, didn't feel like starting a new thread....

Would there be any problems with doing an All-grain brew across two evenings? Like, say....get your pre-boil volume one night, then do the boil the following night? With work, it would be a lot easier to fit that in than doing it on a full weekend day. Would there be mold issues or anything if I sealed it up tight in, say, my HLT cooler? I would ideally do it the following night.

 

[christyle]

So I did the Blue Moon clone and had an issue. Everything seemed to go fine all through the brew. Dropped the temp and direct pitched a vial of WLP300 witbier yeast. Started a day or so later and stalled at 1.022 for like 2 weeks. OG was like 1.046. Threw in yeast energizer to no affect. Made a healthy 1L starter I pitched at high krausen. Bumped temp from the 68 it had been at to 72.5 or so and It dropped to 1.020 and stayed there for about 2 weeks more. What have o done wrong?