First time masher, have a few questions and clarity on the process

[DrunkenCanuck]

Hey guys,

I am doing my first brew this coming weekend as my mead is now in secondary and won't be done for a few months yet. So I am doing a grain based beer with some hops and I have some questions about the process, including what supplies I need.

Recipe: https://www.brewtoad.com/recipes/1-gallon-chocolate-maple-porter

How much water would one start with for a 1 gallon recipe, something that seems to not be mentioned in the link.

Mashing:

Do I need to boil water constantly to do the mashing or can I boil the water up to 175 F and let it settle to 150 F before adding my ingredients like my recipe calls for? Can I transfer the boiled water to something with a filter screen and tap on it like this container which is insulated?:

https://shortfingerbrewing.com/collections/mash-tuns/products/5g-coleman-cooler-with-6-bazooka-screen

I ask this because I have an old stove and I can't guarantee consistent temperatures across the bottom of a pot due to crappy coils. Also, when you do a mash, are you just throwing all of the grains into one container, stirring it and letting it rest? The recipe says starch conversion (saccharification rest) for 60 minutes at 154.4 degrees F.

Sparging:

https://www.northernbrewer.com/documentation/MashingSparging.pdf

This link about sparging gives me some good information, however it sounds like the intent with sparging is to add more hot water directly over the grain until you top up the wort once you have done the full recirculation. Can you not recirculate by using a hose or is there too much risk of blockage from the draff to do so?

Boiling:

Once the wort has been fully collected, it gets added back to a pot and brought to a boil, where the hops are added at each time section in the recipe, correct?

Thanks in advance for all the answers, I really appreciate it.

 

[RM-MN]

The starting water you need will be the one gallon that you want to finish up with plus the amount absorbed by the grains plus how much you boil off. Nobody but you can tell just how much that is.

Mashing is keeping the grains a the mash temp. Heat the water to the strike temp, stir in the grains, and insulate the mash to maintain the temp. If you want the mash to be at 150, you need water hotter than that so when you add the cooler grains the mash hits the right temp. That depends on the temperature and weight of the grain. This is the calculator I use: http://www.tastybrew.com/calculators/infusion.html

Don't be too concerned about hitting exactly 154.4. Its a target, just get close.

When the mash is done, drain out the wort into your boil pot. Note how much you collected and the difference between that and what you need to start the boil. Add the difference to the tun, stir it well, and drain it. That was the sparge. Start heating the wort to boil and add the hops when you are directed. Usually the boil is 60 minutes and the hops are timed based on that. A 60 minute addition goes in when the boil starts and stays there. If you have a 15 minute hop, it gets boiled for just 15 minutes.

 

[bleme]

Heat a gallon of water to 168F and put in your insulated container then stir in your crushed grains. You will need something to keep the grains from going out the spigot. A paint strainer bag will do the trick. That should get you close to 154.4. Let it sit for an hour and drain off the liquid, then add 3 quarts of 175F water. Let it set for 10 minutes or so and drain that into your boil pot. Bring to a boil and start your hop additions.

 

[bleme]

Also, don't mash the maple syrup. Just stir it in after your boil is done.